subject: Why Be A Registered Nurse? We Give You 5 Of The Best Reasons [print this page] Why Be A Registered Nurse? We Give You 5 Of The Best Reasons
Are you thinking of a career as a registered nurse? If you become a licensed registered nurse, hospitals and healthcare facilities across the country will come knocking on your door, begging you to come work for them.
With the present state of the economy, having a stable job counts for a lot these days. But wait, there's much more that will be offered to you if you get a degree as a registered nurse. Because of high vacancy and turnover rates, recruiters have come up with more enticing ways to get nurses to work for them, and to stay with them. Among the benefits provided to registered nurses these days are:
1.) Tuition reimbursement. This offer is especially attractive to newly-licensed nurses who are saddled with student loans. To avail of such incentive, the employed nurse will have to agree to work for the hospital for a specified length of time. Obviously one should check out the facility and make sure that it is somewhere they want to work at for some time to come.
2.) Subsidized continuing education. A lot of healthcare facilities now invest on the continued education of their nurses, sending their nurses off to finish their bachelor of science in nursing degree, and even masteral studies. Other than getting free education, the nurse can then be promoted to a higher rank, with a corresponding increase in the hourly rate.
3.) Relocation assistance. Most facilities will pay thousands of dollars by way of assistance when you move to their community.
4.) Sign-on bonuses. These may be as high as $5,000 - $10,000. Again, the nurse must work there for a certain amount of time before receiving that bonus.
5.) Flexible schedules and incentive to work weekends and holidays. Nurses get paid "shift differentials" - a higher hourly wage - to work the less popular shifts, such as the evening, overnight, or weekend shifts. Many facilities offer the option to work three 12 hour shifts and pay full-time. Some offer the chance to work two 16 hour shifts and be paid a full-time salary.
