Have you considered what a career in nursing could look like?
Nursing is among the largest workforces in the health and medical services industry, with an estimated three million workers and counting as of 2020.
Pursuing a career in nursing can lead to exciting personal and career opportunities, including new friends, continuing education opportunities, and career growth potential. With nurses in such high demand and jobs in the field expected to grow by nearly a quarter million between 2021-2031, there’s no better time than to start working toward becoming one.
When deciding whether or not you want to become a nurse, it is crucial to consider the impact a career in nursing could have on your personal and professional life. While a nursing career can be lucrative and open the door to future job opportunities, the long hours and high-stress environment may not be a good fit for everyone. Although each nurse’s experience in the field is different, remaining informed of the responsibilities and realities of the job should be known. If you’re interested in pursuing a career in nursing but still aren’t sure if it’s right for you, ask yourself these questions six questions – with answers informed by the Associate Dean of Nursing Dr. Andrea Houser:
Do You Like Helping People?
The primary role of a nurse is providing compassionate bedside care, administering medications, and working with physicians and practitioners to ensure patients are safe and well-cared for. By choosing a career in nursing, you will be spending most days caring for those in need.
Do You Have Compassion?
Depending on where you choose to make your career in nursing, you will probably end up administering care to those who are sicker, and health compromised than those who are healthy. Nurses must have compassion and composure when helping physically or mentally ill patients.
Can You Handle Working Long Hours Away From Home?
Many who choose a career in nursing are required to make various personal sacrifices for the sake of their career and patients. Nurses often work long, rigorous shifts – with typical shorts ranging from eight, ten, twelve, or even sixteen hours or more up to seven days a week. Nurses may also be required to work on holidays and birthdays and be on call if an emergency or crisis arises.
Can You Handle Physical Work?
It is often forgotten that a career in nursing is as physically demanding as it is mentally. Nurses can be on their feet most of their shift, moving between different patients, floors, hospital wings, or even buildings within large hospitals or complexes. Nurses must meet these physical demands of the job.
Can You Handle Stress?
It is well-documented that a career in nursing can be stressful. Nurses often face high levels of stress in dealing with the day-to-day responsibilities of the job – including the emotional toll that some patient situations and scenarios may bring in addition to the everyday stressors.
Nurses who enter the field with strong mental health practices, peer support, and professional support throughout their careers will be able to better manage these aspects of the job.
Can You Handle Working With People At Their Worst?
In addition to maintaining compassion for those who are sick and injured, nurses must practice patience and understanding when dealing with those at their worst.
Whether it be a patient’s mental or physical worst – a career in nursing requires gentle care and understanding from each member of the healthcare team. Nurses must treat every patient with compassion and care, even those who are less compliant.
If your answer to most of these questions is yes, then there is a good chance a career in nursing is a good fit for you. However, even if you answered no to some or most of the questions, that doesn’t mean you would not be able to succeed as a nurse or that you should not consider a career in nursing. It is important to remember that nursing school will prepare you with the knowledge and mindset required to meet the challenges of today’s nurses. In addition, many support groups, employer benefits, and services are available to nurses to help guide them through their careers.
Become A Nurse At The University Of Providence
At the University of Providence, we are dedicated to providing current and future nurses with the skills they need to succeed in the field. Our Traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree is designed to prepare recent high school graduates and transfer students to serve as registered nurses in their communities. The Traditional BSN joins the existing lineup of BSN programs – including our Accelerated BSN for current bachelor degree holders interested in nursing, and our Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN) degree for currently licensed RNs with an Associate Degree in Nursing. The Traditional BSN program is an all-in-one degree that combines a strong liberal arts foundation with advanced clinical nursing courses that will best prepare students to enter the workforce and launch a successful career in nursing. Learn more about the student experience in the Traditional BSN program.
Foundational Liberal Arts Education
For the first two years of the nursing program, you will complete liberal arts and sciences courses, designed to provide you with a foundational understanding in key educational concepts such as math, science, reading, and more. Not only will the foundational liberal arts and sciences courses provide knowledge and understanding of core concepts to be applied in nursing practice, but will also expose students to new ways to thinking and approaching problems in their personal and professional life.
Clinical Nursing Experience
At the heart of the Traditional BSN program is the nursing curriculum. Completed during the last two years of the program, you will be exposed to core nursing practices, foundational nursing skills and concepts, and dynamic solutions to nursing practice. As part of the nursing curriculum, you will participate in skill labs at a state-of-the-art nursing facility, guided clinical rotations, and more as you are taught compassionate nursing care.
Access To Nursing Faculty Advisors, Tutors & Coaching
The best person to help advise a nursing student is someone familiar with the academic and vocational needs of nursing students. When you enroll in our Traditional BSN program, our nursing faculty advisors will help make sure you remain on track by helping make sure you are taking the correct classes, helping with clinical placements, and ensuring you are maintaining a healthy school/life balance as to fall behind in academic or clinical work.
Choosing to pursue a career in nursing can be a challenging decision. Much thought must be put into whether the career is the right choice, whether it is sustainable for you, and whether you can meet the job’s physical, mental, and emotional demands.
Although nursing can be challenging, a nursing career can be equally rewarding for personal, emotional, family, and career growth. Millions of people wake up daily to work as nurses, helping to care for and heal sick individuals so they can return to their loved ones.
For more information on our Traditional BSN degree – including application information, a sample course schedule, and more, visit our Vander Werff Nursing homepage for the latest news.
