It would be crazy to not to start this blog without a “why nursing” post. So here it is for all the newbies to look forward to and for a quick reminder to the seasoned vets.
There are a million reasons why nursing is an amazing profession to commit to (emphasis on commit). Some of which include:
Impact: what you do, how you act, and the words you say as a nurse will literally impact a person’s course of life and health.
Demand: there is ALWAYS a need for nurses… ALWAYS. Medicine is evolving, tech is advancing, and people are aging. Need, need, need.
Flexibility: per-diem, part-time, full-time, flex-shift, days, nights, evenings. There are endless ways to twist, bend, and personalize a nurse’s schedule to fit your life.
Pay: nurses can bring home the bread. Often, salaries are competitive and benefit packages are comprehensive with health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off.
Lifelong Learning: aside from general competencies required by your employer, nursing demands continuous expansion of knowledge and skills and offers opportunities to expand through CEUs, certifications, and advanced degrees.
Diverse Career Opportunities: the limit to what ‘kind’ of nurse you can be does not exist. Nursing offers a wide range of career paths and specialties that allow you to explore different areas of interest and adapt your career as you grow.
Ultimately, the decision to become a nurse is personal and must align with your values, interests, lifestyle, and career goals for you to succeed. If you have a passion for helping others, enjoy working in a fast-paced environment, and thrive on making a difference, nursing may be right for you, my friend.
That in mind, nursing isn’t all peaches and cream and rainbows. The job is demanding no matter which specialty or setting you choose. And when I say demanding, I mean physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and so on, and so on.
In my research, not backed by science or formal data but rather by personal observation and ~*vibes*~, there is a point in every nurse’s career where they transition from a hopeful and eager new-grad into a doubtful and tired caregiver.
Perhaps I’m speaking for myself here or my informal research is skewed, but either way, I hope to provide some insight and tips+tricks to help y’all keep the evil burnout monster at bay.