Is a nursing career for me?

16 June 2020

Being a nurse is a life-changing career with many benefits and rewards attached. However, it is also a demanding job, where you’ll face new challenges and overcome different issues every single day.

It’s not a job for everyone, but it is an occupation that everyone needs. Do you think you have what it takes to be a nurse?

Expect the unexpected

As a nurse, you get the opportunity to work in different settings with different colleagues. A nursing career can give you the chance to travel around the United Kingdom, and even see different parts of the world with your skill set.

The job is certainly never boring, and you may be required at different times of the day in different places, depending on the nursing field you have entered in on.

Choose Your Field

Experienced nurses won’t struggle to find work because the world will always need nurses. There are also so many different types of nursing jobs to choose from, from geriatric nurses, to midwifes, to oncology nurses, that even if finding a job is hard, there are other options and paths you can go down.

As there are lots of varied branches that a nurse can specialise in, you can choose which field would suit you best and change your option if you aren’t happy in that specialty.

Early Mornings, Late Nights and No Weekends

Are you ready to live in scrubs and work late nights and early mornings? As a nurse, your shifts will be long, varied and demanding.

No two shifts are the same and you will spend a lot of time on your feet looking after others. You have to be giving and want to help change other people’s lives, otherwise the hard work you put in will mean nothing to you. Also, you must be willing to sacrifice a lot because of your nursing job – say goodbye to evenings, weekends and holidays as you’ll most likely have to work them.

You’ll also have to have a strong network of loved ones around you that understand your career choice and the dedication and time you have to give to it. It may be hard to spend time with family and friends because of your busy work schedule and even on your days off you may feel too tired to socialise.

Good Days and Bad Days

As exciting and rewarding days can be working on the ward, there are equally as demotivating and overwhelming situations that can negatively impact your experience of being a nurse. Some days will be noticeably harder and more stressful. For example, you could go in and your ward is short-staffed or there are new patients to treat.

Being a nurse is a very sociable and life changing career. Every day you will meet new patients, families and individuals whose lives you will play a major role in. If you are a passionate and dedicated person who wants to give back to their community, then a nursing career is for you.