Career as a nurse -- DH has a prejudice against it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I guess when the OP husband is deadly sick one day he plans in calling his accountant or lawyer to do his IV.

Again, he believes nurses are underpaid and over worked — he appreciates them and feels bad for them as a class. But he wants DD to have an easier life and not have to depend on a man to afford a house where she would be comfortable living. We love our teachers too, give generously to annual funds, and feel they are underpaid. But we still send our kids to school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP's DD is considering pursuing a Nursing Degree right,
I thought with a nursing degree, you are not just a RN starting 50K?

Huh? This comment doesn't make any sense. A Bachelor of Science in Nursing makes one eligible to take the registered nurse licensing exam (NCLEX).

Right that the point, BSN-RN starting salary is much higher, not 50k mentioned here, I thought those are for nurse with diploma or associate degree only

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I guess when the OP husband is deadly sick one day he plans in calling his accountant or lawyer to do his IV.

Again, he believes nurses are underpaid and over worked — he appreciates them and feels bad for them as a class. But he wants DD to have an easier life and not have to depend on a man to afford a house where she would be comfortable living. We love our teachers too, give generously to annual funds, and feel they are underpaid. But we still send our kids to school.

I think the long-ago PP is right that this has nothing to do with money and has everything to do with your husband's class anxieties or class biases. He looks down on nurses - whatever their job, whatever their opportunities, whatever they earn - and he's trying to prevent your daughter from being someone he looks down on. It's very sad that he's behaving like this and projecting so much prejudice on your daughter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP's DD is considering pursuing a Nursing Degree right,
I thought with a nursing degree, you are not just a RN starting 50K?

Huh? This comment doesn't make any sense. A Bachelor of Science in Nursing makes one eligible to take the registered nurse licensing exam (NCLEX).

Right that the point, BSN-RN starting salary is much higher, not 50k mentioned here, I thought those are for nurse with diploma or associate degree only

No, it's not. An inexperienced RN is fungible.

[Anonymous]

There is a big difference between an RN and a NP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH grew up in a rural town where like the default path for a LOT of the women in his graduating class was to go into nursing. He wants to dissuade our DD from the field because he feels it is underpaid, over worked, and not given enough respect in the profession. He claims they barely break $100k, despite working long hard hours responsible dozens of patients.

My impression is that there is a nursing shortage, and I would expect salaries to rise to approach $150k or so, a solid professional salary. And if you go into a specialty, like CNP or CNA you can break $200k riveling pediatricans and internist salaries.

Love to hear stories of nurse careers to balance out my DH's long list of RNs scrapping by in rural Georgia!

RN here. You're delusional about the salaries. Unless we're talking LTC, no nurse is responsible for dozens of patients. There are SO many paths an RN can follow that will debunk everything you AND your husband are saying here

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The thing about "nursing" is it encompasses a very broad swath of careers. Anything from CNA/LPN through RN through CRNA/APRN/NP/etc. And you can work in a variety of settings - a friend of mine went back to school to become a nurse after working in biology research for a decade and earning nothing, and after putting in 2 years at an outpatient facility she got a job as a school nurse so she has a schedule that matches her kids and an extremely easy job. You can go the other direction working in ICUs, as a travel nurse, in labor & delivery - higher stakes, more money.

After you've been a nurse for 5 years or so it's one of the best jobs I know of in terms of ability to cut back hours and keep your pay level (pro rata).

A CNA is not a nurse

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP's DD is considering pursuing a Nursing Degree right,
I thought with a nursing degree, you are not just a RN starting 50K?

Huh? This comment doesn't make any sense. A Bachelor of Science in Nursing makes one eligible to take the registered nurse licensing exam (NCLEX).

Right that the point, BSN-RN starting salary is much higher, not 50k mentioned here, I thought those are for nurse with diploma or associate degree only

LOL, nope. I have never worked in a facility where a BSN nurse made more. It's all the same exam and license in the end!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:my DD has been working 5 years in the CVICU at the top pediatric heart hospital in america. they are paid hourly. started around 50k and has gotten several raises along the way. their raises might be $1 per hour or $2 per hour, so not great. i think she makes 70ish now. maybe a little more, but i am not sure. her job is very demanding, taking care of kids with heart defects and kids who need or have had heart transplants.

