The field of nursing has traditionally been a strong career option for students right out of high school. The academic requirements necessary to get on the job in a solid career vary between 2 and 4 years. Given the fact that not every high school grad is suited to a liberal arts college, but that most want a good job, it stands to reason that many might choose the nursing track.
Right out of the high school chute, the field of nursing provides a wide field of entry for students committed to varying levels of education. But new nurses—practical nurses, LPNs, and RNs—have the unique opportunity to grab reliable jobs with solid salaries without long-term education commitments. Long-term the field of nursing offers candidates jobs as long as they want them, consistently excellent benefits, options to advance their degrees and move laterally or vertically into better paying nursing specialties, seamlessly.
Nursing offers a variety of school options, a few of which consistently attract fresh high school grads looking for a short intense education or those tuned to more traditional post-secondary schools.
For college age students you can’t beat the career attraction inherent in the nursing field. How many jobs can you potentially work three days a week, earn a good salary, benefits, and have four more days off to do whatever you want? For many young nurses that go to work according to the accepted 12-hour hospital shift program, this is a reality. The flexibility can’t be beat.
But beyond that you have options to work in a huge variety of patient care environments, from hospital, to nursing home, to doctor’s office, to urgent care center, and more.
Young nurses do risk burn-out as they progress in their career, but again the options to break out of the daily grind are attractive: travel nursing, studying for another nursing degree, moving to another practice area, moving completely to another region to pursue nursing.