why is it a crime to also want to be a nurse because of salary and security? :igtsyt:
i am changing careers and i'm 39. i have had a desk job all my life, but have found that the times when i have had to help people close to me while they were sick, made me feel good; it meant something and helped someone. i truly found my desk jobs to be boring and not fulfilling. :throcomp:
however, when i chose nursing, salary and money was a big deciding factor. why is it you have to also be willing to work for free to honestly be "fit" for nursing???
i have come across a few posts on this website where people are attacked at the mere mention of a career in nursing providing decent/good salary and/or job security. let's get real a minute please...while some people may very well volunteer their time, most of us can't and need a salary for what we do. i think you can want both. you can want to help people and want a decent salary too.
if your employer told you they couldn't pay you anymore for all you do...would you still work there every day and do what you do for free?
For most people, it is for job security. NOT many states pay as high as California and New York. The only reason these two states do is, they HAVE to. Standard of living, etc., for most states, nursing pay is just fair or just above average.
The second reason is, one can go into different disciplines to advance. It's true that there are different routes to go about, in nursing.
The problem is, in order to go into those "routes" -- one has to start at the bottom. People can't even get inside or near the bottom. It's a tough time. All that money, time, etc. spent and it's questionable now, to even qualify for anything after graduation and passing the nclex.
If you do not fight for it they sure will not give it. I love my Job but would change careers if this one did not pay well. I am an LVN/LPN and am just about to go back to school for my RN primarily for money. Communism is a wonderful impractical dream. I work to hard to work for free.
Specializes in Home Care, Wound Care, LTC, Mom-baby.
Two words: salary compression
My best friend works for the state of PA in the welfare office. After working for them for 25-30yrs-she will be able to retire-at age 55-with a great pension and benefits. How many nurses can do that? I have been a nurse for 24 yrs and have never had a job the even offered a pension, let alone rewarded you for your loyalty. I make now what many new grads make coming out of school-the money is great at first.
There is nothing wrong with that! I got into nursing for job security and the $$ didn't hurt. One thing that I have learned along the way is that security and money will not keep you going on the nursing path. You have to want to help people and realize that only about 20-25% of the patients WANT your help (that has been my experience, anyhow). Another consideration is that the money you expect to get will not make up for the stress and frustration you will endure trying to take care of patients that expect you to "make" them better after years of them abusing their bodies!
I agree that security and money will NOT NEVER keep you in nursing. I have seen many nurses walk away from jobs with nothing else lined up due to the demands of nursing. Some nurses decided to be broke rather than to give up their sanity. I myself cut my income in half by working partime instead of full time when I was burnt out from one nursing job I had.
It's not a crime to want money or security. But right now, and for the past couple of years, there hasn't been any job security in nursing, there are no jobs at all, and the next few years look pretty miserable.
There are thousands of new grads and older nurses coming to this board every day who cannot find work or who have been laid off due to budgeting or cost cutting. There are thousands more out there in the world who are struggling to find work.
And honestly, the pay is not all that great considering everything nurses have to deal with.
It's possible that once the economy settles down things will pick up for nurses, or it's possible that by that time the profession will be nothing like it was in the past and things will continue to be bad for nurses.
It is frustrating when people come here and say they want to get into the profession for money and security because you really need to have an emotional investment in helping others when they are more vulnerable then at any other time in their lives.
Nurses have to be patient advocates, there has to be a commitment to putting the patient first when you're on the job. The way the business of health care works these days nurses find themselves fighting tooth and nail with administration to get the support and resources they need to provide good patient care.
When you hear someone say that they're in this for the money and the security it brings up some concerns about priorities. Is this nurse prepared to be a partner in the daily battle of patient care? There is nothing worse than having to work with a nurse who only cares about their own needs.
I'm sure that there are some people who can do this job well without that emotional investment but that is very rare. So even though I agree 100% that nurses deserve to be well compensated, I also worry when people come here saying that they want to get into nursing for the money and security.
That might not be your intent at all but I've seen it enough that it does kind of trigger an automatic negative reaction.
It's not a crime to want money or security. But right now, and for the past couple of years, there hasn't been any job security in nursing, there are no jobs at all, and the next few years look pretty miserable.
There are thousands of new grads and older nurses coming to this board every day who cannot find work or who have been laid off due to budgeting or cost cutting. There are thousands more out there in the world who are struggling to find work.
And honestly, the pay is not all that great considering everything nurses have to deal with.
It's possible that once the economy settles down things will pick up for nurses, or it's possible that by that time the profession will be nothing like it was in the past and things will continue to be bad for nurses.
It is frustrating when people come here and say they want to get into the profession for money and security because you really need to have an emotional investment in helping others when they are more vulnerable then at any other time in their lives.
Nurses have to be patient advocates, there has to be a commitment to putting the patient first when you're on the job. The way the business of health care works these days nurses find themselves fighting tooth and nail with administration to get the support and resources they need to provide good patient care.
When you hear someone say that they're in this for the money and the security it brings up some concerns about priorities. Is this nurse prepared to be a partner in the daily battle of patient care? There is nothing worse than having to work with a nurse who only cares about their own needs.
I'm sure that there are some people who can do this job well without that emotional investment but that is very rare. So even though I agree 100% that nurses deserve to be well compensated, I also worry when people come here saying that they want to get into nursing for the money and security.
That might not be your intent at all but I've seen it enough that it does kind of trigger an automatic negative reaction.
Its a aphorism but it especially applies to nursing. As a second career RN I went from one MH job to another but received a substantial pay raise by obtaining the credential. Now I am back in school for my NP/CNS in Mental Health. (Not really for the title but because I want to be at a higher level of responsibility and apply my expertise to the care of patients.)
Nursing is one of the professions where you can find a niche and grow your talents. If you find your niche and keep investing in yourself there is a great deal of satisfaction to be had along with the financial rewards. I never wanted to be a peds/OB/medsurge nurse but the opportunity for growth for me as a person was in metal health. Each of us in this profession can find our niche.
Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
If the kindness of my heart alone can pay my bills and feed me, that would be appreciated, but we don't live in a society that barters favor for favor. The electric bill, telephone, rent, food costs MONEY.
Far better to get paid for something you are interested in than to work for free and no compensation to keep a roof over your head. I, too, get annoyed when people say that you should not want a fair salary for what you are being exposed to. Let's face it. We do have a heart for treating people with compassion, advocating for them, caring, etc... However, most nurses give up nights, weekends, holidays and rest. In addition, with the no rest, we are exposed to many diseases, even violence on occasion for caring for the patients and their families. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be monetarily compensated for the skills we possess.
Again, if we earned our keep as a community by the barter system, I'd be accepting of that as well, but since we don't, I believe we are entitled to the same as the community that we care for.
:throcomp:
:yeah:
vegas2009
408 Posts
For most people, it is for job security. NOT many states pay as high as California and New York. The only reason these two states do is, they HAVE to. Standard of living, etc., for most states, nursing pay is just fair or just above average.
The second reason is, one can go into different disciplines to advance. It's true that there are different routes to go about, in nursing.
The problem is, in order to go into those "routes" -- one has to start at the bottom. People can't even get inside or near the bottom. It's a tough time. All that money, time, etc. spent and it's questionable now, to even qualify for anything after graduation and passing the nclex.