Why nursing could be the right field for you
A nursing degree or certificate could be closer than you think. If you’re looking to get into the field of nursing, here’s how you can do it now.
As the economy continues to slump and millions of Americans find themselves out of work, many are wondering: Isn’t there any field offering jobs? The truth is that there is a severe shortage of nurses in the United States. Everyday, hospitals all over the country are offering jobs to nurses. Nurses are necessary to successfully run hospitals, clinics, doctors’ offices and other medical facilities. Best of all, you don’t need to go through as much schooling as doctors in order to break into the field of nursing.
There are also plenty of different types of nurses out there so there are many options for those interested in becoming a nurse. If you’re interested in nursing, it’s a great field to get into to insure job security and a steady paycheck well into the future.
Bringing nursing back!
At the present time, there is a real shortage of nurses in America. In this comical video, you’ll learn about why nursing could be a great field for you, even if you’ve struggled to break into another industry.
Video: Bringing Nursing Back
What you’ll need to break into the nursing industry
Some people are intimidated at the thought of becoming a nurse. They think they’ll need to go through massive amounts of training to reach their goal. And while it isn’t going to be super easy, you can become a nurse in just a few years. From there, you can receive additional schooling in order to grow as a nurse and become more qualified to do specific procedures and care for specific patients. Here’s a basic outline of what you’ll need to do to become a nurse:
Attend a local community college, university or online college to start the process: Before you begin nursing school, you’ll have to finish off several basic required courses and electives. You’ll also need to become certified in things like CPR and learn some basic nursing techniques in order to move to the next level.
Attend a nursing school or a school of nursing at a college or university: Here, you will begin to get more into the specifics of nursing and you’ll learn about the science of it all.
Graduate with a bachelor’s degree in nursing or obtain certification as a registered nurse: Regardless of whether you take courses in college or simply attend an actual nursing school, you’ll need to finish about two years of hands-on training and also pass all the required tests to become a registered nurse in your state.
Begin practicing as a nurse: From here, you will practice basic nursing. Should you choose to advance further and learn specific types of nursing, you’ll need additional schooling and training. Because of the shortage of nurses across the country, many hospitals are actually willing to pay all or some of your tuition to take additional courses.
This is a rough outline of what you’ll need to become a nurse. Of course, it differs from state to state, but if you’re determined to break into the field, this is what you’ll need to do.
Different types of nursing
There are many types of nurses out there, each whom specialize in their own field of nursing. Here are some of the most common examples:
Alternative medicine: This type of nurse focuses on treatments outside of the normal forms of medication. Meditation and massage are two examples. However, they can use their nursing background to further these alternative forms of treatment and get the most out of them.
Counseling: Nurses focused on counseling typically deal with emotional and psychological issues in patients. But again, their background in treating patients through physical means helps them understand problems and issues.
Health administration: Administrators in the nursing field are in charge of filling shifts and making sure that nurses are doing their job. Supervision is key to a good health administrator.
Health science: By focusing on health science, a nurse can help to further the use of certain types of medicine and make sure that doses are effective enough on patients. They can also help improve the health of patients by suggesting new treatment methods.
Human services: Unlike nurses who help cure people of diseases, human services professionals help them once they leave the hospital or as they prepare to stay there for longer periods of time. They intervene in family issues, employment issues and anything that directly affects the patient.
Health services: This function of a nurse is similar to human services. Nurses focused on health services are there to help comfort patients and communicate with them as well as doctors, family members and others.
Medical and dental: This type of nurse is typically what you think of when you think about the role of a nurse. Whether they work in a hospital or a dentist’s office, they assist doctors with medicating and caring for patients.
Medical informatics: Nurses working with informatics are focused on the different devices and machines used to monitor patients. They know how to operate them and use them properly.
Medical transcription: Trancriptionists listen to recordings of doctors and other nurses in order to create medical reports on patients. This type of nursing is behind the scenes but obviously very important to the medical process.
Pharmacy: Once a patient is diagnosed with something and a doctor recommends a medication, pharmacists are trained and certified to fill prescriptions and provide patients with medication.
Psychology: Nurses need to be trained to understand the minds of patients. They also need to be able to communicate effectively with them and help patients to make decisions.
Public health: Outside of treating individual patients, nurses must also be aware of larger issues than surround the general public. For instance, they need to be able to identify and stop diseases from spreading and educate patients about how to avoid getting and spreading illnesses.
Radiology: In order to identify sprains, fractures and broken bones, every hospital needs nurses trained in administering X-rays, MRIs and similar procedures. Nurses who are experienced with radiology are an absolute necessity.
Sociology: Social workers are very important in the world of nursing. They help patients to transition back into society after lengthy hospital stays, teach them about how their condition will affect their lives and help them find adequate employment and housing where needed.
The rewards of being a nurse
Becoming a nurse can be an extremely rewarding experience. Just watch this video featuring real patients talking about the impact that nurses have had on their lives.
Video: Patient Perspectives - Nurses
Colleges and universities that specialize in nursing
Wondering where to obtain a degree in nursing? Here are just a few of the colleges and universities that offer nursing degrees. There are definitely more in your state as well. Find one now and get your career in nursing off the ground.
University of Phoenix
Online
Rutgers University
Camden, NJ
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Lubbock, TX
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ
Grand Canyon University
Online
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA
Keiser College
Online
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL
Georgia State University
Atlanta, GA