Is Nursing A Good Career Option For You: Find The Answer

If you are searching for a good career option in the USA? Or want to know what career option is worth here? We can guide you! Well, you will be amazed to hear that in the USA, neither a doctor nor a lawyer is said to be the most preferred job option. The popular career option that has proven to be people’s first choice is becoming a Nurse. According to the estimation of The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand of the Nurse will rise by about 9% by 2030. That means there will be an opening for around 194,500 nurses this year, which is why the scope in this field is wide for people who are looking for the best career options.

However, every career choice comes with a lot of unanswered questions. For instance, you must have doubts like, would this career help in making enough living, can you grow in the nursing field, or are you a good fit for nursing? And that is why to solve your every related query, here is complete information about nursing. It will surely help you answer “Is nursing a good career.” or any other questions churning in your head.

Who Is a Nurse?

Nurses are those health-aid professionals who play a significant role in the medical world by taking on many related responsibilities. They are fully trained to manage medical duties, support patients, communicate with medical experts, and care for patients. There are various categories under the nursing profession, and some of them are RN (Registered Nurse), LVN (licensed vocational Nurse), APRN (Advanced practice registered nurse), and APRN (Advanced practice registered Nurse).

Responsibilities Of Nurse Profile

Being a nurse brings many responsibilities and duties that one needs to fulfil on an everyday basis. Some of the basic nursing tasks are as follows.

Recording Symptoms And Medical History 

The nurses note down every single detail related to their patients. They maintain the proper record of their health to provide them with the treatment accordingly. Asking about the patient’s medical history is one of the main jobs of nurses as it tells about the patient’s previous surgeries and diagnoses, allergies, present medications, and related family medical details. Also, they can ask them if they are experiencing any symptoms currently for recording them. 

Managing Treatments And Medications 

Many nurses manage the treatments and medication of patients as per the physician’s order. They form a treatment plan for them, and some experienced nurses can also give medical prescriptions to their patients without consulting the doctor. Their duties include cleansing and covering wounds and dressing bandages. They can also help doctors by providing more emergency care to patients in severe conditions.

Providing Support To Patients

Providing suggestions and support to patients is one of the primary duties of a nurse. Their tips help patients and their families improve the patient’s health condition and inform them about the further course of action.

Read More:- Nursing Career Consultant – Career Guidance For Nurses

Dealing With Medical Equipment 

In the medical industry, there are a lot of diagnostic tools that help a nurse detect a patient’s condition, such as thermometers, stethoscopes, pulse oximeters, glucometers, and blood pressure devices. Regardless of what position a nurse holds or where they work, they should have knowledge of these standard devices to analyze the patient’s health even without doctors.

Maintaining Inventory

Experienced nurses can also be in charge of additional jobs like ordering supplies and administering records. This procedure ensures the healthcare team has enough availability of all medical resources needed for the treatment. It includes proper organizing, accounting, and restocking of medical supplies on time.

Paying Structure Of Nursing Job

Whenever you decide about the career you want to choose, the first and most significant thing you want to find out is the salary package you can expect from the job. But if you are choosing Nursing as a career, here is some good news! You can expect excellent remuneration in the nursing field that can indeed be enough for living a healthy lifestyle. Their income goes up to $195K annually. Also, the salary package depends on their respective position, so let’s know the average salary package position-wise.

Pros Of Becoming A Nurse

Here are the benefits of being a nurse that one can get. This list of pros would help you learn about the nursing career as a whole.

Good Remuneration

Nursing is a great career option as it is an excellent source of earnings. And because the nursing career offers a good salary with other monetary benefits, it tends to be the preferable job for many. The annual salary package of nurses depends on the place they work, but if we count on an average, it goes around $80,010 or even more. Also, in NY, the estimated remuneration of Nurses is $89,760, which is very good..

Rise In Salary With Length Of Service

The Nurse’s salaries might get increased with the years of their work. For instance, in Texas, the starting per-hour wage is about $26.35, and if you get ten years of experience in the same field, the amount can rise to $49.54 per hour. That means you can expect to get financially awarded for your dedication to your work.

Stable Income

The other important feature of the nursing field is a stable income. You can be relaxed and assured, thinking you will get an expected paycheck on the same day it has been expected. This way, you can make a budget for everything before receiving of salary. 

Part-time Or Full-time Work

Nursing is a job where you don’t have to commit to full-time. You can either opt for a part-time job or can do a full-time job. A full-time job takes 40 hours a week, while part-time means comparatively less time than a full-time job. So, you can choose the working hours that are suitable for you.

Power Of Choosing Your Population 

The best part of choosing nursing as a career is you have the power to choose the kind of patients that you will treat. If you feel you are good with kids and can treat them properly, you will probably take pediatrics as a field. And if you think you are great at treating elders, then geriatrics might be the field for you. Also, adult health is the right choice for you if you can take care of middle-aged adults.

Choice To Work In Different Environments

The field of nursing gives nurses a chance to choose the environment in which they want to work. They can work in various settings within the boundary of the hospital. The hospital has multiple units to work on, allowing nurses to choose their favorable unit. Some of the units are intensive care units, perioperative services department, delivery room, operating room, and many more.

Getting a Job In Research 

Nursing doesn’t always mean treating patients or operating on them. People who don’t want to lay their hands on patients can go into the field of research. They can work as a coordinator for various services and can do work in case management. 

