Why do you want to be a nurse?

Fiona59 · Jan 13, 2005

It's true, the wages are good and that will always draw people. Why do you think there are so many post-degree programmes now? Not much you can do with a BA in French literature is there?

I became a nurse because I thought I could do just as good a job as some of those who had looked after my son when he was in hospital and to try and be a better nurse than some who had cared for me after my boys were born.

JVanRN · Jan 13, 2005

I was looking for a career in which I could make a difference to someone...a career that wont ever get boring, one in which I can be autonomous and use critical thinking, and flexibility...just to name a few things...oh yes and be able to make a decent living....pay was a big consideration to me (one of the main reasons why I went from LVN to RN) but no it's not the only consideration. You don't have to be Mother Theresa or some sort of martyr to be a nurse, but you do gotta care about the people you take care of.

But wanting to know about wages does not make you some sort of uncaring troll.

Laurlaur · Jan 13, 2005

Except don't come to the U.K. to work as you wont get big bucks over here!Oh no!

RainEdayWoman · Jan 19, 2005

Well, I am not an RN yet. I wont be starting school until later this year. I have always had a desire to enter the medical field. When I was still in highschool (late 80ies early 90ies) All the classes I took were to prepare me to enter college to pursue a career in the medial field. At the time my desire was to become a surgeon.

As trials and roadblocks do happen in life. A roadblock hit me in the form of not being able to attend college due to family issues. So I decided to take a year off and explore other options. Well, I ended up going another route all together but in the back of my mind the regret of being unable to go to college has eaten at me.

Over the past year I have been guardian to a mentally challanged relative's baby who has medical needs and developmental delays due do the mothers inability to properly care for him (very long story would rather not get into) . Working with him to help get his medical problems under control and working with therapists to help catch him up to the developmental level he should be. It has resparked my desire to enter the medical field.

The idea of trying to be a doctor at this point just seems too far out of reach. Married, kids, my age, etc. I just don't think that would be the best route for me to take. Anyway, it has taken me awhile to decide what i want to do. I figure that by getting my BSN that leaves me open to many possibilities and open doors to expand into different areas. And if I find once I progress through my education and work experiences that I am really good and this and enjoy it that I may even pursue Nurse Practitioner. Who knows, It is still too early to decide what area I will lean towards. Right now my biggest concern is getting accepted to the university, financial aid, then passing all the pre-reqs. Then after that stressing about being accepted into the nursing program. I have been out of school a long time and the whole idea behind starting from scratch has me terrified to say the least. But, the way I figure things is I missed my opportunity the first time around and I am not about to let it pass me by again.

Blackbird · Jan 19, 2005

:uhoh21: The wages are good? HA! Not in Australia they aren't. But I want to be a nurse because I enjoy the medical setting and I want to travel and with a worldwide shortage in nursing staff I can pick and choose what I want to do. But it's definitely NOT for the wages :chuckle

aegirl · Jan 19, 2005

I decided to go into nursing (LPN student at the moment) because I wanted to help people and care for them, I didn't want to sit on my butt all day (been there done that), there is a lot of flexibility and areas to work in, job security, and the pay doesn't hurt. Not to mention you can't go wrong with anything in the healthcare field

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Jan 19, 2005

If she had all that and wanted a better wage, with her background there were lots of other careers she could've picked.

The Actual Top 20 from Monster.com

http://content.salary.monster.com/articles/salary/highestpay/

The tables didn't print but while doctors and lawyers made the Top 20, nurses didn't. Not even close.

Whoever heard of a rich nurse? That's an oxymoron for sure.

Farkinott, RN · Jan 19, 2005

As an RN I will ALWAYS have a job unless i choose not to work. I have great pity for those that have not had the opportunity for an education and work in jobs where they can be laid off due to industrial or economic demands. I reckon I will keep working till I need to take a cushy job as an RN in a nursing home and then book myself in for a bed the week after I retire!

Sweetpea00 · Jan 19, 2005

I will be starting nursing school in the fall...however I have many reasons for wanting to become a nurse---JOB SECURITY, JOB AVAILABILITY, THE PAY, THE FLEXIBLE SCHEDULES (3*12 shifts), STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT, THE CHALLENGE & TO HELP OTHERS IN THEIR TIME OF NEED.

No..there may not be a such thing as a rich nurse....but most nurses do make a very good salary compared to most other Associates, Bachelors & Master degree fields. Of course a Doctor, Dentist, Lawyer, Judges & Physicists ...will make more money...they spend most of their life in school --they should make more.

nursemike, ASN, RN · Jan 19, 2005

I got into health care almost by accident--I thought I was applying for a job in Facilities, but got an interview for Nursing Services. It sounded interesting, so I tried it, and when I found I loved it, becoming a nurse was the next logical step. (The patient-care aspects of my current job are by far my favorite parts.)

I am attracted to nursing in large part for the chance to make a decent living just about anywhere I might choose to live, with flexible hours, doing work I care about and learning something new every day. I am not selfless, but I think I have enlightened self-interest: I don't need a ton of money to be happy, and I'd rather do something that matters to me than something I didn't care about that pays better. At the same time, I will be making twice as much as a nurse as I am as an unlicensed worker, and that will certainly improve my life.

I didn't get into this as a calling, but it has become one, in that I am beginning to define myself as a nurse. It's more than just a job, it's a way of being, and it doesn't end when you clock out at the end of a shift. I'm also at least half convinced that there was some divine intervention that brought me to this--it isn't something I would remotely have considered in my youth.

But I don't think it has to be a holy vocation. You can be a competent, caring professional no matter what your motivation is. People don't become auto mechanics because it serves some higher purpose, but a lot of them do take pride in doing their jobs well and thoroughly, and they serve their fellow man in doing so.

ICUsleep · Jan 19, 2005

I've never heard of anyone going into nursing for the money (MONEY??) I have heard of people going into nursing for the variety and job availability.

If it is about the money, she will realize there are easier ways to make much more money. Where I live, new grad nurses start out around $18.00/hr. That is about what I averaged per night delivering pizzas, so I don't see nursing as a very lucrative career in the beginning. I do plan to become a CRNA, and I should be earning decent pay by then (hope so, I'll have so many student loans to pay off!)

Nursing is a meaningful career in which you can touch another person's life and have some amazing experiences. I don't think anyone should be discouraged from the field. After they begin nursing school and see what it is all about, most people will quite quickly decide whether or not they really want to become a nurse.

If it is soley for the money (what money???:) ) they will realize it is a LOT of work for that paycheck....which probably won't be so grand. Just my 2 cents.