Becoming a Nurse

The healthcare sector provides plenty of careers which are financially rewarding. Nursing is one amongst them, which earns you not only a generous salary, but the satisfaction of helping people recover. If you are compassionate, empathetic, and if you can comfort an ailing patient, you should think of looking at nursing as a career option. Nursing gives you career stability and a good earning. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the healthcare sector occupies nearly 2.5 million jobs, of which approximately 55% are in hospitals.

How to be a Registered Nurse

As a registered caregiver, you have to treat patients, extend emotional backing, and create an awareness in the society about various medical emergencies and disorders. You also have to document a patient's medical history, work on various medical equipment, administer medication and help in a patient's overall recovery. She has to educate a patient's family members about physical therapies that may have to be taken following the illness, dispensing medication and preventive measures to be adopted, etc. She can specialize in one or more of the following areas.

• Practitioner: It demands rendering healthcare and nursing aids to the patients. The most sought after specializations are acute care, adult practice, geriatrics, pediatrics and women health.
• Midwife: You are expected to lend services such as prenatal care, assisting an obstetrician, neonatal care, family planning guidance and conducting gynecological tests.
• Anesthetist: It involves responsibilities such as administering anesthesia before and after surgery, and helping in obstetrical and diagnostic procedures.
• Clinical Specialist: She has to deliver consultations such as mental health.
• Forensic Nurse: She assists in the investigation and treatment of crime victims, violence victims and traumatic accidents.
• Educator: The responsibilities involves drafting, employing and assessing educational curricula for students.
• Navy Nurse: A career as a nurse in the navy is a professionally rewarding one. Becoming one requires guiding hospital corpsmen on rendering services for attending patients.
• Infection Control Nurse: They recognize and curb various epidemic outbreaks and plan for the prevention of the same.

You can change your area of specialization, unlike doctors, if you wish to.

Education and Training

Degrees such as a 4 year BSN program (Bachelor's Degree in Nursing), 2-3 years of AND (Associate Degree in Nursing), a 3 year diploma, and a 3-4 year full-time MSN (Master's Degree in Nursing) can earn you a registration. A person can get an online nursing degree as well, since there are several universities offering online courses. To become a licensed practitioner, a person must graduate from an accredited nursing school and pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) or (NCLEX-RN). Some employers demand one or more credentialed specialties such as gerontology, pediatrics and ambulatory care to name a few. The National League for Nursing and American Nursing Credentialing Center are a few of the authorized bodies to get credentialed from.

Salary and Progression

According to The US Bureau of Labor Statistics, average salary is approximately $50,000. In the states like California, Massachusetts and Maryland, registered nurses can earn as high as approximately $80,000 of annual wage. She/he starts her/his career as a staff employee in a hospital and climbs the ladder to a senior position. A person with an advanced nursing degree, with work experience and performance, can get promoted from head nurse to senior levels such as chief or director of nursing.

If you are looking forward to a career in nursing, this article should have told you how you can embrace a career giving you the recognition of 'ambassadors of humanity'.