Florence Project

Why should a student choose to go into the field of nursing instead of becoming a doctor? Are the two fields that much different or just the pay scale? The answer to that question will be answered by the student’s personality type and also what they would like to accomplish. A doctor’s job is to find out what is wrong with the patient and to try and cure them of their ailments. The nurse, on the other hand, does not try to cure the patient, but rather they work with them while trying to make them more comfortable through the sickness.

Nursing is a very satisfying field to those who feel it beckoning to them. Not only is the nurse available to a family during one of the happiest times in their life, the birth of a new baby, but they also are there to comfort them during one of the most traumatic times, which is the death of a loved one. This may not seem like a benefit to many people, but when a group of nurses were polled, they felt that being a comfort to people in a time of sorrow was one of the greatest gifts their job gave them. One nurse tells of how she used to hand out prepaid credit cards to new fathers in her ward. They only had a few dollars on them, but after years of working in the maternity ward she noticed that these new fathers rushed out of the house with their wives in labor forgetting their wallets and change.

The hospital is not the only place for a nurse. Nurses are also needed on the battlefield, in private homes, schools, and as teachers. There is a place for every personality type in the nursing field.

Being a home health nurse is becoming a lucrative and expanding field. The older generation is living much longer and is making the choice, financially and otherwise, to stay at home which makes the home health nursing as about a good a field as any in the industry of health professionals.

If you yourself are thinking about going into the field, then you might want to keep some things in mind. As the field grows and expands so do the changes in the field and what your job description will be. So by keeping in mind a few sound pieces of advice you can make sure that the next 25 years of your career go as smoothly as your decision was to go into it in the first place.

Be outfitted – A home health nurse should have all the basic tools of the trade. Some hospitals you are affiliated with can outfit you with the tools of the trade but if not, then you may have to purchase them yourself. These things include but are not limited to a blood pressure monitor, blood glucose monitor, tape, scissors, gauze, stethoscope, as well as a pulse oximeter. These are staples of a good home health nurse and will serve you well as you start your new career.

Have Good Wheels – A good car that gets good gas mileage and is less likely to break down could mean the difference between keeping your job and losing it. You will be spending the majority of your day traveling from place to place and unless you work down south or on the west coast you run the risk of being involved in bad weather and that could be very tough for your work. So get a car that won’t make you late and you’ll be ready for your new profession.

Would you be interested in a career where you could expect to receive a sign-on bonus of $20-30 thousand, a competitive salary, school loan repayments of up to $120,000, 30 days paid leave a year, life insurance, dental insurance, and health insurance — plus good retirement benefits? If this sounds good, then look into military nursing.

Every branch of the US military needs medical staff, which means that in addition to all of the above, you could do some traveling and see some areas of the world you might never see otherwise. As long as you are a US citizen, have a registered nursing license and are over 21, you can become a military nurse — male or female. Here’s a quick run- down of the main military nursing careers.

Army Nursing

Become one of the almost 3500 active duty Army Nurse Corps nurses if you like the idea of working in the field, going overseas or working on a military base in the US. If you choose to go through the army ROTC program, you can start your nursing career as an officer. After a year of on the job training, you can choose from one of four specialized areas: OB-GYN, Preoperative, ICU, and Psychiatric.

Air Force Nursing

As a member of the US Air Force Medical Service, you can choose from one of 6 nursing fields: Women’s Medical Specialist Corps, Medical Corps, Dental Corps, Veterinary Corps, Medical Service Corps and Air Force Nurse Corps. You’ll need a BA in nursing to join the Air Force nurse corps because all nurses in the corps are commissioned officers.

Navy Nurse Corps

To become a Navy nurse, you have to be enrolled in an accredited BA nursing program when you sign up because all nurses in the navy nursing division hold the rank of ensign or higher. Once you sign on to become a Navy nurse, you can receive a monthly stipend after your sophomore year of $1000. After college, you can start your career by working on a Navy ship or at a naval hospital.

As a nurse, chances are you work long hours every day and don’t have time for other things – like traveling. Travel nursing can combine work time and play time into one adventuresome job – that just happens to pay very well. There are both good and bad aspects to travel nursing, so be sure to do your research to see if it might be right for you.