BTW it takes more than 2 years to become a nurse. most hospitals around her require a BSN, so that is about 60 hours of prereqs and then 1.5 - 2 years of nursing school.

And, you're wrong. At this point, hospitals DO hire ADN nurses, left and right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As an RN in California, I made over $100K a year with 8 years experience. After COVID I left and went into case management (100% telework) and still make $98000. Becoming a nurse was one of the best decisions I have made….

Don't forget to mention that you live in the best RN wage state in America...

[Anonymous]

Sorry to revive but this is a relevant thread to me, right now, and my DC.

Curious for the poster or posters who claim that the path to NP or CRNA will be "oversaturated"? The BLS and some other career sites seem to say the opposite. I def recall hearing that anesthesia specialties are in demand and understaffed, currently.

Just wondering if I'm wrong or what people are seeing in real time on these sorts of advanced nursing paths?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH grew up in a rural town where like the default path for a LOT of the women in his graduating class was to go into nursing. He wants to dissuade our DD from the field because he feels it is underpaid, over worked, and not given enough respect in the profession. He claims they barely break $100k, despite working long hard hours responsible dozens of patients.

My impression is that there is a nursing shortage, and I would expect salaries to rise to approach $150k or so, a solid professional salary. And if you go into a specialty, like CNP or CNA you can break $200k riveling pediatricans and internist salaries.

Love to hear stories of nurse careers to balance out my DH's long list of RNs scrapping by in rural Georgia!

Your dh's should let your dd decide what she wants to do with HER life. I wouldn't try to convince him at all because it will seem like you are trying to appease him and get his approval. Your dh got to decide his path and nursing is a very honorable and respectable profession.

Maybe have you dd say I've decided to be a professional pole dancer because they make lots of money! And when he objects than maybe nursing will look good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The nurses I know are well paid (one is a nurse practitioner) and have amazing flexibility, especially if you have children. It's one of the few professions where you can dial it back to PT (if you want) when you are raising children and then jump right back in later.

Our kids aren’t looking for mommy jobs — they may not get married, may not have kids, so we are focused on jobs where they will be the breadwinner. Wouldn’t nursing be a good option if they don’t go PT? I don’t think they will want to be traveling nurses, and I don’t want to count on another pandemic. But being like a pediatric hospital nurse should clear like $100k right?

OK fine, but why not steer them towards being a physician, software engineer, lawyer or an entrepreneur if breadwinning is the most important thing. What a weird post.

Why steer them at all if they know what they want to do? Sounds like op's dd has a plan and her husband should stay out of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The nurses I know are well paid (one is a nurse practitioner) and have amazing flexibility, especially if you have children. It's one of the few professions where you can dial it back to PT (if you want) when you are raising children and then jump right back in later.

Our kids aren’t looking for mommy jobs — they may not get married, may not have kids, so we are focused on jobs where they will be the breadwinner. Wouldn’t nursing be a good option if they don’t go PT? I don’t think they will want to be traveling nurses, and I don’t want to count on another pandemic. But being like a pediatric hospital nurse should clear like $100k right?

OK fine, but why not steer them towards being a physician, software engineer, lawyer or an entrepreneur if breadwinning is the most important thing. What a weird post.

Why steer them at all if they know what they want to do? Sounds like op's dd has a plan and her husband should stay out of it.

I thought this site was 100% about not following your passion, and choosing a career with a clear ride view of the bottom line and how you will support yourself. A nurses job is equivalent to being a teacher, the start low, it’s a very demanding job, and will top out well below DC urban mom middle class. So in order to have a reasonable lifestyle, they will have to marry someone who makes a lot of money or get a job in some backwater where their salary will match the cost of living.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry to revive but this is a relevant thread to me, right now, and my DC.

Curious for the poster or posters who claim that the path to NP or CRNA will be "oversaturated"? The BLS and some other career sites seem to say the opposite. I def recall hearing that anesthesia specialties are in demand and understaffed, currently.

Just wondering if I'm wrong or what people are seeing in real time on these sorts of advanced nursing paths?

Would like to hear this as well.