Healthcare Career Options: Train to be a Nurse
If you like to think your job will make a difference to people's lives you should consider a career within healthcare. Your passion for helping others will shine if you select the most appropriate healthcare career options best suited to your abilities.
There are a variety of valuable and rewarding healthcare career options,these include:
- nursing - so many different job options including nursing assistant, licensed nurse, registered nurse
- phlebotomy - train to take blood donations and assist with blood transfusions and emergency medical procedures
- medical technology
- patient care and therapy
- medical assisting
- dental assisting
Choosing a career within healthcare is a very wise option, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics there will be nearly 20 percent more demand for Registered Nurses between the years 2012 and 2022 and 25 percent growth for Licensed Nurses. It seems likely the growth in demand for nurses will ensure jobs and a structured career path are always available.
Careers in Nursing
If you choose a career in nursing you may think about starting as a nursing assistant/orderly. You would expect to work in a residential care facility or hospitals and help provide basic care for all patients and residents. Some daily tasks involved in this line of work include administering medications, helping with personal hygiene needs and taking vital signs. The type of person who enjoys working as a nursing assistant or orderly is someone who enjoys demanding, physical work, is prepared to work non-traditional hours and is passionate about helping others and making a difference. If you want to train as a nursing assistant you will need to have completed a high school diploma and should register for a state-approved educational program, which teaches you basic nursing principles. You also need to complete a period of on-the-job training. In 2012 you could expect to receive an average salary of around $24,400 a year for full time work as a nursing assistant.
Training to become a licensed nurse usually takes a year and you will be expected to follow a course of academic and practical or clinical studies. You will sit the National Council Licensing Examination at the end of your course of study. As a licensed nurse you will provide basic nursing care, following the directions of registered nurses and doctors and can expect to find work within the hospital environment, nursing homes or extended care facilities. Average wages in 2012 for licensed nurses were around $41,540 per year and the job outlook forecasts growth of 25 percent between 2012 and 2022, so again this is a career in a sector that is likely to provide continual vacancies.
Becoming a registered nurse is one way to make more money in nursing as you could expect a salary around $65,000 per year in 2012. It does take longer to qualify as a registered nurse and is a recognizable route up the career ladder for licensed nurses. You could take a Bachelor's degree in nursing, register for an associate's degree in nursing or gain a diploma from an approved nursing program. You will need to be licensed by the state to become a registered nurse, which involves passing a National Council Licensing Exam for Registered Nurses. As a registered nurse you take on far more nursing responsibilities and will likely be guiding other staff, coordinating patient care and supporting patients and their families. You will find work opportunities in hospitals, home healthcare services, physicians offices, care facilities, schools or the military. You'll find there's a far wider variety of job options as a registered nurse and the type of work you do could prove far more rewarding in the long term.
Nursing is just one of the careers you could choose if you're looking into healthcare career options. As you can see above there are a number of rewarding jobs in the field of nursing, whether you choose an entry level position as a nursing assistant or decide to move immediately into a career as a licensed or registered nurse. Salary prospects and forecast job growth figures make this a job in a growth area and you'll find many ways to grow your personal career when you work as a nurse. It's a
© 2014 Dawn Denmar