Shifting to an entirely new field after investing your time and money in another degree is certainly scary. While the inclination to continue with your career is tempting, you shouldn’t hesitate to make a career change if your current position isn’t satisfying. Nursing is among the many fields you can pursue as a second career.
This is undeniably the perfect time to consider a career in nursing, given the high demand for healthcare workers globally and anticipated future demand. You should switch your career to nursing for the following reasons.
1. Nursing is a Rewarding Career
Nursing can be the source of your much-awaited reprieve if you never felt satisfied in your first career. Besides being well-paying, flexible, and offering endless opportunities, nursing is personally fulfilling. Nursing allows you to care for patients and help them recover from diseases and injuries. Nurses form bonds with patients who will certainly remember their kindness and compassion for years.
2. Variety of Career Options
Nursing is a multifaceted career option. The nursing profession has multiple departments, specialization options, and levels. For instance, you can kickstart your career with a high school diploma and a one-year LPN program. You can advance your career to become a registered nurse by pursuing an associate degree in nursing.
That aside, a master’s degree in nursing paves the way for you to become an APRN or nurse educator. For instance, completing an MSN FNP program online qualifies you to practice as a family nurse practitioner. The highest possible degree is the Doctor of Nursing Practice, which allows you to take leadership roles and clinical research positions.
3. Nurses are in High Demand
Healthcare jobs are in high demand, especially after the recent pandemic. However, nursing jobs have always been in demand, even before the pandemic. Many countries, including the U.S., have struggled with nursing shortages for decades. With life expectancy increasing, aging baby boomers inevitably need healthcare services.
Many practicing nurses are reaching retirement age, increasing the demand for nurses to fill their positions. According to the BLS, the expected growth rate for LPNs is 11% and 12% for registered nurses. This is way above the 5% national average of most occupations.
4. You Impact the Lives of Others
You can make an impact on the lives of others in many career options. Unfortunately, you don’t always see the impact of your services on your clients and customers firsthand. However, with nursing, providing healthcare services to customers in care settings puts you in the frontline of helping patients overcome their diseases.
Nurses use the holistic approach to help their patients recover. This means looking after the patient’s physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual well-being. This approach to recovery allows nurses to address patient issues in many ways. Going beyond treating the patient’s physical symptoms is very satisfying.
Endnote
Making a career change to nursing comes with a handful of benefits. It is a multifaceted career that is in demand and allows you to serve others. Surprisingly, if you already have a degree in another field, you can switch very easily. Most online nursing schools offer degree programs for second-career students.
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