A Complete Nursing Career Overview
A nursing career overview
Nursing is a rewarding and challenging profession where you can help people feel better. You’ll be able to work with all different types of patients, each with unique needs and issues. Nurses are indispensable members of the healthcare team; they provide acute care during emergencies and longer-term care for hospitalized patients as well as for patients who require long term, palliative or hospice care. Nursing not only involves caring for suffering individuals at the end of their lives but also helps educate the community about advanced illness so that people don't have to suffer needlessly.
Nursing is an exciting profession with many opportunities for growth, challenge and personal development. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that the number of jobs for registered nurses will grow by 24% through 2022, which is faster than the average for all occupations. According to the BLS, in addition to being needed in hospitals and other health care facilities, nursing will be needed in other healthcare settings such as nurse-run clinics and home care agencies. Nursing remains one of the fastest growing professions because it offers a good salary, a career that provides both job stability and advancement; and excellent training opportunities to develop new skills or to upgrade existing skills.
A quick nursing career overview:
Nursing is a rewarding and challenging profession where you can help people feel better. You'll be able to work with all different types of patients, each with unique needs and issues. Nurses are indispensable members of the healthcare team; they provide acute care during emergencies and longer-term care for hospitalized patients as well as for patients who require long term, palliative or hospice care. Nursing not only involves caring for suffering individuals at the end of their lives but also helps educate the community about advanced illness so that people don't have to suffer needlessly. Nursing is an exciting profession with many opportunities for growth, challenge and personal development.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that the number of jobs for registered nurses will grow by 24% through 2022, which is faster than the average for all occupations. According to the BLS, in addition to being needed in hospitals and other health care facilities, nursing will be needed in other healthcare settings such as nurse-run clinics and home care agencies. Nursing remains one of the fastest growing professions because it offers a good salary, a career that provides both job stability and advancement; and excellent training opportunities to develop new skills or to upgrade existing skills.
Career overview
Nurses care for patients who are ill, disabled or elderly and provide them with medical treatments. Nurses also promote patients' wellbeing and provide information to families and other caregivers. As a member of the health care team, the nurse is an advocate for the patient, ensuring the highest quality of healthcare possible. The health care team includes doctors and other nurses. When doctors are not available, nurses can prescribe medication under a physician's supervision; often in collaboration with a physician assistant or another advanced practice nurse. Nurses also work with patients to make sure they understand their treatment plans and are able to manage their illnesses at home.
Nurses practice in a variety of settings and work with people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.
In the hospital setting, nurses provide direct patient care and administer medications, treatments and procedures ordered by physicians. In the school setting, nurses teach students about health issues and respond to emergencies that happen during school hours. Nurses in long-term care facilities such as nursing homes help residents who are unable to care for themselves with daily living skills such as bathing, dressing and eating. These nurses also help prevent infections or malnutrition among residents. Home health aides work with patients who are homebound due to illness or injury.
Most nurses work in hospitals, clinics, health departments and nursing homes. A few work on cruise ships or in cargo ships that travel to remote locations; some work as flight nurses caring for sick people on flights from one country to another.
Salaries and job outlook:
The BLS projects that the number of jobs for registered nurses will grow by 24 percent through 2022, which is faster than the average for all occupations. According to the BLS, in addition to being needed in hospitals and other health care facilities, nursing will be needed in other healthcare settings such as nurse-run clinics and home care agencies. Nursing remains one of the fastest growing professions because it offers a good salary, a career that provides both job stability and advancement; and excellent training opportunities to develop new skills or to upgrade existing skills.
Years of experience as a nursing assistant:
While all nurses require some years of experience, don't expect to get hired as an RN without any medical knowledge. Your first job is likely to be as a nursing assistant, where you'll give hands-on care before moving on to other jobs such as registration or secretarial work. Administrative nurses are in charge of running their departments and are skilled at using computers. Nurse practitioners are able to diagnose illnesses while providing treatment plans with the support of other nurses. Nurse anesthetists are in charge of administering anesthesia to patients or administering medications that induce unconsciousness. Nursing managers oversee their departments and make sure they run efficiently.
For more information, see the BLS report Occupational Outlook Handbook: Registered Nurses.
Educational requirements:
In order to become a registered nurse (RN), you must have a high school diploma or its equivalent, as well as either an associate degree or a bachelor's degree in a nursing field from an accredited college or university. At state universities and private colleges, students complete one to three years of pre-nursing studies. Pre-nursing programs include biology, chemistry, math and English among other subjects. As part of their coursework, students take a nursing class that covers the foundational topics in nursing such as anatomy, physiology and microbiology. Graduates of pre-nursing programs learn to interview patients to assess their needs and make sure they're comfortable with the nursing care they receive. The nursing program then introduces clinical aspects of nursing. Graduates receive clinical training from RNs who teach them how to care for patients in hospitals or clinics using techniques such as preparing patients for surgeries or giving injections for medication administration.
Students must pass the NCLEX exam before graduating from a registered nurse program. The exam covers all the material covered in the nursing program and lasts several hours. Students sit for the NCLEX about six months before graduation, and those who fail, retake it and can take it up to four times. After graduating from a nursing program, graduates are eligible to take the RN exam.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that most registered nurses hold master's degrees or doctoral degrees in nursing or a related area such as anatomy, physiology, nutrition or pharmacology. A few graduates hold associate degrees; however these are not considered valid credentials for applying for nursing jobs due to requirements of state licensing laws regulating health care professions.
Conclusion
Nursing offers a rewarding career that can provide security and competitive pay. With the right training and education, you can become an RN, which is the most common job title given to nurses. However, there are several other nursing jobs available. For example, you can work as a nursing assistant or home health aid upon graduation from a nursing program. Nursing also opens the door for advancement into administrative or research roles in hospitals after several years of experience working in the field. If you need to be in a location where your hands-on treatment services are not needed or if you need to earn more income for a growing family or rising costs of living, many nurses choose to become nurse practitioners (NP).