Becoming a nurse is a difficult career choice but also rewarding. During the pandemic, we witnessed how the front-line medical staff, including medical experts and nurses, shouldered the entire healthcare sector. They went to work and saved lives when the whole world was at a halt.
Since the job is challenging and demanding, many nurses go to graduate school to shift their career paths or leave the workforce. As a result, the gap in the supply of healthcare workers is met with increased demand.
While it is a hectic profession, nursing can reward you with reliable earnings. There are also plenty of opportunities in this career, not just the typical role of working as a patient primary care provider. Nurses work in the anesthesiology department as educators and researchers. You can also specialize in a branch of healthcare like endocrinology, pediatrics, or dialysis.
So if the medical field intrigues you, here are five reasons why you should choose nursing as a career path.
1. Salary
Nursing is one of the highest-paid jobs in the world. Though salary range differs by geography, specialization, experience, and a few other factors, it is still high-paying. Nursing is slightly more challenging and demanding than other medical professions, and most salary packages compensate for that.
Also, nurses have the opportunity to grow and specialize in different fields. You can choose many paths, like becoming a nurse midwife, nurse case manager, or legal consultant.
The opportunities are endless with a nursing degree. With the rise in e-learning, you can also opt for online RN classes for career advancement and expand your leadership skills and practical knowledge.
Although the job requires years of learning, practicing, and experience before you land a suitable role, it offers a high financial reward. In the US, the median salary for a registered nurse is $77,600 per annum. This figure is for full-time nursing positions.
2. Healthcare Is Evergreen
Healthcare is an evergreen sector, unlike other professions like copywriters or factory workers. Technology like artificial intelligence and machine learning have made it easier for computers and robots to replace the human workforce in many industries. However, it’s not the same for healthcare.
While technology is increasingly becoming a part of healthcare through digital scanning and remote patient monitoring, it still relies on human beings.
Healthcare is a profession that’s been around forever. Since human beings have existed, there’s been a need to look after and treat them. Even if machines and robots make our jobs easier, they cannot replace the role of doctors and nurses. Nurses are the primary contact when a person visits an emergency room or a clinic.
The humanistic element of a nurse’s caregiving is unmatched by the precision of a robot or machine. Becoming a nurse means you’re opting for a job that’s not threatened by the surge of technology.
3. Job Stability
Since healthcare is an evergreen sector and nursing is an evergreen profession, it offers job stability. Nurses and healthcare providers will always be in need as people reach their vulnerable and critical health years.
Although we had become more attuned to the understaffing of healthcare workers after the pandemic, there were speculations of a global nursing shortage even before the pandemic. To meet the shortages, the American
Nursing Association aimed to add a million nurses to the healthcare sector over the next five years following 2017. In 2017, there were 3.8 million registered nurses in the US; however, in May 2020, only 2.9 million.
The surge in demand for nurses ascertains that it’s the right time to enter this sector. If you’re interested in nursing, consider researching which fields are highly in demand and the prerequisites you must follow.
Another reason for job stability is that you can continually upskill as a nurse. Most nurses enter the field with only a bachelor’s degree, but they eventually upskill through certifications and post-graduate programs.
4. A Sense Of Purpose
Nursing is a lucrative and evergreen profession, but it’s not the only reason you should opt for it. If money is your primary motive for becoming a nurse, you might not stick around for a long time.
Nurses have to interact with people daily, hundreds if you’re working in the public sector, and it can become emotionally challenging. Patients are often in a heightened vulnerability when they come to a clinic or a hospital. They may be agitated, frustrated, or anxious.
Your job as a nurse is to care for and help them get out of a crisis while protecting your own mental sanity. Nursing isn’t just a profession that people choose because of its financial aspect. It’s more of a calling to help others. Therefore, you may experience a sense of fulfillment and purpose working as a nurse.
5. Flexible Scheduling
Nursing is a flexible role as you can customize your work schedule. Your work routine may vary depending on where you work. For instance, nurses in outpatient care work four to five days a week, around eight hours daily. On the contrary, nurses in hospitals or medical facilities work for longer durations.
The “continuity of care” is a medical practice that discourages the frequent rotation of caregivers for a single patient. Frequent rotations from one nurse to another increase chances of medical malpractice and communication gaps.
On the other end, some nurses prefer more flexibility. They choose to work for twelve hours a day, only a few days every week. This way, they have more weekly downtime, though the twelve-hour shift may be physically and emotionally draining. So nurses have more flexibility regarding shift length and the nature of work.
Nurses can work part-time, full-time, or on an as-needed basis.
HP Thoughts: Make your decision more definite in becoming a nurse by knowing the latest trends in this field of healthcare — Emerging Nursing Trends.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that nursing is a rewarding profession. But, while there is room for growth, there are plenty of hurdles and challenges. It’s a physically draining and tiring job, especially with the understaffing of healthcare staff.
Yet it also has flexible working hours and great salary packages. So before you choose this medical profession, explore the different pathways it offers, what you can specialize in, and what benefits each career path offers.