Why Nursing Is The Most In-Demand Job Opportunity
Date Added: 27/08/2021
Date Added: 27/08/2021
The nursing career is not only highly respected but also enjoys huge demand. Highly skilled nurses are in shortage too. A well-paid job comes with awesome benefits too.
LinkedIn calls the Registered Nurse job one of the top 10 in-demand jobs of 2021. Nursing also ranks as one of the most flexible job sectors.
The coronavirus outbreak underscored the important role of nurses in society. Estimates say nurses make 59 percent of all healthcare professionals as the largest chunk of health and medicine jobs.
Nursing is a highly sought-after field and these healthcare providers coordinate care plans, educate patients, administer medications, and perform patient assessments.
They work in an array of healthcare environments, such as hospitals, community health centers, nursing homes, and schools.
All health careers, including nursing, are recession-proof. The demand never subsides and offers long-term job and income security, braving all kinds of economic downturns.
Nursing is one of the 10 most financially secure jobs with three-fourths of nurses reported zero change in their income, highlighting the profession's resilience in any economic condition.
There are two types of nurses, a licensed practical nursing (LPN) also called licensed vocational nursing, and high profile Registered nurse (RN). Educational requirements vary in each role. The education of an LPN/LVN or RN differs; so does the practice.
An LPN/LVN gets a 1-year certificate or degree from a hospital or trade school. For the LPN license, they must pass the National Council Licensure Examination or NCLEX-PN.
To enter the nursing career as an RN, the preferred degree is a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). This 4-year college program has a curriculum centered on coursework, clinical skill development, and lab time with exposure to hospital-based programs.
A Registered Nurse can get into multifarious roles. Vast placements are a big plus. It ranges from roles like legal nurse consultant for the justice system to nurse for critical trauma care. Registered nurses (RNs) provide and coordinate treatment, perform and analyze tests, educate patients and the public about healthcare issues. For an RN license, there are numerous pathways.
The median wage for nurses is $50,000, according to BLS. In terms of perks, they enjoy overtime pay for holidays and weekends. Nurses in advanced practice can command a salary up to $90,000.
The growth potential of a nursing career is dictated by the specialization chosen. There are 200 specialties to choose from where special certification is possible to get the expert tag. This will bring about salary hikes and higher demand for services.
In nursing career entry, the basic qualification is a nursing diploma or associate degree in nursing (ADN). For licensing they have to pass the NCLEX-RN exam.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is a shortage of about 800,000 plus nurses. The demand for nurses is driven by an aging population and the rising life span of people needing more medical care personnel. Most hospitals and medical facilities are looking for nurses.
Nursing shortage per a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) can be addressed only by hiking the number of nurses to at least 5.9 million to meet the demand.
The Covid pandemic raised the demand for nurses by a whopping 30 percent. One reason people choose a nursing career is the passion to help others. Empathetic nurses make a huge difference in society’s healthcare status by examining, and caring for patients.
Unlike traditional jobs, nursing also offers fairly well work-life balance and job satisfaction with flexibility. Nurses working in hospital settings have to work only three days a week and nurses employed at schools get summer breaks and holidays.
The nursing career offers immense space for further education to reach bigger roles. There is a good opportunity to earn graduate degrees, achieve advanced clinical training get master's degrees, and even doctorate degrees. Such highly qualified nurses are called Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN’s) who include NPs, CNMs, and CRNAs.
Nurse practitioners or NPs are employed in a variety of specialties offering primary and preventive care. They can diagnose and treat certain diseases, and prescribe medications too. Nurse practitioners can serve in hospitals, nursing homes, and private practices.
Certified nurse-midwives provide obstetric and gynecologic care in hospitals, birthing centers, and patient homes.
Certified registered nurse anesthetists provide anesthesia to patients for surgery and other procedures. Clinical nurse specialists (CNS) are experts active in hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and within the community.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the growth rate for RNs will be 19 percent, much higher than the average growth in other professions. It is expecting more than a half million new nursing openings by the year 2022.
According to forecasts, hospitals and outpatient care centers will continue to lead the hiring for RNs and NPs.
Telemedicine is one area needing more RNs and NPs as hospitals and healthcare organizations will tap remote medical consultancy.
NPS is in big demand for psychiatric mental health centers too as people try to cope with pandemics and other stressors.
Both RNs and NPs have the window to expand competitiveness and competency via continuing education classes (CEU) to sharpen skills and new learning.
In the US, RNs and NPs have offers like Incredible Health’s free CEUs. There the courses are accredited by American Nurses Credentialing Center or ANCC.
Nurses continue to be in the front lines ensuring care delivery safely, and compassionately. They handle patient assessments, evaluations, and care in all healthcare settings including hospitals, and ambulatory settings. Nurses holistically connect with patients’ families and respond to the social and spiritual needs.
Their education and experience mandate a significant role to transform the health care system to augment prevention and management.
The traditional competencies of care management, patient education, public health intervention, and transitional care are getting new upgrades with technology changes. This promises more jobs as well.