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I don't have data to know if my title to the post is accurate, but it seems that I've known or known of quite a few people who have gone back to school in order to become a nurse for a career change. Has anybody else noticed this? Why do you suppose nursing seems to be a top choice? Or is this just something I've noticed?
Because you can get a job starting at $50K+ most places with an associates degree, and if motivated can continue earning an advanced degree, often being sponsored by the employer.
There are also a lot of nurses leaving the profession and finding another career. "Burn-out" is becoming a huge problem.
Yes, the wage/salary is a definite enticement. The fact that there are almost always jobs available nearly anywhere, even if they don't pay top wages, is also a plus.
There are also those who look at travel nursing as a great way to meet new people and see new areas. It is especially attractive now that many states are starting to allow licensing reciprocity; that means you can work in any state that has entered into the reciprocity agreement without getting another license and/or paying a fee. That's nice!
I'm a second career nurse. First career just isn't feasible right now that I have kids and I believe I always had nursing in my blood. Some go for the salary and flexibility, but they still need to enjoy it. I think it works too because many first career nurses eventually move onto case management or something else due to burnout. So it's nice to have nurses entering in the late 30s or 40s.
The shelf life of an RN is not particularly long. Many nurses work for ten to twenty years. Which creates a perpetual need for new nurses.
Only about half of my graduating class (86) is still working in the field. I am not one of them.
Yet, it is a relatively good second career for people who have retired after 20 years and still want or need to work.
In certain areas of the country, there is a nursing shortage. In others, there is not a dire shortage, but I will put it this way - I have never known a nurse who wanted to work who could not find a job in their field.
That is quite attractive to many returning second profession seekers.
For instance, I have a peer group that requires highly portable careers, that of military spouses/families. Of military spouses who maintain careers through numerous moves, nursing is a VERY popular one (along with teaching) due to each profession's relative degree of portability when moving due to changes in orders - also due to the fact that many military bases maintain onsite health care facilities and schools/centers, which adds to potential career options for spouses. There are people who train for one career, then marry into the military, and end up opting to switch to something that suits the frequent moves and need for flexibility of their new lifestyle.
For instance, I have a peer group that requires highly portable careers, that of military spouses/families. Of military spouses who maintain careers through numerous moves, nursing is a VERY popular one (along with teaching) due to each profession's relative degree of portability when moving due to changes in orders - also due to the fact that many military bases maintain onsite health care facilities and schools/centers, which adds to potential career options for spouses. There are people who train for one career, then marry into the military, and end up opting to switch to something that suits the frequent moves and need for flexibility of their new lifestyle.
This is also a very good point. Reciprocity of registration among states is relatively easy. So. it is attractive to people who, for what ever reason - need or want to move a lot.
No local connections are needed, as with other careers. Just a clean license, and willingness to work.
Aside from the military, second career individuals who want to relocate - but may be trying several locations before settling down. Nursing is perfect for that.
Another upside? There is very little, if any, age discrimination in nursing. Few nurses stay at the same job for a long time, and as long as one is able to do the job, there is one available.
One only has to go and look at the sick people in hospital waiting rooms, ranging from the elderly to the children, along with the various care facilities which need help in this field.
The Field will continue to expand and more and more people will enter the field. The aging of the populations, the violence among the young, the various natures and levels of sickness which is becoming more varied.
We have a society bent on feeding us chemicals, injecting chemicals in livestock and vegetation, it is likely that sickness will expand more and more. We have a docile society, from TV watching, to now many jobs are related to non physical activity.
When our biggest commodity is Internet Social sites, and advertising - it is quite likely that the need for nursing vocational graduates will quadruple in a short span of time, and there will be available work for them, from home health care to working in the various institutions and clinic's and hospitals and other type of medical facilities.
Because you can get a job starting at $50K+ most places with an associates degree, and if motivated can continue earning an advanced degree, often being sponsored by the employer.
Basically this. While there are no 100% guaranteed "study this and you will never be unemployed" degrees, nursing is pretty dam close.
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