Should You Become a Nurse? 11 Factors to Consider

Being asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" seems a universal experience. As kids, the answer appears to be based solely on what interests you, and not much thought is put on any other factor related to the profession. It is typical that, over the year, you experiment with your answer. One day, you might want to be a teacher, whereas the next, you might decide to become an astronaut, a cowboy, a ballet dancer, a doctor, a lawyer, and everything in between.

However, as you get older and more serious about your future, you begin to ask more questions on top of what you want to be. Should I be a nurse? What should I do to become a lawyer? How challenging would the academic path of becoming an engineer be for me? Such questions help you choose the proper profession for yourself, and if nursing is a field that interests you, you have clicked on the right article. Continue reading as we dive into the job and help you figure out whether nursing is your calling.

What Is a Nurse?

The first step toward deciding whether a profession is suitable for you is understanding what that profession is. So, what is a nurse? Well, generally, nurses are considered professionals who provide autonomous or collaborative care to patients of all ages, groups, and communities in various settings. Such professionals promote health, prevention of disease, safe environments, healthcare research, and general medical education.

The term "nurse" encompasses a myriad of specializations. However, the important thing is that they all work to provide proper medical care to their patients regardless of title.

Factors to Consider Before Becoming a Nurse

Nursing is an essential yet quite challenging profession. People interested in such a career should take some time to determine whether they are ready to commit the time and put forth the effort necessary to start a career as a nurse. Below, you can read more about such factors related to nursing, which should help you find an answer to whether you should be a nurse or not.

Education

Arguably one of the most critical factors you should consider before embarking on a journey toward nursing is the education requirements. As mentioned before, there are many options for nursing, and choosing between those options comes hand in hand with deciding what educational path you have to follow. So, think about the degree programs you will have to tackle and whether it is something you are willing to do. 

To become a registered practicing nurse (RN), formal education, such as a bachelor's degree, is necessary. Then, there are some positions you can secure through only an associate's degree, whereas others will require you to complete advanced degrees. Still, regardless of the degree, when working towards becoming a nurse, you will have to pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) to earn your nursing license. So, a lot of work goes into preparing for the responsibilities of a nurse, and it is definitely something you should have in mind.

Relevant experience

After obtaining your degree and certifications, you must gain relevant experience working as a nurse. Generally, this clinical experience will help you transition from a student to a professional nurse.

Typically, nursing degree programs include clinical experience as part of their curriculum. This way, you get to experience what it's like to be a nurse and see which aspects of it interest you most before committing to a specific role or clinical setting.

Responsibilities

The responsibilities you will have as a nurse are another significant factor to consider before committing to the job. Are you ready to be in charge of administering medication? How about performing diagnostic tests? Do you see yourself as someone fit to provide emotional support and advice to patients and their families?

In addition to the beforementioned tasks, other nurse duties include:

  • Recording patients' medical history

  • Conducting physical examinations

  • Dressing wounds

  • Monitoring the patients' health

  • Collaborating with other medical professionals

  • Suggesting care options

  • Providing counseling for patients

  • Promoting health care education

Think of how capable you can be in such situations are whether you are willing to work towards improving in each aspect.

Patient expectations

As a nurse, you will also be responsible for enhancing patients' satisfaction levels through understanding and managing their expectations. As their caretaker, you should be ready and willing to communicate with your patients, showing empathy and compassion for their worries, fears, anger, and confusion regarding health and risks.

So, before becoming a nurse, you should think about whether you are patient, good at communicating with others, and open to feedback, as such features are essential to managing patients' expectations.

Available career paths

We have already talked about how you will have various options to choose from when pursuing a career in nursing. However, now we'll dive deeper into this matter and introduce you to some nursing paths that might interest you.

Some typical nurse options include:

If you change your mind after working in one field for a while, with the proper training, you can also change your nursing focus and pursue another role later on.

Salary

In addition to knowing you are helping people, having a high salary will also help you with job satisfaction. When working as a nurse in the United States, you can expect to earn an average salary of $59,766 a year. Although this digit is respectable in itself, know that there are nursing roles that pay double and even triple that.

Some of the highest-paying nursing jobs include:

Job outlook

A good-paying job is an in-demand job. If you want to feel more confident about securing a position upon completing your degree, you should ensure that that career option has a promising job outlook.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the employment rate for registered nurses is projected to grow 9% from 2020 to 2030. Thanks to this growth rate, about 194,500 openings for registered nurses are expected each year.

Competition

We established that nursing has a promising job outlook. However, because it is an in-demand job, there will be many individuals like you who see the positives of pursuing such a career. So, you will have to deal with the competition when applying to nursing programs and job positions.

You might have to make compromises at times, gaining experience anywhere you can, in facilities and nursing areas that might not have been your first choice. However, as long as you work hard and are dedicated, you can use such settlements as stepping stones towards your ultimate goal.

Room for advancement

The nursing field is your oyster! Whether you want to advance within your focus area or move to other nursing roles, nursing offers plenty of opportunities for progress. By earning certifications, pursuing advanced nursing degrees, transitioning to managerial positions, or specializing in a medical area, you will face new challenges and probably earn higher salaries.

Of course, finding a position that suits you is excellent. But, you should always be striving for more! Thankfully, if you pursue nursing, you will have plenty of opportunities to be ambitious and aim higher each time.

Work environment

The work environment of a nurse is not for the faint of heart. Generally, you will constantly be surrounded by patients, some visibly suffering from life-threatening conditions. Still, you will have to keep up your positive attitude, stay on top of your responsibilities, coordinate with your patients and colleagues, and keep everything clean, neat, and organized.

So, before becoming a nurse, consider how such a setting can emotionally, mentally, and physically influence you and whether it is something you can manage.

Nurses work varying shifts

Your patients will be among your top priorities when you become a nurse. Due to this, you will have to be highly flexible with your time and willing to work various schedules.

Most nursing positions, especially in private facilities, will require a standard nine-to-five. However, if you practice your profession in a hospital, you will probably have to work 12-hour shifts, beginning from 7 in the morning or ending by that time.

As you gain experience and advance in your career, you will find yourself more in control of the shifts you take on. However, when you first begin working as a nurse, you will have to make do with what you are assigned.

Nursing can be a challenging job

With great power comes great responsibility! When working as a nurse, you will have the ability to help change and save patients' lives. However, you must work hard for a very long time to do so.

Before becoming a nurse, you should remind yourself how demanding this profession is. Having a direct influence on a person's health is both a blessing and a burden, so think well about how much you are willing to take on your shoulders. There will always be more that you don't know than you do, and you must always keep pushing, improving, and facing anything thrown your way.

The Bottom Line

Can you become a nurse? Absolutely! As long as you are dedicated and willing to put in the work, you can become anything you desire. However, should you become a nurse? That is a question that only you can answer.

If you are passionate about helping people, can deal with the challenges and requirements of being a nurse, and are content with the field's opportunities — we encourage you to pursue nursing. The world could always use more people willing to help others.

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