Just when you were about to think “why am I in nursing school?” the US News and World Report comes out with its 50 Best Careers for 2010 list, and you guessed it Registered Nurse is one of them. Answered your own question didn’t you? While the Report does not rank the 50 careers, we all know where nursing falls on it…somewhere above funeral director and hydrologist.
The Report lists nursing as one of the best career choices for many reasons. First of all, they are high in need, and the need is increasing every year. “The country is expected to add 582,000 new R.N. jobs between 2008 and 2018, a growth rate of more than 22 percent”. This is a huge number when you take into account that there are only 2.6 million nurses for a total population above 350 million Americans. The Report also highlights the ability for upward mobility over a nurse’s career, and an increase in further education for advanced practice nursing skills (are you happy you decided on the BS-MSN?).
When it comes to money, nursing can be a rewarding career choice. The median salary in 2008 was $62,450 with the highest 10% earning more than $92,200. Not bad, eh? All that glitters is not gold, though. Nursing can be a very stressful, as you can no doubt tell by the education at times. Rotating schedules, working holidays and weekends, and the occasional ethical dilemma are all routine for the nursing population. Thankfully, nursing draws individuals that are up to these daily challenges, and who understand that when the day is done, it’s all about the patient.
Nursing may not always have the glamour as some of the other careers on this list (meteorologist, sure give me $100,000 to predict sunshine in San Diego), but we know where the power lies in the healthcare field. But remember what Uncle Ben would say to Peter Parker, “with great power comes great responsibility”.
http://www.usnews.com/money/careers/features/best-careers-2010