Registered nurses are highly respected professionals who make a huge difference in the lives of the people in their community.
Nursing is a vocational profession, and you must have a strong desire to spend your life caring for other people to succeed as a nurse. That being said, it’s also a profession that is well rewarded financially, offers good job security, opportunities for progression, and a surprising amount of flexibility.
We’ll talk here about what it’s really like to work as a nurse and what you should do if you think that nursing is the right career choice for you.
What do nurses do on a daily basis?
As a registered nurse, you could work in any number of different healthcare facilities. Nurses work in hospitals, of course, but they also work in schools, universities, private health clinics, community health centers, prisons, and any number of other institutions.
This is great news for registered nurses as it means they have plenty of flexibility in how they design their working life, although it does make it difficult for prospective nurses to understand exactly what their chosen career might entail!
An oncology nurse working in a hospital urgent care center has written about her daily life as a nurse. She said that on a typical day she would:
- Be constantly assessing which patients are in the most urgent need of care so that they can be prioritized accordingly.
- Take time to speak with patients and reassure them, and build a therapeutic relationship with them.
- Educate patients and their families on healthcare. For example, if someone needs to look after themselves in a specific way following surgery.
- Assess new patients as they come into the wards.
This particular nurse described working 12-hour shifts, which is common for registered nurses. Although this is a long shift, it does mean that nurses can often complete all of their work for the week over three days, which creates a good work-life balance.
How do you know if it’s for you?
If you are a person who enjoys working closely with people, has a caring nature, and is emotionally resilient, then nursing can be a fantastic career option.
The best way to understand whether nursing is right for you is to get some experience working in a healthcare setting. Doing things like volunteering at a hospital will give you a good understanding of what it’s like to work in that environment and is also a great way to meet nurses and speak to them about their experiences.
It’s also worth keeping an eye out at your local hospitals and health care organizations, as they may run initiatives to answer questions for people looking to enter the medical profession.
Salary
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the average salary for a registered nurse in 2020 was $75,330 per year.
Salary for nurses varies depending on the area of the country and what kind of institution you are working in, so it’s a good idea to look at job postings in your local area for a better idea.
According to the BLS, the lowest 10% of nurses were paid less than $53,410, and the highest 10% of nurses were paid more than $116,230, so there is a huge variation!
Generally, you can expect to be paid more as you gain experience and knowledge in the field.
Nursing degree
The first step to qualifying as a nurse is getting your nursing degree. When choosing your degree, it’s essential that you choose one that is accredited by your state nursing board; otherwise, you may not be eligible for a nursing license.
There are two types of degrees available, an ADN (associate degree in nursing) and a BSN (bachelor of science in nursing).
The ADN typically takes two years to complete, while the BSN takes four. It’s worth noting that the nursing profession is moving towards the BSN as the standard, and you will need to hold a BSN to be eligible for many post-graduate opportunities, so if you can, it’s worth pursuing this route.
The good news is that the BSN doesn’t have to take four years. If you already have a bachelor’s degree in any other discipline, you can complete Elmhurst University’s ABSN online in just 16 months.
Clinical hours
You will need to complete a certain number of clinical hours before you can apply for your nursing license. The number of hours varies by state, but typically you will need three hours of clinical experience to every one hour in the classroom.
You will usually arrange your clinical hours through your university or college and complete your clinical hours at the same time as your classroom education. You will need to demonstrate competence and be signed off by a clinical supervisor before you are able to graduate.
The skills that your clinical supervisor will be looking for are:
- Technical skills – the ability to carry out nursing tasks both in practice labs and during clinical practice.
- Intellectual requirements – demonstrating the retention of knowledge and the critical thinking skills required for a registered nurse.
- Motor skills – a lot of the procedures nurses need to do are delicate, so you must have excellent fine motor skills.
- Observation – you will be assessed on how observant you are when it comes to your patients – how their condition is progressing, for example.
- Communication – you need to be able to communicate with patients and their families in a calm and soothing manner and convey complex medical information.
- Emotional robustness – you will need to demonstrate emotional resilience so that your clinical supervisor is sure you won’t suffer from burnout.
Licensure
Once you have completed your degree and clinical placements, you can apply for your nursing license. Each state has different requirements for licensure, but you can expect to sit an exam, and in a few states, you will need to undergo a criminal background check.
Licenses are granted at state level, so if you move states, you will need to check with the state that you are moving to ensure that you are allowed to work there.
Once you have your license, you can begin working as a registered nurse.
