When to Consider the Nursing Profession
The nursing profession is popular with most people who are going back to school today, and there are several reasons for that. Steady, respectable pay and job security are two of the main reasons why people get into nursing, but some people are not cut out for that particular profession. It’s important to know yourself and determine when to consider the nursing profession. Here are some ways to do that.
Know your Strengths and Weaknesses in order for you to Consider the Nursing Profession
Nurses work extremely hard and they aren’t getting rich with what they do unless they’re truly specialized and have been in their field for some time. With that in mind, there are strengths and weaknesses that should be considered when deciding whether to become a nurse. Make sure you take the time to learn about the type of nurse you want to be and what kind of educational and experience requirements that level of nursing has. Without knowing these things, it can be extremely hard to decide if the nursing profession is right for you, or what direction you wish to take in that profession.
Criteria for Choosing Nursing
Nursing is extremely popular as a helping profession. People who get involved in nursing want to help others get well and lead better lives. They may also want to prevent people from becoming ill in the first place, and that is something for them to carefully consider when choosing a profession. Base becoming a nurse on:
•The population you would need to serve
•The medical specialty
•The level of certification or education
•The location, the department, or the facility where you will be working.
When all of those issues are considered, a person can make a better decision about whether he or she wants to become a nurse, what type of nurse, and whether there is a market for that type of nursing specialization or designation in the area. If there is not a large enough population, for example, it can be extremely difficult for a person to become a nurse and use those skills in the community. In this case, schooling could be wasted unless the person wants to move away to a larger area and become a nurse there. Some people do move away for career opportunities, but not all of them can do so feasibly.
Getting the Proper Education
In order to work as a nurse, a person must graduate from an approved program. Generally, it takes approximately 2 years of schooling beyond high school in order for a person to become a nurse. That will provide a person with an associate degree. For a nursing diploma, it can take 3 years, and for a bachelor’s in nursing, it can take 4 years. Not everyone who wants to be a nurse goes on to get a bachelor’s degree, but most nurses feel that it helps them make more money and provides them with opportunities for raises and promotion that they might not otherwise receive.
Working as a Nurse
In 2008, nurses made an average of $65,000 annually. That does not mean that every nurse made that much, of course, but that amount was the median. Some nurses made that amount, while others made more, and some made less. Three out of five nurses employed in that same year worked in hospitals, while others worked in other health care settings, and there were 2.6 million total nursing jobs during that year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. As time has moved on, nursing has grown as a profession and more nursing jobs are appearing. Some of that is due to the aging population simply needing more care than was required in the past.
Nursing can be a truly rewarding profession that should be considered by anyone who is committed to helping others and who wants to have some job security. In difficult economic times, people often go to school (or go back to school) to become nurses because they know they will be extremely likely to land a job when they complete their training. That is more than can be said for many other degrees and occupations, where students may not have employment opportunities upon graduation.
