Why Nursing?

An education in nursing is a catalyst. With healthcare as one of the fastest growing and changing industries in the United States, nursing offers its practitioners unmatched opportunity to both make a difference in other people’s lives and to be the driving force behind their own careers.

As the first point of contact for most patients, nurses fulfill an essential role, meaning that there will always be a need for nurse practitioners. In addition, highly competent nurses with advanced training are continually becoming a more integral component of evolving healthcare models. The result is ample opportunity for professional growth and development, with continuing education and research being at the core of this dynamic career path.

Nurses are patients’ primary advocates, both inside a medical care facility and out. It is nurses who spend time with patients throughout a medical visit, caring for them as an individual person. It is also nurses who focus their research on improving patient care delivery systems so that the needs of the most ill are better met. Illness and modern medical treatment can be a scary experience, and it is nurses who help guide patients and their families through the process, making them feel confident about the care they’re receiving.

Basically, it comes down to the fact that nurses have skills that can be assets in a breadth of functions and settings. From assisting in the emergency room of a major hospital to providing free health education seminars in a community-based clinic; from writing a consultation plan at a desk within a multi-national corporation to rolling up their sleeves alongside newly trained nurse-midwives in Africa; from researching and developing population specific interventions to speaking with members of Congress about patient and nurse rights on Capitol Hill, nurses have the opportunity to “practice” where they want and in accordance with their interests.
 
It’s true that the field of nursing isn’t for everyone. You’ve got to be able to work under pressure and think on your feet. You’ve got to be able to integrate theory into practice, sometimes putting aside conventional wisdom for the sake of innovation. Despite these certain challenges – or perhaps because of them – nurses work and thrive on the front line of healthcare, advocating for patients at all levels - in practice settings, in labs, in businesses, and in policy. Opportunities await, and applying to a nursing program is the first essential step down a long and exciting career path.