When you visit the clinic or the hospital, your care is generally overseen by a nurse. He or she takes you to where you need to be, does preliminary tests, and implements the care prescribed by a doctor. Being a nurse is a rewarding profession, but it is not for the faint of heart. Here we detail some of the aspects of the trade to better elucidate what being a nurse is all about.

The Uniform of the Trade

If you hate choosing your clothes in the morning, sticking to scrubs each day may be a perk of the job. Scrubs come in a variety of styles and are very comfortable, and always wearing scrubs to work saves time that would be spent selecting an outfit. However, if you like variety in the daily wardrobe, this may be viewed as something less than a perk. Depending on the standards of the facility in which you work, nurses may be asked to wear the same brand or same color of scrubs, which is not ideal if you like your clothes to stand out.

Long Hours

Many jobs in the medical field have a reputation for taxing schedules, and nurses are no exception. While not every healthcare facility follows a 12-hour shift schedule, it is common. For nurses, those 12 hours are often nonstop, with limited time for a lunch or bathroom break.

On the other hand, some say that the 12-hour shift is a perk of being a nurse because it often means a condensed work week. The hours of the work week are compressed, allowing for more full days at home or to travel.

There is also flexibility when a nurse is hired. Depending on the needs of the employer, a nurse can be hired on in a full-time, part-time, or on-call capacity. 

Every Day Is Different

Being a nurse means that every day is different. The tasks scheduled (and not scheduled) for the day depend on the medical needs of patients. Even patient personality plays a big role. Some days may be pretty routine, making rounds and checking in on patients, and other days may be suddenly filled with attending to an emergency situation. The scope is broad, from seeing a recovered patient off to comforting a grieving family.

The kind of work performed by a nurse can be framed by the different specialties available. Forensic nurses, for example, will have a general workload that differs from a hospice nurse.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Working in any service industry has the potential to be a strain when it comes to people, and people at the hospital especially are not always at their best. Being a nurse means being at-risk for being lashed out at verbally or physically by patients or their family members.

On the other hand, people rely on nurses for a good experience when at a medical facility. A kind and knowledgeable nurse can make all the difference to patient experience. According to a 2019 poll, nursing is rated the top profession for ethics and honesty for 19 years in a row. While patients fearful for their health do not always respond well, people in general trust and respect nurses.

Contact with Hazards

Due to the very nature of their work, nurses interact regularly with bodily fluids, viruses, and bacteria. Presumably, nurses understand this going into the profession, and if you have a passion for medical treatment, this may not be a con, but such exposure does put you on the front lines in the battle for better health. It presents a medical risk, though this can be mitigated with correct safety measures and personal protective gear.

High Stress

Nursing is generally accepted as a high-stress career. It is physically demanding, involving running around, being on one’s feet for long periods of time, and lifting and moving patients. It also requires high levels of interaction with people and constant attention to detail, so mental strain and emotional burnout is a very real threat.

Nurses see a lot of difficult things, including debilitating disease or even death. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses served as the last comfort during patients’ last breaths. While this can be a great honor, it can also take an emotional toll.

Some who take up nursing find that the rigorous workload with high rewards very motivating, describing their days as full of purpose as the hours wiz by. For others, though, the stress trickles into other areas of their lives, leaving them feeling constantly tired.

Lovely Logistics

When it comes to job outlook and pay bracket, being a nurse is on the upside. Metrics cite 3,080,100 nursing jobs in 2020, with a 9% projected percent rise in employment from 2020 to 2030. The 2021 median pay for registered nurses was $77,600 per year and $37.31 per hour. While that is slightly lower than the average for diagnosing or treating healthcare practitioners (MDs), it is higher than the national average ($64,600).

Helping to Save Lives

A nurse is often the difference between recovery and a less favorable alternative. Nurses are on the spot in some of the most dangerous changes in patients’ conditions, so sometimes they can turn the tide. Even in less life-or-death situations, nurses can help patients feel safe and valued, and that goes a long way toward recovery. Being a nurse means that you have a very real and poignant opportunity to change people’s lives for the better.