What to Consider When Deciding on a Nursing Career

Choosing to become a nurse is one of the best decisions you can make; it is a highly rewarding field that allows you to help people every day. Choosing which nursing path to go down can be tricky due to the sheer number of options.

When people think about nursing, many envision the same image of a person tending to the sick in hospital beds, but not every nurse does this. Some nursing roles focus on preventative care, some on research, and others on assisting doctors in providing medical care. What you would be best at depends on your personality, experience, and what you enjoy. If you are considering a nursing career, here is what to consider before deciding on a specialty.

The Education Required

The level of education required varies depending on the role. If you are interested in becoming a family nurse practitioner, for example, then you will need your FNP master's to gain the right certifications. Other nursing careers, such as a registered nurse, don't require a master's degree, and instead, ask for a bachelor's.

The question you must ask yourself is - how much time and money are you willing to spend on education? If you are looking for a quick path into your career, then there are nursing roles to suit that. By spending your time in education, you will have the chance to work your way up the ladder to more advanced nursing careers.

One way to manage your time during education is to choose an online course. This is especially helpful if you are already at work and not in a position to quick while working towards becoming a nurse. Online degrees allow flexibility, but still provide the same quality of education as traditional degrees, and will get you the qualifications you need to become a nurse.

Your Location

If you are settled in an area and do not wish to move, it is wise to look around and what sort of hospitals, clinics, and schools are near you. When you qualify as a nurse, you want to make sure jobs are going, so it is best to assess your surroundings before you choose a direction. Are you in a big city? A small town with only one or two clinics? Figure out where you would like to work before starting your journey.

If your area has plenty of schools, for example, then you could consider becoming a school nurse. While nursing roles are always in high demand, it's always better to ensure that a job offer is more than likely.

Your Other Obligations

Unless you are fresh out of high school, then the chances are you already have a job. This can make becoming a nurse a little trickier, but not impossible – you simply have to be wise about how you use your time.

If you have two jobs and children, then it's probably not feasible for you to start a full-time in-person course at a big university. Instead, look at other course options that are either part-time or online, so you can slot your education around your busy life.

The Natural Traits You Possess

One of the biggest factors in making your career decision is what kind of person you already are. Certain traits work extremely well with some nursing roles, while others do not. Here are some examples –

• Compassion

Compassion is a trait that is necessary for all nurses who work with patients. When you are helping people each day, making them comfortable, and providing medical treatment, it is essential to have genuine warmth towards them.

• Good with Children

Even some of the best nurses would struggle to work as a pediatric nurse, as working with children is a completely different territory. If you are dealing with an uncomfortable child, it's difficult to get them to stop wriggling or crying. This means that it takes someone very good with children to succeed as a nurse who works with them, so if you are, consider a role as a pediatric nurse.

• IT Skills

For some nursing roles, you only need to know the basics of IT. For others, however, it helps to be tech and IT savvy. If you are at home behind a computer screen, then consider a nursing role behind one, such as an informatics nurse.

• Communication

If you have strong communication skills, you would do well as a nurse who deals closely with patients. A family nurse practitioner, for example, works with families throughout their lives, with their main duties being testing, diagnosing, and prescribing medications to patients.

• Research

For those who are more academically gifted and great at researching, a research role in nursing would suit them. If you are better with your nose in a book or on a computer screen, you should consider becoming a clinical research nurse. While you won't get to work up-close and personal with patients, your work still contributes to helping save lives and improving the public's health overall.

It is recommended that while you sift through all the various nursing roles, you take into account your natural traits and how they would help you.

The Salary You Require

Most people do not go into nursing primarily for the salary, but certain specialties are extremely lucrative.

If you are happy on an average wage, and you have few money troubles, then there is no real limit when it comes to what sort of nursing role you should pursue. If you are more ambitious and are aiming for a high salary, however, then you should choose your path wisely.

Some of the highest-paid nursing careers include pediatric nurse (earning an average of $107,000 per year), certified nurse-midwife ($108,000 per year), and family nurse practitioner ($110,000 per year). On top of the high wages, healthcare roles often provide excellent benefits.

Before deciding on your specialty, make sure that the average salary meets or exceeds your expectations.

