Pursuing a career in nursing is a great option for many people. There are a lot of places where you can work and many facilities will need nurses from hospitals to doctor’s offices, to retirement homes and everything in between. This can open up a lot of doors to you and leads to an exciting career that you are sure to enjoy.
Before you jump into this kind of career, it is important to be prepared and have a good understanding of how this career works and where you can get started. Some of the things that you need to know about a career in nursing includes:
Attending Nursing School
A career in nursing can be a lot of fun, but first you will need to go through and get your degree or your certification. There are many different types of nurses with different levels of responsibilities. This allows you to get into the medical field through different means.
The traditional route is to go through and get a college degree in nursing. This will include classes in anatomy, chemistry, biology, and physiology to name a few. You must get good grades during school and then pass your nursing clinical.
During the nursing clinical, you will spend time working with nurses in a medical setting. This is meant to get you prepared for day to day work in this field, and it can be a challenge. When you are done, you will be ready to jump into the field and help those who need it the most.
Career Options for a Nurse
A career in nursing has a perk that you will get to specialize in an area of expertise that interests you the most. For example, you could become a pediatric nurse and work with children. You can even do something like psychiatry if you would like. Most nurses are going to pick out their specialty based on areas that are of the most interest to them.
You can even pick the location where you would like to work. You can work in a clinic, a school, or in a hospital. It is even possible for a nurse to go and visit patients in their homes. A nursing career can even include work in clinical, humanitarian, military, or academic areas if they choose. There are just so many options open to those who want them the most.
The Salary of a Nurse
Many who are looking into this field for their own career will want to know what the salary of a nurse is going to be. According to Indeed.com, the average salary for a nurse in 2013 was $68,000 a year. The demand for nurses has only gone up during that time, so it is likely that the average pay is going to be higher. This is also 7% higher than the average job posting salary.
However, it is important to remember that the pay that nurses will earn can vary quite a bit. While we just mentioned the average salary, there are different factors that come into play when determining how much a nurse is going to make. These factors include:
- The location of where the nurse works
- Their experience
- What specialty they are in
- The employer
A nurse will be able to take some control over the amount that they earn by getting a specialty. Many nurses earn more when they take the time to get certifications in their specialty because this helps to show they know what they are doing in the field.
How Many Nursing Jobs are Available?
Those who are looking for a nursing career will find that there are an abundance of jobs available. While it is currently estimated that there are 3 million nurses in the United States, it is estimated that the available jobs grew more than 26% from 2010 to 2020. This is much faster than what we see with the average for all occupations in the country.
The biggest cause for this is that there is a huge growth in the aging baby boomer generation. With more elderly, and with these individuals living longer than before, there is more demand for nurses to help out this growing population and fewer nurses available to do the work.
Hospitals are the ones who employ most of the nurses in this country, with them employing about 60% right now. However, nursing careers in home health care and physician offices are still plentiful as well. There are plenty of jobs out there for an aspiring nurse who is looking to get a great job.
Job Demands of Being a Nurse
Being a nurse has a lot of benefits and good pay, but everyone in the field will tell you that this kind of career can be stressful. Nursing is not only physically demanding in that you must be on your feet and helping people all day, but it can be emotionally draining as well.
Nurses are the primary contact for many of the patients out there. They are the ones who are working with patients when they are suffering or in pain. Learning how to handle the stress and being healthy during that time, while helping out the patients in an efficient way can be important.
This is not a job that will be suitable for everyone. If you are just in it for the money, then you will burn out quickly. But for those who love to help others and want a rewarding career, there is a lot to love about becoming a nurse.
Is Nursing the Right Career for Me?
There are a lot of exciting parts that come with a career in nursing. You can make good money right out the door, you get to choose the exact industry that you want to work in, and you get to meet a ton of great people along the way. Take a look at some of the great information about a career in nursing above to see if this is the right choice for you.