Why become a nurse? It’s a question with lots of different answers but top of the pile is often a desire to help people. Nursing isn’t just a job – it’s a vocation. And what you do in your day-to-day role as a nurse can genuinely transform people’s lives.
Nursing is also tough and there are days when it will tug at your emotional heartstrings and times when it will feel like a slog. But ultimately, it is a highly rewarding and challenging career in which you can really thrive.
Nurses are in demand like never before so now is a good time to enter the profession.
Reasons people choose nursing.
- Patient care and interaction - There are not many jobs where you get to know the people you work with on such an intimate and personal level. Many patients will be going through difficult physical and emotional times and your interaction with them can make a real difference to their experience and recovery.
- Varied role - Nursing is never dull. Aside from being an active role where you’re on your feet a lot, you’ll meet loads of different people and deal with a vast array of problems every single day. There are also many specialisms you can work in – paediatrics, community nursing, mental health and surgery to name but a few.
- Helping people and making a difference - As a nurse you can have a positive impact on how well someone recovers from an illness or injury. Your care can literally be the difference between life and death. You’re also able to support patients, explaining complex medical jargon in layman’s terms and offer a friendly shoulder to cry on.
- Thrive on being challenged – No two days are the same, you’ll face constant new problems and challenges so if you like that kind of environment, then nursing could be perfect for you. As medical science moves on, so does medical practice so you’ll always be learning and implementing new things.
Fact: A fully qualified nurse in England starts on £21,692 a year rising to £28,180.
Why are nurses important?
If doctors are the rock stars of the NHS, then nurses are the crew, backing singers and roadies all rolled into one. Nurses perform a vital job in patient care, implementing the orders for doctors and making sure patients are comfortable and well looked after. Without them the NHS simply wouldn’t function.
Fact: There are 360,000 nurses working in the NHS and 600,000 across the whole of the UK in the NHS and private sector
The demand for nurses.
There is a shortage of nurses in the UK so there’s plenty of opportunity. One in ten posts in England are unfilled and there are many university nursing course places that remain open.
Nursing is challenging and you need to put a lot in but it’s certainly one of those careers where you won’t regret your choice and you’ll get so much more out of it.
