Why are you REALLY going into nursing? Honest answers please.

HyperRNRachel · May 21, 2004

I need a job, and a steady income. Seriously. Anyone who says different isn't telling the whole truth.

Sorry, but it is true. My house and car are paid for. My husband and I have been married for 12 years, and he makes damn good money :). I do not have to work. I am going to be a nurse because there is something within my heart that has told me to follow my dream. And that my friend IS the whole truth. :)

TLC RN · May 22, 2004

I was working towards med school but my heart was not into it and my grades showed it. I was not sure it was what I really wanted to do. I grew up only knowing Dr, lawyer and CEO as job options. I had my son while taking pre reqs for med school and realized there was no way I could commit my life to medicine and give up so much time with my son.

I then spent two years doing inside sales for dot coms and now a large software company. After a year, I realized I hated sales and felt horrible leaving my son everyday in daycare and working on making a CEO's pocket fatter. I hated that my son had a horrible time in daycare and I was required to be at work 40 hours a week (I am a single mom). I decided a career change was in place. I also looked at getting a law degree and doing negotiating and maybe an MBA but all that was boring. I started looking at medicine again but other options instead of MD. I looked at PA, PT and Rad Tech. I went to dinner with some old high school friends almost two years ago. One was a CRNA and the other a SNRA. They told me all about nursing and anesthesia. They also told me about what the loved about their careers.

I went home half pissed that I had spent a year looking at programs and did not even think of nursing! I started researching and shadowing nurses and was hooked. I had a low GPA in undergrad (lack of motivation and too much beer :chuckle ) and after the first semester of pre reqs talked to and advisor and she mentioned how competitive it was to get in now. I buckled down and finished my last pre req a few weeks ago with all A's. I am waiting for an acceptance letter from the school (should have a response by the end of June). I even have a second choice school (if I don't make it at the first )

This is the first time in my life I felt I knew what I wanted to do. I did it for...

1. Job stability (I have watched countless people lose jobs or salary in IT)

2. Flexibility - now I have holidays and weekends to work but I also can do my job in 3 days instead of 5. All I know is it will be nice to see my son off to school at least two days a week and be home with him after school. I see him off to latch key and before care now.

3. Job diversity - I can hate software sales but it is super hard now to go into some other type of sales. The quotas suck and it is not FULFULING at all. With nursing if I hate med/surge, I can do OB, NICU, PICU, ICU, Oncology, school, camp...nursing. I should be able to find something I like right :)

4. Pay = is pretty equal what I was making

5. Job advancement/clear career path - I have more options to move on up the food chain in nursing...Administration, more school with NP or CRNA. At my current job I would have to move to get to outside sales and I HATE IT!

6. More school- I can do more school part time while working or if I do CRNA it would be 2.5 more years w/o working...compared to MD, I liked CRNA plan

7. Even if I don't go advanced practice...see # 3

8. But should be #1...If I am going to have to work and be away from my son, it better be worth it on some level. I didn't want to be 65 and retire and think...wow, what a career, I helped Xyz Company make a better video game...

I maybe changing apples for oranges (in fact I know I am) and if I get into it and hate it...I can just change careers again

Truly_Blessed · May 22, 2004

Sorry, but it is true. My house and car are paid for. My husband and I have been married for 12 years, and he makes damn good money :). I do not have to work. I am going to be a nurse because there is something within my heart that has told me to follow my dream. And that my friend IS the whole truth. :)

Goodness, let me clarify this for all of you who are fortunate enough to already have money. I am talking about people in my situation, the poor people:chuckle So puhleeease exclude yourself from my comment. Better?

wonderbee, BSN, RN · May 22, 2004

It just seems natural to me. It has always seemed natural to me. Even way back when there was no shortage and female nurses were relegated to wearing caps and dresses, I seemed to just fit into the medical mold and nursing was the option. Everything else I ever did was second choice or no choice. At 49, there have been a lot of other everythings.

Truly_Blessed · May 22, 2004

Money isn't everything.

True, but...it is very important to those of us who are struggling financially as single parents. Money to support our kids is VERY important.

Sheri257 · May 22, 2004

Funny- As a nurse, I have often felt exactly like a "worker bee for very rich executives"!

Yeah, it's true. I have no delusions about that aspect of the profession.

:uhoh21:

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · May 22, 2004

Granted. I thought about that after I posted. But at least as a nurse you do make a difference in other people's lives in ADDITION to working your butt off for very rich executives! :chuckle

I agree with you.

Patrick71 · May 22, 2004

Love to help people, job security, pays well, OPTIONS, set a good example for my kids. Also, I'm a glutton for punishment.

Sheri257 · May 22, 2004

Money isn't everything.

Yeah, well, you tend to say that when you have money and are employed.

But when you're broke and unemployed, money IS everything.

I speak from experience. I've done both.

BabyRN2Be · May 22, 2004

Honestly, the pay is great compared to what I'm doing right now and I'll actually have less work. As a doula working in L&D, it's a very rare birth that I'm NOT on my feet for the duration of labor. The last birth I did was 18 hours. The nurse was in there on occasion, probably spent 1 hour total with my client, she got a break, and she got to sit down at least while charting! Yes, I know, she did have other patients to tend to, but she got to sit down a whole lot more than I did, and she made more money than I did! I really don't have anything against her, because she was absolutely awesome... she did say that I made her job easier. Anyhow, that's one of my reasons.

Secondly, you can't open a newspaper and not find a job for a nurse. One of our local hospitals hasn't had a job opening in other areas (food services, clerical, etc) in months, but they always have about 15 nursing jobs open. Can't beat that job security.

Someone asked earlier if we'd do the same thing if we didn't get paid. I've already done that as a doula! Yes, I know. It's NOT the same thing as nursing, nurses have more responsibilities. But if I was working in L&D, I would absolutely love it. It's a job that I'm really drawn to and have been all my life.

Now if only I could get into school.

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · May 22, 2004

.........But when you're broke and unemployed, money IS everything.
I speak from experience. I've done both.

I've been both dirt poor, on the verge of homelessness, and well off, as I am now. My dh has done well, and I don't have to work.

I work because I want to maintain a degree of independence, and I enjoy many aspects of nursing, despite the problems. I tried being a stay-at-home-non-mom. What a bore!

However, that fact that I don't need to earn a salary does not mean that I will work "cheap" or that I don't do all that I can to insure that I am earning a fair and equitable wage.

When I first became a nurse, I put up with bad treatment from employers, because I had to. I needed a paycheck to survive. Now that that isn't an issue, I've been freed up to persue a working environment where I can actually give good care, and am treated fairly.

No matter what the reasons are that nurses chose nursing, or why they stay, all nurses are obligated to provide the best care they can, and deserve fair compensation for doing so.

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · May 22, 2004

Secondly, you can't open a newspaper and not find a job for a nurse.

Not true in my area. There is a surplus of nurses here. Many weeks the only nursing ads in the paper are for jobs in other cities, or out of the state.

Whenever my employer runs an ad, we aways get way more nurses applying than we have jobs for.