Introduction
People may want or need to select a profession during any period of their lives. Young people usually find it especially difficult to make the right decision and choose wisely. Nursing is the best choice for those seeking a profession that would allow growth and development, feeling of making the world better, unique connection with people, and good wages. This profession will never become unnecessary or not demanded, and billions of professionals all over the world are happy to be united into one healthcare family. Although many people consider nursing an ungrateful and disrespected profession, it provides nurses with an extended number of benefits and opportunities like the connection with patients or interesting tasks that together make it the best job.
Making a Real Difference
It is hard to disagree that not all people find making a difference and impacting the world to be important factors when choosing a profession. Nevertheless, precisely the ability to change the lives of people and the whole society for the better is the key reason why many nurses love their job. Carson-Newman University Online (2021) decided to conduct an interview with several registered nurses and find out what benefits of their job they consider most valuable. As noticed by Sandy Griffin, “being able to help those in need for a living is unlike any other profession” (Carson-Newman University Online, 2021, para. 5). Indeed, making even a small difference for patients and their families is the most rewarding advantage of a nursing career, and the feelings of pride, satisfaction and even euphoria make all challenges seem unimportant. Caring about patients and making sure that they feel better and more comfortable after that is an unforgettable experience that is not provided by most professions. Finally, the ability to influence healthcare changes or contribute to healthcare research and then see the positive results of these interventions is precious.
Special Connection with Patients
Connection with clients is related to the previous benefit: thanks to the ability to make a great difference, many nurses report having a unique spiritual relationship with their patients. There are several reasons for those intimate relationships to appear. First, nurses are engaged in saving lives, and they are also usually closer to patients’ everyday routine, communicate with them, and witness their breakdowns, happiness, or reliefs (Wu, 2021). Further, being involved in health challenges or processes like injuries, surgeries, giving birth for the first time, or passing away rarely leaves nurses indifferent (Carson-Newman University Online, 2021). Consequently, their empathy and the fact that they witness such intimate processes create this unique connection (Wu, 2021). Nurses get to know their patients quite quickly and then play essential roles in their lives, which is also described in the previous paragraph. This spiritual connection allows nurses to feel meaningful and express their kindness, which is a great reward.
Money Is Not the Only Reward
It is well-known that many professions consider monetary rewards to be the most valuable and do not find it necessary to offer many other benefits. Nevertheless, the nursing profession provides persons with a vast number of opportunities and rewards, starting from communication with patients, the ability to express empathy (Wu, 2021), saving people, and healing them from severe diseases (Carson-Newman University Online, 2021). Consequently, the fact that nursing has so many rewards is the best reward itself and should encourage young individuals to consider this profession.
High Level of Job Satisfaction
Concerning the level of job satisfaction, it is essential to notice that personal characteristics and the particular place of work play a significant role. At the same time, nurses generally tend to be highly satisfied with their job. Essentially, this factor is connected with all the other benefits discussed in the paper. As long as other factors are successfully achieved by a nurse, they are satisfied with their working days (Vassbø et al., 2019). For example, efficient spiritual relationships with patients make it easier for a nurse to live through the shift. Empathy and determination make it more possible to achieve positive outcomes of a patient’s disease or make them feel better and more comfortable (Wu, 2021). The ability to effectively impact patients and their families or propose healthcare policy changes to enhance the experiences of the nation leads to higher job satisfaction, which is not always promised by other professions (Godsey et al., 2020). Therefore, this factor applies to those nurses who already love their job and desire to receive only positive emotions from it.
Numerous Career Paths and High Wages
One of the key benefits for prospective nurses is that they can focus on an extended number of specialized areas of medicine. For example, some people would love to practice more, communicate with patients on a daily basis, support them, and spend all their energy on active responsibilities. Thus, they can choose between specializations of a travel nurse, critical care nurse, or nurse practitioner (Bal, 2022). Those who adore babies can obtain either a nurse midwife or endocrinology pediatric nurse profession, while those who prefer a calmer and more relaxed practice can become nurse anesthetists or nurse case managers (Bal, 2022). Further, some people are not aware that nursing is not only about practice but also about research. Persons who are less sociable or compassionate can choose between legal nurse consultant, nurse educator, researcher, and informatics nurse (Bal, 2022). These are also extremely valuable and demanded specializations quite suitable for less energetic persons. Finally, nursing specializations are all highly paid, which is essential for living a high-quality life and remaining passionate and determined.
Exciting Work and Interesting Tasks
A great number of specializations discussed above means that nurses are granted quite engaging responsibilities. Some work with newborns and may observe the very first hours and days of their lives, which is fascinating. Other nurses care for the elderly and can listen to their interesting stories while feeling that their work is meaningful. Nurses focused on research need to process various data and information to draw conclusions necessary for healthcare. Therefore, notwithstanding the chosen specialization, all nurses have valuable duties aimed at making the world better.
Conclusion
To draw a conclusion, one may say that the numerous factors mentioned above prove that nursing is the most beneficial and rewarding profession. Indeed, any person, notwithstanding their general priorities or preferences, is likely to find several factors discussed above quite attractive. People need to help and support others, and nursing provides such an opportunity. Registered nurses can express their ultimate love and receive sincere gratitude, which will help them live happily. Nursing instructors can act as teachers and make sure that future specialists will become skillful, experienced, determined, and devoted. Overall, choosing any career path in the nursing field is likely to be the right choice that will bring many rewards, both spiritual and financial.
References
Bal, D. (2022). 31 best specialty career choices for nurses. Nurse Journal. Web.
Carson-Newman University Online. (2021). Why I love being a nurse. Web.
Godsey, J. A., Houghton, D. M., & Hayes, T. (2020). Registered nurse perceptions of factors contributing to the inconsistent brand image of the nursing profession. Nursing Outlook, 68(6), 808-821.
Vassbø, T. K., Kirkevold, M., Edvardsson, D., Sjögren, K., Lood, Q., Sandman, P. O., & Bergland, Å. (2019). Associations between job satisfaction, person‐centredness, and ethically difficult situations in nursing homes—A cross‐sectional study. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 75(5), 979-988.
Wu, Y. (2021). Empathy in nurse-patient interaction: A conversation analysis. BMC nursing, 20(1), 1-6.