Why I Think You Should Become A Nurse

Student Nurse, Alexandria, explains the top reasons to become a Nurse, outlining the variety the role offers and touching on why Nurses are needed more than ever.

Topics covered in this article

Introduction

Job Progression & Availability

The Variety Of Fields & Specialities

Job Satisfaction

You Are Constantly Learning

You Get To Make A Difference

There Is A Huge Shortage & Nurses Are Needed More Than Ever

0.07 Introduction

Hi guys.

This video is about why you should become a Nurse.

A lot of people do message me, telling me that they're really interested in Nursing, but they feel like they need to do more research.

Or, they're interested, but people are putting them off, or they're just not sure.

I'm just going to list some reasons that I've come up with, as to why it is a good idea and why it is a really good career to jump into.

I say jump, but it's not that easy.

And, just a quick disclaimer.

For those who don't already know, obviously I am a Student Nurse.

I'm a second year student, studying Children's Nursing.

So, I'm not qualified.

I cannot speak from the perspective of a qualified Nurse, so don't come for me.

I'm saying all of this stuff based on my own experience and my own opinions.

1.08 Job Progression & Availability

The first reason I think that you should become a nurse if you're considering it is because of the job progression and job availability.

There are so many jobs that you can do within Nursing, regardless of whether you do Mental Health, Learning Disability, Adult, Children, whatever.

There are so many different roles you can play.

Obviously, some of those roles only become available to you once you have more experience or if you do further studying, for example, if you a Masters.

There is so much opportunity for you to climb up the levels of the bands.

Obviously, once you qualify, you start as a band five.

With experience and dedication and extra knowledge, you can build your way up quite quickly and quite easily.

From what I've heard and what I've read as well, that you don't have to stay at one level forever.

There's always opportunities to go into managerial roles or to become a Nurse Practitioner, things like that.

There's so many opportunities and so much availability.

I mean, let's be real.

We're always going to be constantly in a shortage of Nurses.

So, you're always going to have a job.

Not that it's all about that.

I've had people messaging me saying that they're studying Nursing or thinking of studying Nursing, just because they know they're guaranteed a job.

Don't go into Nursing for that one reason and that one reason only, because you'll be miserable.

Do it because you actually want to do it.

Yes, it's great that once you graduate, you know that there is a job there for you waiting in whatever field you want to go into, but just keep that in mind.

2.33 The Variety Of Fields & Specialities

Next thing is, there's so many fields and specialties.

There are different degrees you can do.

You can do Mental Health, Learning Disability, Adult or Children's Nursing.

Some places I know do combined courses.

And obviously, I'm doing Children's Nursing.

But even within your specialty that you do as your degree, there's so many jobs within that.

You can work on a 24 hour ward.

You can work on a day ward.

You can work just a clinic.

You can work in outpatients.

You can work in the community, in schools.

I could go on and on and on.

You don't just have to be on the ward.

I think a lot of people get put off by Ward Nursing and bedside Nursing because people don't want to just be cleaning up after people all day, even though that's not solely what Nursing consists of, but people are put off by that.

People are put off by 12 hour shifts and working nights and things like that, but that's not the only opportunity that you can do as a Nurse.

You can work normal working hours.

You can work full-time.

You can work part-time.

You're not just limited to the stereotype of what a Nurse should work.

That's a really important thing to consider.

3.42 Job Satisfaction

Also, job satisfaction.

I'm not sure statistic wise, but I know that Nursing has quite a high level of job satisfaction for obvious reasons, like you're helping people.

You feel like you're making a difference.

Obviously, there's things that can contradict that, like burnout, feeling overworked and underpaid, but overall, the actual satisfaction of being able to help people or to save someone's life, it does make you feel really good about yourself knowing that you can help someone else.

Even as a student, it makes me feel so happy knowing that I've made a difference to someone's care or someone's day, or even to someone's life in a situation where things get really dangerous.

If you have a good shift, you just go home feeling so happy.

And obviously, you have your good days and your bad days, but that is something that's really important to think about as well.

4.27 You Are Constantly Learning

You're constantly learning.

If you are someone who likes to learn, you like to build on your knowledge as well, then Nursing is perfect for you, honestly.

Like, it doesn't just stop once you qualify.

You're still learning.

You're still learning new skills that you didn't learn whilst you're a student.

If you go into a different setting, for example, if you start off being a bedside Nurse and working on a general ward, and then you decide you want to specialise in, I don't know, diabetes, you're obviously going to have to do more learning to become a diabetes Clinical Nurse Specialist, for example.

There's constant learning involved around care, medicine, treatment, all sorts of things.

And I think that's something that's really interesting, because I like to learn new things.

It honestly does not stop.

And I've been told that by so many Nurses that are really experienced.

5.14 You Get To Make A Difference

If you are someone who likes to help people, you want to make a difference, you want to do a job that actually benefits other people as well as your pocket, then Nursing is perfect.

If you want to make a difference to other people's lives, whether that be adults, children, whatever, it's probably something that you should definitely consider.

You can't look at Nursing at face value.

You do have to do quite a lot of research and just make sure that it's something that's right for you, because there are quite high dropout rates for things like Medicine, Nursing, Midwifery, because of the level of intensity, but it's worth it.

If you enjoy it, it's worth it.

And if you're passionate about it, it won't feel tedious.

Knowing that you're contributing to helping someone's treatment, saving their life in the case of an emergency, for example, it's just a really good feeling.

And I think if you want that much satisfaction within your job, and then you want to feel like you're making a difference to people who are less fortunate than you or just people who are not as healthy as you are, then I think that's something that might be right for you.

6.17 There Is A Huge Shortage & Nurses Are Needed More Than Ever

Lastly, I think now is the best time or the most important time, convenient time, however you want to say it, to consider becoming a Nurse.

We're in a pandemic.

There is a huge shortage.

There's been a huge shortage.

I know the numbers of Nurses qualifying has increased slightly, but obviously there's still going to be a shortage.

Students and qualified Nurses are needed more than ever right now.

And even though we aren't treated very fairly as students, we're not treated very fairly as qualified Nurses.

They're not treated very fairly pay wise. It is a very rewarding thing to do.

I think it's something you have to be very passionate about.

You have to be very sure about it.

It's not for everyone.

But, it's a career and a profession that is full of so much opportunity, and I think that's what made it so intriguing for me when I was thinking about it, what I wanted to do when I left school.

Because, and there's just so much opportunity and a lot of security in it as well.

If you are contemplating studying Nursing, or you're having doubts, even if you're a student right now and you're having doubts about the course and you're thinking of dropping out, pay attention to what I just said.

Take it all into consideration.

Read one of our previous articles on how to become a Nurse to see if it's the right thing for you.

If it's not right for you, it's not right for you.

But, if there is part of you that feels really passionate about it, just listen to yourself and go for it, because what's the worst that could happen?

It's better to try than to not try.

Let me know in the comments your thoughts on becoming a Nurse and what I've said about above - let's chat there!

Oh, and please Like this article to let me know you enjoyed it - thank you!