What You Need to Know About a Career in Nursing

Careers in nursing demand a lot of skill and dedication for you to be successful. Although you might believe that you know everything that there is to know about nursing, there are many different aspects that people looking to go into nursing are often misinformed of or do not know about. Therefore, it is important that you do the right amount of research to determine whether a career in nursing is right for you and whether it can meet your expectations of the job role. Read on to find out more about what you need to know when going into a nursing career, and what you can expect from positions in the healthcare industry. 

What qualifications will you need? 

Although there are a number of alternate routes to take in order to become a nurse, the basic qualification that facilities look for when hiring new nurses is a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. This will give you a grounding in the practical skills and scientific knowledge you will need when caring for patients and carrying out tasks in the workplace, allowing you to better understand the demands of the nursing role. To get a Bachelor's degree, it will take you 4 years a nurse, although many of these courses include placement years, where you will gain real-world experience of a working environment and the skills that you will need for it. 

However, if you want to specialize in a certain type of nursing or decide to opt for leadership positions in nursing, it is likely that you will start to look at Master's degrees, such as a nurse practitioner program. These courses can then help you to get a more in-depth perspective on becoming a nurse, whether that is extended knowledge or different perspectives of the nursing sector. These Master's courses will usually take around 3 years to complete, as well as giving you practical experience with a high number of clinical hours. It's helpful using an online educational service while studying to learn complex topics like upper extremity anatomy easily. 

Depending on what state you live in, you will need to get a license to become a registered nurse. These may include background checks and other forms of documentation and take a couple of weeks to process. If you plan to move state in the future, you will need to get registered for every state that you work within. However, it is possible to get a multi-state license by applying for an NSC, which allows you to work in up to 25 states so far.

To get a license, you must: 

• Take an Accredited Course approved by your state Board of Nursing

• Choose between being a Licensed Practice Nurse and a Registered Nurse

• Meet the license requirements for your state

• Complete the application and pay license fees

What are the best ways to secure a job in nursing?

If you are looking to secure a job in nursing, you should consider every stage of the process, including the interview and application stage. If you want to know how to secure a job in an interview, read on for some top tips. 

Do not be selective about the jobs that you apply for. It is far better to get experience in any capacity possible than to only apply for jobs that meet your expectations. Not only this, but having a job in nursing may lead to other opportunities such as a promotion, or you may enjoy it more than you would expect. 

Interview well. In order to succeed in your interview, you should take steps to stand out from the other applicants. You can succeed at this by conducting research about the employer that you are speaking to, as well as the care that they specialize in and the opportunities that you may have. You should create questions to show that you are interested in their company as a whole and in contributing to their care schemes. Additionally, you should think of inventive ways to show your skills and experience, such as creating a portfolio of your achievements, or getting referrals in a unique way. 

Show a willingness to learn. In an interview, you should be interested in any training schemes that they have on offer and discuss the opportunity for career progression and advancement. If there are gaps in your knowledge or resume, you should show that you are willing to take additional training courses or qualifications to meet these requirements as soon as possible. 

Write a great application. However, to get an interview in the first place, you should write a great application. Speak to a mentor or seek advice from a college tutor or someone already working in the sector to find out how you can improve your application and make sure that it is perfect for the interview that you are attending. 

To find the perfect job in nursing, you need to start volunteering as soon as possible at a local venue. Not only will you be able to get the experience that you need, but you will also be able to make connections which may lead to jobs in the future. You should also consider finding nursing jobs to apply for online, especially through using specialist job boards that are catered towards the nursing industry. This means that you will be able to see at a glance whether the requirements of the job meet your experience, and you can then apply for this position quickly and easily. To find the perfect job for you, you should also consider applying for positions in nearby states or consider moving to another town or state - or even country. As a nurse, you should expect to go to the places where your skills are in demand, which might not necessarily be your local town or city. 

What are the benefits of becoming a nurse?

Nursing is incredibly advantageous and comes with a lot of benefits for people of all skills and ages. The major benefits of being a nurse are: 

1. No Shortage of Jobs 

2. Wide Range of Specialisms

3. Many Different Practice Locations

4. A Meaningful Career 

Firstly, nurses are in high demand in the USA and around the world, due to an aging population in the sector which has left a huge increase in the number of nursing positions that need to be filled. Not only this, but advancements in the sector and widened responsibilities have left nurses being highly sought after. This means that, as a nurse, it is unlikely that you will ever be out of work for long. 

Secondly, nursing is not one single career, and there a wide number of specialisms to suit every interest and skill set. This means that most people will be able to find a type of nursing that they are invested in and that they enjoy, and this ranges from children's nursing to specialisms such as anaesthetist nurses. 

Thirdly, once you are qualified as a nurse, as long as you have the right license, you can go anywhere in the world to practice. Rather than being tied down to one location, you can travel anywhere within the USA and the world with your in-demand skills and knowledge. In fact, there are many travel-abroad opportunities for student nurses to gain experience. You can also start a career in a variety of non-traditional locations, such as schools and local communities, rather than your career being hospital-based only. 

Finally, there are not many professions that you can say are always meaningful. Rather than sitting at a desk job all day, nursing is a meaningful career pathway that can help to benefit other people, as well as yourself, by making lives better for those in need and making a good impact on your community. 

What might you not know about nursing careers? 

There are 2.8 million nurses in the USA. 

According to Statista, there are 2.8 million nurses in the USA, and this number will continue to rise. In 2026, there will be 19% more nurses than now, at the end of 2019. This means that nursing is an extremely good career to get into, especially since it is ranked 19th in the best jobs in the world.

The average annual wage for nurses is over $78.000. 

If you want to become a nurse, it is important that you know how much you may be able to make a year to ensure that this is a sustainable career option, and this is often much better than many people expect. Although there is some difference in wages depending on the state that you are in, with Californian nurses earning over $106,000, the salaries for nurses remain reasonably static throughout the country. 

Nurses often work 8-12 hour shifts, 36-40 hours a week. 

Although the average hourly shifts are reasonable, you must consider that many of these are night shifts, and that you are often on-call if the hospital suddenly needs more staff on duty. You should also consider changeover protocols, which includes exchanging information about patients in your care, which can add more hours than you are expecting onto your shift pattern.