The nursing profession is a field that is fast-paced and in demand. There is an estimate of about 20.7 million nurses and midwives around the world, which makes up virtually 50 percent of all healthcare workers. The profession offers several benefits to people who love helping and saving others.
However, working in healthcare is not for the fainthearted, but it is a highly fulfilling field. Many nurses have figured out that the list of benefits of the nursing profession by far outweighs the challenges.
Furthermore, high demand is not the only thing that makes nursing an appealing profession. There are several other pros and benefits of pursuing a career in nursing, which is the focus of discussion in this article.
Table of Contents
Awesome Benefits of Pursuing a Career in Nursing
Offers Excellent Security, Salary, and Benefits
To reiterate, nurses are always in demand. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) forecasts a growth rate of 9% in the field between now and 2030. Several states are experiencing a shortage of nurses, which implies a lot of job and career advancement opportunities in nursing.
Moreover, hospitals and healthcare facilities are in need of qualified nurses, with some of them paying high sign-on bonuses for experienced nurses.
In addition, nurses get a competitive salary. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics as of March 2021, the average annual salary of nurses across the U.S is around $80,010, which is considerably high.
Furthermore, nurses are usually offered notable benefit packages such as paid vacation and holidays, paid sick time, and retirement benefits, amongst many others.
A Rewarding Career Path
Another awesome benefit of being a nurse is that it is capable of giving you a great deal of personal fulfillment. Nurses regularly make a significant difference in the lives of their patients.
Your knowledge and education also make a significant difference in the lives of your friends and family members in that you can be called upon at any time, for medical advice and help.
Also, irrespective of the setting, nurses do understand the emotional side of an illness and how it affects a person’s behavior. This may have contributed to why nursing is being ranked one of the most trusted professions.
Travel Opportunities
Becoming a nurse offers you unique opportunities to travel. Travel nurses are usually offered a kind of pay package that includes hourly rates, travel reimbursement, housing stipends, and so on. The pandemic and overall shortage of nurses have increased the rate at which travel nurses get paid.
Travel nurses also have the privilege to view the world like a resident, rather than a mere tourists. Tourists may only stay in a new place for one or two weeks, while travel nurses could live in a new area for about 26 weeks. This allows them to visit all the tourist areas and gives them the chance to view the lifestyle in a way tourists do not always experience.
Flexible Schedule
The nursing profession is generally known to have flexible hours and scheduling. A nurse may have the option of 6-, 8-, 10-, or 12-hour shifts, depending on the employer and place of work. When a nurse has to work 10- or 12-hour shifts, it decreases the number of days they work in a week, automatically scheduling the remaining days to be their off-days.
Interestingly, some hospital units provide the opportunity for self-scheduling, where a nurse schedules the hours and days to work. This gives the nurse a greater sense of control and autonomy, thereby improving their well-being.
This flexibility is key in the healthcare field. Some nurses may decide to work overtime, while some other nurses can decide to work side gigs for other employers during their free periods.
Freedom to Choose or Change Area of Specialty
However, if after choosing the area that interests you, you suddenly get burned out and you would like to change your area of specialty, you as a nurse certainly have the chance to do so freely.
Advancement Opportunities
Pursuing a career in nursing provides several opportunities for advancement, as well as the option to work in various fields. With your nursing degree and advanced education, you can move into an advanced practice clinical position or a nurse managerial position.
Some nurses progress in their careers by earning distinguished nurse certifications, which make them more attractive to employers and then increase their potential salaries. Some others choose to move out of the clinical field into administrative positions where they can positively affect the institution or profession.
The advancement opportunities grant nurses greater job satisfaction, new challenges, and even higher salaries.
Nurses Have a Simple Wardrobe
The nursing profession would not make you always think of what to wear to work, nor would you always have to spend a large sum of money on new clothes every season. This is because there is already a uniform for nurses called scrubs.
As a nurse, you can choose to wear the same color of scrubs every day and no one would bother to make fun of you. As a matter of fact, everyone wears the same nurse uniform, which is very cost-effective and washes quite easily.
Accompaniment of Soft Skills
Nurses usually develop many strong soft skills such as communication skills. This makes them interact well with patients to get vital information from them. Good communication skills also help nurses to successfully collaborate with other healthcare workers.
In addition, nurses are usually excellent time managers, which is about prioritizing tasks and perfectly fitting them into an already busy schedule.
Nurses also have critical thinking skills. They consider recommendations and evaluate orders written by physicians for their patients by asking “what if” questions, as well as analyzing the possible outcomes. This helps them arrive at well-informed decisions.
The Nursing Career Requires Dedication
In addition to the above-mentioned benefits that are embedded in pursuing a career in nursing, it is important to know and note that the profession requires optimum dedication and perseverance.
This is because there would certainly be challenging times that can be exhausting and even get you frustrated, but your dedication and commitment are what will keep pushing you to remain motivated.
Read also: The Benefits of Nursing Care of Children