Nursing is one of the most popular careers in America, even more so than becoming a doctor or lawyer, and while the job itself is a vital part of the medical profession, the actual profession itself is incredibly important with each and every nurse being a credit to the entire country being some of the most outstandingly ethical and selfless individuals you will ever come across.
Admittedly however, becoming a nurse can’t be done overnight and will take years of studying, preparation, and experience, and this begs the question of how good a career in nursing actually is. Here are some key points to consider that come with going into a nursing career that can help you know if it’s the right path for you before you take on the long journey to get there.
Reasons to Go Into a Nursing Career
Alongside being the crucial backbone of the countries hospitals, there are also a few other key benefits that come with becoming a nurse that can help you decide whether it’s worth undertaking or not. Here are some of the major reasons a nursing career is so worthwhile:
Why Nursing is a Good Career
1) Excellent Salary
Of course, pay isn’t everything, however it is still a factor many of us will need to keep in mind when deciding what kind of profession we want to go into, and luckily nursing provides an excellent salary to look forward to. The average yearly salary for a nurse is $82,010, however this can differ a little bit depending on where you live, and what kind of practitioner you are.
For example, while this is the average salary for most working nurses, nurse administrators who have a little more experience on average receive an annual salary of $104,000 while the highest paid role is the certified registered nurse anesthetist who on average receives $183,580.
Alongside the incredible contribution you’ll be making to improve people’s lives, you will also therefore be receiving an incredible salary along with it, even in your first few years.
2) Growth And Variety In The Job Market
The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that by 2028, nursing careers in America will have seen a 12% growth which is much higher than the average growth for other occupations, and means that you won’t have to deal with a job scarcity which can always be stressful after spending years honing your experience only to struggle to find a place of work.
This isn’t the case with nursing which is always in high demand and with new medicine and cures for illnesses being introduced very frequently, new opportunities are always opening up in the profession.
3) Making a Real Impact
Nursing is a very flexible profession and you can find nurses working not just in hospitals, but also in hospices, homes and clinics, however one thing that always remains the same is the work being done is never a waste of time since your job as a nurse will be to assist and help those in need who can’t do it themselves.
In a world where many people get bored of their job that seems to not be making a difference, nursing is one of the very few professions where you will play an integral role each and every day whether that be assisting a sick patient, or even working in case management, it all effects real people so you can be sure everything you do means something to someone.
4) An Extremely Versatile Career
While many of us might immediately attribute nursing to hospitals, because of the nature of the job it means nurses regularly visit many other environments to help people whether it’s on a cruise ship, at a theme park or even on a television set.
Because there are so many nursing roles to choose from, you also don’t even need to take on the role of interacting with patients if you don’t want to and can instead take on a research position or a coordinator, making a nursing profession incredibly flexible so that you’ll never be boxed into just one role the entire time.
5) You Can Work Part-Time Or Full-Time
Since nurses are in such high demand, you have the choice to either pursue a part-time or full-time career which gives you even more freedom so that you can work when it suits you best. Full-time for nurses is usually defined as being 40 hours a week, therefore even if you have a lot of responsibilities and commitments to take care of, nursing will still be on the table as a valid career path.
6) Choose Who You Work With
Depending on what group of people you think you would be best suited to work with whether that be children, elderly people, or a specific gender, because there are so many roles in nursing you have the choice to decide this for yourself.
Pediatric nurses specialize in working with children while geriatric nurses are more suited to working with the elderly, and these are just two of the several fields you can go into giving the job even more variety.
7) Nursing is a Recession-Proof Career
The last few years have reminded us that at any moment the economy can crash unexpectedly, leaving many jobs in turmoil.
This doesn’t apply as much to nursing however since there are always going to be people who are sick and need medical attention, so you won’t need to worry about losing your job because of events that are out of your control.
Final Thoughts
While it might take a lot of work and dedication to finally get there, once you become a trained nurse the benefits are endless with it being one of the most secure and financially stable professions in the entire country. If you want a career where you can make a real difference that pays well and gives you a tremendous amount of flexibility in the role, nursing is an excellent choice.