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16 Reasons to Choose a Career in Nursing

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Do you have a passion for caring for people and want to see them get better? Consider a career in nursing.

Registered nurses (RNs) are in demand. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects RN jobs to grow faster than average between 2022-2032. New RN roles will open as an estimated third of nurses over 55 retire, according to the Journal of Nursing Regulation.

Nursing offers many entry-level nursing options , specialties, working environments and pathways for advancement. Learn 16 reasons why choosing a nursing career might be right for you.

1 | Nurses Make a Real Difference

Nurses do much more than perform medical tasks. As a nurse, you can make a real difference in someone’s life. You can offer hope to people, sometimes during the worst time of their life. Nurses often counsel patients and families after a devastating diagnosis, celebrate good news, and become trusted confidantes.

Nurses can also improve their communities through volunteering. In a 2017 survey , 74% of nurses pointed to non-work related activities when asked what they had done to improve their community’s health. Activities included health fairs, health-related volunteering, raising or donating money, and traveling for volunteer work.

“Oftentimes, people are alone in the hospital, and while they (of course) need medical care, they also sometimes just need a friend and to know that someone cares. As a nursing student, this is something you can do even on your first day.”

— Sarah Brooks, ABSN student

2 | Nursing Degree Programs Exist Everywhere

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) ranks health professions second for the number of associate and bachelor’s graduates. Most large cities have many colleges and universities that offer an associate degree in nursing (ADN) or a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) program .

3 | Nurses Can Pursue Their Education Online

You can get your nursing degree through an accredited online nursing program anywhere in the U.S. Since nursing is a hands-on profession, you will be required to take classes online and complete in-person nursing clinicals in a healthcare setting.

It’s important to ensure any nursing program you attend is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing or Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education . This is necessary to take the National Council Licensure Examination for RNs (NCLEX-RN) and master NCLEX-style test questions to get your license.

4 | Many Nursing Students Find Financial Aid Opportunities

Student debt can be overwhelming. Even with payback programs, it can take up to a decade to pay off school loans. Fortunately, nursing students have many ways to pay for nursing school .

Some options to reduce total debt include nursing scholarships and grants from various organizations. Financial aid is available for students seeking an associate, bachelor’s, master’s , and even DNP degree. Many hospitals also offer tuition reimbursement programs for staff looking to go back to school to get their ADN or BSN.

Financing your nursing school education doesn’t have to leave you with a lot of debt.

5 | Nurses Can Enter the Workforce Relatively Quickly

Several nursing degrees allow you to enter the workforce quickly. You can earn an ADN, pass the NCLEX-RN, and get your nursing license in as little as two years. Then, if you return to school to complete your bachelor’s degree, you can do it while earning a stable income.

Associate degrees in nursing are one of the highest paying associate degrees. According to Payscale data from July 2024 , graduates of an ADN program make $77,000 per year, which is around $24,000 more than graduates of other associate degree programs.

Earning your BSN degree opens more opportunities for career advancement and a higher average annual salary of $95,000, according to Payscale .

6 | Nurses Have a High Level of Job Satisfaction

The 2019 American Mobile Nurses (AMN) Healthcare survey found that 81% of nurses were satisfied or extremely satisfied with their career choice.

When asked if they would encourage others to become a nurse, 70% said “yes.” The survey also found that supporting professional development was tied to job satisfaction.

When employers supported nursing professional development , 52% were extremely satisfied with their jobs. When employers did not support professional development, only 7% were extremely satisfied.

In 2023, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) reported that 100,000 nurses left nursing during the pandemic because of increased workloads and rising levels of workplace violence , burnout , and nurse bullying .

About 800,000 expressed intent to leave by 2027. Yet, with all the challenges nurses face, nursing schools are still turning away tens of thousands of qualified applicants every year since 2019 because they do not have the nursing faculty to educate aspiring nurses.

Nursing schools nationwide need more nursing faculty. Yet, schools in midwestern states such as Wisconsin, Iowa, and Kansas, have about a 7% nurse faculty vacancy rate compared to about 10% vacancy rate in Southern and Western states, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing .

“When I speak with people and tell them my job, almost always the response is, ‘Once when I was sick, I had the best nurse take care of me, and I’ll always remember them helping me.’ It is a wonderful feeling to know we have helped.”

