Eight Things Every New Nurse Must Know About The Profession

You succeeded! You’ve earned a nursing degree. You’ve successfully retained and used your NCLEX exam knowledge, obtained your nursing certification and license, and found work as a nurse. You might think that the challenging part is over, right?! We don’t want to be the ones to break the awful news to you, but you are mistaken!

Working as a certified nurse requires a great deal of motivation and dedication. The future of our healthcare system depends heavily on nurses, who are at the core of the global healthcare workforce.

The career of a nurse is unlike any other profession. A nurse is devoted to providing care for their patients and their family. In reality, you will influence people’s lives starting when you enter nursing school. Having said that, not everyone is a good fit for the nursing profession.

However, today, we’ll provide a thorough overview of what to anticipate should you pursue a career in nursing. So, if you’re interested in working as a nurse, read on to learn everything there is to know about this meaningful profession.

1. You’ll Obtain Expertise in Multiple Nursing Sub-Fields

While working as a nurse, you can work in various specializations and hospital or clinical settings. The opportunities will be infinite, ranging from management to emergency room treatment to pediatrics. However, selecting a specialty you enjoy will take time, patience, and, most crucially, trial and error. Ultimately, this may leave you with too many options.

For instance, you can acquire a campus-based or an online BSN to work in a hands-on nursing role. Or you can also work as a nurse educator by obtaining an Ed.D. in nursing. Ultimately, the possibilities are endless. Therefore, before you assume that becoming a caregiver is your only choice, make up your mind and choose the specialty you want to pursue.

2. Physical and Mental Burnout is a Reality

Despite all the advantages, burnout will be a part of your nursing career. After all, stress is a part of any job, regardless of the profession. However, nurses are especially vulnerable to emotional and physical burnout because of their demanding work schedules and the significant influence their decisions have on their patients’ lives. It can cause despair, misery, and cynicism if left untreated.

That being said, taking care of oneself is the greatest approach to preventing burnout. So, eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly to battle physical and mental burnout like a champ.

3. Nursing is All About Holistic Care

Instead of focusing on a single disease or ailment, holistic therapy treats the patient as a whole. A holistic nurse can identify each patient’s environmental, spiritual, mental, and physical limitations and strengths. After all, the advantages of holistic care go above and beyond.

According to a Swedish study, patients who received holistic care from ARPNS were happier with the effectiveness and accessibility of the therapies. As a result, many US hospitals and healthcare organizations are gradually incorporating holistic care into their treatment methods.

4. Nursing Provides Excellent Satisfaction

One of the most prestigious professional career options in the world is nursing. Between a patient and their doctor, nurses serve as a liaison. Most of the time, a patient will engage with a nurse than their doctor, depending on the circumstance.

Most seasoned nurses feel that treating patients’ ailments and following their recovery from the beginning to the finish gives them a great deal of personal gratification. After all, providing and caring for someone daily makes you feel that you’re helping the world.

5. You’ll Get Steady Pay

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic’s lasting effects on the global economy, particularly on companies and hospitals, nurses continue to get stable salaries and, in some cases, wage increases, according to an article in the American Nurse Journal. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering that registered nurses were named number thirteen on the list of the top 100 highest-paying jobs for 2020 by US News & World Report.

Furthermore, hospitals and other healthcare institutions are luring nurses with various rewards. According to a CNN story, numerous healthcare facilities allegedly provide nurses with free accommodation and five-figure signing incentives. This is being done to both attract new nurses and keep the ones they already have.

6. Working as a Nurse Means Long Shifts

The Coronavirus epidemic has significantly increased the need for more nursing personnel globally. However, not everyone decides to pursue a career in nursing. As a result, lengthy working hours and overtime are being caused by this.

Therefore, if you’re considering becoming a nurse in 2022, be aware that you’ll need to put in a lot of overtime, including frequent night shifts, to fill the gap that the Coronavirus has created in the healthcare sector. However, you will have more options for collaboration if you work late or on the night shift.

7. Technology is Taking the Nursing World by Storm

Nurses frequently had a specialized function early on because they could only work with the military, townships, or churches. To care for a large population, independent of location, nurses may join up with several online nursing platforms because of the pandemic’s increased popularity of telehealth.

Consequently, patients can contact their primary care physician by downloading and installing smartphone apps. In reality, people may quickly get online prescriptions, medical guidance, diagnoses, and treatment recommendations with a touch of a screen or a few mouse clicks.

8. Staffing Shortages are a Reality

The nursing profession has struggled with a staffing shortfall since its inception. Additionally, the COVID-19 epidemic has multiplied this problem tenfold. Medical mistakes, overburdened staff members, and worse treatment quality are all consequences of understaffing. But why are there such problems with staffing shortages?

Science Daily analysis indicates more nurses over fifty than those under thirty. It implies that many more nurses are retiring than ten years ago. More patients arrive at the hospital’s doors while more nurses hang up their boots. Healthcare executives must implement change if they are to overcome this challenge.

They must encourage more people to get a nursing degree, for instance, by obtaining an online DNP, MSN, or BSN degree. Additionally, to address the issue of understaffing, hospital administrators and executives might ask retired nurses to return to the nursing profession.

The Final Words

Future nurses interested in pursuing a profession in nursing can be certain that they will have a successful future. Today’s nurses often benefit from technological developments, increased career options, new specializations, and constantly changing work conditions.

You might be wondering, though, what about possible pay? Studies demonstrate that a registered nurse makes more than $70,000 annually. So, if you want to commit to serving humanity while making a good living, becoming a nurse is the best option!