Why Does One Want to Become a Nurse?

As long as there have been doctors, there have been nurses. Their job has traditionally involved childcare, but was expanded to supporting doctors by assisting during procedures, and their duties have evolved further over time. Now, they are responsible for a multitude of tasks, including overseeing the day-to-day care of patients and clerical work. But nursing has commonly been regarded as a high-stress, low-reward job. Despite this, people still enter the profession.

History of Nursing

• The earliest known instance of someone being referred to as a nurse was in the 15th century, when the term was used to describe a servant responsible for breastfeeding children. This person was known as a wet-nurse. In the 17th century, a group called the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent De Paul started providing care and medical aid to the poor, and to soldiers on battlefields. Despite their efforts, nursing was traditionally seen as dirty work. This was until Florence Nightingale pioneered modern nursing standards during the Crimean War.

Connections

• Doctors in most hospitals tend not to develop a rapport with patients, usually only seeing them during their rounds. They do not take the time to understand the patient's overall situation, instead only focusing on why they are in the hospital in the first place. Nurses, on the other hand, spend most of their working hours around patients and take the time to get to know them. This can have a greater impact on how the patient is treated. For example, if a nurse feels that patients are upset or depressed, then they can recommend counseling for them. Because of this, they can pick up on signs and symptoms that doctors cannot.

Nursing is a Growth Area

• According to Discover Nursing, there will be a projected 200,000 vacant nursing positions in 2010, with that number expected to rise to 800,000 by 2020. Also, the Department of Labor states that registered nurses constitute the largest amount of workers in the health care industry, with over 2.6 million registered nurses working as of 2008. With this number expected to rise to over 3.2 million by 2018, it's easy to see why people are becoming nurses.

Caring

• The heart of nursing, and what keeps many nurses in the profession, is caring for people. Nursing is one of the few truly altruistic professions in the world. Nursing also allows people to see what impact their care has on the patients, which makes the job emotionally rewarding. Nurses help relieve patients of all facets of their disease, not just physical symptoms. Nurses can provide counseling, empathy and talk with concerned relatives.

Money

• Average starting salaries are on the increase. A nurse fresh out of school can expect to earn at least $30,000 a year, with some sectors offering signing bonuses to new employees. In 2004, the U.S. Navy offered nursing staff a signing bonus of $10,000. This number is matched or even exceeded by private sector hospitals, with one hospital in Abeline, Texas offering an $18,000 signing bonus for new employees.