Right now, it’s clear to see that there is a nursing shortage in many areas of the world, including the US. Therefore, there is an effort being made to attract more people to the profession; there is a need for more nurses because the population is getting older, and it’s growing at the same time, meaning that healthcare has to be a priority. The more nurses there are, the better the world can take care of those who need help.
The issue with recruiting people to become nurses is that there are often negative things said about the profession that can cause those who might be interested to think again, and potentially ensure that some people never even consider nursing in the first place. This is a shame, as there are many benefits to being a nurse, and if more people were aware of them, then more people would train to become nurses, and the problem of numbers would be at least some way to being solved. With this in mind, read on to discover what some of the best things about being a nurse are, and it might make you realize that this really is the career for you. If you’re already a nurse, it might make you realize you’ve made the right choice, and push you to do more.
High Job Security
With technology making the world a completely different place to what it was just a few years ago, and this certainly being accurate when you think of career possibilities, it’s not easy to choose a job that will still be valuable and needed in years to come. Something that you can train for today could disappear due to advancements in technology or simply the lack of resources or consumer need. This would be an unfortunate position to be in, and it would mean that you have to effectively start again, and use your skills in a different area.
Nursing isn’t a profession in which you have to worry about that. Although technology does play a part, and although the role of the nurse will change as time goes on, nurses will always be needed and therefore, when you have nursing qualifications, you’ll have the peace of mind that you’ve chosen a secure job.
The Most Rewarding Career
There is a big difference between a career and a rewarding career. In the former, you go to work, do what you need to do, perhaps push yourself further, but really, when you think about it, what you’re doing isn’t that important. If you didn’t do it, it wouldn’t matter. In the latter, what you do definitely matters and you can see that every day. Clearly, nursing is a rewarding career.
If you decide to study to become a nurse, you’ll enter one of the most rewarding careers you can find. There are very few professions in which you actively change people’s lives, and even save those lives, on a daily basis.
Career Advancement
Another great thing about being a nurse is that you have complete control over your career, and if you want to move forward and advance, there are always going to be avenues for you to take that will allow that to happen. Some nurses will want to work in a specific department, and they will gain skills and experience in that so they can take a job when it is offered. Others will want to become a leader and manage a team, in which case they will need a University of Indianapolis DNP degree to help them. In other words, no matter what kind of nurse you want to be or what level of nursing you want to reach, there will be options open to you.
If you’re not sure what you want to do, you can also find plenty of help to advise you and guide you to making the right choice. Nursing is very much based on teamwork, and this extends away from helping patients and into other areas, including career progression.
Transferable Life Skills
When you think of why nursing is a good career and some of the best things about it, it’s a good idea to consider it as a microcosm of the rest of the world. The things you learn during your nursing training and then when you are working are often very specific, but there are many things you’ll learn that can be used in other areas of your life. These transferable life skills can help to make you a happier, healthier, more productive person outside of work as well as when you are nursing your patients. It can be hard to determine exactly what these skills are, especially when you are working and they are simply a natural part of helping others, but they include:
- Good communication
- Compassion
- Empathy
- Good listening
- Punctuality
- Ethical working practices
- The ability to stay calm in a pressurized situation
- Critical thinking
- Continuous learning
Once you note them down, it’s much easier to see how a nurse could use these skills – and others – on a daily basis, but also how they might use them in other areas of their lives.
An Inspiring Career
Imagine a career in which you are able to inspire people every day, through even the smallest of actions. Most people would like that feeling, and it is certainly something positive. When you are a nurse, that’s the kind of thing you’ll be doing even without realizing it, and it’s another of the best things about being a nurse.
Nurses are incredibly hard working, and they see both the most joyful parts of life, and the saddest and most difficult. Yet they continue to be professional and dedicated to their patients no matter what. Ofcourse they are going to inspire others. Even if those people they inspire don’t become nurses, they will still understand why doing good and working hard is important, and that can make a big change in someone’s life, and the lives of those around them.