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How would you like a job that no matter where you went, you were in demand? The pay is great. Bonuses are paid when you are hired. You do not have to work in the same place year after year. In fact, you can change the vocation landscape every quarter if you wish. What kind of job am I speaking of? Nursing.

There is such a nursing shortage, they can demand just that. Not just in the United States, but all over the world. It is estimated that there are over 120,000 nursing vacancies in America. And it isnt getting better. As the US population continues to get older, the nursing shortage is expected to reach 800,000 in the next decade.

Nurses can name their price. Some are making as much as 60-70 per hour. Yes, these are the best of times and the worse of times for nurses. Good, because they can practically name the terms of their employment. Bad because they are being over worked and our health care is suffering as a result of it. It is only a matter of time that someones life is lost as a result of this.

American hospitals are starting to look overseas to satisfy their need for nurses. As this is being written, legislation is being worked to allow these immigrants a path to citizenship as they work in our hospitals.

Pulling nurses from overseas creates problems for those countries that are losing nurses. Good health care is as much a premium there as it is here. This is not the long term solution to the problem.

Our government throws money at everything. Even in nursing education they provide educational grants, loans, etc. The problem is they do not have enough professors to teach new nurses. In fact, there were almost 30,000 qualified nursing students last year that could not get educated.

Is this the governments responsibility to ante up even more money to educate new nurses? That is not for me to answer, but it seems like some of these agencies and hospitals could do more to encourage and help nurses enter the workplace. After all, these same agencies are willing to pay upwards to 5,000 as a hiring bonus for qualified nurses.

This may not seem to be a problem to you until you find yourself needing qualified healthcare.

Most people say it is a career about caring. Others say it is a job about professional administration of medications and cure to patients. Some say it is the duty to work out predicaments by using critical thinking skills.

In whatever way you want to call it, nursing is, indeed, a conglomeration of all these beliefs and the faculty of many other skills. Nursing merges all the elements of professional treatment, compassion, and medical attention into one vigorous and feasible occupation. Nurses demonstrate all the remarkable characteristics of a person knowledgeable in patient care.

For this reason, many people all over the world continues to pursue a career in nursing. So for those who want to establish a successful career in this in-demand and exciting job, there are ten things you need to know first.

1. The nursing profession started out primarily during the early Christian era where members of the church provided nursing care to the sick. Though not professionally systematic at first, most of the activities of early nurses were focused on proper hygiene and comfort needs which are still being practiced up to the present.

2. It was in the year 1860 when Nightingale School at St. Thomas Hospital in London, the first training school for nurses, was built. Florence Nightingale was the one responsible in this momentous event. No wonder she was then acclaimed “The Founder of Modern Nursing.”

3. Linda Richards was the first trained nurse in the United States. In 1873, she graduated from New England Hospital for Women and Children in Boston. Being one of the proponents of nursing, she opened the first training school for nurses in Japan and started a nurse training school at the Methodist Episcopal Hospital in Philadelphia.

4. Historically, more women have preferred nursing as a career. In fact, nursing was known to be a career for women until today where things changed. There have been statistical reports showing gradual increase of registered nurses composed of men. This just implies that men can also be passionate and caring contrary to what the society have labeled them as strong and formidable human beings.

5. In the United States, 88% of the employed registered nurses are white or Caucasians. The remaining 12% are from non-Caucasians backgrounds; most of them came from non-Hispanic or African-AmericanBlack race.

6. In the age demographics of the United States alone, most of the registered nurses are under the age of 40. Statistical reports in the year 2000 showed a relative increase in the median age thereby indicating an older nursing population and fewer young nurses entering the registered nurse population. Consequently, most people believe that 15 years from now, almost half of the registered nurse population will be retiring sooner or later leaving a smaller staff of younger registered nurses.

7. While most students pursue a career in nursing, the statistics show that most hospitals, particularly in the United States, are having problems in nursing shortage. This alarming condition is manifested by a growing number of retired nurses while the health care arena is continuously multiplying due to an excessive population growth in most areas. Nursing shortage is, in fact, a worldwide phenomenon. Countries like Canada, Philippines, Australia, Western Europe, Africa, and South America have reported significant nursing shortages.

8. Nowadays, most hospitals are more and more becoming large intensive care units with cardiac monitoring, respiratory assistance and intensive treatments are notably part of the typical patient’s therapy. And so, escalated demands in skilled and specialized nurses are in the offing.

9. Nursing shortages can be a frightening cause of higher morbidity rate. According to a 1998 research, hospitals with more registered nurses on staff and with higher ratios of nurses to patients had smaller number of deaths compared to those that do not have larger staff of registered nurses. With this, nursing shortages must be resolved as soon as possible to curb a boost in morbidity.

