So, you are considering taking up nursing in college or contemplating joining the workforce. Congratulations! In this current state of healthcare, if you are a nursing graduate there is a job waiting for you!

Global Need for Nurses

In 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that there are 28 million nurses all over the world. Furthermore, the same report mentioned that by 2030, at least six (6) million more nurses will be needed to take care of the world’s healthcare needs.

To place this in the correct context, this report came out during the early days of the pandemic. In the past couple of years, nursing has experienced turnover like never seen before. A lot of nurses moved away from the bedside. Some of the baby boomer nurses retired earlier than expected. Still more left the profession altogether. The most prevalent reason is burnout due to working long hours. Oftentimes, their units are short-staffed. Plus, they are dealing with really sick patients.

We, nurses, are called to give of ourselves so much. And, we do! Daily! However, we really cannot blame those who have had enough because we can only bend up to a certain extent before actually reaching the breaking point.

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Nursing, Heal Thyself

By this time, you may think to yourselves: if nurses are leaving their profession, why would I want to be one?

Nurses are very resilient and committed to their jobs. Most of us don’t give up because we have to take an extra patient sporadically. However, if our patient load is unsafe to handle, it is important to speak up and advocate on their behalf.

As the need for nurses increases, executive leaders or human resources personnel conduct recruitment. If you ask me, however, I think nurses have the upper hand in attracting like-minded individuals into the nursing fold. Nurses can share experiences, both the good and the bad. A few interested would-be nurses may be discouraged by the challenges, but those who really have a heart for nursing will appreciate the honesty. At the very least, they will have a good idea of what they will be getting themselves into.

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So What is Nursing, Really?

Nursing, more than a profession, is a sacred calling, a vocation. It requires the use of skills, knowledge, and attitude, which to me are the tenets of my Paulinian education. Nurses attend formal nursing classes. They obtain their knowledge from lessons, discussions, and even examinations. Skills are honed by clinical experiences either hands-on or simulation practices. Clinicals are integral parts of developing those skills.

Nowadays, some institutions offer the Nurse Residency Program which helps with the training and transition of entry-level nurses into practice. These nurses have classroom sessions, debriefing sessions, and they work on evidence-based projects that can improve their respective settings. Most of the organizations that offer this program are Magnet-designated.

Needless to say, attitude cannot be taught. It is mostly innate in a person. However, it can be influenced and shaped. Useful attitudes in nursing include flexibility, patience, perseverance, assertiveness (different from aggressiveness), and a penchant for working as a team member, among others.

Different Fields of Nursing

Being a nurse means you choose your own professional path. The options of specializations are limitless. You will never get stuck.

Hospital Nursing

Obviously, hospital nursing is at the forefront of everyone’s mind. Those nurses deal with sick patients daily regardless of acuity. They work in different areas: Emergency Room, Medical-Surgical units, Intensive Care Units, Pediatrics, Labor and Delivery, Operating Room, etc. Some even work in specialty fields such as Interventional Radiology, Oncology Navigator, Digestive Health, among others. Hospital nurses are on the front lines 24/7.

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Long Term Care (LTC) Nursing

In a slightly similar setting, there are nurses working in an LTC. They take care of geriatric patients, for the most part. It is important to mention, though, that there are other LTCs that cater to Pediatric patients. There are even institutions that minister to adult patients with chronic conditions that are difficult to manage at home.

The importance of our LTC colleagues was highlighted during the height of the pandemic because most of the Covid-19 mortality belonged to patients in those homes. Some LTC nurses even succumbed because of their continuous exposure to many patients sick with Covid.

Home Health Nursing

Home health nursing is a great job if you want flexibility. It is a specialty wherein a visiting nurse takes care of a homebound patient once or twice a week. Their responsibilities include checking vital signs and/or blood sugar levels, preparing medications, making referrals as necessary, and greatly, giving health teachings. After a visit, they document their visit notes, significant findings, and other related information. 

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Clinic Nursing

Clinic nurses work in providers’ offices or in outpatient procedural areas. Their responsibilities include assessing patients prior to being seen by the provider, coordinating care, assisting providers perform minor procedures, etc. Some examples are the nurses in primary care providers’ offices, infusion nurses, dialysis nurses, outpatient rehabilitation nurses, and many others.

Nursing Educator

Nursing educators either work in a healthcare setting or in the academe. The latter are also called nursing instructors. As the name implies, these nurses have specialized training and/or advanced degrees. Nursing instructors educate the new breed of nurses both with academic coursework and clinicals. On the other hand, nursing educators keep the nurses in practice abreast with the latest evidence-based knowledge that is relevant to their settings.

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Phone Triage/Telehealth Nursing

Telephone triage nurses usually work remotely and use algorithms. They respond to phone calls, assess and triage the callers’ needs, and direct them on how to obtain appropriate care. 

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Nursing Informatics

Nursing informatics is a fairly new specialization. Otherwise known as information technology (IT) nurses, they bridge the gap between the clinical and the technological realm of healthcare practice. They can advise on what applications or tools are applicable based on their extensive knowledge of the nursing workflow. They also teach new staff regarding the institution’s electronic health care (EHR) system and troubleshoot the issues of the frontline staff. Nursing informaticists along with analysts and health IT personnel work hand in hand to bring about technological innovations in conjunction with established clinical workflows. To know more about this, read HERE.

Travel Nursing

Travel nursing is a hot commodity these days!

This is due to the high demand for temporary staff to augment staffing shortages in various healthcare settings. They perform the same job description as front-line nurses for a limited period of time. They make considerably more money compared to the regular staff nurses in the unit because agencies cover their cost of living expenses while on an assignment.

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Advanced Practice Nursing

Advanced practice nurses (APNs) are either Master’s or Doctorate prepared nurses who can be primary care providers. Some examples are nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, nurse anesthetists, and clinical nurse specialists. They are mid-level providers.  APNs assess, treat, and coordinate care on behalf of the clients or patients. Some of them can prescribe certain medications without the need for a co-signature from a doctor.

Nursing Leaders

Nursing leaders include mid-level managers (unit managers) to directors and executive leaders (e.g. Chief Nurse Executives). They oversee the overall nursing practice in their respective unit, department, hospital, or organization. Leaders collaborate with nursing educators to address knowledge and skills gap, for example. They seek out the inputs from their front-line staff to make workflows more efficient. They are also responsible for the management of their respective setting’s financial assets and expenditures. Most of these leaders have advanced degrees and/or nursing leadership certifications as well.

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Nursing Salary And Benefits

Nursing salary ranges widely. It depends on education, experience, and other factors the employer may take into consideration. Work location also has an impact on these figures. A good source for salary information and outlook is the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Below are some of the median annual salaries, based on 2020 data:

• Licensed practical or vocational nurses $48,820 or $23.47/hourly
• Registered nurses $75,330 or $36.22/hourly
• Travel nurses $44,000 to $100,000 depending on specialization & location
• Advanced Practice (NP, CRNA, CNM) $117,670 or $56.57/hourly

Aside from the wages, nurses also enjoy benefits such as medical, dental, and vision insurance, life insurance, retirement benefits (401K, 403B, pension), tuition reimbursement, disability benefits, and paid time off. Some employers entice nurses with sign-on or yearly bonuses. Others offer annual increases, depending on the evaluation results.

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Conclusion