If you are interested in healthcare in general, you may be considering a career in one of the offshoots of the healthcare profession. Nursing is one of the most popular healthcare professions available due to its pastoral and caring nature, and it offers many advantages to people interested in transforming their lifestyles and committing themselves to a career that can help others.
Below are some of the best advantages that you should consider when thinking about becoming a nurse in the future.
There are Many Progression Opportunities
The worst thing that can happen in your career is for your role to become stagnant, leaving you bored and unambitious in relation to your position. However, nursing is a profession that keeps on providing exciting growth opportunities throughout your career, enabling you to continually learn new aspects of the position and take on new and exciting responsibilities that feel as if they are making an impact. Progression opportunities, either within the company that you work for or from another healthcare facility, can help you to constantly challenge yourself and stretch your abilities. This will leave you unable to stay bored with your current career choice, with constant room to grow and targets to aim towards.
You Can Receive a Good Salary
Registered nurses make over $71,000 a year on average, according to the latest statistics. If your salary is going to be a big factor in becoming a nurse, the salaries offered in the nursing and healthcare professionals are extremely advantageous to employees. What’s more, this salary increases when you start to look at executive positions, with a DNP executive leadership salary being higher than other nurse salaries due to the qualifications required to obtain this role and the responsibilities you will need to fulfill.
It’s a Meaningful Career
One-quarter of Americans believe that their job role is meaningless, and if employees believe their job is meaningless, then they feel unproductive and discontent with their current position. However, this cannot be said for job roles in healthcare, with people in the nursing profession constantly finding meaning in their jobs. This is because a large proportion of your time spent as a nurse is focused on helping and providing care for others in need, such as those suffering from illnesses or long-term conditions.
As a nurse, you will:
- Create healthcare and treatment plans for patients
- Administer medications and treatments
- Monitor stats such as blood pressure, heart rate and temperature
- Write reports and records
- Respond to patient needs and provide support
Not only does helping people give off endorphins and drive us to be happier, but nurses are able to instantly see the positive impact that they are making and receive gratitude for their efforts. Nurses are able to save lives and treat life-threatening conditions on a daily basis, as well as make people as comfortable as possible throughout illnesses and hospital stays.
A Variety of Job Opportunities are Available
A nurse is usually defined as someone trained to look after the sick, but in reality, being a nurse does not have one single definition. This is because there is a wide range of job opportunities that offer a variety of different experiences. This means that it is easy to find a job role that suits your personality, skills and lifestyle, ensuring that you can adapt this around your own life and interests. There are many job opportunities for nurses, and these are not dependant on a particular setting or role, with several different options available to choose from.
The top nursing positions include:
- Travel Nurse
- Family Nurse
- Midwife
- Registered Nurse
- Licensed Practical Nurse
- Nurse Practitioner
- ICU Registered Nurse
- Emergency Room Nurse
All of these positions demand different qualifications and levels of experience, with most needing at least a Bachelor’s degree and some experience in a nursing environment in order for you to take up a role in a hospital or care home. This means that it is possible to find the right role for you, whether you want to learn how to become a travel nurse so that you can travel the world, help people with a specific illness, or provide aftercare to patients.
Nurses are in High Demand
There is a large nursing shortage in the USA caused by an aging population, population growth, a lack of nursing school capacity, and many experienced and registered nurses coming to retirement age. This means that, in the future, the USA will see a high demand for all types of nurses in hospitals and other facilities, meaning that it will become easier to find a position suitable for you in your area. By looking at nursing job boards near you, you will find nursing positions across the country that offer the benefits and responsibilities you are looking for, with many facilities looking for ways to increase the number of nurses that they are able to employ.
Facilities are meeting the nursing shortage by:
- Streamlining and standardizing nurse training
- Placing experienced nurses in units where they are needed
- Teaching young nurses by having them shadow older, more experienced nurses
- Offering reimbursed education and better training practices
- Showcasing the advantages of nursing
Positions Offer Highly Flexible Roles
Although you might believe that becoming a nurse consists only of 12-hour shifts and late nights, this is not always the case. Nursing offers highly flexible roles to employees as well, with a number of positions in nursing offering part-time and temporary employment for those that need it. Not only this, but the nature of shift patterns can make roles more flexible by allowing registered nurses to apply for shifts around other commitments, such as their children and familial concerns. This means that you will be able to schedule your work to suit you. Additionally, even training to become a nurse is flexible, with many colleges offering online courses that allow you to complete qualifications around other commitments from any location in the country.
Nursing has so many more pros than cons as a career. In fact, it is one of the most advantageous and sought-after career options in healthcare by both employers and people aiming to progress up the career ladder. This makes it a great career option for those interested in having a meaningful career and helping others in need.
