Nursing Career
If you are looking for a new career or choice of college majors, consider nursing. Maybe you like the idea of helping people. Maybe you are tired of actual or threatened layoffs in your current line of work. There are many advantages to a nursing career. Here are some outstanding reasons to be a nurse:
Job Security: Currently, there is a severe shortage of qualified nurses to fill all the available nursing jobs. Look at the classified section of any newspaper, even that of a small town, and you will see multiple listings for nurses. Many nursing career positions remain open due to lack of qualified candidates. The demand for nurses will continue and even grow in the next decades. The large population of baby boomers is beginning to reach retirement age, and people in general live longer. In addition, the immigrant population continues to grow. Because of these trends, more nurses will be needed to provide care for increasing numbers of people. Predictions show a shortage of 260,000 RNs by 2025, and there is a current deficit of 116,000. So you will not find a better growth industry.
Superior Benefits: While many professions have experienced pay cuts and benefit decreases, hospitals and medical offices offer excellent pay, benefits packages, and hiring bonuses to attract nurses to their employment and are willing to compete with each other to fill nursing positions. You will most likely have multiple job offers and be able to choose the one that best fits you.
Flexible Locations and Schedules: What if you decide to move to another city? A qualified nurse will be able to find a good-paying job with a good benefit package and probably a hiring bonus in any location. You can even choose to travel and find short-term nursing jobs at a vacation location.
Many hospitals are so desperate for nurses that they provide flexible schedules and offer large amounts of overtime. Part-time schedules - a few days a week or only weekends - work for many nurses. Fit your schedule around family responsibilities, or education or business opportunities. You can also work at varying assignments from a nursing staffing agency. You won't find a more portable, flexible job situation. Wherever life takes you, you can find work.
Many Specialty Choices: Another advantage to a nursing career is the number of specialties in the field. You can choose to work in a hospital setting or in a medical clinic. (Even within each of these settings are many more choices of specialty.) You can become a registered nurse or a licensed practical nurse. You can practice your profession in areas ranging from pediatrics to geriatrics, from ER trauma to home health care, and from operating room to psychiatric care. You may have a goal of educating other nurses or of reaching a supervisory position. The possibilities are still evolving as new areas of health care advance. You might find a place on the cutting edge of nursing achievements.
Personal Satisfaction: For many nurses, this is the most important aspect of the job. Knowing that you are in one of the most respected and trusted professions in the country brings a feeling of satisfaction that few jobs provide. Nurses bridge the gap between doctors and patients and are often the ones who carry out the doctors' instructions. The care and comfort from nurses make a huge impact on patients and their families, and their thanks can outshine the numbers on a paycheck. You will need strong people skills, adaptability, compassion, and a clear head. But if you possess these qualities, you can join the ranks of nurses as they make a difference in the lives of people they serve.
This site contains information about nursing and what you need to know to make the decision to pursue a nursing career. It includes resources for financing nursing school, deciding whether to go for an LPN or RN, choosing nursing as a second career, deciding to become a nurse if you're male, understanding the job application process, learning about pay and benefits, and much more. Read on to discover if this vital, energizing career is right for you. You might become one of those who wouldn't trade their nursing job for any other in the world after experiencing excellent job opportunities, outstanding pay and benefits, a multitude of job choices, and personal satisfaction found in very few other jobs.
Nursing as a Second Career
Many people enter nursing as a second career. They may feel ready to serve as a caregiver or be burned out in their current job and wish to start over with nursing. Nurses continue to receive high pay and great benefits, and the demand for nurses ensures job security. It doesn't matter what your former job was - administrator, lawyer, business owner, blue-collar worker - you can find a new career in nursing.
If you're afraid of being too old to make the switch, don't worry about it. The median age of nursing students keeps rising as older workers decide to make nursing their second career. The average age is over 30 now. You won't be surrounded by 18- and 19-year-olds as you would be in traditional college classes.
If you already have a college degree, you can often take a fast track to nursing graduation. Many basic college courses, such as English and history, will not be required again, so you can concentrate on nursing classes. You can even attend nursing school part time, allowing you to continue in your present job.
Paying for nursing school is often a worry, but it shouldn't be. The shortage of nurses means that financial aid is available. In fact, many governmental entities have specific programs to encourage people to attend nursing school. Some entities will pay student loans if you work a specified number of years in an area that is in dire need of nurses. Contact the nursing school you are considering, and they will help you find whatever aid is available.
Nursing can be a great second career for a person from almost any field. You can attend an accelerated program and become a nurse sooner, financial aid and payback programs are available, and you may be able to continue working as you learn. Graduate as a nurse and you will enter a field that consistently receives the honor of being named the most trusted profession in the country.