What's Hot & What's Not
A recent article summarized the 10 reasons why nursing is a rewarding, exciting profession. Many nurses working in a variety of settings contributed to this list. According to them, nursing is a wonderful career because:
- Nurses make a difference in someone else's life.
- Nurses value the human connection.
- Nurses work in a variety of settings with flexible hours. You can choose what kind of patient you want to work with, what times suit your schedule, and select a geographic setting that appeals to you.
- Nursing allows you to use all of yourself - mind, body, and soul.
- Nursing provides long-term security and it is an integral part of health care.
- Nurses mentor other nurses and help develop their vision of nursing.
- Nursing is the link between technology and humanity.
- Nursing is a good starting point for any other positions in health care.
- Nurses, as a group, have the respect of the public.
- Nursing provides multiple opportunities for personal growth and development.
(Nursing's top 10 rewards. (2000). Nursing, 30(1), 42-43.)
Bright Career Outlook in Nursing's Future
Despite news in recent years of layoffs dictated by funding cuts, declining reimbursements and industry consolidations, the job picture for nurses remains very bright.
Considering the aging of the population in general and the nursing work force specifically, coming years will bring more patients needing care and less nurses to provide it. As a result the career climate for both experienced nurses and recent grads can only be expected to improve. That's especially so for advanced practice nurses and those in many specialties.
Government figures back up the assessment. Employment of RNs will grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2006, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. By that year, job growth among RNs is expected to climb as much as 21 percent, compared to an average of 14 percent for all occupations. Other federal projections indicate that demand for RNs will begin to outstrip the anticipated supply by 2010, and that demand will grow nearly twice as fast as the expected increase in the RN workforce by 2020, according to an analysis by the American Association of colleges of Nursing.
While health care continues to shift beyond the hospital toward a more community based approach, federal projections say the rising complexity of acute care, plus more demand for same day surgery, rehabilitation and chemotherapy, will push demand for RNs in hospital settings up by 36 percent by 2020. Home health care agencies and long-term care facilities also are expected by observers to be major centers of nursing employment growth.
Job Watch 2000 * Greater PH