15 Reasons To Become A Nurse
There are very few careers out there that people call vocations. Nursing is one of them. It takes a very determined and compassionate individual to put themselves on the front line as a nurse, and the advantages that come with the job are often too good to miss. Choosing nursing as a career – for some people – comes late in life. Those who do decide to take on the challenge of nursing as their lifeline are often stronger and more caring than most.
In some places in the world, nurses are not given enough credit. They are not paid enough for the time spent nursing patients in their final hours and they are not given enough credit, despite being the right hand of the doctors that they deal with. In other places, nurses are as revered as CEOs, paid higher salaries and offered better benefits for following a vocation that called to them. There are plenty of advantages in nursing, and between the (sometimes) high salaries, the chance to work with interesting people and the chance to be a helping hand with saving lives, nurses have a job that is envied by many.
Given that so few careers out there offer the same advantages as nursing does, it’s important that you really think about it if you’re looking at a nursing career. From the worries about nursing student loan forgiveness to the constant pressure that you’re not doing enough as a nurse, it’s not an easy profession in which to be involved. The industry as a whole is competitive and yet there is a huge shortage of work, which can be troublesome for recent graduates. Choosing to become a nurse is one of the best decisions that you could make – for many reasons – and we’ve put together fifteen of those reasons below. Let’s talk them through!
1)Nurses Make A Difference
It’s not a secret and it’s not news to anyone who encounters a nurse who has just come off of a long shift. Nurses save lives daily. They monitor, they comfort, they support and they talk to patients to understand them better. They support the doctors and the other hospital and clinic staff and they take time to volunteer in public, too. Nurses don’t go into the profession for the money, they do it because they know that they can make a big difference in the lives of other people. Nurses are an authority, they’re inspirational, and the best reason to get into a creer is to make a difference to other people.
2)Everywhere You Go, There’s A Program
If there is one program that is easy to find, it’s nursing. It’s a role that will never be out of business and it’s a profession that is needed everywhere around the world. Nursing students can find a degree program or pathway wherever they are, which means that the chance to complete an education as a nurse is accessible. Of course, it comes with the same financial pitfalls as any other degree course, but it’s worth the sacrifice to be in a position that makes a huge difference.
3)Nursing Education Is Accessible
As well as the fact that there is a nursing education wherever you go, it’s as accessible online as a program completed in person. If there are those who can’t get to a program in a college or a center for night classes, nursing wannabes can learn online! This allows students – particularly mature students – to continue to work full time while they learn. Distance learning has changed the game for prospective nurses, and they now have an accessible career because of the options that have opened up.
4)There Are Plenty Of Financial Aid Options
We’ve mentioned nursing student loan forgiveness and that’s because those who want to pursue nursing but are worried about how much it’ll cost shouldn’t have to. Searching for financial aid and scholarships is a must, and students can find the funding that they need from a range of different institutions. Financial boosts like this can help prospective nurses to feel safe with their decisions to go back to school. Education shouldn’t be expensive in the extremes, but we live in a world that doesn’t always agree with that! So, nurses need to find the financial leg-ups that they can so that they can get into the career without being left in hideous debt.
5)There Are Jobs To Be Had
Despite the job shortages affecting some areas in the world, there are still pathways to nursing that nurses can go down. There are clinics, hospitals, doctor’s offices, mental health settings, community settings – you name it, there’s a nurse for it! If you love to travel, nursing is an amazing career choice for you as there are traveling nurse jobs available around the country and globe too. Some nurses take four years to get their degree but so many others go back to school later in life and do a diploma in a year to skill up as a nurse. Either way, there are nurses out there that can enter the workforce very quickly and there are jobs to be had no matter where you are in the world.
6)Happiness Is Abundant
If there is one thing that is true among nurses it’s a high level of satisfaction. Sure, there is a low level of satisfaction in some settings and in some countries, but the general consensus is that nurses would encourage other people to be nurses. They go to work knowing they’re going to help people, and this can be enough to feel good about the vocation that they’ve chosen. A career in nursing is something that is often chosen long before options in school, so happiness is never far behind.
7)The Work Is Varied
If there is one guarantee that you will find in a nursing career, it’s that no two days look the same. Sure, the basics may be the same but the adrenaline rush of saving a life still makes the day one rich in experience and variety. There are huge challenges that come with the nursing profession and each day involves patients of a range of backgrounds, which makes it easy to want to learn more.
8)Nurses Are Respected
No matter how low-paid some nurses are in some countries they are nevertheless respected by the public and those that they treat. Patients understand how demanding the role for nurses is and they want to make life as easy for them as possible. Of course, it’s not easy for nurses to gain respect from government officials in some countries, but if the patients know how to respect them, that’s the bit that counts the most. Nursing is a respected profession, so why wouldn’t you want to study it?
9)There Is A Choice Of Specialties
Nurses have a choice of specialties in front of them. Some like to go into surgery, where others choose to be in mental health. There are even specialties in children and babies and prison work. Everyone of all ages need nurses, which is why there are so many different specialties to choose from.
10)The Industry Is Recession-Proof
Nurses work in one of the most stable industries: they will never not be needed. It’s one reason that people get into nursing; they know that they will never be out of work and this is a secure and stable way to guarantee an income.
11)The Chance To Travel
Nurses are needed globally, which means that wherever you are living there are places to work in the world. You could work on the road and find work. You could emigrate if you wanted to – nursing is the key to a range of countries that pay excellent money for the knowledge and expertise nurses have.
12)The Chance To Advance
Did you know that nurses can grow into other professions? Nurses can become nurse practitioners, anesthesiologists, and even doctors with the right top-up education. Nurses are also able to move into management as nurse administrators. There is a chance to advance, which offers a future to wannabe nurses.
13)A Chance To Work Flexibly
Shift patterns for nurses vary greatly, but this allows for flexibility. Nurses often work a pattern of three-on, four-off, and they can swap their shifts with coworkers to fit in with childcare and other commitments. There are days and nights and weekends in a pattern, and nurses often choose to swap out around each other to work around the holidays. There is a better chance to work with flexibility than in any other profession.
14)Nurses Continue To Learn
Every single day, nurses have new challenges that they need to learn from. Nurses have the chance to learn about new diseases and illnesses and they get the best experience possible simply by being exposed to new things.
15)The Salary Is Competitive
Some places offer a competitive salary for their nurses of all grades and levels. Others don’t appreciate nurses enough to pay them the highest salaries that they deserve. Nurses also get overtime pay, extra for unsociable hours and the chance to even triple their money when they work a long shift.
Do you really need any more reasons to get into this coveted profession?
