nursing? is it worth it?

Question

i am interested in doing nursing, although i know this may sound shallow before i do it i want to know what the pay is like, i am going to do basic nursing as you do then midwifery and mental health so if there is anyone out there that is in any of those feilds could you please tell me how much you make a week and how many hours you do

Answer 1

if you want to wipe butts your entire life, then that is a good start. i believe the demand for nursing may go down as everyone and her sister, and brother, are becoming a nurse. by the time you graduate, the demand has already been saturated.

Answer 2

What country are you from? What is basic nursing? Pay varies throughout the US and even area to area. Certified Midwife has about 6 years of school. I retired, but a year ago I was making 35 dollars an hour. 36-46 hours a week . Hospitals use you as they feel like it in Texas.I hadn't had a Christmas off in 20 years. 12 hour shifts are the norm. The shortage makes conditions deplorable. Do you want to be an RN with an associates degree, or a bachelor's degree. Would you rather be an LPN or in Texas an LVN? Do your homework before you commit to anything and good luck. I'm so glad I'm out. The average Rn career in the US is 5 years. Go figure.100.000 a year means you work all the time. These people are exaggerating a bit.

Answer 3

Well, I've been doing it for over forty years, and I have to tell you a lot depends on how you feel about the job beyond the pay, because in most instances, nurses are not paid anywhere near what they're worth. Even as house supervisor, I was woefully underpaid. I have colleagues working in each of the five hospitals in Syracuse, New York, and not one of 'em is paid what he or she is worth. On top of that, benefits are not what they should be.
The other major problem with nursing is staffing levels. In an attempt to save money, I've seen every institution in which I've worked fail miserably to staff various patient care units adequately. They always insist, publicly, that their staffing practices do not endanger patients, but national statistics say otherwise - patients are dying because there's not enough staff to care for them properly. They are dying by the thousands, mind you.
I did find a great deal of personal satisfaction for the most part. Having retired recently, I can look back with pride on a job well done. But it's not the career I'd have chosen had I had the financial wherewithal to take my MD. You'd do well to contemplate carefully whether you really want to become a midwife. Malpractice premiums - and you CAN NOT practice legally without such insurance - have gone through the roof and into the ionosphere...scores of midwives in the Northeast have had to give up their practices because of it. There are other issues, but that's proving to be a very major one.
My suggestion would be to complete nursing school and then go on to become a nurse practitioner in pediatrics or geriatrics. A third choice would be general practice. Nursing is just not worth the stress and the risk anymore.
By the way - those who claim an RN can make a hundred thousand a year are either totally misinformed or they're lying. Even as house super I only made half that.

Answer 4

You probably already know that the pay differs depending on the geographic location of the job. The type of nursing also has an impact on the amount of money made for that particular field.

I have a family full of nurses. Most of them work in the Southeast US. One is an OR Recovery Room Nurse (RN) and makes roughly $70,000/yr. One works with a doctor seeing patients in the office (RN); she makes $55,000/yr. Another relative works on the OB/GYN Oncology ward (RN) of a major hospital and makes $64,000/yr. One friend works as an LPN for a nursing home earning about $42,000/yr. I have a few friends that work as CNA’s at a nursing home and they earn about $35,000/yr. The salaries reflect their regular pay and do not include overtime or shift pay.

You will find some nurses that receive pay in the six-figures because of their specialties or the location of their work. Flight nurses tend to earn a bit more than some of the other nurses in their geographic area because of the hazard pay they receive dues to the flying involved. Some nurse practitioners, which are RN’s, earn close to what some GP doctors earn.

In the states that license nurses (LPN’s or RN’s) as mental health professionals and allow them to practice under their own license, those nurses may also earn nearly the same amounts that some GP doctors earn.

If you have an idea of where you want to work, and what type of nursing you want to do, call facilities that employ those nurses and ask about salaries. Make sure that you ask about the benefits available to the nurses as well. Many people forget to factor in benefits when job hunting. Forgetting this might cause you to make a huge mistake. Some employers pay 100% of your health insurance with reasonable deductibles and co-pays, whereas other employers share the cost of the premiums with you, or the deductibles and co-pays are much higher than other plans. Before you work anywhere, it does not hurt to speak to some of the people employed there to find out how they like their job and/or their employer.

Nursing is not an easy career. You deal with people that are either sick or injured, and usually not in the best mood. You work under the direction of doctors, some of whom treat nurses like their personal servants. You deal with all types of smells, gore, blood, and other bodily fluids. Depending on your specialty, you deal with death on a regular basis. You must have the proper attitude and outlook on life in order to do the job and still give 100% even though you have been working for 36-hours straight. No amount of money makes a job you hate more enjoyable. Nursing is really a calling and not a job.


Good luck!

Will D
Enterprise AL

Answer 5

I think the nursing you are refering to is Enrolled Nursing. I am an EEN (endorsed enrolled nurse). That means that I can give out medications (excluding S8 drugs) and give nursing care in the same way as an RN.

The way you get into EEN is by a 1 yr program called TEN (trainee enrolled nurse). You need to apply for employment in this course through an employing hospital area health service (ie Royal North Shore in the North Sydney Central Coast Area Health). Once successful, you are then paid a salary of $580 per week (gross). If you have worked as an AIN (assistant in nursing) you may receive a higher level of pay.

You then go to TAFE for 8 weeks, (theory) then have an 8 week practical block at your employing hospital. You then go back to TAFE for a further 7 weeks and then back on practical for 6 months.

At the end of the 1 yr, you will have to wait for about 3-4 weeks to receive your qualification as the paperwork is submitted to the Enrolled Nurses/Midwives board for accreditation. In this time, look for EEN positions and start applying for the jobs advertised.

You get paid for training, have practical experience along the way and hopefully, you'll enjoy the experience. It truly is a wonderful way to get into nursing!

Answer 6

Nurses make between 16 and 30 dollars an hour where I live.

There is LOTS of overtime available....so an RN can pull down close to $100,00 a year....an LPN can easily make $60,000....even if you are not willing to put in the extra hours it is still a profession with an EXTREME shortage of personell...so you will always have job security....even if you get fired you can just go down the street and have a new job (possibly with a sign on bonus) in a week or 2.

Answer 7

well I know in my area about half the jobs in the Sunday paper are in the health care area, most of them nursing. The pay is decent from what I have seen, you wont be driving a Ferrari but you will make a decent living.

Answer 8

The pay is pretty good, the hours suck, but there's a lot of demand for nurses so you'll have a very good chance of getting a job.

Answer 9

yeah!. do not put the carrege before the horse." do not worry about the how much you're going to get paid an hour. FINISH YOUR EDUCATION. is more important.. then, you can ask your OWN PRICE. right now nusrsing is paying about $22hrs. IS this enough to finish your education..
right now they are asking to give you a $5000. bonus just to sign.. in HAWAII, and in any part of the U.S.A. SO FINISH YOUR EDUCATION, then you can worry about drinking JUMACAN RUM. do you have home work to do.

Answer 10

I am not in the field but my mom and my grandmother was in it and now my aunt is. And they made good money and loved what they did, and my aunt is in to it and she makes about 100,000 a year.