10. Despite the alarming condition of nursing shortages these days, it was found out, through a nationwide opinion focus group poll conducted by the American Hospital Association in 1997, that the nurses were the ultimate vital indicator that the people referred to as the assessment of excellent hospital care.

With these facts, there is no doubt nursing is not merely a profession with greater demands in terms of workforce and responsibilities but more of a humanitarian skill dealing with more compassion than technicalities. Thus, the ten facts about nursing mentioned are not plain issues about the said profession; it is more about life itself and how nurses are deeply valued.

I initially chose my career in nursing for financial reasons. One of my friends had become a registered nurse and was making a very comfortable living. When we would get together, I would often ask her questions about the time commitment involved with becoming an RN and what she liked and disliked about the job. Being a close friend, she tried her best to paint an accurate picture for me of what her daily work was all about and certainly didn’t sugarcoat her position. While I was interested in what she had to say, I was much more interested in finding a way to quickly raise my earning potential. I enrolled in a nursing program and worked part time while I went to school. After graduation, I was able to get a job at a senior care facility. I was already prepared for the worst I might encounter and was looking forward to getting my first paycheck.

My first paycheck came and went, and while I was happy to be earning a high hourly wage, my focal point had shifted. You see, for the first time in my working life, I actually looked forward to going to work. It’s not that I ever hated any particular previous job so much that I dreaded coming in, but more that I always viewed work as a necessary evil. Nursing changed that for me.
Everyday, I get to help people. I comfort them when they need to be comforted. I listen when they need someone to talk to. I have a very busy schedule, and not everything I do is rewarding or even pleasant, but there are aspects of this job that make me feel like I am really making a difference to someone. Three months after I started my job, one of our patients unexpectedly passed away. When his family came for the wake and funeral, they made a point to stop by the facility and thank me. Apparently, this man had told them several times of how kind I was to him and how much he appreciated it. Hearing this made me cry, but it also made me happy that my efforts were appreciated.

It’s now been a few years since I first graduated from the nursing program. I’m going to earn an online bachelor’s of science in nursing while I continue at my job. My hope is to eventually become head nurse, although I want to avoid moving into an administrative position. I like spending my workday caring for patients. The feeling I get from my job is worth more than any paycheck could ever be.

People are living longer, mainly due to changes in lifestyles but also because of incredible advances in health care. One of the results is the need for more healthcare professionals, including nurses. One way the industry is changing is by offering career choices in the form of more educational opportunities and options.

The Associate’s Degree in Nursing has only recently become an option, though it’s quickly gaining favor in the health care industry. While there are naturally some differences in the training for an associate’s degree as opposed to a bachelor’s degree, many health care agencies – including hospitals and doctor’s offices – are recognizing the fact that those graduating with associate’s degrees can perform many of the same duties and handle many of the same responsibilities as those with bachelor’s degree. But is there really a difference?

There has to be some difference simply by the difference in time requirements for the two degrees. An associate’s degree is typically accomplished in two years. This is sometimes called a “fast track” and there are many associate’s degree programs available. Most are available through community colleges or technical training schools, though some four-year universities are now offering fast track degrees as part of their training programs.

By comparison, a bachelor’s degree in nursing usually takes four years. Some who go into college with at least a few hours of college behind them and a solid plan can accomplish it sooner, especially if summer school classes are used to hasten the process. But as a rule, it takes a full four years to complete college with a bachelor’s degree in any field, including nursing.

If you can achieve an associate’s degree in only two years, why would anyone go on for the bachelor’s degree? Most health care facilities seem willing to accept either degree, but most make a pay differentiation. Those who have graduated with a bachelor’s degree can often expect to be paid more than those with an associate’s degree. One of the positive points is that a nurse with an associate’s degree can usually go to work earning a good wage and pick up classes toward the bachelor’s degree to increase their worth.

So what’s the difference in the actual study required? One important point noted by proponents of the associate’s degree is that the four-year university requires a “well rounded” education before conferring a degree. That means that graduates are required to complete requirements in history, communication, physical education and other subjects that some say aren’t relevant to a nursing degree. There are also some math and science courses that are typically above those required for a two-year nursing degree.

By comparison, an associate’s degree program will often use a “block” format. Instead of taking an algebra class and a chemistry class, those in the associate’s degree program may take an afternoon class that combines the two, focusing on the way algebra and chemistry apply to their chosen field.

Some say there’s no substitute for the bachelor’s degree and that nurses should all be required to go through the full program. As long as there’s a demand for nurses and others in the health care field, there’s no doubt that faster training – as long as it’s adequate – will be in demand.

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General Outlook for Nurses