A calling is a deep desire to devote oneself to serving people according to the high values of the task or profession.
Nursing is a profession which has evolved tremendously in the past century. Students enter programs based on personal and professional expectations for their careers. There are numerous reasons for people to enter nursing. A student can become a nurse in as little time as a year in a LPN program (with the proper prerequisites), RN in an associate degree, BSN at university level or move onto graduate level for MSN and most recently PhD in nursing.
The topic for consideration was “If asked to lead a career session, what three (3) aspects of nursing would you highlight to promote nursing as a career”.
There are so many reasons to choose nursing as a career. After careful consideration, I chose the following:
1) Employability: due to the critical shortage in of nurses, the outlook for securing and maintaining employment is promising. There are many choices for a new graduate in location of employment. One can work in a multitude of settings to include hospitals, physician offices, government agencies, clinics and private care agencies. Clinical training offered in nursing programs provide a range of experiences that a student could choose to specialize in. A nurse can be in general patient care or choose to specialize in their field of interest. Hospitals and other settings offer internship programs for new graduates to ensure a good fit between the employee and their area of interest. Nursing salaries are competitive and provide a good wage in uncertain economic times.
2) Servitude to fellow man: in few occupations, is the opportunity to make a direct impact for the common good of mankind met. In the role of caregiver, nursing “includes those activities that assist the client physically and psychologically while preserving the client’s dignity” (Kozier, p 13). This is done one patient at a time. I find this a particularly satisfying point in nursing as a career choice. In our complex world of today, a person wants to feel their job is making a difference in the world.
3) Variability in the roles of nurses: Nurses assume a number of roles when care is provided . Teaching, communication, caregiver, client advocate, counselor, change agent, leader are all roles a nurse assumes with each patient (Kozier & Erb, pp 13-15). These roles are integrated concurrently in interactions with patients. The aspect of variability in the position can be satisfying in a career and prevent job burnout. Nurses can work full or part time, shifts that meet their outside schedules and in every area of our country geographically. I find it an opportunity to be in a nursing program , knowing that upon my graduation, I will be gainfully employed in a field that offers upward mobility and is only limited by the individual nurse’s ambitions and desires. As a healthcare professional in a very specialized field , I find the opportunity to work in different areas appealing. Nursing satisfies many human needs as a profession to those we serve and individually.
By Jolene Wyman-Chmielewski