Choosing a profession as your career is not easy; sound knowledge related to the field is important to avoid any regrets in the future. Many careers are fast-paced and in demand today, and nursing is one of them. Choosing nursing as a career can be fulfilling for those who enjoy helping others and finding solutions to meet patient needs. This article will outline the role of nurses in healthcare and the benefits you may experience as a nurse. So, let’s get started:
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Role of Nurses in Healthcare
In the healthcare industry, nurses are responsible for providing patient-centered care across different environments such as clinics, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and private practices.
They monitor patients’ health, administer medications and infusions, perform diagnostic tests such as blood tests and provide necessary information to the patient that can contribute to the wellness and recovery of the patient.
In addition, nurses record the patient’s symptoms, carry out a physical examination, and collaborate with the healthcare team to provide a personalized treatment plan for each patient.
Nurses can also work across a variety of subfields and specialties such as cardiology, emergency, dermatology, emergency care, and psychiatry.
Advantages of Nursing as a Career
There are various benefits of choosing nursing as a career. Followings are the top advantages you may get as a nurse throughout your career:
1. Flexible Schedule
Flexibility exists within the field of nursing because nurses can work full-time and part-time depending on their routine. To enjoy a higher level of flexibility, nurses can work on a seasonal or temporary basis. Due to flexible schedules, nurses can expand their knowledge with degrees like an online Masters of Science in nursing and by pursuing any specialty.
2. Helping People
One of the most important benefits of becoming a nurse is the rewarding nature of helping and career others to achieve wellness. They are connected to their patient at an intimate level because they often enter their lives during challenging moments such as childbirth, accident, and illness. They also provide emotional support to patients increasing the chances of recovery.
Nurses provide shoulders to cry and hands to support the patient’s family. This emotional and physical support by nurses is a rewarding experience.
3. Personal Fulfillment
Another reason to opt for nursing as your career is it brings a great deal of personal fulfillment. Nurses can choose different paths in their careers according to their personalities. They can work directly with the patients in a hospital, or they can contribute to research that brings betterment to the healthcare industry. This provides a sense of personal fulfillment to nurses.
4. Advancement Opportunities
You may have access to an array of career advancement opportunities as a nurse. Armed with your nursing degree, skills, and advanced education, you can switch from a management role to a clinical position. Some nurses earn specialized nursing certifications during their career, making them more attractive to an employer with a high salary. Others can move from clinical positions to managerial or administrative posts where they can create a powerful impact.
Nurses can move to other countries to get new job roles, job satisfaction, and higher salaries. They can also work with organizations and missions.
5. Travel Possibilities
Becoming a nurse can give you an opportunity of traveling. A traveling nurse is skilled in various clinical specialties and works temporarily in hospitals, clinics, and other health care places. If you want to help and travel during your job, the position of traveling nurse is for you. Traveling nurses enjoy a strong salary while living in different locations around the country or the world. They usually stay for 13 to 26 weeks in one location or until the need of the healthcare center. The average salary of a traveling nurse is between $2,254 to $8,751 per month.
6. Excellent Salary and Benefits
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the growth rate in the profession of nursing is 9%. Hospitals and healthcare setups are facing a shortage of qualified nurses, and they are paying heavy salaries to experienced nurses.
The nursing profession offers a competitive salary. The average salary of nurses is $78,459 per year in developed countries. In addition to this, the benefits package for nurses may include:
- Tuition reimbursement
- Paid vacation and holidays
- Retirement benefits
- Paid sick time
- Paid family leave
- Health and life insurance
- Reimbursement for certification fees
- Wellness programs
- Childcare
7. Choose your Specialty
Nurses have access to a variety of specializations within their field to explore various options during their education or training. All nurses go through a ‘basic nursing program’ that gives them foundational skills for patient care. After graduation, they can go for training programs that will help them to get skills and knowledge to practice in their area of interest.
You sometimes get bored or burned out working in one specialty. In this situation, as a nurse, you have an opportunity to change specialties without going back to nursing school. To select a specialty, take some time to evaluate yourself. Do some research and experience on different specialties and select the right one according to your needs. You can also discuss with other nurses working in that specialty.
8. Learning Useful Skills
You will gain valuable skillsets during your nursing training and schooling. You will not only learn medical practices, but also you will learn the following skills:
- Teamwork by collaboration with healthcare teams such as doctors and pharmacists.
- Communication by connecting patients with doctors.
- Analytical and problem-solving skills by learning new ways to serve patients.
- Planning and organizational skills by learning how to care for patients you have been assigned.
- Sympathy by supporting patients and families in hard times.
- Ability to adapt and overcome new challenges you encounter each day.
- Flexibility by learning that people make mistakes and everything does not go as you think.
- These skills help you to become a well-rounded individual and ultimately a nurse.
Selecting any profession as your career depends on your passion, personal needs, and interests. The love for serving humanity and enthusiasm to help others call to pursue nursing as a career. Before taking the final steps, consider the above reasons.
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