The Clear Rewards of a Healthcare Career in Nursing

If you’re thinking of switching to a career in nursing, it’s good to know that nurses provide crucial services to their patients, colleagues, and employers. However, it can be a challenging profession. One of the main reasons people embark on a career in nursing is that it is their personal vocation. They want to provide meaningful help every day of their working lives. It really can be as simple as that.

Nurses were described by former President Barak Obama as “the beating heart of our medical system.” That’s why it’s worth exploring why a healthcare career in nursing is so rewarding for both patients and care teams.

Careers for empathetic people who want to help

Nurses save lives. They are also often present at the start of new life and when end-of-life care is needed for someone who is elderly or ill. The value they bring to their patients between those times is impossible to know. Many of a nurse’s daily tasks are focused on making sure people are more comfortable, safer, and on the best possible route to improved health.

Nurses are also involved in diagnostics, taking the measurements and observations that can help doctors and patients better understand health conditions and the best ways to treat them. In care teams, nurses work in partnership with physiotherapists and occupational therapists to improve patients’ quality of life and independence.

These are just some illustrations of what nurses do and why it’s an ideal career for someone naturally patient, calm, empathetic, and supportive. Keep in mind that well-qualified, hardworking nurses are shaping the future of healthcare provision. The rewards of nursing don’t get more impressive than that!

High demand for qualified nurses

As nurses provide such a diverse range of vital services, it’s no surprise that job openings tend to be abundant. Then, when you get your ideal post as a nurse, you will enjoy a substantial amount of job security and will benefit from an employer who is keen to keep you loyal and well-motivated.

Your employer support may well include a high degree of flexibility in your work patterns, so you can more readily combine your job with raising children, for instance.

Also, as health and social care are universal needs that ‘never go out of fashion’, nursing qualifications and experiences are highly transferrable. So, one of the career advantages of nursing is that you can move from state to state or even country to country if you want to. Overseas jobs for qualified nurses often come with a great deal of help with visas and other incentives to move internationally.

An opportunity to switch careers

One of the biggest advantages of a career in nursing is that age is not a barrier, and it makes a great second career. You can transition to this fulfilling vocation from a wide range of other professions, even when your bachelor’s degree is in something unrelated.

Taking nursing qualifications as an older candidate is made even easier by the availability of online nursing courses that you can fit around your existing job and family commitments.

A specialty to spark your interest

Another rewarding feature of a career in nursing is the choice of paths to take when you are qualified or even before you decide which qualifications to take. You only have to look at a list of types of healthcare providers to appreciate the range of specialties you could aim for.

This ensures that one of the most exciting aspects of nursing is that you can focus on a medical topic or need that has special meaning or interest to you. For example, you could find a role helping people who have dementia, as part of a maternity team, or in theatres to assist surgeons.

Remember that one of the rewards of a nursing career is the chance to progress into a leadership role and be part of decision-making and innovation in health care.

Never a dull moment!

This is an excellent career choice if you want to make sure no one day is the same as the next. Even if you opt to be a specialist nurse, your working day is likely to include a wide variety.

Nor is this a career that lets you ‘stand still’ professionally. Nurses undergo continuous training and development. That means one of the most rewarding things about nursing is being supported and funded to constantly add to your knowledge and skills.

Job satisfaction and good mental health

When Carson-Newman University Online asked for testimonials from nurses, one of the reasons given for “why I love nursing” was, “I really love going to bed knowing I made a difference.”

That sums up the personal and professional satisfaction available within a nursing career. That’s especially true when you have underpinned your confidence and competence with family nurse practitioner programs online, to ensure you can advance in your chosen profession.

Does that sense of personal and professional job satisfaction matter as long as you take home a good paycheck? The answer is yes if you want to protect your mental health. There are countless studies into the way feeling engaged and well-motivated at work affects your mood and emotional balance.

Even better, in nursing, not all of the positive feedback, reward, and recognition you thrive on will come from your employers. Getting a heartfelt ‘thank you’ from your patients and their families will never get old, and few other careers bring so many positive affirmations from your ‘customers’.

That’s all part of going to bed happy each day!

Be part of a great team

Finally, one of the reasons a healthcare career in nursing is so rewarding is that it’s not just daily interaction with patients that you will enjoy. It’s highly likely you will be part of a health and social care team of like-minded and dedicated nurses like you and a range of other devoted professionals.

The best employers invest in their people and offer a nurturing corporate culture, including plenty of opportunities for team building and interaction.

Having the tangible appreciation of patients, colleagues, and your employers, alongside a personal sense of achievement, is truly priceless.