Why not make a career out of your passion to make a positive influence in people’s lives?
Nurses differ from other healthcare practitioners in that they practice a wide range of skills and take a holistic approach to patient care. They are vital in promoting health, avoiding sickness, and caring for all people, including the handicapped and those who are physically or psychologically ill.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the nursing profession will expand by 9% by 2030, faster than the typical employment market, making it an ideal time to pursue nursing as a career.
Nurses have a lot of advantages and choices. It is a rewarding career with many opportunities, challenges, and rewards. On the job, you’ll have the chance to improve the lives of people from all walks of life.
But, if you’re considering pursuing a nursing degree, what are the most compelling reasons to do so? Is it still worthwhile to pursue a career as a nurse?
Let’s see what we can find out!
Role
They are in charge of sick people’s long-term care and must examine their health and assist them throughout the healing process. A nurse’s responsibilities might include:
- Preventing sickness and promoting health
- Taking care of disabled and physically/mentally sick people’s need
- Contributing to medical education.
- Help other team members in providing healthcare.
- Train and educate nurses under your supervision.
- Assist in research in the field of healthcare.
Nurses always fight for the patients’ best interests and emphasize holistic health, which includes the patient’s physical, social, emotional, and spiritual requirements. They also participate in the therapeutic decision-making process in order to reflect the patient’s circumstances and, if necessary, provide suggestions.
Types of Nurses
Nurses come in a variety of shapes and sizes, depending on their degree of education and job within the healthcare team. Among them are:
- Nursing Assistant (CNA)
- Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
- Registered Nurse (RN)
- Nurse Practitioner (NP)
- Nurse Midwife (CNM)
- Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
- Nursing Instructor
A registered nurse with a specialty can also practice in a certain field. Addiction, cardiovascular, mental health, and cancer nursing are just a few of the specialties available. Additional study and a certification exam are generally necessary to become specialized in a certain subject.
Nursing Profession
Nursing as a profession has various ethical principles that govern their practice philosophy in all aspects of the workplace. These are:
- At all times, provide exceptional care.
- Make patient care a top priority while maintaining their dignity.
- Improve patient outcomes by collaborating with other health experts.
- To keep the profession’s reputation, act with integrity and honesty.
Nurses who follow these principles may provide the best possible care for their patients, resulting in better health outcomes.
What Are The Strengths of Nursing?
A nurse’s strengths are the characteristics that enable them to accomplish their professions well. These are the talents that an employer may identify as required or desired in a job description. These might be listed under talents or used to highlight specifics of your professional experience on a CV. Strengths with examples are a wonderful approach to demonstrate to a potential employer how good you are as a nurse and how beneficial you will be to their company.
Nursing Skills Examples
Consider the following nursing skills that are typically included in job descriptions by employers:
- Communication
- Empathy
- Flexibility
- Details are important.
- Endurance
- Fixing problems
What is the Average Number of Hours a Nurse Works?
A typical week for an adult nurse is 37.5 hours. In hospitals, shift work is performed, which involves regular unsocial hours (nights, early starts, evenings, weekends, and bank holidays). Working from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. is becoming more common in various settings, not just in community and specialty units and clinics, but also in business and commerce.
How Difficult Is It to Train as a Nurse?
In as little as two years, you may become a nurse and earn more money than the average yearly pay of all other professions. By completing a BSN degree after earning a two-year ADN, you can enhance your job possibilities and compensation. While working, you can do this online or in the classroom. Many hospitals provide tuition reimbursement, which helps to lessen future student debt. If you have a bachelor’s degree in another profession, you can also get an expedited BSN.
How Much Does a Nurse Earn?
In the United Kingdom, the average annual income for a registered nurse is £34,163, or £17.52 per hour. The good news is that 94% of nursing students find work within six months of graduation (just 1% remain jobless six months later).
How Can I Know If Nursing Is the Best Career Choice for Me?
Certain characteristics can aid you in becoming a successful nurse. Compassion, advocacy, and the capacity to predict challenges are among them. Consider talking with an admission counselor at your local college or university if you’re interested in learning more about health and wellness and want to help others. Volunteering in a hospital or shadowing a nurse for a shift are additional options.
25 Reasons To Become a Nurse Instead Of a Doctor
What motivates you to pursue a career as a nurse? The reasons are numerous and varied: high work satisfaction ratings, amazing perks, and a plethora of chances. Here are some compelling reasons to pursue a career as a nurse.
At the End of Your Degree, You’ll Almost Certainly Have a Job
Nursing is one of the most employable degrees, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact, 94 percent of newly graduated nurses find work in the nursing field within six months after graduation.
Furthermore, because nursing degrees include a variety of hospital experiences, many students graduate with a job offer or perhaps numerous job offers. This is especially true now that the UK government has committed to hiring 50,000 additional nurses for the NHS.
So, if you’re anxious about finding work after all your hard work in school, nursing might be the career for you.
While in University, You Will Receive More Financial Assistance
The government has launched a new cash incentive exclusively for nursing students as part of its vow to hire more nurses for the NHS.
