Nursing is one of the most essential jobs in the world, providing people with support and medical assistance whenever they may need it. With a growing need for nurses to fill vacancies across the UK, now is the best time to invest in a career in nursing.
If you find yourself wondering, why choose a career in nursing? – here are a few reasons why it might be a good idea.
Nurses are in high demand and the job outlook is excellent
There are over 45,000 open nursing vacancies in the NHS alone. So regardless of what you choose to focus on, there will be plenty of opportunities for you.
Private healthcare will also always have vacancies but may be slightly more difficult to find. Private healthcare also covers the same areas of nursing, so you can still go into whichever specific field you want.
Job outlook and security are also some of the main benefits of a nursing career, especially in the NHS. Nurses are always required to support and provide assistance to those who need all kinds of treatment.
The scope for treatment required is also constantly evolving. For example, the way we understand mental health is improving day by day – so more nurses are required to help services run effectively.
Nurses have the opportunity to work in a variety of settings
There are plenty of different avenues and paths in nursing and healthcare as a whole. Once you are qualified, there are opportunities to take advantage of workplace training, further studies, CPD, and work placements in other areas of healthcare. These can all be helpful to gain experience, learn new valuable skills, and help you define your career path.
With healthcare in the UK, you are able to diversify where you work. You could try working in various settings such as hospitals, nursing homes, clinics or outpatients. Finding somewhere you feel comfortable working can help define your nursing career.
Alongside this, you could also try working with different patient groups. There are many patient groups, and you may decide to focus on a specific group such as children or the elderly. Working with different types of patients can help you broaden your skills and give you useful experience.
Once you have found an area you are interested in, you can specialise even further in specific treatment options. You could focus on specific treatments such as ICU, orthopaedics, fertility, or theatre nursing among many others.
Nurses can make a difference in people's lives
One of the many great reasons to enter nursing is that you can change people’s lives for the better.
As a nurse, you will be helping some of the most vulnerable people in the country. You have the opportunity to connect with patients and impact their lives for the better. There are times when you will be involved in some of the most important parts of patients’ lives.
Many nurses find the job incredibly rewarding. Nurses take pride in the fact that their work directly impacts people’s health and overall well-being. You can find thousands of nurses online who talk about how rewarding the career is for them. You can also find nurses who share special moments that will stick with them for the rest of their lives.
If you are the type of person who finds fulfilment in helping people and improving their well-being – there is no career better than being a nurse.
Nursing is a challenging and rewarding profession
Nursing has always been considered a highly respected and noble career.
But being a nurse isn’t always easy. There can be long shifts working on your feet for the majority of the day, helping patients with very complex care needs. There may be times when you are struggling to remain positive and patient after long shifts. It can be incredibly challenging at times.
However, as a whole, nursing is an extremely rewarding profession. On a day-to-day basis, you will be making a positive impact on many people’s lives. Simply being there to help patients and talk to them during difficult times can have a monumental impact on their well-being, both mentally and physically.
You will be supporting people at vulnerable points in their lives – not just patients, but their families and loved ones, too. You have the opportunity to connect with people and build great relationships with them.
Stepping back from the emotional reward of being a nurse. Your career and nursing as a whole can be constantly evolving, providing you with opportunities to continue training, learning, and growing. As mentioned earlier, there are plenty of opportunities to advance in different pathways based on what you find interesting – meaning that you can focus on a specific job or pathway you truly love doing.
As a nurse, you will very likely be working with an entire team of healthcare professionals – other nurses, doctors, care managers, etc. These mutually collaborative relationships with your colleagues can be very rewarding and fulfilling as you can learn and gain insights from other people with different specialities, experiences, and knowledge. You’ll also be gaining valuable hands-on experience every day.
In some careers, there can be times you feel very isolated. Even if you work with lots of other people, you may not always feel like you have support in your role. In nursing, you will quickly find that there will always be people around you who are completely supportive of you. Your colleagues understand that nursing isn’t the easiest job to take on and understand that you and your colleagues will need support from time to time.
Your colleagues will have similar experiences to you; they will have had their bad days and their good days. Support works both ways, so you can help support some of your colleagues who are struggling and they will always return it whenever you need it.
Flexible scheduling
Many nurses can choose to work shifts that are convenient for them. Most employers in the UK offer flexible working hours, so you can opt for part-time or full-time roles, job-sharing opportunities and positions offering flexible-time
So if you prefer to work shifts that are outside of the traditional 9-5 schedule, a hospital would be the best place for you to work in. Nurses in hospitals need to be on-hand 24/7, so you will likely be able to structure your hours around your daily routine.
This allows you to spend more time with your family, doing things you enjoy or furthering your skills and knowledge within your career.
Healthcare organisations value the physical and mental well-being of nurses very highly, so ensuring that they are not overworked is incredibly important to them.
Of course, there may be occasions where you have to work a slightly inconvenient shift. However, having the option to choose when you work most days is incredibly valuable in any career.
Nursing offers opportunities for advancement
If you want to focus your career on a specific area of nursing, there are plenty of opportunities for advancement and specialisation
You can choose to become a nurse practitioner, which will allow you to prescribe medication and manage patients with long-term conditions. You could also opt to become a clinical nurse specialist, which would involve working with patients who have very complex needs
There are also many other non-clinical roles available in nursing, such as management positions, research positions and education roles
So whatever your interests are, there is likely to be a role in nursing that suits you perfectly
Nursing is an incredibly rewarding profession that offers plenty of opportunities for growth and development.
Why Choose a Career in Nursing - Conclusion
If you are looking for a career that is both challenging and rewarding, look no further than nursing. Nursing provides opportunities for growth and advancement, while also giving you the chance to make a real difference in people’s lives. With so many different specialities available within the nursing field, there is sure to be a path that matches your interests and skill set.
If you would like to pursue a career in Nursing, we can provide you with expert training and guidance to find you the perfect role. You can contact us for further information here.
