Nursing As a Career

Nursing is a career within the health care sector that deals with provision of care to individuals, families and communities in order to maintain, recover or attain quality of life and good health. Specifically, nursing profession assists in protection, optimization and promotion of abilities and health, easing suffering through diagnosis and treatment of diseases and other adverse health conditions, prevention of injury and illness, and advocacy on issues that affect the health of communities, individuals, populations and families. The main professional skills required in nursing include discipline, detail-oriented skills, good organization skills, excellent communication skills, compassion, time management skills and ability to work as a team. Junior nursing practitioner do not require any working experience and get experienced as they work, however, nursing in managerial positions require at least three year experience in both clinical practice and administrative duties. The top organizations that offer nursing jobs are hospitals, non governmental organizations, and government institutions such as the pentagon, relief agencies such as Red Cross and health insurance firms. The average income for nurses is between $43,000 and $63000 per year (John Hopkins University, 2013).The demand for nursing profession, compared to other professions such as information and communication technology is relatively low as few people are willing to study, resulting in shortage of nurses in America and other developed countries. Although most of the students are not opting for nursing career, there are high prospects for career growth as nursing profession gets modernized and embrace information technology in most of its procedures. Further, with the shortage of nurses and high demand for nursing services, there are high chances that the career is going to be very marketable in future .Since the need for quality health care is universal, nursing profession is not limited to any geographic area and so as a nurse, I will be able to get a job in my locality. The main career pathways in nursing are nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, nurse educator, nurse researcher, advanced practice nurse, patient education specialist, administrator, and legal nurse consultant. Nurses can advance and get promotion by advancing in their education and after gaining enough experience in clinical practice (Vallano, 2008).

There are three main academic options that one can undertake to become a nurse. These are a bachelor’s degree (BSN or Bachelor of Science in nursing), a diploma from an accredited hospital or nursing program, and an associate degree in nursing. The most useful nursing education options are Bachelor of Science in nursing that takes 4 years and associate degree in nursing that takes two years. These degree programs are useful because they are versatile and offer one an opportunity for career growth and advancement. The Tuition fee for Bachelor of Science in nursing is approximately $60,000 per year although the amount may vary depending on variation in factors that affect the economy. I expect to get my tuition fee and money for other expenses from my parents, loan, and scholarship. Being a practical profession and one that deals with human lives, nursing students are required to undergo internship in order to gain requisite experience that would assist them when practicing nursing care. I have two friends who practice nursing in public hospital and the advice they can share is that nursing is a call that requires discipline, compassion and honesty in order to provide high and satisfactory services to clients (Royal College of Nursing, 2013).

Basing on the understanding of nursing career inventory and self analysis I have the qualities that befit a competent nurse. I am compassionate, caring, honest, hardworking, easy to learn, responsible and friendly and so I can associate with patients, deliver quality health care and empathize with their conditions. As a nurse, I will be dealing with individuals, communities, families and populations that will be seeking quality health care and well being. I value nursing because it will give a chance of fulfilling my passion of assisting the society by providing preventive and curative health services, raise awareness about different health issues to communities and advocating for health needs of individuals and the society in general. Nursing career is well paying and has positive future prospects for high financial benefits. As such, I will earn enough money to sustain my family and cater for my luxury needs such as vacations (Vallano, 2008).

References

John Hopkins University. (2013).Tuition &Fees.Retrieved from

http://nursing.jhu.edu/admissions/tuition/index.html

Vallano, A. (2008). Your career in nursing. New York, NY: Kaplan Pub.

Royal College of Nursing.(2013). How to become a nurse or midwife .Retrieved from

http://www.rcn.org.uk/nursing/becomenurse