5 Things You Should Know Before Becoming A Nurse
It’s a big deal to work your way through college and get yourself a degree in a field you have interest in, but it’s an even bigger deal to do all that with a degree in a vocation such as nursing. Nurses will never be out of work, so you’ve picked a pretty good future for yourself if you’ve chosen to go ahead and care for others for a living. Knowing that you have found your vocation and that you have got some good job security with it is a great comfort when you get to the end of your degree. A nursing degree is not an easy option; nurses do not have it easy. They work long hours, for less money than is deserved and they are often working more than they are contracted to do. Nursing is a vocation, which means it’s a calling for most people. It’s not about punching in and out at the right times and it’s not about rigidity with schedules. Nurses have a bank of patients that they look after every day, and they often go above and beyond for those patients so that they can give the best care.
Becoming a nurse is a path that is rewarding and lucrative. You have the ability to work anywhere in the world and your career has so much to give you, especially if you choose to climb up the nurse rankings. There is so much to know about becoming a nurse, including list of nursing specialties that are available. Getting a degree can take anything from three to five years, depending whether you would choose to gain a masters in healthcare once you have completed your undergraduate degree. There are so many accelerated programmes out there now that can help you with your studies, so that once you graduate you have the right qualifications to help you to secure work. There are so many benefits to gaining your nurse’s degree, but if you are still thinking about it, you need to check out our reasons you should go for it below.
Cash
Firstly, it’s important to remember that nursing is a vocation. The study isn’t easy, the hours are long, and the pay is not always the best depending on your speciality. However, the majority of nurses make between $45,000 to $100,000 per year. The scale depends on the skills you need for the role, your level of education and how many years’ experience you have gained. A lot of nurses don’t go in for the industry because of the money, they do it for the love of caring for others and giving back to the community. They do it because they care for people. If money is going to be your deciding factor, nursing may not be for you.
Opportunities
Nursing is more than just something that is done in a hospital. This website here can give the most recent statistics on how many opportunities there are overall in the US, but the opportunities in nursing range from operation theatre nurses to community nurses who visit the homes of those who are unable to get out for themselves. Choosing your path is going to be very personal to you, and you should decide whether you want to work with adults, children, in surgery or in mental health so that you can focus your efforts when you study.
Responsibility
Nurses have a huge amount of responsibility on their shoulders. They are on their feet constantly during a 12 hour shift and rarely get a moment to actually stop and take a break. The most important thing is to be comfy within your daily duties. ShoeAdviser medical shoes for nurses can help you stay comfortable on the job. Nurses are under expectations to provide quality care at a high level while remaining strong emotionally. This sort of pressure can take its toll in any job, never mind in a role where you see people from all walks of life in pain or needing help. You need a strong sense of self to work as a nurse, as it is a highly stressed environment. This all sounds very negative, but every single job out there has its negative areas and it’s important to know what these are before you take the plunge and push your life into a field you may not enjoy after all.
It’s A Calling
We’ve said it on here and we will say it again; nursing is a calling. It’s not just a job that you go to every day. Nurses are often underappreciated in their work, despite the fact that they skip their breaks and eating and resting to ensure that patients are cared for. The type of person who chooses to be a nurse is one who knows that the patient comes first and doesn’t begrudge it. They will deal with families of patients and be an emotional support to them while keeping their patients alive and comfortable. It’s a calling and not something you just choose to do lightly.
Learning Never Stops
Beyond gaining the right qualifications, a nurse’s education never stops. Medicine is a field that is constantly changing; procedures and processes in healthcare settings are updated very often, and nurses across all fields have to keep up with those changes. Familiarising yourself with courses and workshops that can help you to boost your skills and upgrade them at the same time is not just admirable, it’s essential. Your patients and your superiors are going to rely on your knowledge to keep people alive – this is a huge deal and shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Nursing is one of those vocations that require their staff to be wholeheartedly in the role. It’s not a black and white profession and it isn’t always easy, but the rewards and fulfilment that you will feel when you go home every day is worth every aching toe and every sad moment. For every one of those, there is a patient that will walk out of the hospital healed and health. All because of you.