Nurses play a very important role in the medical field and an integral part of the lives of their patients. Nurses are practically the frontlines in administering, caring for, and evaluating a patient’s progress. Doctors will come in once in a while to check on patients, but a nurse will stick with the patients spending more time with them. Their knowledge of different illnesses and excellent people skills help them offer both the medical and emotional support that patients need.
Nevertheless, it is a career that allows them to give back to society in the most caring way. It is demanding yet so fulfilling. If you want a career that will give you a sense of purpose and satisfaction, you can never go wrong with the nursing profession.
Here are 4 benefits that come with practicing the nursing profession.
1. Flexibility
Most people struggle with finding a better work-life balance. This hardly comes by considering the hectic schedules that come with modern working. A career in nursing is flexible enough to allow you a chance to find a good balance between life and work.
The beauty of it is that medical services are required all around the clock and everywhere in the world. In this case, you can choose to work at night or during the day. You can also choose to work part-time, full-time, or just go the freelance route. If you want to work three days in a row and take four days off, it’s all up to you. In addition, you can work from anywhere in the world or even be a traveling nurse.
2. Plenty of specialties available
In addition to flexibility, a nursing profession allows a variety of nursing specialties to choose from. Some of the most popular ones include General Nurse Practitioner, Informatics Nurse, Nursing Administrator, Pain Management Nurse, Critical Care Nurse, Nursing Educator, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, and Healthy Policy Nurse, among others. The good thing is that all the specialists pay really well. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual salary for registered nurses was $77,460 in 2019.
However, it is good to note that different nursing degrees will qualify you for different nursing specialties to work for travel nurse companies. One of the ways you can be certified as a nurse is by entering the NCLEX-RN exams. If you want to get started as a nurse, it is important that you apply for travel nursing application and sit for this exam. Taking it successfully will satisfy that you are a good fit to start practicing as a nurse.
3. Non-clinical working setup
Most of the time, when we think of nurses, the first thing to come to mind is working in a hospital setup. However, that is just one place that you can choose to work from. A career in nursing gives you numerous opportunities to work in non-clinical setups.
Major organizations offer opportunities for nurses. If you love children, for instance, you can work in a school. You can also work for legal firms, insurance companies, sports clubs, and the like. Unlike other careers where people spend years looking for a job, nurses will always be in demand. You can be sure that you will always have job security as a practicing nurse, whether working in a clinical or a non-clinical setup.
4. It is rewarding
Job satisfaction is very important for a successful career journey. The good thing with the nursing profession is that you don’t have to wait for your employer to give you job satisfaction. The career is in itself rewarding and enjoyable. Someone once said that when you’re a nurse, you know that every day you will touch a life, or a life will touch yours.
As you help patients heal both physically and emotionally, you receive a lot of satisfaction knowing that you have touched a life. Just knowing that you have helped someone who is in pain until he or she is well gives you a sense of purpose. In addition, interacting with patients can help you create strong and meaningful bonds that can help you later in life.
Conclusion
If you have been on the fence about deciding on taking a nursing career, there you have 4 reasons why you should. A nursing career offers endless opportunities in terms of specialties, working setups, and geographical locations. You can have a very fulfilling career as a practicing nurse. Most importantly, nothing beats the satisfaction you get seeing your patients get well every single day.