I am currently studying to obtain a degree in Exercise Science from the School of Applied Sciences at the University of Mississippi. After obtaining this degree, I am faced with several choices because of the wide range of career paths this offers me. I am currently looking at using this degree to apply to nursing school. In an attempt to expedite this process, I have researched many different schools, but have ultimately decided that it would be ideal to apply and gain entry into an accelerated nursing program. As of right now, this is the career path that I am embracing because of the readily available jobs, my prior educational history, and geographical liberty.
Based on research, a career in nursing seems to provide a longevity of job availability. Firstly, doctors will always need nursing. Nurses perform a necessary job within patient care, implementing the orders for doctors and making sure patients are comfortable and well looked after. This career seems like a good choice because the demand for healthcare professionals will never be eradicated, especially as health rates in the human race are declining. The United States is expected to experience a shortage of Registered Nurses that is supposed to intensify as the Baby Boomer generation ages and the need for health care grows. In addition, with improved technology and managed-care issues, only the most severe patients require hospital stays and intense treatment; therefore, the most skilled and specialized nurses are in great demand in hospitals all over the country. As a result of nurses being in such great demand, this creates a sense of job security that most professions do not provide. Even in times of economic uncertainty, nurses are always able to find positions in which to work and this is a major benefit to choosing this career path.
Secondly, nursing is an appealing career choice because of its ability to specialize as well as having control over your own education. Nurses have the opportunity make the choice of how far in their career they would like to advance. The opportunities for advancement are great in the profession, and allow the nurse the ability to become a leader in healthcare. Advancement could be obtained by something as simple as being named leader of your floor to obtaining and advanced degree, and that flexibility is a trait of the career that seems appealing for a person who desires total control over their work. Similarly, the ability to specialize is an important aspect and benefit of choosing the nursing career. Nurses have choices in their specialty not only beginning in nursing school, but continuing throughout their careers. These choices begin with being able to choose clinical opportunities in school to even choose which patients you would like to serve. Nurses also are afforded the choice to work outside of the hospital. There are opportunities available in all types of settings from prisons to schools or even from large corporations to insurance companies. A person’s nursing career is full of opportunities for those willing to make the sacrifices necessary to get there or even just expand their work ethic.
Another appealing aspect to a nursing career is the freedom to choose where you want to work. A nurse is affording an amazing benefit of geographical freedom. This ties back to the idea the nursing jobs are readily available anywhere that there are people, but there is also an interesting aspect to nursing called travel nursing. The traveling nurse can expect to receive a good deal more in wages than would be earned locally. Traveling allows the opportunity to advance clinical competency through assignments at award-winning facilities, while also visiting exciting new locations across the country. Hospitals hire travelers to meet short-term or seasonal demands which allows the opportunity to see new places and experiences new injuries and illnesses. Travel nursing allows a geographical freedom that is appealing as a young adult as well as a geographical freedom that is appeal as someone who wants to have stability later in life which is a major appeal to this career.
Ultimately, researching a career path in nursing has demonstrated a freedom for control over most aspects of work life. This is appealing to someone who knows what they want in the immediate future, but also allows a flexibility for someone as life changes and plans change. The readily availability of jobs is an advantage because the goal is to work and be able to help those in need for as long as possible. It is a major benefit that you can control how far a person would like to advance in their career as well as the opportunity to specialize and work with patients that you are most interested or most skilled with. Lastly, it is a great advantage that as a nurse you not only have control over where you settle down with your job, but also have the opportunity to travel and take advantage of all the different opportunities all over the world. Overall nursing is the most ideal career path to me as it allows me the ability to stay flexible in life as well as always being a reliable sources of stability.
Nursing Is My Vocation
The field of Nursing is one that is constantly growing and developing. Nursing comprises the largest segment of the healthcare professional workforce. “By 2022, there will be far more registered nurse jobs available than any other profession, at more than 100,000 per year” (ANA, 2018). More than 500,000 employed nurses are expected to retire by 2022 (ANA, 2018). The increased growth of nursing is contributed to the longer life expectancies of people. Now, in this technology driven era, we have made so many advances allowing patients to live longer. People living longer means they will require more medical attention over the years, increasing the need for nurses. The baby boomer generation is starting to grow elderly as well, contributing to the increase in the number of nurses needed to treat and care for them. Needless to say, you will always have a job as a nurse.
Growing up, I always pictured myself working in the health field, and while there are many careers that help people, nursing is a career where you can truly connect with your patient and really feel like you are making a difference. In becoming a nurse, I will have the opportunity to make a difference in one’s life. I have the chance to impact my patient and that could include their family as well. When a patient is sick, it is a very vulnerable and unpleasant time for them. They may be angry with themselves, with the world, and may even take it out on the nurse at times. Some people may take that personal, but as a nurse you have to always remember to look at the situation from the patient’s point of view; what they are experiencing and going through. It would be my job to care and be there for them; to be their shoulder to cry on or listen to. Some patient’s may not have that family support or have anyone to talk to about their situation.
As a nurse, I would be the middle informant between the doctor and patient. Sometimes when doctors come in to the hospital room and explain a certain procedure to a patient, the patient may still not understand it. They may be afraid to ask questions because they don’t want to seem intellectually inferior. They may be in so much shock that they may not be able to process all the information the doctor is giving them or know what questions to ask at the time. As a nurse, you have been caring for the patient and developing a rapport with them, that they may feel more comfortable expressing their concerns or questions to you. A nurse may be a little better in explaining and simplifying the steps of a procedure to the patient.
