Entering the nursing profession is as much a calling as it is a career choice. It has consistently been a smart career choice for those that enjoy helping people—with the U.S. News & News Report ranking it among the top 25 best jobs. There are numerous reasons why a nursing career is a rewarding occupation, from flexibility to job security and competitive salaries. However, if you’re still on the fence and can’t decide if this is a path worth taking, here are five reasons why you should consider pursuing a nursing degree.
Clinicians report great job satisfaction.
In many ways, nursing appeals to the essence of our humanity—to care for those around us. As a result, the job satisfaction derived from this career is simply undeniable and can never be exaggerated. You see, there’s so much satisfaction that comes with helping people and being there for them at their most vulnerable moments.
Having a nursing degree means you get the opportunity to make a difference and make the world a better place. For instance, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandates that all small employer and individual insurance plans, including any health insurance marketplace plans, cover maternity and childbirth care. However, some pregnant women still prefer using a private insurance company instead of using Medicare or Medicaid services when seeking pregnancy insurance.
The reason for this choice is because they want to have a personal connection with their healthcare professionals. So by using a private health care provider for maternity care, they can afford the option of choosing their doctor, obstetrician, gynecologist, and nurses. The point of all these is that people value having one on one relationships with their healthcare providers, and being a nurse means you have the opportunity to form bonds with your patients and become their greatest advocate.
Nursing is a noble profession.
Pursuing a nursing degree affords you to have a well-respected profession. You see, nurses have a long-held reputation for being compassionate healers, and the Gallup research polls prove this further as consumers continue to rate nursing as a profession with high honesty and ethical standards.
In other words, people across the globe respect nurses for the services they do and the efforts they put into helping the sick, including providing chronic disease management services. A nursing career gives you the experience and knowledge required both for medical care and for patient education.
For instance, if a patient is suffering from a chronic disease like asthma, osteoarthritis, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, you’re in a position to provide medication that’ll improve their quality of life. Besides, considering the number of people who have heart failure in the United States, you never know when you’ll need your nursing skills to save a life and become a hero.
Clinicians have plenty of professional development opportunities.
As the demand for nurses and health professionals increases, the number of grants and scholarship programs available to people in this field also increases. So if money has been a constraint or reason you are hesitant about getting a financial degree, search online for different grant programs and their requirements to know your eligibility status and apply accordingly.
For instance, Wilkes University tries to make education as affordable as possible for nursing students by making grants and scholarships available to prospective students. You can visit the Wilkes admissions page or send a message to the admissions office to gain insight into the admissions process for different nursing programs that they offer and their grants or scholarship programs.
Enjoy work and career flexibility.
In today’s world, the assumption that nurses work solely in hospitals is far from accurate. As a BSN degree holder, you can choose to work in various work environments, from the justice system as a legal nurse to being a researcher with Et Al. BMC Health Serv. Res, and a cruise ship or travel nurse, the options are endless.
In addition, depending on where you work, the working hours of a nurse can also be flexible. You can fine-tune your job to fit your schedule and personal preference. For instance, if you’re a morning person, you can opt for the morning shift and have the rest of the day to yourself. Alternatively, if you want to commit specific days of the week to your family, a side hustle, or studying, you can work longer shifts on other days of the week.
Nursing comes with high demand and a competitive salary.
If you needed any more proof regarding the demand for nurses, the Covid-19 pandemic didn’t hold back. There was a shortage of registered nurses within the United States and globally because of more patients than clinicians.
Even though the pandemic is easing off, there’s still a high demand for nurses because baby boomers are aging, and there’s a higher demand for preventive care as a result. As such, you may not have to go through the unemployment struggle that graduates from other fields endure before landing a job—the labor market is literally waiting to receive you.
In addition, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual salary of a registered nurse is $75,330, and the employment of nurses is expected to increase by 7% between 2019 and 2029. These are juicy figures, and as you already know, numbers don’t lie.
