The world of nursing has changed. Where once, most little girls dreamed of becoming a nurse, and it was one of the few jobs that offered women a chance at an important and life-changing career, now, women have more options, they are taking roles in many different industries, and equality is something worth fighting for. We speak about gender pay gaps, fighting discrimination and mistreatment, and women finally gaining equal rights. We’re certainly not there yet, but it’s something that we are striving for. More employers are offering equal treatment and opportunities, and more women are looking to branch out, no longer held back by what they can and can’t do.
But, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t still value in a career as a nurse. If anything, nursing has grown and evolved, and if you have got the most crucial nurse personality traits, there’s never been a better time to get involved. Here are nine of the reasons to become a nurse.
Options
When you have completed your training to be a nurse, you have always got options. You can work full time or part-time. You could work in your country, or even travel abroad. If you have trained as a nurse in the USA, your skills and knowledge could be highly valued in other parts of the world, where not as much investment and time goes into training nurses to a high standard. You can work in a hospital or a doctors surgery. You could work in a care home or a school. You could train to become an oncology nurse or a mental health nurse. You could be a midwife, or you could become a nurse manager. Once you are a nurse, you are never stuck in one area. You’ve always got options.
Opportunities
Nursing is a growing industry, and it always has been. As the population gets older, we need more healthcare professionals. As breakthroughs are made, we need more nurses in specialist fields. You don’t just be a nurse to stay at the same level. You could further your training, to one day become a nurse practitioner, a manager, a researcher, or a doctor. You could one day open your own practice, or follow your passion to enter a specialist area of medicine. There is always room for you to grow, to develop your skills, to gain new responsibilities, and to earn more money.
Flexibility
If you are looking for a flexible career, without having to miss out on career growth or development, there’s none better than nursing. Yes, shifts in a setting like a hospital can be long. But, you might be able to just work four days. Or, you could work more flexible hours as a school nurse, or in a local practice. More women are returning to work after having children, which means that more flexibility is needed, and in nursing, job shares can be a popular choice.
Patient Contact
Many people that go into healthcare do it with a desire to help people. While, of course, doctors and other professionals do this every day, they don’t always get to witness the results of their hard work due to limited patient contact. As a nurse, you’ll spend time with patients and their families. You’ll offer then support and guidance and you’ll educate them. You are the person that gets to know them, and that sticks around to help.
Security
There always seems to be a nursing shortage. In part, this is because the baby boomer generation is retiring, but it’s also due to the aging population. There will never be enough nurses to cope with demand. We’ll always need more. That gives you job security. Other careers come and go, nursing is constant.
Fulfillment
Not every day as a nurse is happy. There will be days when you go home and cry. But, more often, you will go home knowing that you have made a difference. That you have helped people, and even saved lives. That’s a kind of career fulfillment that is hard to find.
Gender Equality
Unlike many other careers, nursing has always been mostly female-dominated. But, more men than ever before are entering the profession, in many different areas. This helps to promote equality in the field and makes it easier for even more men to get involved.
Interesting Work
When you are a nurse, in whatever setting, no two days are the same. You’ll meet different people, cope with new traumas, treat various conditions, and push yourself out of your comfort zone. It’s certainly not dull.
Relationships
Nurses often form firm bonds quickly. The nature of their work unites them; they make friends, offer each other support, and grow together. As a nurse, you’ll soon make lifelong friends.
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