One good point is the ability to literally choose anywhere that you would like to visit – and go work there. Most of the jobs last for 13 weeks and all nursing specialties can work as a travel nurse — though you need to have at least a year of recent experience in your field.

The pay and bonuses are very good, but vary from region to region. The benefits are also excellent and cover housing expense, health insurance, professional insurance, and 401(k). Most agencies are starting to offer a completion bonus and a loyalty bonus if you stick with jobs from just their agency. Travel expenses are included, as are license reimbursement expenses. Housing options can range from an apartment close to work, to a recreational vehicle that you can call home and move from job to job.

All of these sound like the good points, so if there is a bad side, what is it?

Some people like to travel, but think having to move into new housing all the time is stressful. It might help to have a cozy RV, as mentioned above, to provide a “constant” in your life – if you like RV life.

If you have a hard time making new friends, having new neighbors all the time could be difficult. Another negative point for some people is having a new contract – and new pay structure – every three months. This can affect your budget in a big way. Another potential negative point is having to worry about where your next job will be. If you work for an agency, you can have a management secretary who will locate your next job for you.

The Peace Corps volunteers live and work with people in the poorer areas of the world, helping to improve their communities, promote peace and show the good side of Americans. While living and working in another country, you’ll have the chance to get to know the people, experience their culture and see another environment – often one that is very foreign to most Americans — all on a first hand basis.

Some of the areas in the world served by the Peace Corps include Africa, the Caribbean, Central America, Europe and Asia. The interesting thing about the Peace Corps is that they accept almost anyone who wants to volunteer – even if that person has a chronic health problem like diabetes or heart disease. Seeing to the medical needs of some 7000 volunteers is the business of a Peace Corp Nurse.

A Peace Corp nurse screens volunteers before they are accepted and handles emergencies both in the field and at a facility in Washington D.C. It’s the Peace Corps Nurse’s job to make sure the volunteers stay healthy and able to do their work overseas. When volunteers become sick, they come to the facility, receive treatment and care from a Peace Corps Nurse, then return to service as soon as possible.

In the field, duties include evaluating and setting up health care facilities, diagnosing and treating disease, dispensing vaccinations and dealing with injuries that require hospitalization. Nurses work in clinics or as educators — teaching the local populace about healthy living.

As a Peace Corps nurse with a one year contract , you’ll receive benefits like airfare, storage for your possessions while you are overseas, an allowance of $6,000, dental and medical care, 2 days a month vacation and the experience of living in a country somewhere in the world that really needs your help.

Peace Corps nursing is definitely not for every nurse. But many nurses feel it gives them a chance to work in an area where their expertise is truly needed — and appreciated — and that the experience has enhanced their careers in an eye-opening way.

Back in the early part of this century, women could aspire to get married, become a secretary or become a nurse. Because of that limited way of thinking, in the 60s and 70s nursing fell out of favor among young people deciding what career they would like to pursue once out of college or high school.

As the “boomer” generation in the US continues to grow older, there is more of a demand for nurses than ever before and nursing once again offers a good career choice for people – both men and women — looking for a satisfying job that can also make a difference.

Studies show that 1.7 million registered nurses will be needed in the US by 2020 — and nowhere near that many people are currently choosing nursing as a career. Which means if you have a four year college degree in nursing, you can expect to be employed in a field with one of the highest paid starting salaries available — and if you choose to further your education by specializing in one of the many nursing fields, you can expect to earn much more.

You can custom design your nursing career around your interests and talents; work for a private physician, work in a hospital’s emergency room, or become a military nurse and travel around the world. You can work with children and newborns, or visit and care for in-home patients, work for a forensic research team or work with the Red Cross as an international nurse. These suggestions don’t even begin to scratch the surface of what is available, so it’s really all up to you.

Becoming a nurse means accepting a high degree of responsibility. Nurses are often the first to recognize an emergency situation and deal with it until the doctor arrives. That in turn will require a lot of work and dedication to acquire a nursing degree. But for all of that work and dedication, you will step into a satisfying career that will guarantee that you will be in a position to make a real difference in your patient’s lives.