Florence Nightingale is known as the founder of Nursing. She refers to nursing as a form of art as well as the mind, body, and spirit as one. The person, their health, and the environment must all be in compliance. The method nightingale used is referred to as a holistic view of nursing and is what we use today. “Health practices are culturally determined and include nutritional habits, type and amount of exercise and rest, how one copes with stress, quality of interpersonal relationships, expression of spirituality, and numerous other lifestyle factors” (Black, 2017 p.161). We want to look at the patient as a whole rather than focus on just the medical problem. She achieved a healthier environment by improving sanitary practices. Improving cleanliness of rooms and having doctors washing their hands in between seeing patients, greatly decreased the mortality rate. (Watson, J. 1998).
My two biggest personality characteristics that I believe would really contribute to the field of nursing is my ability to be empathetic and caring. The qualities you possess as a nurse can make a difference in patient’s life and recovery. Nursing is considered the most trusted profession and it’s important to build that relationship with the patient. I was born and raised on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands and then later did my undergraduate education in Connecticut. My diverse background, Mother Spanish and Father Indian along with my growing up in a diverse cultural community on the island provided me with an advantage to relating and communicating with people as well as being respectful of our differences. Our population today is widely diverse ethnically, racially, and culturally. It is important for nurses to be aware and to respect other cultures. What is wrong in one culture may be considered right in another culture. It is not our job to judge but to primarily give care to the patient. It is important for nurses to become educated on this topic and to become “culturally sensitive” (Black, 2017 p. 45-46).
Nursing is a challenging profession but nevertheless rewarding when you are able to help someone. It will never always be sunshine’s and rainbows as the reality is that people are sick and some may not get better. This becomes the challenging part of the job. Knowing that the patient you are treating and doing your very best to help may not survive the battle.
There are many other benefits to becoming a nurse that really interested me. My favorite, is that nursing offers multiple career pathways. There are so many different specialties like neonatal, critical care, dialysis, psychiatric, pediatric, oncology and many more. There are also different settings you can work in like a hospital, doctor’s office, nursing home, or clinic. This gives me many options to explore and if the one field I decided to go in no longer interests me, I can choose another. An additional option offered is the chance to become a travel nurse. This allows you to travel and give care to patients at the same time, which is something I’m very interested in. My goal right now is to achieve my Bachelor’s in Nursing but there is also room for advancement. I could decide to get my Masters or even Doctorate’s in nursing, so there is always a ladder to climb up. Nursing is a job that is always in high demand and there will always be plenty of job openings no matter where you go.
Advantages Of Being Nursing
What is a nurse? Depending on what type of nurse you are depending on what type of job you do. A regular everyday nurse helps keep the patient calm and keeps an eye on the patient. They help the patients get better. All nurses have to go through many courses in school to become a nurse. In the United States, there are 3 categories of nursing. There is no specific job that most nurses do, the main job people associate with nurses are checking in on patients and making sure their fluid levels are good. Their key responsibilities perform physical exams and health histories before making critical decisions, provide health promotions, counseling and education. Administer medications and other personalized interventions coordinate care in collaboration with a wide arrangement of healthcare professions. Nursing education provides core fundamentals and/or specialized knowledge of nursing science and concepts.
Clinical nursing experience supports theory application and skill development. Nursing education plays a role in developing a nursing workforce to meet demands in healthcare. The education path to be a licensed registered nurse begins by getting an associate degree of nursing (ADN). Employment of registered nurses is projected to grow 19% from 2012 to 2022, faster than the average for all occupations. Bachelor of science nursing (BSN), or a hospital diploma. Suggestion to increase the proportion of nurses with a baccalaureate degree to 80% by 2020. Over 80% of the students that go to the school of nursing already have a college degree.
Nurses often confront government regulations and institutional policies that prohibit them from performing at the top of their ability. Some new graduates feel less confident with a gap between nursing education and clinical skills. Advancing nursing education is a step that nurses can choose. Nurses go to college and typical nurses hold a masters degree in nursing. Andrea Moore says that the hardest part of her job in her opinion is losing a patient especially your first time and having to tell a patient and their family that the patient is dying or really sick. Some advantages of this career are that you get to learn new things every day, you meet new people all the time and the pay is pretty good. Aundrea Moore says some disadvantages of the career is that she doesn’t really get to spend as much time as she’d like to with her husband and family due to working so many hours and also balancing school work with all of that is pretty stressful at times. Nurses are a big part of health. They prescribe you medication and diagnose illnesses to a patient. Certified nurses generally at risk of having a disease or any problems with their health such as a simple virus or anything else.
Nurses have to be able to talk to people in a very calming way. Being a nurse is not for everyone, not everybody has the ability to be a nurse, it takes a lot of work and patience to become a nurse. Nursing is in the same category of a Doctor or Vet because they help just like doctors and vets do. There is no “easy” job when it comes to being a nurse but you have to be focused to make the job work out. Nurses go through many processes: assessment, diagnose, outcomes/ planning, implementation, and finally evaluation. Nurses are hands-on health professionals who provide focused and highly personalized care. All of the nursing organizations have signed on to the consensus model in addition to the 50 state boards of nursing. Nursing helps people stay calm. That is important because for some people if they are not calm they could possibly have a heart attack or stroke. Nurses and doctors have to help them stay calm and can help them in surgery also. All nurses have to go through many courses in school to become a nurse. In the United States, there are 3 different categories of nursing. There are no specific jobs nurses do. The main job people associate with nurses is checking in on the patient and making sure fluid levels are good. Aundrea Moore is a certified nursing assistant (CNA) in critical care. Being a CNA requires being BHS certified. Training in critical care was important for her job title in the intensive care unit (ICU).