All about a major in nursing


There are over 4 million active professional nurses in America alone, with California homing more than 415,000 of these incredible individuals. With so many people interested in starting a career in the medical field, here is just about everything you need to know before taking a major in nursing.

Preparation

Before even getting a chance to look at the scrubs – ok, maybe you might be allowed a peak – you will need to become an ace in the sciences. This could be chemistry or biology classes, but it could also mean going all the way up to anatomy and microbiology. The best preparation to becoming a nurse starts in your school years as a basic understanding of the sciences will help you out in the long run.

The classes

There’s no easy way to put it; the nursing classes are pretty tough. In general, wannabe nurses will get the chance to study basic nutrition, nursing science, pharmacology, communication, anatomy, human development, and physiology, although this will vary depending on the programme. While it may sound like a lot, these will be broken down over the years to make them easier to absorb. Then it’s just a case of studying, studying, studying! To top it off, a lot of schools also offer up in-practice sessions in fake hospitals or emergency situations.

Internship opportunities

Many schools or courses offer the chance to work as an intern meaning you have the opportunity to learn on the job. However, this isn’t the only benefit. By getting out there and seeing all the different nursing options, you could find yourself interested in a specialist subject you never thought you would care about. Remember reading about geriatric nurses? Perhaps it was ICU registered nurses? Although you may not have thought they sounded interesting at the time, you won’t know if you like the role until you try it out. Now you have your chance!

The ups and downs

There are so many benefits to becoming a nurse. You’ll get the chance to change people’s lives with your treatment, as well as being given more responsibilities thanks to recent changes, have the opportunity to work in different environments, and have plenty of career opportunities to explore. However, as with any career, there are a few downs. Being a nurse is a time-consuming job in addition to being a time-hogging degree, and the information may sometimes get the better of you.

All the careers

There is more to being a nurse than just working in a hospital. In fact, there are so many job opportunities it’s almost impossible to name them all! Some of the options on offer include chances to work as a head nurse, salesperson, cruise ship nurse, school nurse, anesthetist, or pediatric nurse. Plus, one of the best bits is once you have all your training and degree it isn’t too hard to study to shift your job role. It seems unlikely that you could ever get bored pursuing a career as a nurse.
There we have it! There is a lot of blood, sweat, and tears (literally) that goes into becoming a nurse, but the payoff can be out of this world. Plus, everyone will always need a nurse, so you know there isn’t a chance fo being replaced by a robot anytime soon. That’s always a bonus.

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