By Josephine Reid
The Nursing Need-To-Knows
Whether following in the path of someone else you may know as a nurse, hospital volunteer work or wanting to care for others, the nursing profession is more than just a job for many.
“Nurses are scientists, the academic and clinical preparation is rigorous and nurses are passionate about using their knowledge and experience to better the lives of those they serve.” -- Gail Petersen Hock, MS, RN, PHCNS-C, APHN-C, assistant professor via BrandmanUniversity.com
Nursing has become less bedside, yet more paperwork and nurses don’t really like that. Patients believe nurses do mostly bedside work when nurses would really like to spend more time bedside doing the tasks they originally became nurses in the first place. Most nurses enjoy taking care of patients with the onset of all these modern laws and rules, their time is spent less with patients and more towards paperwork.
The career pathways today can be very technical and sophisticated!
Anyone looking to go into nursing should understand how much nurses really do and the amount of a responsibility it is to be a nurse. Nurses notice the little things in their patients, which tend to become the big things. Nurses not only work the front lines of saving lives and taking care of people in the healthcare settings, they also do important work with political advocacy (healthcare reform), research administration and education!
Modern nurses master science, chemistry, pharmacology, research, and specialty practice areas. At the same time, they never lose sight of the human element, the fact that your patient might be scared, lonely, or in great pain. Nurses see this total picture, and they are trained to care for their patient from a holistic standpoint.
Why Choose Nursing
Nursing is a career that is challenging, fascinating, and makes a difference in people's lives every single day. Within this profession, their daily routine work has varying tasks relating to patient care. Many believe nursing is one of the most astounding and growing careers available today, and Nurses enjoy the difference they can make in their patient's hospital experience. As a nurse, you have had the opportunity to work in a variety of medical settings. Many receive great satisfaction investing their time in an industry that is expanding and enriching patients' lives every day.
Nursing is such a broad field, it's almost impossible not to find a niche that utilizes people's skills and interests in varying fields such as science, for example, which can perpetuate the desire to help people in need.
As a nurse, there are opportunities to travel and experience different cultures, which can strengthen your ability to multi-task, while offering the best care to patients.
Money Talks
The median annual salary for a Registered Nurse in the U.S. is $58,371. Nurses in cities with a high cost of living and more job opportunities can earn more; the median salary for a nurse in New York, for example, is $69,718, and experienced nurses who work at major medical centers can earn $90,000-plus.
Education and specialization will further boost their pay. Nursing occupations requiring advanced degrees routinely make the lists of high-paying, in-demand professions. Nurse Practitioners, for example, make a median annual salary of $87,507, while Nurse Anesthetists earn $133,805. It’s a good idea to invest in the four-year degree. You can become a Registered Nurse with an associate degree, but for many new nurses, spending two more years in school pays off for salary and job opportunity purposes.