Who You Want to Work With

Different nursing roles focus on different types of people. If you are great with children, then a pediatric nurse or a school nurse would suit you well. If you would rather provide healthcare for women, however, then it would be better to focus on reproductive health and become a midwife. There are many variations, from age to gender, so it is up to you to decide who you would work best with.

How Comfortable Around Blood You Are

Most nursing roles require dealing with blood – sometimes a lot. If you don't have a strong stomach when it comes to human bodily fluids, then there are several nursing careers to tick off your list - especially working in an emergency room! You would most likely be better suited to nursing areas such as administration, research, and IT.

Your Energy Levels

Many nursing roles require you to stay on your feet all day, sometimes for very long periods. For this reason, having a lot of energy is a necessary trait of those who wish to pursue more strenuous nursing roles such as a registered nurse.

Fortunately, there are also nursing roles that don't require you to walk back and forth all day, tending to many patients. If you prefer to sit for the majority of your day but you still want to pursue nursing, then consider becoming a case management nurse or a legal nurse consultant.

Your Comfort with Tech

Some nursing roles require the use of more tech than others, so this is something to consider when choosing your specialty. Of course, most careers use technologies, but if you aren't too tech-savvy, there are nursing roles that don't require you to use it too often.

Which Roles Are in High Demand

Job security is essential. If you are starting your career journey or changing your path, you want to be sure that the road you take leads to a secure role. This means that, when deciding which nursing role to pursue, you should look into the predicted growth rate.

While most nursing careers are in steady demand, some have higher growth than others. Neonatal nursing, for example, is one that is rapidly growing and is expected to carry on doing so.

Where You See Yourself in 10 Years

Applying for a course can take as little as an hour, but the impact it has can last a lifetime. This means you should take careful consideration before jumping into a role. Look into what the job offers, and whether you can picture yourself doing in 10 years from now.

With the price of education, it's important to get it right the first time. So, take a step back, close your eyes, and picture yourself working as a nurse. Where are you? Who are you working with? Are you happy? When it comes to choosing something that will change the course of your life, it's crucial to know that you won't regret the decision down the line.

How You Deal With Emergencies

Most people experience an emergency at some point in their lives. If you have, then think about how you acted. Were you cool, calm, and collected or distraught, frantic, and inconsolable? If you were the former, then it's possible you would make an excellent nurse working in emergency rooms.

If you cannot handle high-stress emergencies quite so well, however, then you would probably be better suited to a more preventative, calm nursing role.

How You Work with Others

Some nursing roles require massive amounts of teamwork. As a registered nurse, for example, you would work alongside your co-workers to provide the best care possible. Other roles, however, don't require quite as much teamwork. While you would still need to check-in with co-workers, some of the leadership nursing roles require working alone more often.

Which sort of role you choose depends on how you prefer to work. If you work best while surrounded by people, then consider working in a bustling hospital with your co-workers by your side. If you are happier tending to your duties alone, however, then perhaps a clinic-based leadership role would suit you.

Your Previous Experiences

While you can start your nursing education with no experience, that doesn't mean you shouldn't consider it. If you have already worked for 10 years with children, for example, then you could bring the skills learned there to a pediatric nurse role. Assess your previous roles and figure out how they could help you with certain nursing roles. You never know - you might possess a skill that makes you soar.

What Makes You Happy

When it comes to choosing a career, the most important factor is your happiness. No matter how skilled you are in a certain area, it will mean nothing if you don't have the passion for it. If you are to work somewhere for 10, 20, or even 50 years, you must ensure that it is something that makes you happy to get out of bed in the morning.

Think about what you are passionate about. Do you want to provide care for the elderly? Are you keen to work with children? The secret to a long and fulfilling career is doing something that fills you with pride. When the moments get tough and your energy falls, it will be the passion that pushes you through.

Why Nursing?

Nursing is competitive, stressful, and extremely fulfilling, and there are endless reasons why a person would want to pursue a career as a nurse. Despite the amount of work, the long shifts, and the sad situations nurses must deal with, it is still a career that holds a high job satisfaction rate. This is no surprise when nurses can go to work each day and focus on bettering the lives of those around them.

Choosing your nursing path should take some time, as you want to make sure the career you choose fulfills your life and makes you happy. Many nurses start with a bachelor's, and from there, decide which area they want to specialize in.

(Disclaimer: Devdiscourse's journalists were not involved in the production of this article. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Devdiscourse and Devdiscourse does not claim any responsibility for the same.)