Would you describe yourself as empathetic, caring, and compassionate? Do you have great communication skills, excel at problem solving, and possess a keen attention to detail? Have you had an experience with a nurse in your life that inspired you to go into the career field of nursing? Then you may make an excellent nurse! If you’re considering becoming a nurse, there may be many reasons you are drawn to the field. From helping others live healthier lives to having the chance to specialize and potentially advance in your career, here are some of the biggest perks of being a nurse.
1. Lifelong Learning
The healthcare field is always changing. New technologies are introduced. More effective techniques are discovered. No matter what type of healthcare setting you are working in, nurses will need to keep up with this constantly evolving change, so as a nurse you’ll constantly be learning and growing.
Registered nurses (RNs) also have many opportunities to potentially enhance and expand their careers. A Bachelor of Science in Nursing can equip you to pursue administrative, leadership, research, and consulting roles. From there, you can earn a master’s or doctoral nursing degree that prepares you to pursue roles such as nurse practitioner (a type of advanced practice registered nurse, or APRN), informatics specialist, nurse educator or healthcare leader. In many cases, moving up in your career and taking on these new roles possibly could help you to increase your earning potential.
2. Continued Demand for Nurses
As the US population ages, the need for healthcare professionals, services and education is rising. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that, by 2029, there will be 7% more RNs and 45% more APRNs employed than there were in 2019. RNs will be important in outpatient care centers, long-term care facilities, and home healthcare. In addition, APRNs are increasingly counted on to provide primary and preventive care, with APRNs now allowed to perform expanded services in many states.
3. Respect of Your Community
This year more than ever, it should come as no surprise that nurses are a respected and trusted group. For 19 consecutive years, Americans have rated the honesty and ethical standards of nurses as number one out of a wide range of professionals, including other health care workers. As a nurse, not only will people have a good understanding of what you do for your community, the importance of this work will mean that you’ll have the respect of the majority of people you meet.
4. Opportunities to Find Your Passion
Healthcare is a huge field, with many specialty areas available to nurses. Nurses can pursue work in neonatal, pediatrics, cardiology, emergency room, surgical, geriatric, oncology or informatics nursing, to name just a few. You can also pursue roles as a clinical or academic nurse educator or potentially work in nursing management. If your passions dim of one specialty, you can explore another. You can even pursue careers in various settings—including private practices, community clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, schools and more. Whether you’re looking for fast-paced and ever-changing workdays or something more steady and predictable, there are many potential paths in a career in nursing. Plus, if you move, there are healthcare organizations across the country where you can apply for a new job. Some nurses even work in travel nursing, moving around for short-term nursing assignments while getting to explore new areas in the process.
5. Knowing that Your Work Matters
Nurses are a vital part of the healthcare industry. Working closely with other healthcare professionals, nurses care for patients of all ages and in every imaginable state. As a nurse, you’ll provide support, care, and attention to patients and their families during critical times. You will have the chance to build relationships with your patients and directly impact their health and wellbeing. You will educate patients and caregivers about diseases, treatments and recovery. Through your work, you can even help to prevent people from getting sick in the first place. Even those nurses who don’t work with patients at the bedside (like those who are in management or focusing on advocacy, research or teaching) have the power to improve the lives of others.
Take the Next Step in Building Your Nursing Career Today
At South University, we know nurses. We’ve helped prepare thousands of students to start or advance nursing careers, and many of our nursing program leaders and instructors are practicing nurses. Offering everything from bachelor’s and master’s degree nursing programs to postgraduate certificate programs and a Doctor of Nursing Practice, we can give you the opportunity to develop into a confident, caring, and skilled nursing professional.
Request information today to learn more about our nursing programs.
