You did it!! You’re a high school graduate…what next?? Maybe you’re ready for a career change, but you’re in your thirties…or worse…forties! Is it too late to go back to school? And what do I go back to school for? Many people are confused about what path to take after graduation. Others often wonder if it’s too late to change careers at this point in life. The nursing profession grows every year and welcomes new high school graduates, as well as those looking for a second career.
A career in nursing has many advantages. One of the main advantages is demand. Nurses are always in demand. This is a good thing if you’re a nurse because you can get a job pretty much anywhere. There’s no shortage of job opportunities and there are many specialties to choose from. As a nurse, you have the opportunity to work in many different settings, such as physician’s offices, hospitals, clinics, long term care facilities, assisted living communities, client’s homes, and public or private schools. Not to mention the many remote positions that are available and allow you to work from home. The possibilities are endless!
New nurses tend to gravitate towards one of two positions after graduation. The first position is a staff nurse on a med/surg unit at a hospital. The med/surg unit is not necessarily a specialty floor, so most patients are stable with routine orders. This unit is an excellent starting point for a new nurse that wants to work in a hospital setting. The med/surg unit will give you the experience you need to eventually transition to another unit if you desire. Some nurses discover that they love the med/surg unit and the variety of patients with different conditions that keep them on their toes! The second position that new nurses fill is floor nurse at a long term care facility. Long term care facilities are always seeking nurses to fill their staffing needs and are open to hiring and training new graduates. The average floor at a long term care facility consists of residents who are stable and less acute. Tasks include scheduled med passes, vital signs, blood sugar checks, wound care, and g-tube care. You’ll occasionally have a resident with a trach, but not often. This position is a good stepping stone if you need experience and want to explore your options at a later time. Some new nurses begin working at a long term care facility and discover they absolutely love the position. They get to know their residents and like the routine of their shift. Like most facilities, there are opportunities for advancement in a long term care facility, such as treatment nurse, charge nurse, or unit manager. You may decide you’ve found your calling!
Many nurses choose to further their education and obtain their BSN or even MSN degree. Advancing your education is easier now than ever. Many programs offer online classes with local contracts for clinical hours. This allows nurses to continue to work full or part time as they further their education. An advanced degree may be the one thing standing between you and your desired position. You may need it to meet the requirements of a job that you want to apply for or for a promotion. Some hospitals require a BSN degree due to their Magnet status. While a BSN degree will qualify you to teach the CNA course, a Nurse Educator with an MSN degree is required to become a nursing instructor. An advanced degree will make you more appealing when applying for many positions, including management or administration.
Now that we’ve established the high demand for nurses, along with the many career paths that are available, let’s discuss pay. A career in nursing does pay well. Of course, most nurses don’t choose this career based on pay alone, so a decent salary is a bonus! Keep in mind that salaries do vary from state to state and some are based on the actual position. Some positions that lack in the salary department can make up for it in the flexibility and convenience department. Positions, such as school nurse, aren’t at the top of the pay scale, but the advantages make up for the lower salary. School nurses have weekends, holidays, and summer vacation off. You can’t beat that! Some work at home/remote positions may pay a little less than a facility job, but you save time and money by working at home with no commute. Bonus…you can work in you PJ’s! Gotta love that! If you don’t have kids yet and want to travel, check out travel nursing. You do need experience to meet the requirements for most travel positions. The salary for a travel nurse tends to be on the upper half of the pay scale and it usually includes housing or a housing stipend. Plus, you get to travel to different places and meet new people. We all need to make a living, I totally get that. It all boils down to each individual nurse and their current situation. If you have small kids and want to be off work when they’re out of school, by all means apply for that school nurse job! If you don’t have kids or your kids are all grown and you want to see the world, explore travel nursing opportunities.
In the end, nursing is about taking care of people. The choice to become a nurse should revolve around your desire to help others in their time of need. Whether your calling is to become a Family Nurse Practitioner or a nurse at a long term care facility, we all ultimately take care of others. Regardless of the titles we hold, we chose to become a nurse for the same reason. The world needs compassionate, caring nurses who want to make a difference in someone’s life. Now the question is….Do you want to be a nurse??
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