Everyone will have their own reasons for training in or taking up the career they chose. It might have been that it paid a lot of money, or there was a lot of scope for career progression. Perhaps it was because the idea of that job sounded exciting, or that it would match with your skills and personality traits.
The reasons behind picking a job or career are many, but one thing that is true for everyone is that they will, at some point, wonder if they are doing the right thing. For some, the answer will be yes, they are in the right profession, and they are happy there. Yet, for others, the answer will be no; they are not doing the right thing. There are some clear signs that your career isn’t right for you, such as being bored, dreading having to go to work, always looking for different things to do, and so on.
When this is the case, you’ll have a number of options. You can either continue on the path you’ve started down, despite it leading to misery and disappointment, or you can change paths and do something that will make you happy (and by extension, make all those around you happier too). The second option is the better one, even if it is also scary. No matter how scary it is, once you start to make the changes and your life improves, you’ll soon see, it was the best thing to do.
Nursing is the kind of career that people often come to later in life, after trying out some other jobs that just didn’t suit. What are the reasons that so many people choose to retrain as a nurse? Here are some of them to consider.
Anyone Can Do it
There are very few barriers to entry when it comes to nursing. You’ll need to have a nursing qualification, of course, but it makes no difference when it comes to age, location, religion, or sex. Anyone can be a great nurse if they work hard and love what they do. If you’re looking for a career that you can thrive in, nursing is ideal as you can most certainly get started and then move forward from there whatever situation you happen to be in right now.
There are some personalities that suit nursing better than others, however, and this is something to bear in mind. To be a great nurse – and, importantly, to enjoy your job – you need to be kind and caring, compassionate, selfless, and willing to go the extra mile. You’ll also need to be able to work long shifts, work weekends and holidays, and work at night too. If you can do all of this, there should be nothing stopping you from signing up to a course and beginning your new life.
You Can Learn Online
You might be very keen to start a new career, but because you have responsibilities such as a family to care for and bills to pay, not to mention a mortgage or rent payment to take care of, quitting your full-time job to go back to school just isn’t something everyone can do. Unless you work part-time and can ensure your shifts don’t clash with your college lectures or you don’t work at all, it would be virtually impossible to go back to school for any kind of degree.
The good news is that you don’t have to quit your job with a nursing degree, and you won’t have to sacrifice family time either. You can learn online at times that suit you, meaning you can study during your lunchtime, early in the morning, on the bus, just before bed, or at any free time, you might have. You’ll be able to study and work, so you won’t lose out on any money in order to live your dream.
This is not only good news for those looking to start a career in nursing, but for those who are already nurses and who want to advance their careers with DNP leadership programs online as they won’t have to work less to learn more.
Every Day is Different
Generally, having a routine is a good thing. It means we always know what we’re doing, for example. It means we always get to work on time because we get up, washed, dressed, and have breakfast in the same order at the same time each day. It means we can plan ahead. Yet sometimes, a routine is boring, particularly when it revolves around work. Having a wake-up and bedtime routine is great, but having something that is different and exciting in between can be exactly what some people want and what makes them truly happen.
Nursing is just like this. Nursing is different every day, and even if the journey to and from work never changes and the time you go to bed has to be the same each night when you’re working in your capacity as a nurse, you’ll never know what or who is about to come through the door, or what you’re going to need to do that day. This is why retraining, as a nurse, can work wonders for your mental health. Being bored is bad for you, but having constant challenges to deal with (with plenty of backup to prevent too much stress) keeps your brain active.
You Can Make a Difference
Some jobs don’t seem to make much difference in the world at all. Or if they do, it’s not a difference the person working in that job will ever see. This can feel somewhat disheartening and can make some people wonder if they stopped what they were doing, would it have any impact at all?
A nurse is unlikely to ever think this. Nurses know that what they do makes a difference every single day to patients and their families and to their colleagues. Nurses are needed not just to stop or prevent pain and not just to assist in medical procedures, but to be there for the patient and their loved ones. Nurses explain what procedures will take place, and they talk about the conditions or injuries that people have. They are there to make the patient feel better, not just physically but emotionally too.
Imagine a hospital stay with no nurses. Doctors are excellent, but they are focused on their tasks and don’t always have time to spend with patients. A nurse will always make time, and this can make all the difference in the world.
