Throughout my working life friends have asked me for advice on the possibilities of a nursing career for themselves or for their children, as they begin to explore career options. I try to give an overview of the positive aspects of nursing: variety of work, people-focused, teamworking, opportunities for travel and flexibility of employment. I'll also include the less positive aspects: shiftwork, physical and emotional exhaustion, being surrounded by illness and grief, hopefully, giving an honest balance and an indication of the qualities needed to survive and enjoy a nursing career.
If I know the person well, I'll try to explore with them their strengths and how they would be able to use them in their nursing role. Whoever I'm talking to I will nearly always end the conversation with the phrase ‘as a nurse, you will never be rich, but you will never be poor’.
You'll never be rich, but you will never be poor
Unlike many careers, registration as a nurse gives you the skills to work in almost any part of the UK, in any town and in almost any medium-sized village. Provided you are willing to be flexible with where you work and with various client groups you can almost guarantee to find a job. Thus, you will never be poor. However the cost of living varies across the country, but the wages of nurses are relatively fixed (apart from London weighting allowances). This means that a full-time post in Leeds or Leicester may provide a liveable wage, but in Edinburgh or London it may only cover rent and essential bills. If yours is the main or only family income, then you will find yourself counting every penny and probably going into an overdraft at the end of the month. If yours is a second income into the family, then life may be a little easier.
What are essential expenses?
For me these are: a place to live, and electricity, gas, water, council tax, insurance bills, food and transport. If you have a young family, then there are childcare cost, clothes and all the financial demands that growing children generate. I'm not sure if washing machines and mobile phones and internet access are essential, but it is difficult to live in today's world without them.
What else do you spend your money on?
These are areas of our lives that, while not essential, are a common part of how we live. For me they include: holidays, eating out, cinema, theatre, football and basketball matches, coffee shops, presents for birthdays and other festivals, clothes, household gadgets and a few impulse buys. Take a few minutes to look back over the past week; list the non-essential items you've bought and add them up: are you surprised at how much you spent in this way?
Surviving on a basic wage
In our early married life with our four children, my wife and I prioritised the payment of our essential living bills either by monthly standing orders or putting money aside for annual bills. Any spare money then went towards the less essential side of living, such as budget holidays and family activities. Childcare was expensive and we had no local relatives, so my wife worked part-time when the opportunity arose, which added to our holiday and extras fund. We rarely ate out or went to the cinema and there were no football or basketball matches. Instead, we enjoyed the cheaper options of local parks and neighbourhood activities. Neither of us smoked and alcohol was a rarity. We lived within our means and within the monthly salary, we were not rich, but we were not poor. For us it was about identifying what essentials would demand our money and what was not essential.
Increasing your income
Many nurses, particularly those living in London or other high-cost areas and those for whom nursing is the only income, are almost forced into working overtime in their own area or taking on bank shifts elsewhere. While nurses are fortunate in being able to find additional work to supplement their income this way, the long-term effects on the physical and emotional health of the individual can be intense. It also means that they see less of their family or friendship groups. Others will volunteer for night duty or weekends, which may have a higher hourly rate. Applying for promotion to more senior ranks can in the long-term be ways of increasing income, however, many staff find that their take-home pay after promotion can often be the same or even less if it involves a loss of extra duty payments from working nights or weekends.
Taking stock
Take a detailed and honest look at how you spend your money each month, try keeping a diary or monitor your bank account if you predominantly use contactless ways of spending. Identify those items that you could easily have gone without and then add up how much was spent in that way. You may be very surprised!