Whether you are just about to join College or you are thinking of switching careers, nursing can be a great profession to consider. This is especially if you have the heart and the will to mind and take care of others and make a difference in their lives. Moreover, the healthcare industry promises steady growth, decent salary, flexible working hours, and an interesting range of specialties. Nursing is also one of the most respected professions today. As if we haven’t mentioned enough already, here are some compelling reasons that should make you take up nursing.
1. Passionate for Caring for Patients
Frankly, the passion for taking care of individuals of all ages or groups, sick or well, is one of the motivating factors for taking up a nursing career. As a passionate nurse, you will encounter different patients with different health conditions and from a diverse range of settings. Without a passion for it, it would be overwhelming to provide the required professional and appropriate care to patients. In fact, even the International Council of Nurses agrees that passion is what compels most individuals to take up nursing. As a nurse, you get an opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of individual patients, as well as their families by taking good care of them.
2. There are Endless Learning Opportunities in Nursing
As a nurse, you get an opportunity to broaden your learning as well as career opportunities. Each day brings new experiences and learning opportunities. During their study and service hours, nurses may work in different work environments such as hospitals, clinics, schools, government agencies, travel companies, etc. Speaking of studies, there’s a wide range of programs to choose from, with many courses you can do online to advance your competency. As comprehensively described at www.laboure.edu, these include certification courses, associate degrees, bachelor degrees, and other accredited courses. The exciting part is that apart from on-campus studies, some of them can be taken partially or fully online to completion. In other words, you have a chance to study at your own pace and convenience, which makes the entire experience even more exciting
Also, while working as a nurse, you are always interacting with patients and other professionals such as doctors, administrators, radiologists, and other medical staff. Interacting with people from other careers goes a long way in adding to your knowledge base as a nurse. Additionally, becoming a nurse accords the opportunity for sharpening your interpersonal skills, which is a crucial aspect of the nursing career.
3. Ongoing High Demand for Nurses
Truth be told, currently, there is an increased demand for nursing professionals. This can especially be traced back to the COVID-19 pandemic which put healthcare systems across the globe to the test as far as preparedness is concerned. This also means that job opportunities in the healthcare industry have increased. So, if you’re thinking about starting a nursing career, then the time is now. Whether you are an LPN, an RN, or a BSN, you will rarely tarmac for a job as a certified nurse.
4. Opportunity to Show Empathy
Empathy is another factor that compels individuals to make a difference by becoming nurses. It is the ability to feel, hear, and share in what a particular patient is going through. As a nurse, this doesn’t mean that you should agree with everything the patients or their family suggests. Furthermore, you are trained to avoid internalizing the pain and suffering a patient is undergoing. Instead, as a great nurse, you try to understand their suffering while showing ultimate empathy to your level best. Nursing allows you to practice this crucial virtue.
5. Flexible and Diverse Work Schedules
Let’s face it, most of us work 9-to-5 or even more types of jobs. However, when it comes to nursing, it is different. Their work schedules are a bit more flexible. Nurses usually work in shifts ranging between 4-to-12 hours a day, give or take. This makes their schedules quite flexible. The best part about the nursing career is that you can choose the most appropriate shift for your lifestyle. You may choose to work morning hours, afternoon or evening. Most importantly, the flexible schedule can allow you ample time for other things like part-time schooling or side hustling.
6. Numerous Specializations
Finally, there are plenty of other specializations to choose from in nursing. Even after becoming a fully registered nurse, you get an opportunity to develop essential nursing skills in several fields of specializations. For instance, you may choose to venture into community health, critical care, emergency, palliative care, gerontology, ear, nose, throat, and so on. That way, nurses can also comfortably shift their specialties to the ones that best suit them.
Nursing is satisfying and quite rewarding. It can benefit you physically, emotionally, and financially. Especially in these times of the pandemic, it allows you the opportunity to bring out the hero in you. The above reasons should be compelling enough for you to pick nursing as your (next) career path.
