Is nursing career still good?

Many people in the United States, both teenagers and adults, are currently considering their career options. Most want to work in a field that they enjoy and also allows them to make enough money to comfortably take care of themselves and their families. Throughout the last several decades nursing has been hyped as an excellent option with numerous open positions, great pay, hours, and benefits, and plenty of opportunity for career advancement. However, is a career in nursing still an attractive choice or should people look in a different direction? Statistically nursing is still an excellent option. According to the American Nurses Association there is, and will continue to be, a high demand for registered nurses in the US. They have projected a shortage of 260,000 nurses by 2025 meaning there should be plenty of job opportunities for both new graduates and experienced nurses. This is a great factor considering there are degrees that individuals work hard to get only to find out the job market is very limited such as philosophy and anthropology. In short, people are always going to get sick and injured and nurses are always going to be needed regardless of the United States economic status. Additionally, nursing offers a high paying salary, a versatile schedule, and often has good medical benefits. According to the American Nurses Association, the average salary for registered nurses employed fulltime in 2012 was $66,973. This is significantly higher than the national average salary of $42,979 computed by the Social Security Administration. Furthermore, nursing provides the chance to work whenever is most convenient for the individual. Shifts are available days, nights, weekends, and weekdays. Shifts can be fulltime, part-time, or on an as needed basis. Finally, shifts can be found in 8, 10, and 12 hour increments. Essentially, registered nurses can almost always find a position that fits their scheduling needs. Finally, due to being employed in the health field nurses are frequently able to obtain comprehensive health insurance for themselves and their families. However, this coverage does differ based on place of employment and employee work status. In conclusion, pay is adequate, there are numerous nursing career choices, and health insurance often meets a person’s needs. Lastly, nursing provides the opportunity to work in numerous settings and has the opportunity for advancement. Employment can be found in hospitals, outpatient clinics, physician’s offices, schools, mental health settings, and more. A registered nurse can opt to focus on a specific aspect of health such as obstetrics, cardiology, or more, but she also has the opportunity to move on to something else if she so chooses. Finally, while many nurses begin their career as a floor nurse there is plenty of opportunity to move up as a unit manager, director of nursing, case manager, and more.