High Demand

The most significant benefit of nursing for you is that you will always be in high demand. The demand for nurses has been increasing every day, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics has predicted that the demand for nurses will go by about 8.9% by the end of the decade. It makes nursing a promising career choice for students. 

Work And Travel 

The nursing career also allows you to travel and work around the country. The job of a travel nurse will enable you to tour around the whole country while serving as a nurse for your benefit.  

Career Advancement

Besides the high demand, the nursing field is also very exciting because of its enormous growth and advancement. If you opt for nursing as a career, you can get a progressive degree and go for any role in the nursing world. For instance, becoming a nurse practitioner, earning a master’s degree, or operating in management. As a nurse, you can also take various advanced medical opportunities.

Cons Of Becoming A Nurse

Like every other field, a nursing career also has some cons that one needs to know before entering this field. Considering them will help you understand the career as a whole to make an informed decision about your career.

Physical Pressure

Physical problems like back injuries and foot aches are prevalent in nurses who work in medical sets up like hospitals. They spend most of their time taking care of their patients, standing on their feet for hours daily.

Long Shift

The shift timings of nurses are very long. They usually work about 12 hours a day. Also, if there are a lot of patients to deal with in the hospital, they have to give their 15 hours a day. And if nurses are new in this field or haven’t gained that much seniority, they also have to work on holidays, weekends, or nights. This long shift affects nurses’ physical or mental condition.

Exposure To Viruses

While dealing with patients, nurses need to take some measures to protect themselves against viruses and germs. But, still, there is a slight chance that they can catch any virus or germs from the patients while treating them. For instance, getting stuck by a used needle of a patient or getting in contact with the bodily fluid of their patients. Remember that many healthcare setups have testing and cleansing facilities for managing such situations.

Pressure And Stress

Being a nurse brings a lot of pressure and stress to your daily routine. While nurses don’t get that much downtime in their job, they still need to think while treating patients with life-or-death possibilities. They must keep calm during communication with the patients or their related families. They are answerable to the patients for their every health-related query. That is why they always have to keep a smiling face also in the condition of stress and pressure. 

Emotional Breakdown

Nurses are witnesses to every human suffering going on in the hospital or any healthcare setup. For instance, a nurse treating a cancer patient or treating someone after a major accident. Witnessing such situations can create severe emotional damage in their lives. Also, sometimes, they see so many deaths in one day that it leads to emotional burnout. Hence, a nurse needs to take support and the proper counseling to avert an emotional breakdown.

Roadmap To Becoming A Nurse

There are various degrees of nursing licensure to pursue, and the type of degree decides how long it will take for you to become a nurse. 

LVN (Licensed Vocational Nurse) – one-year occupational program

RN (Registered Nurse) – Two-year of ASN (Associate of Science in Nursing) or Four-year of BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing).

BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing)- About four years for freshers in the nursing field or about 18 to 25 months for RN-to-BSN programs.

After completing the education, a person can complete licensure examinations. After finishing the BSN program, one can also invest two more years in getting a nursing degree that will lead to many great opportunities in the future. Also, if someone is unwilling to give such a long time in these courses, they can go for short programs like DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice).

Alternate Career Options For Nursing

If you have a nursing degree and have finished your training period but do not want to work in a typical healthcare setting, then here are some alternatives you can choose instead of a nurse.

Health Writer

The health Writer’s role is to write health-related articles and publish them with the deep medical knowledge they have. They can work with any health magazine or in any healthcare setting, designing posters and medical articles for patients. Also, they can draw vital educational pamphlets about health-related topics that further get used by hospitals to educate and inform patients.

Medical Researcher

Research is significant for understanding every aspect of human health and improving treatment and diagnostic procedures. Medical researchers enhance their knowledge about medicines, the human body system, and their interaction. These nurses mainly work to improve the nursing industry through their research.

Nutritionists

Nutritionists are those who consult and give nutrition-related suggestions to their patients. They teach us ways to improve our health with the approach of nutrition, including healthy eating habits.

Clinical Nurse Educator

Clinical Nurse Educators usually work tutoring and instructing potential nurses in a natural academic environment. They are professional coaches who help in lessons, manage tests, and administer internships. Moreover, they can also serve in any healthcare facility to provide growth opportunities and progressive coaching to the present nursing staff.

Nurse Consultant

Nurse consultants typically work in legitimate dimensions offering professional consultation and suggestions to legal teams operating on medical-related cases. They might help them explain medical terms, analyze medical charts, and act as professionals in medical malpractice situations. Also, they might serve in healthcare facilities like hospitals or nursing homes, offering suggestions and consultation on patients’ treatment plans.

Medical Sales Executive

Medical Sales Executives focus on healthcare products and their supply to the company. They teach health providers like physicians, assistants, doctors, and nurses about various medical products. The meeting between medical sales executives and providers leads the product samples sent further to increase sales. Also, because of the Nurse’s qualifications and years of experience, they can give training on specific healthcare products.

Conclusion

Is nursing a promising career? Working as a nurse in the medical field can be both challenging and amazingly pleasing. This career gives you a chance to help people in their worst and offers you good money for such a good deed. 

You can consider Alnicor consulting if you have any nursing-related queries. We offer the best nursing career consultation to aspiring candidates who want to pursue their careers in the nursing industry. We will help you make an informed decision about whether nursing as a career suits you. To be a part of meaningful nursing consultation, kindly contact us at 183-325-6267 or mail us at info@alnicorconsulting.com.