For many years, the health care industry has been facing a nursing shortage, and COVID-19 only aggravated an already difficult situation. At present, the demand for nurses is relatively high, with many different jobs and settings available in which a nurse may work.

Earning a degree in nursing has become more accessible and more convenient. Admission requirements have been modified, and there are now certain nursing education programs that are offered online, on-campus, or as a hybrid of both. And, for the first time, many nursing positions can be done at home with the convenience offered by telemedicine. [1]

If you have an interest in a nursing career, given the current job market, there is no time like the present.

The Nursing Profession’s Job Security Creates Opportunities & Offers Flexibility

Nursing is ranked among the top best health care jobs and 12^th best job in the country out of 100. [2] The strength of the nursing job market offers nursing professionals exception opportunities in terms of career growth, plus a great deal of control as to where you are employed, your work schedule, and the nursing specialty of your choice.

The Nursing Profession Offers Impressive Benefits and Perks

In addition to wildly competitive wages, most nurse positions offer professionals benefit packages that include paid career training, health insurance, paid vacations, and a pension plan, to name a few.

A lesser-known perk of being a nurse is the occupation’s ‘job portability.’ In other words, nursing opportunities are available throughout the country. In fact, through the Nurse Licensure Compact, many state licenses are valid in more than the state that issued the license, making a nursing license quite portable. [3]

Nurses may also choose to teach part-time or even consult for an insurance company or a medical private practice firm, etc. This job transportability also extends to working from home as a nurse – which offers the use of the internet in the rapidly growing field of “telemedicine.”

There are Varied Nursing Positions from Which to Choose

In addition to the nursing profession’s strong demand, there are a wide of nursing positions from which to choose. Examples of these potential nursing positions include geriatrics, midwifery, emergency room services, diabetic specialty care, and pediatrics, among others.

Nurse professionals have the opportunity to work in different medical and support services. These work settings may include a private medical office, a hospital, a school, an insurance company, a health clinic, a government agency, or a human resource department, to name a few.

The Work Provides Great Job Satisfaction

Among the many reasons many people choose to become a nursing professional (and to remain in this career) is the high level of job satisfaction offered to professionals. Not many careers offer opportunities to help not only someone else but also the opportunity to save someone’s life.

Nursing School Admission Requirements Have Been Reduced or Waived

Admission requirements for nursing school are generally not easy to meet or an automatic process. The admissions process is competitive, with the number of students in each class capped due to the nature of the work (the maximum number of students varying by school).

However, with the health care community facing a severe nursing shortage, many nursing programs have softened their admission criteria in terms of prior academic grades or the results of an entrance exam. As a result, in the current job market for nurse professionals, an applicant to a nursing program has an improved chance to gain acceptance to a nursing program.

Nursing Offers Telehealth or Remote Job Options

In response to the multi-year, global pandemic, the health care industry has begun to embrace telehealth as a viable, efficient, safe, and practical means to deliver health care remotely, online. Telehealth is in its infancy, and its ultimate impact on the nursing profession has yet to be seen. However, entering the nursing profession currently is an excellent choice if you wish to join this growing telehealth trend.

Government-Sponsored Health Care Training

Health care has become a government priority given the ongoing fight against COVID, and the result has created numerous training programs that offer various financial aid options. Are you one of the many people who have been delaying their submission of an application to a nursing school because of the cost to attend? If so, the present may offer a more financially feasible time for students wanting to attend nursing school.

Salaries

According to the BLS’s Occupational Outlook Handbook, registered nurses earned a 2020 median pay of $75,330 per year, which translates to $36.22. [4] Licensed Practical Nurses during this same time had a median income of $48,820 per year. [5] Additionally, the anticipated job growth for nursing professionals is a robust 9% over the next decade.

In addition to these salaries, many nurses receive sign-on bonuses and other job incentives.

Sources
[1] https://www.aafp.org/news/media-center/kits/telemedicine-and-telehealth.html

[2] https://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/registered-nurse

[3] https://www.ncsbn.org/11281.htm

[4]https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/registered-nurses.htm

[5] https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/licensed-practical-and-licensed-vocational-nurses.htm