Is Nursing still a good career path?

Jules A, MSN · Nov 28, 2009

I'd say absolutely! Nursing is definitely something that you should love to do because it can be stressful but imo the need will only increase in the future. Different areas have different needs. I'm in the Washington DC/Baltimore area and it is more difficult for new grads now than in the recent past but over all there isn't a shortage of nursing jobs here. Good luck.

Crash_Cart · Nov 28, 2009

I'd say absolutely! Nursing is definitely something that you should love to do because it can be stressful but IMO the need will only increase in the future. Different areas have different needs. I'm in the Washington DC/Baltimore area and it is more difficult for new grads now than in the recent past but over all there isn't a shortage of nursing jobs here. Good luck.

I'm not so sure the idea of ANY job being "stressful" is good reason to pursue a career or not. I was once employed in nursing. I went to college to become a nurse, I worked in an ER for about 10 years. I am no longer a nurse (in the legal sense) etc..etc.. However, and historically speaking nursing used to much different. At one time you learned nursing mostly on the job in a clinical setting. There was no such BSN degree sort of thing involved.. You just went to a community college at the time and learned most of the skills on the job with the nasty nurse gestapo instucting you as your guide. Yeah, I guess that makes me an old school kind of nurse I suppose. Incidently, I am also a male nurse for what that's worth so I got extra special criticism during my clinicals at the time. (Being a male and everything) You have to understand it was a different era at the time, so it's probobly hard for some people to understand today.

My main issue at the time is in the fact there were many other jobs that "pay" equally if not better with a whole lot less effort and stress involved.

Again, keep in mind I worked in an ER and became a total burnout over the years so you may have a completely different outlook on the subject as a fresh grad. When I was nursing in there was a huge controversy about the fact that many other professions like "plumbers" for example were getting paid much more money than nurses yet they didn't require the same amount of education. (We called this issue "pay equality") Nurses at the time expressed this inequity and discontent with the government at the time but I recall it did not actually result in much change. I have a million stories similar to this one but they will have to wait for another thread. :)

I mean I love nursing and everything but it's just that many other jobs also pay very well, but yet it seems other jobs dont always require you to continually update your skills and therefore less money seems to be invested and whole lot less of your personal time may be involved.

Right now I own a business. I don't think there is anything better than the idea of owning and operating your own business at this point in time. However, I do admit I do miss nursing at times. I think it comes down to what you really want to do...

If you want to make money, start a business. If you want to do something you gain personal satisfaction from doing, then stay in nursing. I admit, little satisfaction is gained operating a business. It too can be stressful at times, but you do make good money in the process. So you have to decide on your own where your priorities are.

Obviously, we need a pool of competent nurses in the community so I cant exactly discourage it from occurring either....

My Best.

dannyc12 · Nov 28, 2009

Based on the number of posts by new grads searching for work, would you say that nursing is still a good field to pursue? Apart from all the sentimental reasons for wanting to be a nurse, is nursing still a good choice for those who are also seeking job security and a decent salary?
Thanks

There is really no such thing as real "job security" in the US. Ask those who worked for GM for years. Ask engineers who had their highly paid, secure jobs shipped to China or India or Taiwan over the last couple decades. Prior to that, there were miners and steel workers who thought they would always have a job. Ask the former "Clinical Nurse Specialists" whose jobs were eliminated and they scrambled to become Nurse Practitioners (the current "highly paid, secure job" in nursing.) The fact is, US workers in every industry are now treated like so much disposable equipment.

The upside to that lovely paragraph above is that it's like that for every field, so you might as well find something you like to do. Forget "sentimental reasons," think about what you would like to do for a career. What are you motivated to do? What would give you satisfaction over and above a secure, decently paid job.

You can't do anything about which job might be more or less secure or highly paid in the future, so find something you like to do, then do it really, really well.

Good luck!

