Thinking of a career Change? How about Nursing?

If you are considering a career change, take a close look at nursing.

Nursing field combines skills and knowledge derived from its own history as well as other professions. The best part of nursing is that it focuses on the whole person versus just the disease, the ailment, or the problem. Nurses are rewarded every day for the difference they make in people’s lives.

Career Change Nursing - Various Areas of Nursing:

Nursing has expanded tremendously, and continues to grow as the need for nursing professionals increases with each year. Nurses work in a variety of settings: hospitals, doctor’s offices, schools, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, pharmaceutical companies, colleges and universities, theme parks and cruise ships, home health, hospice, private duty, and many more. Some nurses advance to Nurse Practitioner levels and treat people along with doctors: they diagnose an illness and prescribe medications. Through extra training, nurses obtain certifications in midwifery, anesthesiology, administration, informatics, and other highly demanded career fields. Nurses conduct research to develop new standards of practice. Many nurses become entrepreneurs and run their own businesses. While the possibilities of nursing career are endless, hospitals, long-term care facilities, and home health companies have the greatest demand for nurses.

A day in the life of a hospital nurse:

Hospitals employ thousands of nurses. In general, nurses begin their hospital career working on medical, surgical, and cardiology units. The 24- hour care is broken into 8- or 12-hour shifts. Each nurse takes a responsibility for 5-8 patients. Throughout the day (and night), nurses continuously monitor patients’ status, administer medications, perform treatments, communicate with the doctors, pharmacists, and other member’s of healthcare team, provide education to the patients, explore their needs beyond the illness, and make appropriate referrals. While nursing aides provide most assistance with bathing, toileting, and feeding, nurses are very likely to take part in these activities as well.

Advancing your career as a hospital nurse:

After about a year of working on medical, surgical, or cardiology units, nurses may choose to pursue a career in a higher acuity areas, such as emergency room, intensive care, operating room, pediatrics, obstetrics (birth units), and intensive neonatal (newborn) care. Larger hospitals may hire new graduates and train them to work in these specialized units in lieu of requiring a year of hospital experience.

Career Change Nursing - Male Nurses:

Men, who choose nursing profession, find emergency room and intensive care units to fit their interests and career goals. Work in these areas is fast-paced and requires understanding of technology, quick decision-making, and ability to take charge of the critical situation.

Career Change Nursing - Travel Nurses:

Travel nursing offers a very high pay in exchange for nurses’ willingness to take on 4-12 week temporary nursing positions in the hospitals and other healthcare facilities in different states, provinces, and countries. Travel nurses decide where they want to go, choose the length of assignment, and determine whether they want to extend their stay, move on to the next location, or take a vacation. Travel nursing positions require at least a year of acute care experience and include various areas of nursing specialty.

Nurses who work in rehabilitation or long term care facilities:

Rehabilitation and long-term care facilities, home health, and hospice provide a lower acuity care. Rehabilitation nurses work with clients who suffered a major illness, underwent a surgical procedure, or are too frail to return home after hospitalization. Rehabilitation centers may specialize in certain areas, such as spinal injury, or may be a part of facility that offers long-term care as well.

In the long-term care settings, also known as nursing homes, nurses work with the elderly who are no longer able to live independently and need help with daily tasks. One of the benefits of working with the frail elderly is an opportunity to establish strong, long-lasting caring relationships with nursing home residents and their families.

Clients who return home after hospitalization, but still require nursing care, become customers of home health nurses. Nursing professionals that like autonomy, prefer to make their own schedule, and enjoy spending extra time with their patients find home health nursing a desired career field.

The possible negative sides of nursing:

While a nursing career is rewarding and offers a high pay and multiple benefits, one must be aware of the negative aspects associated with nursing. The most obvious one is the exposure to illnesses, including HIV, hepatitis B, and infections resistant to antibiotics. The risks of acquiring an illness from the patient are significantly reduced when nurses follow safety guidelines and use protective equipment and clothing. Nurses may become victims of violence, especially verbal and physical assaults. Nurses are liable for their actions and are subject to legal proceedings when inappropriate care is suspected. Due to nursing shortage, nurses may have to work overtime, experience great amount of stress, and feel exhausted and frustrated with their jobs. A support network of friends and relatives, hobbies, exercise, and relaxation techniques may help to reduce the stress and tensions associated with a nursing career. A transition from one nursing specialty to another may relieve the frustration and disappointment.

The education and training required to become a nurse:

How does one become a nurse? Nursing education can be obtained via hospital based, community college, or university training. One must take classes in science, such as biology, chemistry, and microbiology in addition to general college courses in math, writing, and social studies in order to enroll into nursing program. The studies in the hospital based and community college programs last 2- 3 years, and graduates obtain a Nursing Diploma from a hospital based nursing school or an Associate Degree in Science from a community college. These two forms of nursing education are geared toward training hospital, or bedside, nurses. University programs offer a Bachelor Degree in Nursing, last 4-5 years, and focus on theoretical perspectives of nursing in addition to traditional clinical training. The graduates of the university nursing program are considered to be prepared to work in the community and management positions. In reality, the majority of university graduates start their nursing career in the hospital, along with Diploma and Associate Degree recipients.

After completing nursing education, all graduates in the United States and Canada are required to pass a licensure exam before they are allowed to practice nursing. The graduates of hospital based, community college, and university nursing programs take the same exam.

A variety of university programs exist for those that already hold a nursing license and want to pursue a Bachelor or Master Degree in Nursing, as well as those who hold a Bachelor or Master Degree in a different field. With further education, one can become a Doctor or a Professor of Nursing.

Practical (or vocational) nursing may be of interest as well. Practical (vocational) nurses are actively employed by hospitals, nursing homes, and doctor’s offices. The training is only a year- long and requires less college classes. Practical nurses are required to pass an exam to obtain a practical or vocational nurse license.

Multiple scholarships are available to nursing students. Many hospitals offer to pay for nursing training in return for student’s commitment to work for the organization for 1- 2 years after the graduation. Financial aid and loan programs are available through colleges and universities.

Career Change Nursing - Conclusion:

As science makes tremendous leaps in medicine and healthcare, the need for nurses continues to increase. Work in the field of nursing offers a variety of employment opportunities, a reliable income, multiple benefits, and a great perspective for a professional growth, all of which are positive aspects of changing your career to nursing.

Thank you to Anastasia Coyle for this "career change nursing" article.

Anastasia has a vast amount of nursing experience. She has worked in the following nursing related environments:

Cape Canaveral Hospital (Cocoa Beach, FL), Parrish Medical Center (Titusville, FL), Titusville Rehabilitation and Nursing Center (Titusville, FL), Child Care Association of Brevard County (FL, community nursing).

She has also earned her Associates in Science in Nursing from Brevard Community College, Cocoa, Fl.

She is also currently studying for her Bachelor's Degree in Nursing at Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL.