Career Essay: Nursing

Career Essay: Nursing

Nursing is defined as “the practice or profession of caring for the sick and injured” (thefreedictionary.com). Regardless of the simplicity of the definition, nursing is a very complex career that as it might already imply, carries many responsibilities and complications. Nonetheless, nursing is a rewarding career that offers intrapersonal growth and various career advancement opportunities. Within the nursing profession there are many sub-groups depending on the degree, for instance in this brief report we will be viewing the pathway towards obtaining Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing (otherwise known as BSN). However all registered nurses have similar duties. Their duties include: recording patients’ medical histories and symptoms, administer patients’ treatment, accommodate their treatment according to their plans, observe patients and record their observations, consult with doctors and other healthcare professionals, operate and monitor medical equipment, help perform diagnostics, analyze results, and teach patients and their families how to manage their illness or injuries (bls.gov).

Nurses who graduate under the BSN program differ from other nurses in the degree. A bachelor 's degree or higher is often required for career advancement into nursing positions in administration, research labs or training. For example, if a student wishes to become a nurse practitioner, the student must acquire his/her bachelor’s before they start their masters. In the grand scale of the BSN pathway, a student must graduate from high school (or an equivalent of such), complete a 4 year program and pass the state mandated nursing exam in order to be officially considered a nurse. There are many degree plans apart from the one mentioned, for instance an associate’s degree in nursing or ADN can enter the ADN to BSN program. For the sake of simplicity we will examine the career plan for a first time nursing student. In the first two years of the nursing program students will have to satisfy general liberal arts education requirements, as well as nursing pre-requisites as pre-nursing majors; depending on the nursing program. Many of these nursing prerequisites consists of health science related classes. Most of the widely known nursing programs in Texas require students to take the following programs: Microbiology/Lecture & Lab (4 hours), Chemistry/Lecture & Lab (4 Hours), Growth & Developmental Psychology (3 hours), Anatomy & Physiology/Lecture & Lab (8 hours), Statistics (3 hours), Nutrition (3 hours). Once fulfilling these prerequisites students must gain acceptance to an upper division nursing program which contain nursing specific classes and lab hours as well as clinicals that offer on-the-job experience. Once obtaining their bachelor’s degree students wanting to work in the United States must take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN), this is a test that all new graduates must pass in order to practice in any of the 50 states. Getting a nursing degree is very rewarding in today’s workforce. According to the United States Department of Labor, registered nurses hold an unemployment rate of 4 percent, and an employment rate of 26 percent which is higher than the average of all occupations by 12 percent. On top of these statistics, it is predicted that from the year “2008 to 2018, more than 3.2 million healthcare jobs will be added into America’s workforce” (bls.gov). The apparent security of the nursing career and the current and future demand for healthcare professionals is due to the aging baby boomer population in America. What sets this generation apart from previous generations is that this generation “will demand more health care services as they live longer and more active lives than previous generations. Faster than average growth is expected in traditional hospital settings, as well as in non-hospital settings, such as physician’s offices and home healthcare services” (bls.gov). With this in mind, the demand for nursing is not narrowed down geographically rather it’s worldwide. For instance, Japan’s destabilizing elderly population demands the immediate need for geriatric nurses and “the inter-country recruitment and migration of nurses from developing countries to developed countries” (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) has left serious gaps in the healthcare system for those countries. The high demand for nurses is a response to the overwhelming shortage; the “worldwide shortage of nurses has even been acknowledged by the multidisciplinary Global Advisory Group of the World Health Organization” (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). Overall nursing is a very attractive career option from an economic standpoint. In a National scale, the median salary for a nurse with less than one year of experience is $49,586 according to the PayScale organization. According to the Department of Labor’s statistics from 2010, the median salary for a nurse (in general) is $64,690. From the opposite sides of the spectrum “the lowest 10 percent earned less than $44,190 and the top 10 percent earned more than $95,130” (bls.gov). Aside from the monetary compensation, nurses also enjoy other benefits such as educational benefits, child care, and bonuses. Many hospitals, depending on the nurse’s years of experience, offer great medical benefits to their employees and their dependents. Due to the constant need for patient treatment and care, nurses work in rotating shifts, covering all 24 hours whether it be weekends or holidays. Majority of hospitals have most nurses work 36 hours a week which consists of 12 hour shifts per assigned day. Nurses have flexible hours; however a newly graduated nurse might not have such luxury. “As the largest healthcare occupation, registered nurses held about 2.7 million jobs in 2010 (bls.gov). According to the same data; 8 percent of all nurses (in the United States) work in doctors offices, 6 percent work in local general medical and surgical hospitals, 5 percent work in home health care services, 5 percent work in nursing care facilities, and most of the nurses, about 48 percent, work for private general and medical and surgical hospitals (bls.gov). “The remainder work mainly in government agencies, administrative and support services, and educational services” (bls.gov). Registered nurses join professional nursing organizations for various reasons. One of the primary functions of some of these organizations is to keep nurses current in their field and specialty. Another reason is that nurses “want to network or enjoy the peer recognition that comes from being an active member of a major organization” (journals.lww.com). However most of the nursing organizations in the United States serve as advocacy groups for the interest of nurses. For instance the American Nursing Association (ANA), according to their site, is “only full-service professional organization representing the interests of the nation 's 3.1 million registered nurses through its constituent and state nurses associations and its organizational affiliates... by lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public” (nursingworld.org). The Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) is a “professional organization of over 35,000 registered nurses and other healthcare providers dedicated to excellence in patient care, education, research, and administration in oncology nursing” (ons.org). The National Association of Orthopaedic Nurses (NAON) is a “nonprofit, volunteer-run organization that exists to enhance the lives and careers of orthopaedic nurses” (orthonurse.org). Nursing is a highly rewarding job, that like any other job, has its positive and negative factors. For instance, nurses are prone to various injuries in the workplace do to the constant chaotic environment because they “may spend a lot of time walking, bending, stretching, and standing. They are vulnerable to back injuries because they must often lift and move patients” (bls.gov). Another risk factor is the potential contact to various infectious diseases that many of the patients might have along with the contact of potentially harmful and hazardous drugs and other substances. The positive aspects of this job are very clear. As discussed in this report, nursing is skillful job needed everywhere which allows many nurses to seek employment anywhere in the world. The accessibility of a BSN program allows nurses not only to practice in general but to seek career growth by specializing in a certain field such as oncology. The most important positive factor is that nurses are an essential part of communities by helping people, offering them a healing hand in their time of need whether it be during a national disaster or helping a patient get over the common cold.

Nursing is a secure promising career that provides a stable ground to any who seek to seek it. This career is dedicated to advancing and maximizing the health, safety and productivity of domestic and global communities by providing education, research, public policy and practice resources for occupational and environmental health all mankind. Not to forget, this career is a lifelong experience that allows a nurse to interact with the community by establishing a trust that no other profession can equal.

Works Cited

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