Why a Nursing Career is the Most Highly Rewarding Career You Can Choose
Nursing careers provide a richly rewarding career option. If you
enjoy helping people and making a difference in their lives, then
nursing is a wonderful career choice for you. The life of a nurse
is that of selflessness and giving. Each and everyday you will
come across people in need; sick, injured, or elderly. As a nurse
you must be personable and friendly as well as caring and
supportive. Nursing careers go beyond just knowing the technical
side of nursing; it involves you being a friend and guide to your
patients.
Nurses conduct some or all of the following tasks on the job:
* Assess and gather patient information
* Diagnose patient problems and needs
* Implement nursing plans
* Provide emotional and physical support to patients
* Evaluate patient progress and results
* Communicate with the patient's family members
These are just a few of the tasks that nurses do at work. Of
course your tasks will totally depend on where you gain
employment. Not all nurses work in hospitals. There are also
options to work in schools, nursing homes and other locations.
You can also choose to specialize in particular nursing
departments. These can include child birth, palliative care,
children's wards, counseling and more. As you study to become a
nurse you will be exposed to options on each career path which
will make your decision easier. However the best way to choose a
career is to undergo work experience in a hospital or other
medical facility. Here you become exposed to all the different
specialties so that you can make a wise choice based on your area
of interest.
Nurses often work very long hours involving shift work so you
must be prepared for this and take it into consideration before
embarking on this richly rewarding career path. Although nurses
get paid a fairly high salary, nursing is not a career that
people choose for money; it is usually chosen due to a passion to
turn people's lives around.
Whether you are helping to deliver babies, helping injured people
or assisting the ill, nursing careers are highly satisfying and
rewarding. No other career offers the opportunity to make such a
profound difference upon the lives of people who truly need and
appreciate it.
Nursing Salaries
Nursing salaries are often at the center of controversy, with
most people believing that they are not high enough. Thankfully
improvements are being made to increase nursing salaries which is
good news for you if you are considering going into this
industry.
Nursing salaries are on the rise, with 2004 seeing a 14% increase
in nursing salaries. The average is said to be around the $64,000
mark with 11% of nurses in 2004 earning $75,000 or higher.
Nursing salaries for graduates differ widely between locations
but the average is around $40,000 for an entry-level nurse.
The areas with the most nursing jobs available are those in
large, major cities. These include Chicago, New York and Los
Angeles amongst others. You can also expect higher nursing
salaries in bigger cities as well as better employment benefits.
Nonetheless it can be very beneficial and rewarding to be a nurse
in a rural area. Sometimes you may be the only nurse on staff so
you provide an exceptional service to the local community. Often
nurses in very small towns achieve almost celebrity like status!
Nurses in larger cities may get paid more but their jobs are
often much more stressful. There are a much larger number of
patients and a variety of cases that come in. This can lead to
very long hours.
Nursing salaries are heavily affected by a number of factors.
Because nurses tend to work a lot of overtime their salary can
rise significantly on a week per week basis. Night shifts usually
pay more than day shifts, sometimes $5 or more extra per hour.
Most hospitals impose 12 hour shifts on nurses so night shift
workers generally start at around 7.30 pm and finish at 7.30 am.
The benefit is a four day weekend and a 36 hour week which is
still considered full time.
Nurses can work in a particular ward of the hospital such as the
maternity ward, intensive care unit, and children's ward, among
others. Nursing salaries generally do not depend upon which ward
a nurse is placed in.
Nursing salaries are on the rise and provide a good standard of
living for nurses who are one of the most important groups of
people in our society. If you are seeking a highly rewarding
career in the medical field, then working as a nurse is something
for you to consider.
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Jennifer Charleston is a writer for CareerToolkits.com, a site
created to help people unsure of their career path. Search a
large collection of articles on popular careers including;
accounting, paralegal, video game designers, nursing careers
(http://www.careertoolkits.com/nursing), and many others. Read
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