Advice For Starting A Career In Nursing
A career in nursing is a difficult but very fulfilling role. Many individuals who get into nursing, choose it for a variety of reasons but all of them want to help sick or injured patients to get better. If you’re considering a career in nursing, then there’s some advice you should consider before pursuing this line of work.
Be Prepared For A Few Years Of Education
Like other industries, nursing requires a few years of studying in order to earn the qualifications to become qualified. There’s plenty of courses and routes of study, so it’s worth doing your research and finding out what’s best for you. It’s useful to get into the mindset of studying as a nursing degree does require a lot of commitment and concentration. You’ll also need to think about funding and what finances you’ll need in order to complete your studying and training. You can begin alongside your current job, but you should make the arrangements to be able to afford it if you had to give up your job.
It Can Be Quite Competitive
It depends on the program you apply to, but nursing schools are quite competitive to get into. Some may prefer a high GPA while others will look at experience and previous courses that the individual has taken. Research is something you should be thinking about in order to work out which school or program, in particular, is best for you in regards to the previous experience or training you’ve had so far. Even if you don’t get in initially, you shouldn’t see it as a negative or that you aren’t good enough. It might just be that you don’t yet have enough experience and often enough, these institutions will give you guidance and advice on how to make your application stronger, the next time around.
Long And Unsociable Hours Are Expected
Nursing is a particular career that you should really think about because even though it sounds like something you’d love to do, the lifestyle isn’t for everyone. Often enough the hours will be varied, long and unsociable which works for some people. If you enjoy your sleep and a good social life, then this career might not be exactly what you’re looking for. Not that you can’t have that but if your lifestyle doesn’t match to that of a typical day of nursing then it can be a harsh wake-up call. In this case, it’s worth talking to those that are already in the field because they can give you real advice on what the job is like, warts and all.
Being Responsible
When it comes to nursing, you’ll be dealing with individuals directly and in some cases, their life is essentially in your hands. With that in mind, it’s important to know how much responsibility is required of you to take on this type of role. When things go wrong, attorney, David Aden who is a licensed nurse and lawyer will step in for victims of medical negligence. So it’s crucial that you know the risks and responsibilities that come with nursing. You’ll want to carefully think about whether or not you are at the right point in your life where you can take on this amount of authority. Everyone is different, so don’t get upset if you don’t feel quite ready for it. Your time will certainly come in the future.
What Type Of Nursing Do You Want To Do?
Like other industries, there are a plethora of nursing roles that you can do and you may find one is more suitable for you than the other. Some examples to look at are as follows:
Registered Nursing –
These are nurses who’ll have a bachelor’s or associate’s degree. They’ll assist physicians in the hospital for a variety of treatments and illnesses.
Licensed Nursing –
Licensed nurses have the ability to administer medication and give injections. They’ll normally be supervised by a registered nurse.
Clinical Nurse Specialist –
By being a specialist, you’ll be able to diagnose within a specified field of medical illnesses. This is ideal if you want to just cover a specific or niche area.
Intensive Care Unit Registered Nurse –
The ICU is a particularly difficult department to work in but most hospitals will give continued training to a registered nurse before working in this department.
Labor and Delivery Registered Nurse –
This one is certainly a fulfilling role as you’ll be helping to bring life into the world. You’ll be responsible during labor, childbirth and even after birth.
So with this advice, hopefully, you’ll want to consider a career in nursing, whether it’s something you’ve always wanted to do, or for a change in career.
