NursesPRN provided this article.
Nursing is a career full of endless opportunities! You can thrive as a staff nurse, explore the nation as a travel nurse, or pick up per diem shifts. Whatever you choose to pursue, know nursing doesn’t come without challenges. Before you say, “I want to be a nurse,” do your research! Being a nurse isn’t for everyone. When considering a healthcare career, you should know a few things before becoming a nurse.
Opportunities in Nursing
Nurses are in high demand all around the United States. The number of nursing jobs will increase about nine percent by 2030, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. This makes nursing one of the fastest-growing occupations in the United States. With high demand comes high wages. You can make more as a nurse now than ever, with the average salary of around $75,000 a year. Things you should know before becoming a nurse include what motivates you! Are you motivated by money, or do you care more about work satisfaction? Each state has different pros and cons. Here are some of the best states for nurses to work and live in.
With COVID-19 crisis rates and the high demand for nurses around the United States, travel nursing is a great career opportunity. Travel nurses work on a contract-to-contract basis. They can travel across the nation or stay in their hometown and travel to different facilities. The allure of travel nursing is the great money, flexibility, and experiences!
Nursing isn’t for everyone
Although the opportunities in nursing are substantial, not everyone can be a nurse. There are many factors that go into being a nurse, such as schooling, long hours, physical job demands, interacting with people, and intense situations. Nursing is a difficult profession. As you look at the pros, you must also consider the cons in nursing. Here’s a great blog on the challenges in nursing and how to overcome them.
The Combination of Science and Service
When you marry science and service, you get nursing! In preparation of becoming a nurse, you need an Associates or Bachelor of Science in nursing. This includes education in a combination of sciences: biology, anatomy, and chemistry. After completing an undergraduate degree, you still need to pass the NCLEX test, a comprehensive nursing licensure exam. Being science-oriented is important for nurses, especially when dealing with medications, bodily functions, patient plans, and the recovery of patients.
Things you should know about nursing is that in addition to science, nursing is ultimately a service industry. It’s all about providing care to patients and respecting their wishes. While aiding doctors in the care of the patients, you will be the face of their healing process. Providing the best possible patient care is an important aspect to becoming a nurse.
Choosing a Specialty
Let’s say your heart is in nursing and you have achieved a registered nurse license; now you have to decide a nursing specialty. There are various specialties within nursing, and each specialty comes with its own pros and cons. If you are an adrenaline junky, specialties in the intensive care unit and emergency room are for you. Maybe the high pressure gives you more anxiety than adrenaline; that’s okay. Consider a specialty in clinical nursing or long-term care. Pro Tip: As Baby Boomers continue to age, long-term care nurses will be in higher demand as geriatric care facilities increase in patients.
Other popular specialties include pediatrics, neonatal intensive care unit, psychiatric, and rehabilitation. Picking your specialty all depends on your interest and ability to perform job duties. Doing your research to determine what you need to be a nurse will help you decide the best specialty for you. To learn more about different specialties, visit Johnson and Johnson Nursing to help you determine the specialty that fits your interests and needs.
Nursing is a Rewarding and Respected Career
What are the benefits of being a nurse? To start, nursing is a very rewarding career because every day, you get to help patients and their families. As a nurse, you form a bond with patients on a different level from their doctors. This is because of the amount of time you spend with them; you are their advocate and main caregiver. Aiding and healing a patient while they are sick can be a very rewarding experience. In addition to work you do, the pay is also a great reward for the hard work. With the increasing nurse shortage, hospitals are in need of nurses and willing to compensate accordingly. Whether you are in it for the pay or the rewarding experience, being a nurse is a career that will leave you satisfied.
Nursing is also a very respected profession. It’s not easy to be a nurse. You gain a general respect from the public because of the care you provide patients and risk you take exposing yourself to illnesses. Aside from the care and risk of illness, nurses work in very stressful situations that most people can’t handle. Putting your patient first and respecting their privacy are great responsibilities, and people trust nurses to obey those responsibilities.
Think About it
Overall, becoming a nurse isn’t an easy decision and should be well thought out. Things you should know before becoming a nurse include the education needed, future nursing career trajectory, specialties of a nurse, and much more. As a nurse, you have many responsibilities, but with those responsibilities comes great satisfaction. Do your research, and decide whether being a nurse is the best fit for you! Need to talk it over with an expert? We’re here for you.
We hope you enjoyed this article and found it helpful. Are there any other tips or advice you would give to those considering a career in nursing? Comment them below.
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If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:
Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)
