Unlike most little girls, I looked forward to watching my mom get ready for work each day. As she put on her starched white uniform, white stockings, and polished white nursing shoes, I was in awe. Years later, my sister chose nursing as a health career. I admired both of them for their passion for helping others and wanted to do the same.
However, there are so many factors to consider when looking toward nursing as a health career:
Nursing is rewarding:
- Nurses witness the miracle of birth
- Nurses save lives
- Nurses hold hands
- Nurses work with injured veterans
Nursing has many career options in the clinical setting (just to name a few):
- Emergency room
- Pediatrics
- Geriatrics
- Maternity
- ICU/CCU for high tech experience
- Operating room
- Physician’s office or clinic
- Blood drives
- Hospice facilities
- Behavioral health
- Many more
Other Nursing Career Options:
- Homecare
- Homecare hospice
- School nursing
- Sales rep
- Education
- Administration
- Insurance companies
- Private homes
- Writing for publications
- Freelance writing
- Travel nursing
- Cruise ships
- Many more
Nursing careers offer various shifts and schedules:
Nursing probably has the most options for anyone trying to raise a family or work around their spouse’s schedule. I successfully scheduled my working hours around raising my children and helping raise my grandchildren. Finding the hours to further my education was never a problem.
- Work three twelve-hour shifts a week
- Work days
- Work evenings or nights
- Work only weekends
- Part time or full time
Nurses can find employment wherever they live:
- Large cities
- Rural areas
- Vacation spots
- Small towns
Nursing salaries and benefits are competitive:
Although salaries vary according to location, specialty, education, and other factors – I personally know many nurses making six-figure salaries. Some additional things to consider:
- Hiring bonuses
- Premium pay for weekends or special shifts
- Overtime pay
- Health insurance available
- Generous paid time off
- Daycare offered at some facilities
- 401K
I chose nursing for my personal reasons. However, I found my career choice to be rewarding in so many ways: I have witnessed the miracle of birth; been part of a team that saved lives; held a child receiving chemotherapy; did the happy dance with a father when he finally had a boy; and held hands with a woman as she passed on from this life. With these experiences and more…how could anyone ask for a more rewarding career?
