Nursing is an excellent choice of career for anybody who is naturally caring, empathetic, and enjoys being there for and helping others. But aside from being a profession where you can make a real difference in the lives of others every day and enjoy some of the most highly-rewarding work in the world, there are many further benefits of working as a nurse. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of a global nursing shortage, which has led to high demand for nurses around the world that will make finding work in this field easier than ever. In addition, nurses enjoy an excellent salary and benefits package, have endless options for career progression, and work in a wide range of different settings.
If a career in nursing appeals to you, here are just some of the best reasons to get into this profession right now.
Various Educational Pathways
The pathway to becoming a nurse certainly has many different options with something to suit everybody’s lifestyle. You can take the traditional route of going to nursing school and getting your BSN or start off as a licensed practical nurse with an Associate’s degree and work your way up throughout your career. Those who hold a degree in a non-nursing subject can meet their career goals of becoming a nurse faster thanks to accelerated BSN nursing programs that allow you to condense four years of work into half the time or less, making them an ideal choice for people with a science or healthcare background that want to move into nursing. Studying online to become a nurse has become incredibly popular with lots of different options available for those who want to be able to fit their studies around their lifestyle and commitments.
Career Progression Opportunities
If you’re the type of person who always needs to be moving forwards and enjoys new challenges, nursing could be the right career for you. In nursing, there is no end to the places that your career might take you, with an endless selection of opportunities for those who want to progress. You can move your career sideways into a range of specialized areas of nursing and become an expert in different types of healthcare or patients, or move up the ladder into well-respected leadership and management programs where you will be responsible for managing teams of healthcare professionals and ensuring that patients are provided with the highest standards of care.
Nurses who want to work more independently and enjoy a higher degree of career autonomy may benefit from studying to become a nurse practitioner. Nurse practitioners are enjoying a higher demand than ever before to fill the gap left by a national shortage of primary care physicians and in the majority of states are able to run their own practices, diagnose conditions and prescribe medication and treatment without supervision.
Wide Range of Work Environments
While nurses are typically thought of as working in hospitals, this is certainly not the only work environment that you can enjoy as a nurse. Once you are qualified you will be able to work in a range of different places with something to suit everybody’s preferences when it comes to the type of work that they want to do, the hours that they work, and more. Nurses are needed in clinics, doctor’s offices, within the community, in jails, schools, and research facilities to name a few. If you would prefer to work in a more administrative role, there are plenty of desk job options for nurses, and teaching is another option that many nurses who want to move away from the bedside will get into. The opportunities are countless and there is never a dull moment in nursing thanks to the fact that you can take your career almost anywhere that you want it to go.
Enjoy High Demand
As mentioned earlier, the WHO has warned of a global nursing shortage which has only been made more apparent by the current COVID-19 pandemic. Around the world, nurses are in higher demand than ever before as a result, meaning that once you are qualified, finding work in this field has never been easier. Wherever you go, your qualifications mean that you will be able to find relevant work quickly, whether you want to work in your local hospital or are considering relocating abroad. Typically, nurses find it easier than many other professionals to get working visas for many other countries around the world since they are in such high demand. Also, while you may be required to take further exams and tests to ensure that you meet the standards of nursing internationally, you will be welcomed in the majority of destinations.
Be Rewarded
Nursing is one of the few jobs where you know that you are making a difference with the work that you do. Nurses typically tend to people who are experiencing a low point in their lives due to illness or injury, and along with administering medical care and ensuring that the health needs of your patients are tended to, you will also be a friendly face in a time of crisis and a pillar of strength and support for patients who are going through a tough time and their families. Knowing that you have made a difference to what may have otherwise been a terrible day for a patient by being there for them when they needed somebody can be hugely rewarding.
Experience an Exciting and Fast-Paced Work Environment
Wherever you end up working as a nurse, healthcare in general is fast-paced and exciting with no two days the same. It’s the complete opposite of your regular office job and every day you will be dealing with new people and new situations. If you enjoy working in a dynamic environment where you are required to think on your feet and quickly adapt to change, nursing could be the ideal choice for you. And with new technologies, techniques, and more introduced to healthcare all the time, nursing is a career where you never stop learning.
If you’re looking for a new career this year, there are many reasons why nursing is an excellent choice.
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