Pros And Cons Of A Nursing Career

Nursing can be one of the most rewarding and profitable careers to have. Job opportunities are plentiful right now with the demands on healthcare increasing exponentially. With the right education and skills, it’s possible to land the nursing job of your dreams that leads to the nursing career of your dreams. I recommend thoroughly researching educational requirements, salary, and general job descriptions. Here are some top benefits of a nursing career to get you started.

Pro #1: Put Your Education to Good Use

If you have gone to college but not really worked in a career you love, you could possibly use some of it to go toward a nursing degree. So before you sign up for a nursing program, check with the enrollment counselor about transferring past credits. Top online nursing programs may require you to start from scratch, but it’s worth asking about.

Pro #2: Utilize Your Skills and Personality Fully to Help People

A nursing career requires certain skills and personality traits that you may already have but not fully used in your career. Entering into the nursing field could be fulfilling in ways you have never felt in your present job or career. Here is a list of some skills you could use to help people.

• Excellent communication 
• Decision-making 
• Attention to detail
• Confidence
• Adaptable to any situation 
• Organized 
• Team player
• Multitasking 
• Leadership
• Critical thinking
• Patience
• Compassion and understanding
• Kindness and caring
• Fairness
• Empathetic
• Trustworthy 
• Reliable

Pro #3: You Can Choose a Specialty

Perhaps you love children or the elderly. A nursing career will allow you to focus on a specific group of people you are passionate about. Furthermore, specializing in a particular sect of nursing will build expertise that is favorable in the job market. Nurses are in demand, anyway, but being skilled in a set area could land you an excellent opportunity.

Pro #4: Diverse Opportunities

Though patient care may be the primary role of a nurse, there are other opportunities available. Here are a few roles nurses might have.

Leadership and Administration

If you want to work as a nurse but also have excellent leadership skills, consider administration jobs. Of course, these roles will likely require moving up over a period of time, but it gives you something to work toward.

Area Specific Roles

Once you have your education and qualifications, you can apply for jobs with a specific type of care facility or practice. Perhaps you’re interested in cancer treatment or elder care. Choosing who you want to work with will bring you more satisfaction in the long run, and wearing Black Scrubs That Are Well Fitting can reflect your professionalism in any specialty setting.

Private Practice Nurse

Private practice doctors need quality nurses to ensure their patients have top-notch care. Additionally, you could become a nurse practitioner to do even more in this sect of healthcare. The educational requirements are different but will also pay off in greater skill and pay.

A Nurse Educator

A nurse educator teaches nursing students either in an educational setting or in a hospital. Similar to a lecturer, they might teach in a classroom or online, evaluate students and create lesson plans.

A School Nurse

If you want to care specifically for children, becoming a school nurse could be a good fit. Generally, school nurses keep Mon-Fri school hours but could be required to be present during special school events. They have the responsibility to assess students for basic care needs that can be executed on school premises. They are also required to do emergency care if needed until help arrives.

Pro #5: Job Security

One top benefit that comes with a career in nursing is job security. Expected to continue to grow in the future, the prospects look bright for anyone in the field. Right now, there are nearly 200,000 nursing jobs available on the popular job site Indeed. Consider that is only a fraction of what’s really out there.

Pro #6: Good Salary 

A nurse’s salary will, of course, depend on the job and location. While some places will have a lower pay scale, others can be quite lucrative. Here are the top-paying nurse jobs.

• Pediatric nurse
• Certified nurse-midwife
• Psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner
• Nurse practitioner
• Gerontological nurse practitioner
• Critical care nurse
• Nurse anesthetist

Con #1: Changing Shifts

One of the biggest challenges for any nurse is potential shifting schedules. And although many might like the flexibility of this, others might find it disruptive to their home life. Shift lengths can vary and be brutal if you have a family.

Con #2: It’s Not An Easy Role 

Even though nursing is a popular profession, there is a shortage of staffing in certain areas. Because of this, overwork and derogatory environments could occur.

It’s no secret that some cities have high crime and rough people who need healthcare. This increases the chance of workplace violence and potentially getting hurt on the job. 

Con #3: Nursing Requires Ongoing Education

Even after you’ve received a formal education, nurses must continually learn as the industry grows and changes. The majority of hospitals require nurses to complete various levels of education every few years to keep licensing valid.