Reasons to Choose Nursing as a Career

Have you ever considered a healthcare career? Have you asked yourself if you would be a suitable fit for a nursing career? Do you like making a difference in other people’s lives?

If you have considered any of these questions, nursing might be an ideal career for you! While having an interest in nursing is a great start, there are a lot of other important points to consider before starting your nursing education. Here are some reasons to consider choosing nursing as a career.

1. Job Security 

The United States needs nurses. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment of registered nurses (RN) from 2022-2032 is expected to increase 6%. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), the projected shortage of RNs is expected to intensify as baby boomers age and there is an increased need to meet the rising demand for care.

The health care needs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic showed how important nurses are to front-line and ongoing care.

2. Career Advancement Opportunities

If you love learning, nursing provides you with the ability to keep going back to school after earning your undergraduate degree. There are multiple pathways available for nurses looking to pursue an advanced nursing degree. If you want to advance your career with your Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), you could earn a degree such as:

• Family Nurse Practitioner
• Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
• Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
• Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
• Nursing Education
• Nursing Leadership and Administration
• Public Health
• Women's Health Nurse Practitioner

As you start your nursing career, you’ll get a sense of which specialty might interest you the most.

3. It’s Something You Want To Do

Your career should be something that you are passionate about! Being a nurse for over 6 years, I can say that it is a humbling and rewarding career. You see people from all walks of life in nursing, often at the most vulnerable time of their lives. When you see patients recover from their illness, walk again after a stroke, wake up from a coma, get weaned from a ventilator, or return to their state of normalcy, that feels like your best “return of investment” in nursing.

4. You Like Traveling

While not all nurses travel, that doesn’t mean that you are limited to work in a hospital or nursing home. If you love to travel then a job as a travel nurse might just be a perfect fit. Nurses can travel all across America and work in a variety of different work environments. As an RN, there are many job openings for travel nurses.

5. Flexible Work Schedules

If you’re not a morning person or you don’t enjoy a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. office job routine, then don’t worry! In nursing, you can choose a schedule that fits your lifestyle and preferences. Nurses work round-the-clock in hospitals, rehabs, assisted living facilities mental health facilities and nursing homes. As a nurse, you can work night shifts if you’re a night owl. You can work evening shifts if you’re neither a morning person nor a night owl. You can work 8-hr, 10-hr or 12-hr shifts. You can even work every weekend if you want to. You can work whatever shifts you want. The choice is yours.

6. You Like Helping People

This profession is all about helping people, such as when they are sick, injured, depressed, traumatized, dying, pregnant, laboring or giving birth. As a nurse, you can help a lot of people. You will be there for your patients at times of their vulnerability and you will make them feel heard, cared for, healed and (most importantly) safe. You can make a positive impact in your community by taking care of your patients every day.