If your (college age) child expressed interest in going into nursing, would you encourage it?

[Anonymous]

Encourage her to become a NP. Pay and hours are better.

[Anonymous]

I think nursing is a great field. I tried to go into nursing but it was too hard juggling a full time job and taking classes at the same time.

I would advise my child to shadow a nurse if they can however. It's not the right career for some people. I have two people at my current job that are former nurses. Both burned out.

[Anonymous]

What is wrong with you people?

[Anonymous]

Why would you NOT?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nursing has been very good to me. After about 7-8 years at the bedside I moved into a leadership track. I’ve been in leadership for 15 years. I’ve had to relocate a few times but I’m the chief nurse executive for a large health system. I have huge responsibilities but still good work/life balance. A shortage of PhD prepared nurses with strong operational experience in hospitals mean we command a decent wage. I make over 600K. Im negotiating my next move to a huge system where my comp will total about 850k and all in may be close to 1M. I work hard, know my stuff and demand pay parity with the other. C-suite execs.

Tell your DC there’s a shortage of nurses who want leadership roles. Get experience, go for a MSN and beyond, climb the ladder, work hard, create good outcomes, be a leader, and show that you’re just as valuable as the CFO - then demand to be paid your worth. Being a nurse manager is a hard and thankless job but if you can do it for 3 years you can move up and it gets a lot better.

Nurse PP here. I appreciate your feedback!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Encourage her to become a NP. Pay and hours are better.

You can't become a NP without being a nurse first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is wrong with you people?

Can you elaborate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Abosolute!

Nurses are smart, intuitive, kind, compassionate, cheerful, self-sacrificing, engaged, hard working and horny as hell. Okay ... TMI - but thats my personal experience with a nurse

Kate Gosselin was a nurse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nursing has been very good to me. After about 7-8 years at the bedside I moved into a leadership track. I’ve been in leadership for 15 years. I’ve had to relocate a few times but I’m the chief nurse executive for a large health system. I have huge responsibilities but still good work/life balance. A shortage of PhD prepared nurses with strong operational experience in hospitals mean we command a decent wage. I make over 600K. Im negotiating my next move to a huge system where my comp will total about 850k and all in may be close to 1M. I work hard, know my stuff and demand pay parity with the other. C-suite execs.

Tell your DC there’s a shortage of nurses who want leadership roles. Get experience, go for a MSN and beyond, climb the ladder, work hard, create good outcomes, be a leader, and show that you’re just as valuable as the CFO - then demand to be paid your worth. Being a nurse manager is a hard and thankless job but if you can do it for 3 years you can move up and it gets a lot better.

Thanks PP - this is a really interesting perspective and great advice. So to be clear, you have a BSN as well as a phD?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes! (I'm a second career RN and I love it).

What was your first career? Did you go into floor nursing immediately?

[Anonymous]

It would depend on the kid. I wouldn't be thrilled, but of course, it is an honorable career and there are many worse jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nursing has been very good to me. After about 7-8 years at the bedside I moved into a leadership track. I’ve been in leadership for 15 years. I’ve had to relocate a few times but I’m the chief nurse executive for a large health system. I have huge responsibilities but still good work/life balance. A shortage of PhD prepared nurses with strong operational experience in hospitals mean we command a decent wage. I make over 600K. Im negotiating my next move to a huge system where my comp will total about 850k and all in may be close to 1M. I work hard, know my stuff and demand pay parity with the other. C-suite execs.

Tell your DC there’s a shortage of nurses who want leadership roles. Get experience, go for a MSN and beyond, climb the ladder, work hard, create good outcomes, be a leader, and show that you’re just as valuable as the CFO - then demand to be paid your worth. Being a nurse manager is a hard and thankless job but if you can do it for 3 years you can move up and it gets a lot better.

Thanks PP - this is a really interesting perspective and great advice. So to be clear, you have a BSN as well as a phD?

BSN, MSN and PhD in nursing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Encourage her to become a NP. Pay and hours are better.

How do you know it is a her?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes! (I'm a second career RN and I love it).

What was your first career? Did you go into floor nursing immediately?

I'm not PP, but I am a second career RN. I was a journalist preparing for law school and did a total 180. I obtained my MSN via a direct-entry MSN program for non-nurses with BA/BS degrees in other disciplines. My MSN is a generalist degree (Clinical Nurse Leader) and I am a critical care RN who works in direct patient care. I plan to eventually transition to a leadership or education position once my kids are a bit older.

[Anonymous]

I'd encourage my kid to shadow a nurse as well as volunteer in a hospital (preferably in several different departments) to be sure that he or she fully understood the job and the tasks required. Nursing is a great field - but I'd like my child to understand the amount of on the spot problem solving and hands on stuff that is required of nurses. It's so much more than fetching water and changing bedpans.