Healthcare is one of the most important industries around today. Without good healthcare, many people would be living in agony or unable to live at all. The heroes who work in healthcare ensure that so many have the support and medical care they need to continue living day-by-day. This means that the doctors and nurses that make the medical profession possible are beyond vital to the function of society today. This article aims to outline what pursuing a career in nursing entails so that you know what to expect if you decide you want to join the incredible nurses that make healthcare possible today.
Becoming a Nurse
If you want to be a nurse, there are many hoops that you are going to have to jump through to get yourself there. Some of these, like education, is necessary to ensure that only the capable and competent are trusted with the lives of others. However, others are simply unfortunate facts about the world today and how it affects anyone looking to grow.
The Education. To become a nurse, you will have to ensure that you have been properly educated so that you possess the knowledge and the ability to help treat those who need it. There are many ways to engage with this education, with accelerated nursing programs being one of the most popular and prevalent currently. However, regardless of the approach, you take towards your education, you will have to ensure that you complete it before you can take any steps towards becoming a nurse.
The Cost. Unfortunately, just because you are studying for a noble profession doesn’t mean you won’t have any costs associated with the effort.Even accelerated nursing programs are extremely expensive, ranging from $40,000 to over $80,000, and that is for the program alone; you will likely still need to pay for housing and food while you are studying. This isn’t to say you will have to struggle to pay for this, though. There is help out there, such as grants and scholarships; you just need to take some time to look for it.
The Work. Unless you are lucky enough to have someone funding your aims to become a nurse, you will likely have to work another job while studying to fund the process. This will, of course, make the process of studying more difficult, meaning you will have to work harder at both to find success. However, this offers one great benefit to you. It shows that you can multitask and put your all into everything, allowing you the chance to stand out from the crowd.
Working as a Nurse
Once you have completed your studies, you will be able to work as a nurse, which comes with many variables. As the name might suggest, these variables will change drastically from nurse to nurse, but they are still important to consider in the context of what they could be for you.
The Hours. Nurses, like most healthcare professionals, have the potential to work extremely long shifts. However, it is not a requirement that nurses work long shifts, and it is possible for a nurse to work a regular Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm shift pattern.
The Pay. Fortunately, nurses are often well paid for their services, with salaries ranging from just under $60,000 in South Dakota to just over $100,000 dollars in California. Nurses with BSN degrees often earn higher average salaries than others in the field.
The Responsibility. Like any healthcare professionals, nurses take on a lot of responsibility when they care for others, and that can take its strain on a person, so you will need to be prepared for this responsibility and ready to deal with its effects.
The Effects of Being a Nurse
Finally, one of the most crucial things you will want to think about as you consider pursuing a career in nursing is the effect that being a nurse will actually have on you. Nursing can be a difficult career, even if it can be equally rewarding. This means that you need to be absolutely certain that you can handle everything that a career in nursing may throw at you. If you can’t, then it is probably better that you consider a different occupation.
Your Free time. One of the biggest drains with being a nurse is the way that you will find it cuts into your free time. While it is entirely possible to work a standard 9 to 5 shift pattern as a nurse, you will find in time that you often leave late because there was an emergency or because otherwise, you would have to leave your workplace short-staffed.As a result, in all likelihood, you will find yourself with much less free time than you would have expected.
Your Emotional Health. Another major impact of a career in nursing is the impact that the career can take on your mental health. You will be fairly consistently exposed to people dealing with some of the most difficult and emotionally damaging times of their lives. You will attempt to treat people who will not survive, and you will see the damage that these terrible conditions deal firsthand. It takes a lot of strength and mental fortitude to withstand that kind of emotional exposure, which means you need to be able to deal with this level of emotional distress and how you can help your mind recover. Recuperation is just as important as fortitude for this occupation, and without it, you will find yourself slowly crumbling over time.
It is important to note that as a nurse, you will have the capacity to do a whole lot of good and bring happiness and comfort to many people who might otherwise find none. It is simply important that you know exactly what you are getting yourself into as well. Nursing is not for the faint of heart or mind, but it can be an incredibly rewarding career if you want to pursue it.