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Career Development Denise Alexander, BS, MA
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Nursing is both a calling and a career. Completing a nursing degree takes a lot of hard work, but it makes it possible for you to have a meaningful career in a field that you’re passionate about.
You might consider a career in nursing if you are looking for a fast-paced job, enjoy caring for people and want to make a positive impact on society.
Registered Nurses (RNs) serve patients and partner with doctors in several ways:
Here are a few reasons why nursing is a sought-after career:
There is a projected 6% growth in nursing jobs from 2023-2033, higher than the average in other occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.1 The BLS2 says a couple of reasons for the spike in demand is an increased emphasis on preventive medicine and assistance for chronic illnesses. Also, the baby boomer generation has a much longer life span which requires additional healthcare services, including long-term medical assistance.
Nurses can work in a variety of healthcare settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, clinics and physicians’ offices. They also work in schools, at businesses and in the military.
Nurses can also select their specialty. For example, neonatal nurses take care of newborns while cardiovascular nurses assist patients who are suffering from chronic heart disease and/or have undergone heart surgery.
Nurses may have a flexible work schedule. Options range from a traditional 9 to 5 workday to a week with three 12-hour shifts.
There isn’t a “normal day” in nursing. Every day brings about challenges and changes, such as new treatment options. Patients do not respond to treatment in the same manner at the same rate. You will need to adapt your treatment style to match the patient’s needs and understand not everyone will heal in the same way.
Unlike some jobs where you are in a cubicle all day, nurses get to work one-on-one with patients. Nurses make a big impact, whether by administering medicine or treatment, serving as a mediator between the doctor and the patient or offering support to a worried patient and their families. Nursing is one of the few careers in which you can see the impact that your career has on somebody’s life. An interaction with a nurse can be the biggest difference between a positive visit to the doctor or hospital or a negative visit.
Making a difference is also rewarding for you. According to the 2017 Survey of Nurses conducted by the AMN, 83% of all nurses are satisfied with their career choice and 66% said they would encourage others to become nurses. As demanding as the career can be, few positions have an impact like nursing has on society.
BLS pay estimates calculate the median annual wage for various occupations. Per the BLS the median wage for an occupation is: "The wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount, and half earned less. Median wage data are from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey." Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook 2024. BLS median wage estimates do not represent entry-level wages and/or salaries. Multiple factors, including prior experience, age, geographic market in which you want to work, and degree level and field, will affect career outcomes, including starting salary and earnings as an experienced employee. Herzing neither represents that its graduates will earn the median salaries calculated by BLS for a particular job nor guarantees that graduation from its program will result in a job, promotion, particular wage or salary, or other career growth.
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