Why a
Nursing Career is the Most Highly Rewarding Career You Can
Choose
By Jennifer
Charleston
Nursing careers provide a richly
rewarding career option. If you enjoy helping people and making
a difference in their lives, then nursing is a wonderful career
choice for you. The life of a nurse is that of selflessness and
giving. Each and everyday you will come across people in need;
sick, injured, or elderly. As a nurse you must be personable and
friendly as well as caring and supportive. Nursing careers go
beyond just knowing the technical side of nursing; it involves
you being a friend and guide to your patients.
Nurses conduct some or all of the
following tasks on the job:
- Assess and gather patient
information
- Diagnose patient problems and needs
- Implement nursing plans
- Provide emotional and physical support to patients
- Evaluate patient progress and results
- Communicate with the patient's family members
These are just a few of the tasks
that nurses do at work. Of course your tasks will totally depend
on where you gain employment. Not all nurses work in hospitals.
There are also options to work in schools, nursing homes and
other locations.
You can also choose to specialize
in particular nursing departments. These can include child
birth, palliative care, children's wards, counseling and more.
As you study to become a nurse you will be exposed to options on
each career path which will make your decision easier. However
the best way to choose a career is to undergo work experience in
a hospital or other medical facility. Here you become exposed to
all the different specialties so that you can make a wise choice
based on your area of interest.
Nurses often work very long hours
involving shift work so you must be prepared for this and take
it into consideration before embarking on this richly rewarding
career path. Although nurses get paid a fairly high salary,
nursing is not a career that people choose for money; it is
usually chosen due to a passion to turn people's lives around.
Whether you are helping to deliver
babies, helping injured people or assisting the ill, nursing
careers are highly satisfying and rewarding. No other career
offers the opportunity to make such a profound difference upon
the lives of people who truly need and appreciate it.
Nursing Salaries
Nursing salaries are often at the
center of controversy, with most people believing that they are
not high enough. Thankfully improvements are being made to
increase nursing salaries which is good news for you if you are
considering going into this industry.
Nursing salaries are on the rise,
with 2004 seeing a 14% increase in nursing salaries. The average
is said to be around the $64,000 mark with 11% of nurses in 2004
earning $75,000 or higher.
Nursing salaries for graduates
differ widely between locations but the average is around
$40,000 for an entry-level nurse.
The areas with the most nursing
jobs available are those in large, major cities. These include
Chicago, New York and Los Angeles amongst others. You can also
expect higher nursing salaries in bigger cities as well as
better employment benefits. Nonetheless it can be very
beneficial and rewarding to be a nurse in a rural area.
Sometimes you may be the only nurse on staff so you provide an
exceptional service to the local community. Often nurses in very
small towns achieve almost celebrity like status!
Nurses in larger cities may get
paid more but their jobs are often much more stressful. There
are a much larger number of patients and a variety of cases that
come in. This can lead to very long hours.
Nursing salaries are heavily
affected by a number of factors. Because nurses tend to work a
lot of overtime their salary can rise significantly on a week
per week basis. Night shifts usually pay more than day shifts,
sometimes $5 or more extra per hour. Most hospitals impose 12
hour shifts on nurses so night shift workers generally start at
around 7.30 pm and finish at 7.30 am. The benefit is a four day
weekend and a 36 hour week which is still considered full time.
Nurses can work in a particular
ward of the hospital such as the maternity ward, intensive care
unit, and children's ward, among others. Nursing salaries
generally do not depend upon which ward a nurse is placed in.
Nursing salaries are on the rise
and provide a good standard of living for nurses who are one of
the most important groups of people in our society. If you are
seeking a highly rewarding career in the medical field, then
working as a nurse is something for you to consider.