KungFuFtr · Nov 28, 2009

I'm impressed with my pay as a nurse. Job security...check out the post below. As far as difficulty? I've done some seriously draining manual labor. In the past I was an electrician and had worked various construction jobs. Try laying shingles in the summer, the pay is definitely not worth the labor. Nursing is also nice because it's indoors. I can't speak for the other hospitals in my area. The one I work for was on a short hiring freeze for only a couple months over the summer. It seems like the only jobs posted in the local paper are healthcare jobs.

http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-articles-the_most_recession_proof_jobs_right_now-1045

oramar · Nov 28, 2009

I'm impressed with my pay as a nurse. Job security...check out the post below. As far as difficulty? I've done some seriously draining manual labor. In the past I was an electrician and had worked various construction jobs. Try laying shingles in the summer, the pay is definitely not worth the labor. Nursing is also nice because it's indoors. I can't speak for the other hospitals in my area. The one I work for was on a short hiring freeze for only a couple months over the summer. It seems like the only jobs posted in the local paper are healthcare jobs.
http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-articles-the_most_recession_proof_jobs_right_now-1045

Reading a link that talks about the "nursing shortage" is going to give these unemployed nurses, new grads and otherwise, fits.

ericseitz · Nov 28, 2009

For me, Nursing is a highly personal thing. The reason I chose this path is because I spent a long time as a patient in a well-known Seattle hospital and received care from periop/OR nurses, plastic surgeons, med-surg nurses in the ICU/burn unit and rehab floors, occupational therapists, and physical therapists (and all those behind the scenes that I don't know about). Those nurses hold a very special part in my life, and I have become humbled from my experiences. They are angels to me, but also human and I respect them and love them with all my heart. It was the nurses that were always there by my side. The physicians were great and all, and I don't think that I would be here without them, but I only saw them occaisionally for very short periods of time.

Because if this personal appreciation that I have developed, I do this not because of the pay-scale but because in doing this I am giving back something of myself. I want to help someone that has had to go through the same thing that I have gone through. I can express to people that healing is possible, and that they will make it through this. I can only say two things about my life today: "I had to go through hell to envision heaven again" and "When you know how bad things can be, you know what good is".

It is important to be able to survive, but don't be a martyr if you can't hack it.

RNperdiem, RN · Nov 28, 2009

Nursing is still a good field to get into if you have a good understanding about the work involved.

Job security and good pay are starting points, but a prospective nurse must also accept that that package usually includes shift work, working holidays, an irregular schedule, "dirty" work, responsibility, and stress(physical and mental).

We get threads here every so often from new grads upset that they have to work a holiday, or that they have to start on nights, or that the CNA does not do all the patient hygiene care.

DanainOrlando · Nov 28, 2009

I know that new grad nurses are having a hard time finding desirable jobs right now, but what's a better alternative? What field right now is red hot and doing tons of hiring? I'm not aware of any. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are approximately 2.5 million nursing positions in the U.S. That's a LOT of job opportunity! And when the economy picks up again, I believe that nurses will be in demand again.

oramar · Nov 28, 2009

I know that new grad nurses are having a hard time finding desirable jobs right now, but what's a better alternative? What field right now is red hot and doing tons of hiring? I'm not aware of any. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are approximately 2.5 million nursing positions in the U.S. That's a LOT of job opportunity! And when the economy picks up again, I believe that nurses will be in demand again.

It looks like there is going to be somesort of insurance reform and that means a lot more people with health insurance. Which I would think would translate into a lot more demand for nurses.

MedSurgeMess · Nov 28, 2009

I know that new grad nurses are having a hard time finding desirable jobs right now, but what's a better alternative? What field right now is red hot and doing tons of hiring? I'm not aware of any. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are approximately 2.5 million nursing positions in the U.S. That's a LOT of job opportunity! And when the economy picks up again, I believe that nurses will be in demand again.

Yes, but many of the 2.5 million jobs require 2-5 yrs experience. This isn't helping the tons of new grads being pumped out each semester. I don't know about how the demand will be either. It depends on whatever healthcare option gets selected...but that a whole other topic on its own!

MedSurgeMess · Nov 28, 2009

It looks like there is going to be somesort of insurance reform and that means a lot more people with health insurance. Which I would think would translate into a lot more demand for nurses.

Most plan versions on the table are calling for even lower reimbursements to providers, which translates into many hospitals not wanting to hire much more staff.....I hope if that is what they are going to do, at least wellness promotions may be on the table to encourage people to stay well. This reform stuff is almost giving me a headache anymore.