Nursing: The Opportunity To Make A Difference

Early baby boomers are now at an age when their healthcare needs are starting to increase. These “early boomers” will be followed by a tidal wave of individuals born right after World War II, putting further demands on a healthcare system already short of trained medical professionals.

Are you thinking about a career in health care? Nursing, the front line of the healthcare system, is a choice worth exploring. This area of medicine is already experiencing shortages—despite the fact that the Department of Labor projects the career field to have a large number of openings in upcoming years.
Government officials are well aware of the need to attract more people to this career choice. As Senator Hillary Clinton noted, “At one time or another in each of our lives, nurses have been there for us with a kind word and a pair of able hands to comfort and heal. But today, the shortage of nurses . . . has reached crisis proportions. A record number of retirements, along with a shrinking number of students going into the nursing field . . . have left hospitals and nursing homes without the skilled staff that they need.”
Enrollment in entry-level degree programs in nursing increased by 10.6% in 2004 over the previous year, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). “Though this increase is welcome, nursing colleges and universities denied 26,340 qualified applications this year due primarily to a shortage of nurse educators,” the Association said.
The government is projecting a short-fall of 800,000 nurses by the year 2020 and there is concern that access to quality healthcare may be compromised since nursing schools are not graduating enough nurses educated at the baccalaureate and graduate levels.
Many different options The opportunity to help people and make a difference in their lives, the diversity of specialties available within the overall field of health care, and the likelihood of job security all make nursing a good field in which to work.
“Young people are now discovering all that nursing has to offer and the variety of things they can do in the profession,” says Dr. Verna R. Kieffer, chair of the Department of Nursing at D’Youville College in Buffalo, New York. “There are endless opportunities available in today’s healthcare system.”
And while nursing used to be a field that primarily attracted women, more and more men are now choosing it as a career. The broad range of choices available include work in oncology, renal medicine, psychiatry, emergency services, pediatric nursing, operating room care, hospice and palliative care, intensive care, community health nursing, research, teaching, and more.
All branches of the military are interested in signing on nurses, and individuals who make this career decision can be stationed throughout the world.

Solid earnings and benefits While entry-level salaries for nurses vary depending on location, they generally range between $35,000 and $45,000 per year, with additional compensation for evening, night, and weekend shifts. Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow, a coalition of 42 nursing and healthcare organizations, lists health insurance, vacation days, holiday pay, college tuition reimbursement, childcare, flexible scheduling, and pension plans as benefits people entering the field can expect to enjoy.
Individuals who are interested in pursuing a nursing career should be aware, though, that educational requirements are becoming stricter. The National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice (NACNEP) calls for at least two-thirds of the workforce to hold a baccalaureate degree or higher in nursing by 2010. Currently, only 43% of nurses meet these qualifications.

Reaching nontraditional applicants Today’s nursing students have not all followed traditional paths to their profession. With so many economic and job market changes in the past few years, more and more individuals with degrees in other areas are contemplating changing careers—and nursing ranks high with those seeking a stable, well compensated job.
In order to attract these adult students, colleges are working to make the transition to nursing easier and course work schedules more flexible.
Innovative programs Five-year programs in nursing are now offered by many colleges. Combined B.S./M.S. programs allow students to finish faster and move into the workforce more quickly. Some colleges also offer financial features that include the master’s degree portion of the degree billed at the undergraduate level or a special tuition rate for registered nurses seeking their bachelor’s degree in nursing. Still other schools have boosted scholarship awards to qualified students.The bottom line is that by whatever method students come to the field of nursing, the opportunities are certainly there. In today’s high-tech, often impersonal world, nursing offers a career that touches lives—and that can provide a great deal of personal satisfaction.
Rebecca Witcop, a recent nursing graduate, works in a busy county hospital. She sums up her feelings this way: “I love my job, and I feel what I do every day makes a real difference in people’s lives.”

Profile Cheryl Lyons When it came to choosing a career, I always knew I wanted a profession in which I could work directly with people and make a difference in their lives. The health care field seemed the perfect choice. So I decided in high school that I would study nursing when I got to college. Some parts of my training were hard. The most difficult period for me was medical surgery clinicals. There was a huge amount of material to learn in just one semester, and some of the patients in the unit were seriously ill. But there were satisfying times as well. For example, I found home visits especially rewarding. They helped me understand how patients were coping with the challenges they faced and how they were dealing—emotionally and physically—with their illnesses. Once I completed my undergraduate work, I needed to decide which field to specialize in. I’ve always found the complexity of the human mind and human behavior very interesting, so I chose psychiatric nursing. When I went through my psychiatric rotation, I knew for sure that I’d made the right choice. Psychiatric nursing really fit my original career goal of having a lot of patient contact and helping people through stressful times. There’s no question that nursing is challenging, but the rewards are great. You’ll have many choices about what you want to specialize in, and RNs can work anywhere in the country. And since the demand for nurses is increasing every year, salaries are good. Currently, I’m the charge nurse on the day shift for an adult psychiatric unit. First thing in the morning, I get reports from the nurses on the night shift. Then I make up staff assignments for the day. Following that, I make the rounds with the psychiatrists and give them reports on the patients. Next I transcribe medication orders, do safety rounds, census checks, and admissions and discharges. I also try to work in as much time in as possible to talk to patients. Sound fast-paced? It sure is—there’s never a boring moment. And I love it! Cheryl Lyons is a registered nurse in psychiatric care at Hampton Hospital in Westhampton, New Jersey.

Article by John Bray and courtesy of www.careersandcolleges.com