Why Covid-19 Could Be the Push You Need to Enter Nursing
Have you always wondered if you would make a good nurse? Perhaps you are a very caring person with a lot of empathy and would enjoy a career that allows you to spend your time caring for others and being there for them in their time of need. Nurses are in higher demand than ever before across the US due to a shortage of primary care physicians and an aging population that has led to more patients with chronic and serious health issues in need of better access to care. As COVID19 grips the country, it has become even more apparent that nurses are required more than ever and good nurses are in higher demand than ever before to improve the quality of healthcare in the US. If you have been considering the idea of entering nursing for a while, the coronavirus could be the push that you need to kick start your career.
Higher Demand for Nurses:
Nurses have always been in high demand but thanks to COVID19, the demand is increasing even further, especially in aged care facilities like Kew Gardens. The pandemic has seriously highlighted the shortage of nurses that is currently affecting the US and it’s estimated that hundreds of thousands of new nursing graduates are going to be needed over the next few years to meet the growing demand. It’s become clear that nurses are not getting the support that they need throughout the pandemic and many feel that they are being overloaded with work; increasing the nursing workforce is paramount to ensure that rising patient demands are being met and that individual nurses feel supported to do their jobs with an appropriate workload.
Increased Career Security:
Everybody wants a job that they can rely on, and nursing is one of the best professions in the country when it comes to career security. As a nurse, you can be guaranteed that you will find work wherever you go. Whether you want to work in a hospital, clinic, doctor’s office, or other healthcare setting anywhere in the country, qualified registered nurses and advanced nurse practitioners will rarely ever find themselves unable to find work. If you lost your jobs as a result of the COVID19 pandemic, you can be assured that this would never happen to a nurse - the demand for nurses grows in almost any kind of crisis and nurses are in high demand all around the world. You will have plenty of opportunities to work as a nurse overseas if you decide to relocate, or you could consider becoming a travel nurse if you want the chance to allow your job to take you to several different locations. The opportunities are endless.
Great Salaries and Benefits:
Nurses are offered a very generous salary package along with some very desirable career benefits including insurance packages, flexible schedules, and more. At a minimum, licensed practical nurses earn around $45,000 per year and this is even more for a registered nurse. Those who choose to study further to can enroll in an online family nurse practitioner program and enjoy a salary that doubles that of a licensed practical nurse; the opportunities for career advancement and improving your salary are huge.
Career Advancement:
if you’d like to work in a career where you never feel like you are stuck in a rut and always have something new to work towards, nursing could be the ideal choice for you. COVID19 has identified several gaps in many specialist areas of nursing and registered nurses have plenty of options when it comes to finding areas of specialty and expertise to work in. Whether you want to work with patients who have certain illnesses, the elderly, children, women, or babies, there’s an area of nursing that will be the perfect choice for you and this can change continuously throughout your career. There are tons of opportunities to study further and advance your career or move sideways into various areas of healthcare whether you’d like to gain experience with everything in the ER or would prefer to take a step back from the front line of patient care and work in a more administrative or managerial position.
Educate the Next Generation:
Not everybody who studies to become a nurse will end up working directly with patients. Some nurses decide that educating the next generation of nurses is their true calling. As a nurse, you will have the opportunity to improve the profession from the inside by being a mentor and educator to nurses in training. This could be within a workplace setting, acting as a mentor and guide to nursing students who are undergoing clinical placements, or you could train to be a nurse educator who works in a community college or nursing school. If you love teaching and sharing your knowledge with others, this can open up even more opportunities for you as a nurse.
Variety of Educational Options:
When it comes to studying to become a nurse, there are now more options available than ever before for nursing students. In the past, aspiring nurses would have to consider how they would continue to make money and meet their commitments while attending a full-time nursing degree program on campus, but this is no longer the case. Today’s nursing students can access a variety of more flexible programs including online nursing programs that can be easily fit around full-time working, family commitments, and more. In addition, online nursing programs are the ideal choice for nurses who are working full-time and want to advance their career prospects with a master’s degree in nursing or another type of advanced nursing degree. As a result, registered nurses can easily become a family nurse practitioner, for example, without the need to put their nursing career on hold in the process. 2020 is the year of the nurse - and becoming a nurse this year is easier than ever. You could even get started by enrolling on an online degree while you’re in quarantine.
Enjoy Rewarding Work:
If you often found yourself wondering how you could help others during the pandemic and have volunteered your time to support those who are less fortunate than yourself, you could make an excellent nurse. Nurses are the type of people who are always willing to put others first, even if it’s somebody that they don’t know. As a career, nursing is one of the most highly rewarding options in the world and it’s difficult to find a day in the life of the nurse where they do not feel fulfilled and satisfied with what they have been able to do for others. Whether you are supporting a patient who is going through a tough time with their health or offering comfort to close family members, nursing is a career where you can always hold your head up high knowing that you’ve done your bit to make a difference.
Enjoy Flexible Working Hours:
If you need a career with total flexibility when it comes to how you work, nursing could be the perfect choice for you. Nurses are needed 24 hours a day, every day of the week and because of this, there’s a lot of flexibility when it comes to choosing how and when you would like to work in this career. As a nurse, you can choose to work the hours that suit you whether you’d prefer to do night work, or want to work regular office hours in a doctor’s office.
Never Stop Learning:
Since nurses are such an integral part of the national healthcare system, it’s no surprise that as a nurse, continuing to learn and upgrade your knowledge and skills will be a major requirement of your job. In order to ensure that you can provide the best possible standard of care to your patients, you must be prepared to continue learning how to apply new healthcare techniques, operate machinery, and keep your general nursing and healthcare knowledge up to date. You will be required to take regular examinations to test your knowledge and ensure that it is up to the standards required. For those who could not imagine a career that does not push them to be their best and continue improving themselves, nursing is an ideal choice.
Respect:
Last but not least, nursing is one of the most well-respected careers not only in the US but around the world. When you are a nurse, you will be treated with respect by your peers, family, and even strangers because they know that your job requires you to be trustworthy, dependable, and an advocate for others. Nurses are well-known for being some of the most caring, selfless, and supportive people in the world, and as a nurse, you can enjoy unrivaled respect and admiration wherever you go. While most nurses are extremely humble about the work that they do, it’s always nice to know that you are appreciated by the majority of people who know that one day they might just need you.COVID19 has made it even more apparent that we need more good nurses. If you’ve been thinking of pursuing a career where you can make a real difference in the world, why not take advantage of this high demand and train to become a nurse?