Passion and Job Security in Nursing
by Gabby Hyman
Career School Directory Columnist
September 07, 2007
You can see signs of a national nursing shortage everywhere. In a recent edition of NurseWeek magazine, a San Diego hospital was offering signing bonuses of up to $5,000 for new nurses. Online recruiters offer live, instant messaging interviews between new nursing school grads and hospital recruiters.
CSD: What's a typical day in a special education classroom?
Joanie McCargo, BSN, currently works as an advice nurse for northern California's Kaiser Permanente Hospitals. When she graduated with a bachelor's in nursing from San Francisco State University in 1988, she fielded five immediate, solid job offers -- and that was before the current nursing shortage fueled by the retirement of Baby Boomer nurses. She previously worked in pediatrics oncology and burn care, and in school nursing.
CSD: What sparked your interest in nursing?
In my early adolescence I was a babysitter for a nurse and another neighbor, who was on the state nursing licensing board. They were great mentors. I knew by age 16 that I was going into patient care. Once you decide and enter nursing school, if you do what they tell you, you'll succeed.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, registered nurses make up the largest healthcare occupational group, with 2.4 million jobs. Find a nursing school here.
CSD: What is the biggest challenge?
It's a challenge to develop the knowledge and skills required to meet the individual needs of the children, and it's not easy to maintain an emotional balance and objectivity in adverse conditions.
CSD: What do you like most about your nursing career?
I truly enjoy the caring role. The real beauty of nursing is once you start in the profession, you can go anywhere you like and do the kind of work that most appeals to you. You can go into ICU and perform high adrenaline work, or you can be a fluffy floor nurse and tend to people's immediate basic needs. You can work as little or as much as you want, in any city, state, or country. There are so many options.
In the next decade, nursing is predicted to be the single largest U.S. sector for job growth for associate's degree holders. Get your AS in nursing.
CSD: Do you recommend a BSN degree over all others?
It really depends on your career aspirations. Nursing school is hard. With a two-year degree, your focus is mostly clinical -- rather than theoretical -- and you get into the profession quickly. Ultimately, you have a lot of flexibility because RN to BSN programs are everywhere; they're online, part-time, and you can work them into your life. A BSN can help you advance into a greater range of jobs, but the hospitals today hire individuals rather than pieces of paper.
Sources
Learn more about Nursing Degrees and Programs.
About the Author
Gabby Hyman has created online strategies and written content for Fortune 500 companies including eToys, GoTo.com, Siebel Systems, Microsoft Encarta, Avaya, and Nissan UK.
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