subject: Deciding To Start A New Career In Nursing [print this page] Are you one of those who are looking forward to making a career in the field that can offer you unlimited opportunities for specializing and work at different environments? Well, in case you answer is yes then no doubt nursing is one that profession that can surely be the most exciting and fulfilling career choice. Today it is considered among few professions that can even offer frequent options for continuing education and the facility to participate or contribute directly in patient care. As a nurse, you support and care for people who are ill. As a nurse, you act as the key professional in healthcare industry who generally performs different procedures as per the instructions made by the medical doctor or senior nurse practitioners.
Nursing as a profession has a very exciting role that combines the best of caring skills and along with medical knowledge. These days, nurses can be found in almost every area of health care. They have a wide presence in various intensive care units and different emergency centers as well. They work in community and smaller private clinics as well as in supportive roles in different cosmetic practice centers or specialist physician offices. In addition to this, another area where nurses play a key role is in child development and health. Today you may find many nurses who are working in the community or in schools, and playing the key role in promoting health education campaigns.
If we talk about the career outlook of this profession then it seems to be very exciting. In fact, with almost 100,000 vacant positions and the constant booming requirement for healthcare workers, the scope for the nursing field is turning out to be more exciting and promising. In addition to this, the key aspect to note is that today the way health care is directed has also changed drastically. The requirement for more hospital beds has risen. Adding to this, the health care has become defined as it has moved gradually to the community and home. These days, many nurses are providing support and care for patients in their homes or in long-term care facilities. Ultimately, one cannot deny the fact that today the opportunities in nursing are far broader than it use to be a decade ago. So by now if you have made up your mind and decided to make a career in this profession then attaining a proper nursing education and training from best nursing school is must. Training to become a nurse is a simple and fairly clear-cut method. Generally, the practice basically revolves around completing a nursing program and attains a diploma or degree from an accredited higher learning school. While a diploma course takes around three years to complete approximately, a degree program on another hand takes three to four years.
The vital point to note is that the education preparations you may require largely depend upon the nursing title you are hoping to attain. For example- if you are looking forward to making a career as a certified nursing assistant (CNA), you will primarily require a high school diploma or a General Educational Development diploma (GED). Besides this, if you want to make a career as a licensed practical nurse or a registered nurse, in that situation your preparation needs to be more extensive. You will require a high school diploma along with a diploma or degree from a nursing program as well. However, today you may even find many students who are also opting for a bachelors degree in order to start a nursing career. This is because many hospitals and other employers offer a good salary to nurses based on the nurses education level. You must also not forget that obtaining a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) may even provide you a good head start if you decide to acquire further education in order to branch off into any specific nursing specialty.
Making a career in this profession can be the major and life-changing decision and so one need to have a great deal of thought. You must remember that working as a nurse; you could be the key personnel who can make a great difference in the health and lives of patients throughout the United States.
