Posts Tagged ‘Noble Profession’
Nursing, a Second Career
It is never too late to learn something new. This is the reason that some decide to go back to school to enroll in a new course or even pursue a masters or doctorate degree. If you have the desire to help people, perhaps you should consider nursing as a second career.
Nursing is a noble profession because you are able to help a patient recover from an injury or illness. It enables you to think about problem and how to solve it so you dont just follow the doctors orders.
To become a nurse, you have to go back to school to learn about biology, chemistry and a few other subjects that will help you understand how you are able to help a patient when you get the chance to work in a clinical setting.
Given that there are more 1,500 programs all across the United States, you should do some research about the school you plan to enroll in. Some of the things you should consider are how much it costs, the curriculum they use and if they are accredited by the nursing board.
For those that cannot afford tuition, they can apply for aid, a loan or scholarship if this is offered by the school. If you still want to work while studying at the same time, you can ask if there are part time courses available or classes held at night.
Once you graduate, you will have to pass the state licensure exam and if things look good, you may now apply for work in a hospital or clinic.
If you are able to stay as a nurse for a number of years and want to advance your career further, you can do so by enrolling in advance courses. This will allow you to specialize in one field of nursing and become head of a group of nurses or work as a consultant, educator, instructor or researcher.
Shifting to a career in nursing may be frightening at first because you are stepping outside your comfort zone and moving into the unknown. But if this is really what you want, surely you will do your best to hurdle over these blocks and succeed in this endeavor.
Studies have shown that a lot of people decide to shift to nursing because of the money you can make. If this is your primary reason, you shouldnt even bother because chances are, you wont be staying here for the long term.
To succeed, you must have the desire to help people because you are in a life saving business where mistakes could mean the difference between life and death.
Aside from nursing, those of you who dont want this job but still want to help patients can take on other positions. You can find work as a pharmacist, technician or lab assistant who also plays a role in the hospital as they work with doctors and nurses.
How well you are as a nurse is entirely up to you. Naturally, there will be people there to help you out but it is your decision to take their advice or to take another step forward. If you are not happy in this new career, dont be afraid to shift to another.
After all, you did it before and you probably still havent found the kind of challenge that you are looking for.
Facts about a Career in Nursing
Nursing is a noble profession. Without these people, no one will be able to look after the patient when the doctor is not available. It should be pointed that there is a shortage of nurses in the US. The government for its part has hired foreign nationals to fill the gap but this is not enough to solve the problem. This is why knowing some facts about a career in nursing could probably encourage students in high school or maybe even in college to make that shift.
1.Entry level nurses earn a lot more than what other professionals earn after graduating from college. One report shows that they get an average of $45,000 a year compared to accountants who only get about $41,000.
2.Unlike other courses that will require the student to get a degree in 4 years, nurses can graduate and find work after 2 years. These programs area namely an Associate Degree in Nursing or AND as well as the Hospital Diploma. Students of these two programs can go back to school later on to further their studies by getting a Bachelor of Science in Nursing or BSN.
3.Nurses may also find work in places other than the hospital. These include schools, correctional facilities, private companies, research labs and homes since only three out of five registered nurses work in a hospital.
4.For the country, majority of nursing jobs are occupied by women despite an increase of 5.4% of males that have joined the workforce. But in the U.S. military, one third of those serving are men.
5.In the US, the ratio between registered nurses and doctors is 4:1. Aside from providing the usual health care services to patients, they also teach patients about prevention and work in other fields such as cardiac, family health, gynecology, neonatal, neurology, oncology, pediatrics and other advance clinical specialties.
6.Nurses work between 8 to 10 hours per shift because the risk of an error happening are greater if they work longer than 12 hours.
7.The reason why the government has to fill the shortage of nurses is to lower the incidence of adverse outcomes with patients. For instance, one study has shown that if the number of registered nurses in a hospital is not increased, there will be a rise in the number of patients who will suffer from lung failure, pressure ulcers and urinary tract infections.
Those with higher resident nurse staffing will have lower rates of adverse patient outcomes enabling them to be discharged later on without further incident.
8.Apart from a shortage in trained nurses, there is also a shortage in nursing faculty. After years of working in a hospital setting, such individuals can apply in schools to teach what they know to the bunch of hopefuls who want to make a difference in the lives of the patients.
The facts mentioned about nursing just goes to show that nurses play a vital life saving role in the overall healthcare system of the country. Doctors which we have a lot of can only do so much and they need the help of trained professionals to follow through what they have done to treat a patient.
If you have the desire to help people, then perhaps you should see if a nursing career is right for you.
Considering a Career in Nursing
There is a shortage of nurses in the US. The short term solution is to hire nurses from other countries but since this deprives the locals from working for the same job, the government and the private sector have set up more schools that will encourage students to take this noble profession.
If you are seriously considering being a nurse, the first question you have to ask yourself is why you want this job? Should your answer be for money or for fame, then you better think of another career path.
Nursing is a demanding profession that requires dedication. It is not a 9 to 5 job because sometimes, you may be assigned to work the graveyard shift or extend beyond 8 hours of work especially when there are a lot of patients to attend to.
For those that just graduated from high school and still dont know what to do, you may sign up as a volunteer in a clinic or hospital so you get to see first hand what do these individuals do. Some activities nurses do on a regular basis include collecting samples from patients, checking their vital signs, blood pressure and temperature.
Should you be able to handle the pressures and feel good helping patients, then you should consider being a nurse.
A career in nursing can take you to places. For instance, traveling nurses who work on a contractual basis can be employed in some of the best medical facilities in the country. That is after they specialize in something for more than year like working in the emergency room department or the operating room.
Critical care nursing could be another possibility where you are assigned to look after patients in intensive care. This is perhaps the most challenging since the life of the patient is in the balance. For those that dont want to work in such a stressful environment, you can try working in a home healthcare facility, outpatient surgery center or teaching in a nursing school.
Hospitals and clinics have also shifted to the digital age which is why computers are needed to link one department to another. You could get a job as a programmer here and updated their programs or write one. Since you built the system, you can train others who will use it in the future or sell a similar program to other hospitals and work as a consultant for them.
If you love children, you can find work in neonatal nursing. Here, you get the chance to work with healthy newborn babies as well as those that are born prematurely. Your job does not end there because there are pediatric home health care facilities which you can find employment and teach parents about the importance of prevention against certain illnesses.
Considering a career in nursing should not be taken lightly especially when the life of a patient is in your hands. This is why you should think about it very carefully because you could be happy doing this for a long time or regret it if this is something you were not mean to do in the first place.
How things will turn out is entirely up to you. Dont do it for the money or the fame but in the service of others.