[bung]

I encourage almost everyone I talk to that's trying to decide on a major to do nursing. It's really the ideal major because landing a job with a nursing degree is pie even in this economy, and they're overpaid, so it essentially amounts to being set for life.

[kristyn114]

Originally Posted by bung

I encourage almost everyone I talk to that's trying to decide on a major to do nursing. It's really the ideal major because landing a job with a nursing degree is pie even in this economy, and they're overpaid, so it essentially amounts to being set for life.

Nurses are overpaid? I have a lot of co-workers who struggle to make ends meet. When I think of overpaying jobs, I think of politicians, not nurses who save lives.

[bung]

Originally Posted by kristyn114

Nurses are overpaid? I have a lot of co-workers who struggle to make ends meet. When I think of overpaying jobs, I think of politicians, not nurses who save lives.

I mean, yeah, there's lots of overpaying jobs. But besides engineering and mathematics, the highest paying jobs based on necessary education are careers in nursing. The amount we pay to healthcare professionals is one of the main reasons why health care costs so much in this country. Nurses are in such high demand in so many places that there aren't enough skilled people to fill all the positions, so their salary necessarily increases. That's why it's such a good major to choose.

[KellyGleason]

Overpaid was a terrible word choice.

[bung]

*Excessively compensated.

[KellyGleason]

Still wrong. Nurses give constant care to someone who is ill and may not be able to survive on their own. A professional sports player, who works solely to entertain, makes more than 5x the amount a Nurse makes per season. They do most of the labor for the other healthcare providers, but still do not make nearly as much as they do. If anything, I would think that Nurses should make more for all of the work that they do on a day-to-day basis.

[bung]

Originally Posted by KellyGleason

Still wrong. Nurses give constant care to someone who is ill and may not be able to survive on their own. A professional sports player, who works solely to entertain, makes more than 5x the amount a Nurse makes per season. They do most of the labor for the other healthcare providers, but still do not make nearly as much as they do. If anything, I would think that Nurses should make more for all of the work that they do on a day-to-day basis.

Professional sports players, also overpaid, are far, far more rare than a nurse. Like 1 in 20000 people, probably less, is even capable of becoming a professional sports player.

By contrast, nurses make more than just about every other healthcare provider unless that position requires a doctorate. They make more than occupational, physical, and behavioral therapists, speech pathologists, clinical laboratory scientists, radiologists, EMTs, dietitians, social workers, epidemiologists, sleep pathologists, behavior analysts, medical technologists, alcohol and drug counselors, etc. I work in health care, and to say that nurses do most of the labor for other healthcare providers is complete bullshit. All healthcare providers work very hard to supply care to people in their area of expertise, and they all do it on a day-to-day basis.

None of this is to denigrate nurses. They're essential and do work that all of us can be thankful for. But the fact of the matter is that if you want a lucrative career in healthcare, and you don't want to go to school for 8+ years to receive a doctorate, you should be a nurse. An RN that went to school for 2 - 4 years will typically make more than any other healthcare provider that went to school for 6 years, unless that person is a doctor that trained for over 10 years.

[KellyGleason]

Good stats but overpaid is still wrong.

[kristyn114]

So just because there are lots of nurses means that they shouldn't be paid well? Nursing school is hell, and not everyone is capable of passing it. And we're not saying that nurses do all the work of the other professions, but when that profession is off for the day, or not able to come to the floor, we do their work (minus radiology, stuff we can't do). Nurses are the backbone of the entire plan of care, at least at my hospital. We know everything that's going on with the patient.

[KellyGleason]

Originally Posted by kristyn114

So just because there are lots of nurses means that they shouldn't be paid well? Nursing school is hell, and not everyone is capable of passing it. And we're not saying that nurses do all the work of the other professions, but when that profession is off for the day, or not able to come to the floor, we do their work (minus radiology, stuff we can't do). Nurses are the backbone of the entire plan of care, at least at my hospital. We know everything that's going on with the patient.

That's what I was getting at. I don't mean we run every position on the floor because clearly we don't. I'm still a little taken aback over the "overpaid" comment, I think. Nurses unite <3

[Homeless Donut]

Either not many student nurses/RN's listen come to this forum or listen to good music. :P

I'm currently a 2nd semester student in an ADN program in the central valley. Only a 4 semester program. I plan on getting my BSN but I don't think I'll get my MSN. I don't plan on going for a CRNA or an NP, just a management position.

I just started my OB rotation (only 9 weeks. 1 day a week for about 11 hours) and I'm definitely not looking forward to it at all!

I do have to say I did have some difficulty with my 2 lead instructors initially. I work as a monitor tech/unit in the ICU and I love to learn about everything. So I was very knowledgeable about all the labs, diagnosis, pathophysiology, etc. about things I learned in the medical surgical classes - and I think they felt very threatened by it. I was very confident, but they saw it as very cocky. They ultimately ended up giving my the harder assignments in clinical (nothing I couldn't handle) and graded my much tougher than my other classmates. They even ended up referring my to the directors stating that I had an attitude problem. So basically this semester, we had 8 new LVN's merge into our program and there are some much worse people in that LVN group - so I haven't had to deal with them too much this semester.

[kristyn114]

Originally Posted by KellyGleason

That's what I was getting at. I don't mean we run every position on the floor because clearly we don't. I'm still a little taken aback over the "overpaid" comment, I think. Nurses unite <3

Haha, agreed :)

[kristyn114]

Originally Posted by Homeless Donut

Either not many student nurses/RN's listen come to this forum or listen to good music. :P

I'm currently a 2nd semester student in an ADN program in the central valley. Only a 4 semester program. I plan on getting my BSN but I don't think I'll get my MSN. I don't plan on going for a CRNA or an NP, just a management position.

I just started my OB rotation (only 9 weeks. 1 day a week for about 11 hours) and I'm definitely not looking forward to it at all!

I do have to say I did have some difficulty with my 2 lead instructors initially. I work as a monitor tech/unit in the ICU and I love to learn about everything. So I was very knowledgeable about all the labs, diagnosis, pathophysiology, etc. about things I learned in the medical surgical classes - and I think they felt very threatened by it. I was very confident, but they saw it as very cocky. They ultimately ended up giving my the harder assignments in clinical (nothing I couldn't handle) and graded my much tougher than my other classmates. They even ended up referring my to the directors stating that I had an attitude problem. So basically this semester, we had 8 new LVN's merge into our program and there are some much worse people in that LVN group - so I haven't had to deal with them too much this semester.

There's always going to be shitty instructors, you just have to take what you can from them and then move on. They aren't going to be the one making the decisions once you are the real nurse, so don't let them get you down. I had instructors that picked on me in front of everyone just because I'm quiet.

[davefalcone777]

Originally Posted by kristyn114

So just because there are lots of nurses means that they shouldn't be paid well? Nursing school is hell, and not everyone is capable of passing it. And we're not saying that nurses do all the work of the other professions, but when that profession is off for the day, or not able to come to the floor, we do their work (minus radiology, stuff we can't do). Nurses are the backbone of the entire plan of care, at least at my hospital. We know everything that's going on with the patient.

I work as a medical assistant in the pediatric emergency room at my hospital. Nurses are superheroes, hands down. The time and care and effort they put in is incredible. Not to mention the stress that comes on with each patient AND THEN going home and trying to live a regular life with nothing at work taking a toll on them. I have so much respect for the nurses I work with. A lot of them are now my close friends too.

[(l,k)]

from whats being said here i feel like at least a portion of a nurse's salary is as compensation for the things they have to deal with and the stress that accompanies it, although you could say that for every healthcare position i guess