From September 2020, all new and existing nursing and midwifery students will be eligible for the subsidy, which will not have to be returned. Depending on their circumstances and the course they are pursuing, students may be eligible for up to £8,000 in financial aid. Here’s where you can learn more.
Nursing Offers You the Chance to Make a Significant Difference in People’s Lives
Nurses repeatedly state that making a difference is the most important reason they entered nursing—and why they stay. Melissa Burdi, dean and vice president of Purdue University’s Global School of Nursing, adds, “Being a nurse has been extremely fulfilling and humbling.” “I’ve had the luxury and honor of being a part of several personal patient situations in which they’ve put their faith in me. And I’m grateful for every one of them because they’ve improved my life as a nurse and as a person.”
There Are Many Employment Opportunities
The nurse shortage in the United States is well-known. The need for trained nurses is likely to rise due to an aging population and a greater emphasis on preventative care. In fact, from 2019 to 2029, a registered nurse is one of the top five occupations projected to add the most new positions. As a result of these considerations, work possibilities in the sector are abundant.
“In addition, nurses may move into a variety of facets of nursing and health care,” Burdi explains, “ranging from working in acute care at a hospital to outpatient settings focusing more on preventative care.” “From there, nursing can lead to careers in health policy, informatics, and academia.”
“Within the profession, there are a variety of chances for employment creation and opportunity.”
Nursing is a Well-Respected and Esteemed Profession
According to the annual Gallup survey on honesty and ethical standards, nurses are the most trusted profession in 2019. For the previous 18 years, nurses have led the list of 22 occupations. Nurses’ ethics were rated as good or very high by the majority of Americans asked (85%).
“With over 3 million nurses,” Burdi notes, “nursing constitutes the greatest component of the health-care profession.” “We are, in reality, considered as a profession that can be trusted. Being the most trusted and esteemed profession is both a responsibility and an honor.”
Your Position Will be Safe
Many people believe that healthcare jobs, such as nursing, are recession-proof. In other words, even during economic downturns, these jobs will remain in demand and provide long-term employment and income stability.
Nursing was one of the fastest-growing occupations throughout the 2001 and 2007-09 recessions, according to ZipRecruiter. RNs saw the largest job growth of any profession during this time, with 186,680 new positions created.
Nurses were recently ranked one of the ten most financially safe careers during the epidemic by Student Loan Planner. Around three-quarters of nurses reported no decrease in pay in the previous year, reflecting the profession’s rapid comeback since last summer, when many elective nurses were laid off.
Despite persistently higher-than-normal unemployment rates across the United States, nursing remains a safe and well-paying career option, with unemployment hovering around 1%.
Nursing is a Joyful and Rewarding Profession
Nurses are known to be trusted, admired, and respected in most nations. And with good reason. Nurses are critical to the efficient operation of healthcare systems. They assist with the administration of medications and therapies, provide support to patients suffering from physical and mental agony, and offer consolation to anxious relatives and loved ones.
Being a nurse provides a deep sense of fulfillment because you receive immediate feedback on how your profession affects the lives of so many people. This helps you to form strong ties with people while also learning from their experiences and problems.
Work Schedules Are Adaptable
Nursing shift durations might vary depending on where you work and your specific needs. If you’re not a morning person, you may work evening hours, or work longer shifts over fewer days to spend more time with your family if it suits your personal schedule better. If you prefer a more typical work schedule, working at a clinic or physician’s office can frequently provide you with what you need.
Nurses Have A Lot of Advantages
Nursing job advantages include tuition reimbursement for continuing education, significant paid time off (PTO), tax savings schemes, life insurance, pension plans, medical-dental-vision insurance, and the previously stated scheduling flexibility. Nurses have access to a number of loan forgiveness programs, so you could be able to get their student loans reduced or erased.
“Nurses enjoy excellent perks, particularly in terms of tuition reimbursement,” explains Burdi. “This is created so that nurses may be lifelong learners in pursuit of excellence, ensuring that we are continually being driven toward the most up-to-date evidence in research, ensuring that our practice is safe and correct.”
Nurses Are Able to Travel All Around The World
There is a significant need for health care not just in the United States but across the world, and travel nursing is a fantastic way to meet those needs.
“This is also a chance for us to grow as individuals and broaden our understanding of cultural variety,” Burdi says. “As we extend our perspective on cultural diversity, it improves our capacity to give care and broadens our reach, so we’re not thinking about care right now.” Rather, we’re focusing on population health issues in the United States and across the world.”
Nursing Degree Programs May be Found All Around The World
Health professions are among the top three associate degrees by number of graduates, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Bachelor’s degrees rank second and third, respectively. ADN and BSN courses are available at a variety of institutions and universities in most major cities. Look at the best RN-to-BSN programmes in Ohio, nursing schools in Arizona, and online universities in Alabama, for example.
Nurses Could Further Their Education by Studying Online
You can also earn your nursing degree through certified online nursing schools, allowing you to study from anywhere in the United States. Because nursing is a hands-on career, you’ll need to attend both online coursework and clinicals in a healthcare facility.
It’s critical to make sure the online school is approved by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education or the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. This is required in order to pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) and master NCLEX-style exam questions.
