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Why Be A Nurse?: You'll Have Job Opportunities
Why Be A Nurse?: You'll Have Job Opportunities
Nursing is an emotionally fulfilling and rewarding career, and there are tangible benefits, too.
Learn more below, and see why nursing might be the career for you.
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Nursing is the fastest-growing occupation in the US. Nurses make up the majority of the
healthcare industry, and that number’s going up, with 581,500 more nursing jobs by
2018. Why? There are a lot of reasons, including an aging population and a shrinking
nursing workforce.
Few professions give you as many choices of where to work, areas to specialize in, or
degrees to use. The range of nursing specialties is almost as varied as the personalities of
the nurses themselves, so no matter what kind of person you are, there’s a place in
nursing for you.
Recent nursing school grads enjoy some of the highest starting salaries among their peers
in other industries. As you can see below, nurses in Personal Care Services are in the
lead, by industry. Most of these nurses work in doctors’ offices, hospitals and outpatient
facilities.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
With 104 specialties and a number of advanced nursing degrees, it’s easy to see why
most nurses change jobs throughout their careers. As a nurse, you can move laterally, to
another specialty, or build on your education, and move up.
Flexible schedules
Depending on the specialty you choose, you’ll work during different times of the day in
4, 8, 10, or 12-hour shifts. You can work weekdays, weekends, or a combination.
Flexible schedules are especially helpful for parents who need to adjust their hours for
family and child-care needs.
Flexible Locations
People need healthcare everywhere. You can work in urban hospitals, suburban doctors’
offices, on Indian reservations, or Alaskan outposts. Travel across the country, or the
globe—wherever your destination, there’s a need for a nurse.