Getting a nursing degree is now easier and more convenient than ever. The admission requirements have become more relaxed and flexible. Also, there are actually now some nursing degree programs being offered online. Plus, if you want the convenience of working from home, that is also now a growing possibility thanks to the advent of “telemedicine” – where much of patient care and health administration is done remotely via the internet.
Job Security With Career Growth and Flexibility
About 60% of all health professionals are nurses – that’s a huge amount of people. Even before COVID, the shortage of nurses was high. Nursing is ranked in the top 5 of all careers for job opportunities and growth. Even with all the general unemployment during COVID, the unemployment rate for nurses was only about 1 per-cent. All of this creates a situation of strong job security and career growth for nurses.
This also creates a situation of high job flexibility, because for nurses it is basically an “employee’s market”. You will have a great deal of degree of control of where you’ll work, when and even what type of nursing work you will do.
Benefits and Perks
In addition to competitive salaries, most nursing positions offer very good benefit packages; including health insurance, pension, paid vacations and paid career training and development.
A big perk of being a nurse is ‘job portability’ – meaning that almost anywhere you choose to live, there will be job opportunities available. Also, many nurses become either full or part time freelancers, working for themselves as contractors to insurance companies, human resource departments, private practice – such as being a midwife and so on. This job portability also extends to working from your home as a nurse – using the internet in the rapidly growing field of “telemedicine”.
Varied and Numerous Types Of Jobs
In addition to the very high number of nursing jobs available, the variety of types of nursing jobs is also very high. First off, you can work in a variety of different settings, such as: hospitals, health clinics, doctors offices, schools, insurance companies and human resource departments.
There is also a variety of the type of work you can do. In addition to general nursing practices, you can specialize in certain areas of medicine (just like a doctor). Some examples are: midwife, geriatric care, pediatrics, diabetic care and first aid care for injuries.
Job Satisfaction
One of the key reasons that people become and stay nurses, is a high degree of job satisfaction. This is a career where you can not only help improve a person’s life – you can actually save a life! Also, your standing and respect in the community will be very high as a nurse. In many surveys, over 90% of nurses said that they were satisfied with their jobs.
Waived Requirements for Nursing School Admission
Getting admitted to Nursing School is not an easy or automatic process. Admission is usually competitive and applicants need to show academic skills and promise as evidenced by their prior school grades and entrance exam results. However, with the severe nursing staff shortages, many nursing schools have softened and liberalized their entrance requirements and procedures. This means, under these current circumstances, your chances of getting accepted into a nursing school is better than ever.
CNA program takes about 54 weeks to complete.
Telehealth (Remote) Nursing Opportunities
The COVID epidemic has caused some major changes in healthcare, including in the nursing profession. Thanks to the improvement and increase in internet and computer technology, the field of “Telehealth” – remote healthcare – has become more practical and common. COVID helped to speed this along, as it allows the treatment of patients to be done remotely and more efficiently. This will promote all sorts of new nursing job opportunities – even from your own home – and you can currently get in on “the ground floor” of this growing trend.
Government Sponsored Healthcare Training
The government has made healthcare more of a priority in light of COVID. This has included numerous training programs in healthcare fields, including nursing. Part of these programs are to encourage and enable more people to become nurses, including several different kinds of financial aid. So, if the cost of going to nursing school has been a major hurdle for you, now you may find it is much more financially feasible.
Salaries
The salaries for nurses, especially registered nurses, is very good. Statistics from 2018 show that the median annual wage for an Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) was $46,240. The average annual pay for registered nurses (RN) was $75,510.
In addition to these salaries, many nurses receive a generous sign-on monetary bonus as a recruitment inducement. There are also many programs where your student loan debt will be reduced or totally forgiven by becoming a nurse.
Tuition-Free Options
Tuition-free nursing degree programs offer an incredible opportunity for aspiring nurses to pursue their education without the burden of financial strain. These programs are typically offered by community colleges, public universities, and some private institutions, often in partnership with government agencies, healthcare organizations, or non-profit foundations. Students enrolled in these programs can earn their nursing degrees at no cost, provided they meet certain eligibility criteria such as residency requirements, academic performance, and, in some cases, commitments to work in underserved areas or specific healthcare facilities after graduation. The goal of these programs is to address the nursing shortage by making education more accessible and fostering a well-trained, diverse workforce ready to meet the demands of the healthcare industry.
People can learn about tuition-free nursing degree programs through various resources. Websites of local community colleges and state universities are a good starting point, as they often have detailed information about available programs and eligibility requirements. Additionally, national organizations such as the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and the National League for Nursing (NLN) provide resources and directories of nursing schools, some of which may offer tuition-free options. Prospective students can also seek guidance from healthcare facilities that may partner with educational institutions to sponsor nursing students, or from state and federal financial aid offices that can provide information about scholarships and grants covering the full cost of nursing education. Online forums and student networks can also be valuable for sharing experiences and tips on finding and applying to these programs.