Nurses Have the Opportunity To Do Interesting Work
When you deal with patients, every day is different. Nursing is not a dull profession, whether you work in a clinic, office, hospital, or inside an organisation. According to statistics from AMN Healthcare’s 2017 Survey of Registered Nurses, nurses planned to work outside of direct patient care, may work less hours depending on their position, and some wanted to move into travel nursing.
Nurses Work in a Reliable Field
The baby boomer generation will have reached retirement age by 2030. Up to 85% of older persons have at least one chronic health issue, with 60% having two or more. Nurses are in high demand, according to the BLS, to care for a rising number of patients with chronic diseases. RNs may expect a 9 percent increase in employment, while nurse practitioners can expect a 52 percent increase.
Nurses Can Take on a Variety of Leadership Roles
The abilities you acquire while caring for patients will come in handy when you take over as charge nurse on the unit. Charge nurses are responsible for assigning patient care and monitoring the personnel, making necessary modifications during the shift. Nurses with good nursing leadership abilities may advance to administrative jobs like unit manager, clinical nurse leader, or patient care director.
Leadership jobs in clinical practice, such as advanced practice nurses, clinical specialists, and case managers, are also available. Nursing allows you to take on more responsibilities and move up the professional ladder in a variety of ways.
The Telemedicine Movement Has Nurses at the Forefront
The Lancet published an article in 1879 on the use of telephones to minimize the number of needless office visits. By 1925, innovators were thinking of using video-type gadgets to help doctors diagnose and treat patients. Telehealth nursing made tremendous progress in 2020 when healthcare practitioners began treating patients at home to combat COVID-19 transmission.
The need for remote telemonitoring for patients in intensive care units or at home, for example, continues to rise. A hospital or physician’s office can save money by using remote monitoring without jeopardizing patient care.
To Execute Your Work, You Don’t Require any Special Tools or Resources
As a nurse, your talents are global, and you’ll be able to serve people without having to work within four walls. When there’s an accident or a crisis, your abilities, like those of physicians, come in handy. You’ll be respected wherever you go since you symbolize someone who can assist people recover from sickness and pain.
Your Background As A Nurse Aids You in Providing Advice to Others
In general, on how to live in a healthy atmosphere People in impoverished areas can be educated, and you may also help with the homeless to bring hygiene and wellness into people’s life.
Wages that are Competitive
Nurses are paid well. The average registered nurse, for example, makes more than $52,000 per year. Even better, experienced and specialized nurses can make up to (and even more than) $72,000 per year. With our interactive Healthcare Salary Calculator, you can find out how much nurses in your region earn.
A Wide Range of Workplaces
Nurses are seen by everyone at their local hospitals. Have you considered that nurses can also be found in schools, government organizations, and home care settings? When it comes to locations to work, nurses have a plethora of possibilities.
Nurses Work with a Variety of Healthcare Providers
In the field of medicine, nurses serve a particular function. They are the only healthcare experts that visit the patient at their bedside on a regular basis, allowing them to work with other healthcare professionals to coordinate patient care and enhance results.
The patient’s activities revolve around the bedside nurse. They are aware of each healthcare professional’s advice for the patient. Nurses with great organizing and critical thinking abilities can ensure that everyone understands how their suggestions influence the overall care plan.
Nurses Learn Skills that May be Used in a Variety of Careers
Nursing allows you to tailor your career life to your personal preferences. Work may be found in a range of geographical areas and work situations, for example. You can work full-time or part-time, and shifts might be as short as 4 hours or as long as 12 hours.
Nursing abilities such as critical thinking, communication, and organizational skills will be developed and honed during your first year of nursing school. In an emergency, you’ll learn how to be calm and collected. These abilities can help you go from clinical nursing to other fields such as nursing administration, nonprofit management, public health nursing, correctional institutions, or working as a missionary nurse in clinics throughout the globe.
Professional Development Opportunities
You may enter one of the most diversified professions in the health business with a TAFE program like Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing, Home, and Community) (CHC33015), Certificate III in Pathology Collection (HLT37215), or Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance (HLT43015). Most people identify nurses with working at their local hospitals when it comes to job placement. You can also work in schools, government agencies, and home health care institutions.
Nursing has a wide range of options when it comes to professional paths. Working in aged care might be a perfect match if you’ve always wanted to make a difference in the lives of the elderly. Rehabilitation is a wonderful career choice if you enjoy helping others recover from sickness or disability. Mental health, midwifery, and community care are also options.
Spending Time with Patients
You will get the opportunity to meet some interesting individuals, which will expand your life experience. Doctors seldom have time to spend with their patients.
You May Begin Your Profession With Very Little Debt
Unlike doctors, who must invest a significant amount of money in order to graduate and specialise before seeing a return on their investment.
Conclusion:
Nursing is one of the most sought-after occupations. It’s not difficult to understand why. Nurses have a lot of responsibility, but they also have a lot of fun. They assist patients at their darkest and most vulnerable moments and remain by their side until their recovery.
So, are you prepared to look after people’s health, assist them in their recovery, and offer the assistance they require?