Is It Worth a Shot to Become A Nurse?

Nursing is a career with a rich history and roots traced to Roman Empires and Middle Ages. The contributions made by technology in healthcare are refutable and undeniably remarkable. Nevertheless, it is the selfless service of nurses that brings value to the healthcare sector. Besides, technology cannot replicate patients’ trust and confidence when discussing their problems with a nurse.

Moreover, you can reap the rewards of technological advancements, improve your service delivery, enhance the provision of care in healthcare. But a nurse is what pops into your mind when thinking about the human aspect of service provision and caregiving in healthcare. Here are some more reasons why it is worth choosing a nursing profession.

Salary Prospects For Nurses

The nursing profession is synonymous with selfless care and attention for their patients. But ignoring the money and growth aspects of this profession will also be an injustice to the profession. Because at the end of the day, money is an essential determinant for choosing a career.

Nurses are making a reasonable sum of money for their service to the healthcare service. They also have the liberty to change their focus and prefer their private practice. According to the US Bureau of Statistics, the average salary for a nurse practitioner is around $115,800.

At the same time, if you search online about nurse practitioner private practice salary, you will see the number is between $27,058 to $712,013. On average, a private practice nurse can make $130,283, much more than a general practice nurse. As a private practice nurse, you also get to focus on the business aspect of your service and patient care and education, as is the job of a hospital-based nurse.

Adds Meaning to Your Life

The job of a nurse entails working long hours, sacrificing holidays and personal life. Thus, you will see many people quitting the medical profession, particularly nursing midway, because it is a highly demanding job. There is no denying that you get the rewards of your hard work in the form of value and meaning to your life and a sense of peace for eliminating the pain of humanity.

It is the profession where you never stop giving and bringing betterment to the lives of your patients, either in the form of healthcare service or listening to their grievances and life stories. Hence, the nursing profession entails curing both the physical and emotional symptoms of the patients.

Nursing is Always in Demand

The career will always remain in demand no matter how much technology gets injected into the healthcare system. According to the Bureau of Statistics forecasts, the employment of registered nurses is likely to rise by 15% during 2016-2026. It is much faster than the average for all professions. Thus, it is the field that can offer greater employment security.

Another factor is the rise in the older population. It is a fact that senior citizens require more healthcare services than the younger segment of society. Due to an increase in the demand for services, hospitals and healthcare service providers are always looking for educated nurses who are well-versed in their field and the emerging trends in healthcare. Some employers are even ready to pay $10000 sign-on bonuses and more for luring experienced nurses in their team.

A Variety of Career Paths

Nursing opens doors for various career opportunities in healthcare. The options are endless, from offering direct patient care in a hospital to working with specialty physicians in a clinic. A nurse who likes to work around children can also work as a school nurse or work in the children’s hospital. Similarly, someone with a passion for working with the elderly can opt for a career in geriatric nursing.

All these career paths are also the most lucrative career options. Critical Care Nurse, Informatics Nurse, General Nurse Practitioner, Health Policy Nurse, and many others are examples of up-and-coming and financially beneficial career options in the nursing profession.

Work When You Want and Anywhere You Want

Very few professions offer the flexibility offered by the nursing profession. They are not limited to working solely within the hospital for a set amount of hours. Nurses are required all the time; they may opt for a nine-to-five nursing job or work on weekends; they have all the options open.  Many nurses choose to work during weekdays and dedicate their weekends to fulfilling their family duties.

Nurses can work in a rural area, in the suburbs, or a big city hospital; the choice is theirs.  They can also work freelance, travel around the world, work with people from across the globe and broaden the horizon of their services. Freelance nursing practice is an excellent opportunity to explore a variety of cultures globally, at the same time enjoying a monetarily rewarding profession.

Various Growth Opportunities

One of the benefits of becoming a nurse is getting a lot of room to grow. Nursing is a diverse field that offers you a chance to grow from a mere caregiver to administrative roles. Nurses can advance their careers and assume managerial positions that enhance their say and help them put their views on the table. As they move ahead in their career, they gain more experience and working prowess that further augment their chances of assuming specialized challenging roles.

Gain Higher Education to Upgrade Their Skills

Gaining higher education in their desired area of interest is also an option open to them. For instance, if a nurse finds it interesting to work in the labor room, going back to school and gaining a required degree is an option open to them. Nurses already having a BSN degree can opt for an MSN (Master of Science in Nursing) program and become certified nurse-midwife and deliver babies themselves. Advanced nursing education such as MSN and DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) also helps gain professional parity with medical personnel such as doctors.

Enjoying The not-so-Tangible Perks

A nursing career is not all about what you see on the surface. Nurses are the face of healthcare; they get more meaningful gifts than any other person in healthcare. Because they have a more profound and personal relationship with their patients, their interaction with them is also more frequent. During the extended stays in the hospital, nurses are a source of comfort and hope for their patients. Thus, apart from salary, other intangible benefits associated with this profession are warm hugs from the appreciative patient’s family or handmade cards from the younger patients.

Nursing is Full of Activity

Nursing is a very active job. Every day brings a new challenge where you have to work with patients with different health conditions. Though it becomes stressful sometimes, it also keeps the thrill of the work alive. Dealing with challenging conditions encourages you to work on your skills. It keeps you focused on the increasing competition in the field.

Nursing is a Valued and Trusted Profession

Nurses interact with many people during their work, including patients and their families, and other healthcare staff members. People value the nurses and their work. This trust gets developed when nurses use their empathy to understand their problems to their patients. They openly communicate with their patients and listen to their grievances. A study also found that improved patient-nurse communication enhanced patient outcomes.

Conclusion

Nursing is undeniably a challenging profession; their house and personal life are often affected due to long duty hours and fatigue after a long demanding day. Nurses also sacrifice a lot to offer high-quality service to their patients. But it also provides many perks, and when considered, the positive aspects often outweigh its challenges.

Most people do not adopt this profession for money or recognition only because they want to change people’s lives. Nevertheless, from increased patient trust to lucrative salary packages to many career growth options, various reasons make nursing a profession worth adopting.