(Photo : Tara Winstead from Pexels)

According to the World Economic Forum, nursing is the job with the second highest growth rate in the United States, and over the next decade, the percentage of employment is projected to be more than 52%. So from a career perspective, nursing is a no-brainer to choose as your field of study.

However, in today's day and age, interests and passion are more important for students when it comes to selecting a field of study. So, if nursing is where your heart lies, it is definitely the field to go for. 

The benefits of choosing nursing as your field of study go way beyond job prospects, pay scale, or passion. It is a benevolent job that, especially after the recent COVID-19 pandemic, has come to light as one of the most imperative healthcare professions. Nurses are frontline warriors who, alongside doctors and other healthcare staff, ensure that the best possible care is delivered to every single patient that enters any medical facility across the board. 

If you are someone who is still deciding whether nursing is a field of study to consider, here are some reasons to help make up your mind:

1. The ability to help

Nursing is a profession where helping other people takes precedence over all else. Patients with a wide variety of ailments, either in medical facilities or at their homes, require nursing care from certified practitioners. These people are often handicapped in their ability to perform certain tasks and look after themselves properly. Nurses perform the compassionate task of looking after these people in terms of their medical needs, like taking certain tests, getting their medications, or running IVs from time to time. 

If you're already a working nurse, enrolling in an online MSN and upgrading your skills and knowledge allows you to impact people's lives through advanced practice and care. On a daily basis, you affect people's lives, and it's not just the patients but the people you work with as well. You have the chance to stand beside qualified doctors, assisting them in complex procedures that save lives, you look after patient wellbeing, and depending on which specialization you choose, you can also help those suffering from various mental ailments.

2. Amazing career prospects

There is no doubt about the fact that nursing as a growth-oriented profession is unmatched. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for registered nurses was more than $82,000 in 2021 and 2022. However, depending on the specialization and location, a certified nurse can earn much more than that, with some states paying their nurses close to $125,000. In terms of pay, nurses have comfortable careers that can effectively support a decent lifestyle. 

Besides the benefits of financial stability, nursing is an evergreen profession. Ever since Florence Nightingale laid the foundation for modern nursing in the mid-1800s, the field has flourished. Individuals today understand that this field will not just stay relevant but grow substantially as long as humans exist in the universe. This is evident from the fact that not only has the number of nurses entering the workforce grown from 40,000 in 2010 to 80,000 in 2020 but also admissions in various nursing programs have increased by 80% since 2010. 

This was why the US Bureau of Labor Statistics projected employment in the field to grow by 26% over the decade between 2010 and 2020, a number that was close to double the 14% growth rate of all other jobs in the country. Even more staggering is the fact that in the next decade (2020-2030), estimated growth figures are almost double again, standing at 52%, a fact already mentioned in the introduction. 

3. A chance to find work anywhere in the world

Nurses are not limited in terms of their work. If you choose to become a registered nurse in the US, your degree is acceptable in countries like the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, Switzerland, Ireland, Canada, and New Zealand, to name a few. This means you can find employment in any of these countries without a hassle. The prospects for nurses all over the world are lucrative, and although the pay scale may vary from one place to the other, it is still enough to support a comfortable lifestyle. 

That being said, it is important to note that it is not necessary your US nursing degree will be enough to get a job all over the world. Each country has its own requirements for nursing certifications. Nonetheless, a nursing degree from the US or anywhere in the world will give you a solid foundation and a stepping stone to quickly elevate your career. It is safe to say that with a nursing degree, you are not limited to where you want to work and settle down. 

4. The opportunity to evolve and continue learning

For a healthcare professional, the process of learning never stops. Each day in the field is a new experience that allows you to experience something fresh. Whether you are part of a medical facility or serving as a private nurse, you can interact with patients, doctors, medical staff and a host of other people including teachers who impart some knowledge to you. This can be either in the form of a proper lecture or in terms of the experience that they bring along. 

As a nurse, you can find yourself in a completely new scenario and circumstance every day. For instance, the recent COVID-19 outbreak, despite its perils for frontline health workers, was a learning experience for doctors and nurses altogether. Being the first noted pandemic in modern history, it not only allowed nurses to equip themselves with the knowledge of handling excessive loads of contagious patients simultaneously, but also gave them firsthand experience of dealing with such an outbreak. This knowledge has been invaluable in enabling our healthcare system to get this pandemic in check.  

Conclusion

Choosing to study nursing is more than just a window for a stable career financially. It is a ladder that allows you to become a greater human being. The benevolence, empathy, humbleness, knowledge, and skills that come with the profession are priceless. It is not just the answer to your passion but a chance to help and impact people's lives. Nursing can be your pathway to leaving a stellar mark on the world and becoming an instrumental asset to society.