If you’re considering becoming a nurse, you already know that the nursing profession is diverse. It requires a particular type of individual and a whole variety of traits and skills to become an excellent nurse. So, while there are numerous nursing careers you can choose from, the question remains that which nursing career will help you achieve your goals? Most aspiring nursing candidates will look at salary potential, educational requirements. The nursing careers mentioned in this article are excellent to start your journey in the nursing world. However, it would be wise to consider every nursing job’s roles, requirements, and salaries. Doing so will ensure that your decision comes from a more informed, confident place.
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This article will mention some common nursing careers along with the duties and roles that every job entails, their educational requirements, and much more. With that being said, let us look at a few career pathways you can take to start a career in nursing.
- Nurse Practitioner (NP)
An NP or a nurse practitioner is always in high demand. These healthcare professionals specialize in a particular area of medicine. However, just like an RN, an NP can develop treatment plans, conduct clinical research, provide bedside care, diagnose patients, administer medication, and more. In most states across America, NPs can have full authority over patients, meaning they can offer the same expertise as other primary care physicians like doctors.
To work as a nurse practitioner, aspiring applicants must obtain a BSN, followed by an MSN. However, that depends on the healthcare facility you’re applying to. However, if you want to improve your chances of employment at a respected healthcare facility, consider enrolling in a doctoral degree program such as a doctor of nursing practice online program. Another question you should ask before applying shouldn’t be, “can you get a doctorate in nursing.” Instead, it should be “when should you get one.”
- Registered Nurse (RN)
A registered nurse is the most common nursing job in the healthcare industry. These healthcare professionals are the first point of contact for patients when they enter a healthcare facility. A registered nurse’s responsibility is to administer medication, manage treatment plans, provide bedside care, and more. In fact, you will find a nurse in every healthcare department, performing numerous duties.
Aspiring candidates must obtain a BSN to apply for an RN’s job. After doing so, they must clear the RN-NCLEX examination to obtain certification. Furthermore, if you acquire an MSN, your chances of employment at a reputable healthcare facility will dramatically increase.
- Geriatric Nurse
A geriatric nurse’s primary responsibility is to provide caregiving services to the aging population. These healthcare professionals offer care to senior patients and help them improve their activity levels. A few of their responsibilities include connecting geriatric patients with resources, bathing them, feeding them, dressing them, and more.
Nursing candidates looking to work as geriatric nurses must first obtain a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Moreover, they must also specialize in geriatric nursing and apply for a state-issued practicing license.
However, if you’re already working as an RN, you probably won’t have to obtain further education. All you’ll need is licensure to work with senior patients. There are staffing issues in healthcare with shortages of nurses, which makes it an amazing career opportunity.
- Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
As the title suggests, a CNA’s responsibility is to assist registered nurses and licensed nurse practitioners with a healthcare facility’s day-to-day tasks. In addition, a CNA usually responds to patients’ immediate healthcare needs, such as reporting changes in vital signs, providing meals, taking care of their hygiene, and much more. A certified nursing assistant acts as a connection between a registered nurse and a patient. That said, a CNA is prohibited from performing intensive care duties inside a nursing department. Meaning these healthcare professionals cannot administer medication or recommend treatment plans.
So, while CNAs don’t get the glory and appreciation they deserve, they are the unsung superheroes of the nursing world. As far as becoming a CNA goes, you only need to obtain a nursing assistant’s degree via a community college or a vocational school program.
- Clinical Nurse Specialist (CN)
Clinical nurse specialists are highly educated, vigorously trained healthcare professionals who specialize in a particular area of nursing. These areas include but are not limited to emergency rooms, ICUs, infectious diseases, and much more. In layman’s terms, if a healthcare facility department needs a nurse with a specific skill set, a CN will be on point to take over the reins.
Candidates looking to work as clinical nurse specialists must first obtain a bachelor’s degree in nursing, followed by further education such as an MSN or a DNP. Moreover, candidates must also specialize in nursing, such as senior care or pediatrics, to work with elderly patients or children.
- Travel Nurse
Becoming a travel nurse is the best possible decision if you want to work across various medical settings while traveling the world in the process. Since travel nurses get to work in different areas and settings, they also have a better idea of how to adapt to various situations. Furthermore, a travel nurse’s duties usually differ from those of a typical nurse as their work requires them to interact with numerous patients at different healthcare facilities. Therefore, a travel nurse is more experienced than your average nurse.
Candidates looking to apply for a travel nurse’s job must first obtain a bachelor’s in nursing along with a practicing license. However, the type of licensure you go for depends on the area of nursing you want to practice in.
Before choosing the nursing job you like, it would be wise to research all the responsibilities and duties for every nursing role you can find. While it is obviously vital to acquire further education and working experience to improve your chances of employment, it pays well to know your options to ensure you achieve your nursing career goals. After all, you wouldn’t want to be stuck in a nursing role that you don’t feel connected to. So, consider the nursing career paths mentioned in this article to make an accurate professional decision.