— Elizabeth Clarke, FNP, MSN, RN, MSSW

7 | Nurses Get to Do Exciting Work

Each day with patients can be different. Whether in a clinic, office, a hospital, or an organization, nursing is not dull. In the McKinsey Frontline Workforce Survey from November 2021 by AMN Healthcare, data showed that 32% of nurses had plans to leave their current positions. Only 29% of these nurses planned to stay in a direct patient care role.

The rest of the nurses had plans to move into a non-beside role , further their education, or leave the workforce to focus on their family or other life goals. Nurses who planned to leave direct patient care wanted work-life balance, flexible work hours, safe working environments, better compensation, and more manageable workloads.

“Nursing is incredibly versatile, and there are many ways to learn new skills and apply the ones you already have. It is one of the most exciting and unique things about nursing; you can be a chameleon and constantly change.”

8 | Nursing Is a Respected Field

In 1999, Gallup started a decades-long survey to determine the most ethical and honest profession. In January 2023, Americans ranked nurses in the number one position for an impressive 23 years. The only year nurses were not in the top spot was following September 11, 2001, when firefighters earned the highest score.

In addition to ranking first, nurses earned the highest score to date in 2020 for honesty and ethics. In 2020, the ranking was four percentage points higher than the last recorded high in 2019.

9 | Nurses Can Choose Their Specialty

Nurses are vital to delivering healthcare in many different settings. You can choose from over 100 nursing specialties , so you’ll likely never be bored.

You can focus on a specific population, such as gerontological nursing , or go into a more specialized field, such as a flight nurse or transplant nurse . You can also pursue roles that do not directly work with patients, such as health policy careers .

Nurses can easily move from one specialty to another. For example, after practicing as a dialysis nurse , you may wish to become a traveling nurse. If you are an experienced specialty nurse, you may be able to pick your assignments.

If you want to become a labor and delivery nurse , you may need some hands-on experience and continuing education for nurses before finding a new position.

10 | Nurses Work in a Stable Industry

By 2030, the entire baby boomer generation will have reached age 65. Up to 85% of older adults have at least one chronic health condition, and 60% have at least two. According to the BLS, nurses are in demand to care for a growing population of people with chronic diseases.

The BLS projects that job growth for nurses at all levels is expected to grow faster than average because of this demand. The projected job growth includes 118,600 nurse practitioner (NP) jobs and 177,400 RN jobs.

11 | Nurses Receive Excellent Benefits

Hospitals, clinics, and doctor’s offices may offer excellent benefits to attract and keep qualified professionals. For example, a nurse’s median annual salary of $86,070 is well above the average annual salary of all occupations.

Travel nurses usually receive added benefits for filling an in-demand position on short notice and for the inconvenience of living and working in another city. They usually receive hazard pay or critical staffing pay in addition to the higher average hourly wage that travel nurses earn compared to staff nurses. These can include benefits to cover travel expenses and a stipend for housing, meals, and other bills.

Benefits for nurses include:

• Paid sick time
• Paid vacation and holidays
• Paid family leave
• Bonuses for working extra shifts or when understaffed
• Health and life insurance
• Tuition reimbursement
• Retirement benefits
• Wellness programs
• Subsidized travel
• Student loan repayment
• Shift differentials where nurses earn more for working holiday, weekend, or night shifts

12 | Nurses Develop Transferable Career Skills

Nursing offers the opportunity to adapt your professional life to fit your lifestyle. For example, you can find work in a variety of geographical locations and work environments. You may choose to work full or part-time and day or night-shift. You can also work shifts as short as four hours or as long as 12 and make more money in shift differentials.

In your first year of nursing school , you’ll develop and hone nursing skills like critical thinking, communication, and organizational skills. You will develop the ability to remain calm and focused in an emergency.

These skills can help you transition from clinical nursing to other non-bedside options , including nursing administration , nonprofit management in nursing , public health nursing , correctional facilities, or being a missionary nurse in clinics across the world.

“Nursing is also a flexible career with so many options. If you don’t like a certain floor or hospital, you can try another one. If you don’t like your current schedule, you can switch it. If you want to further your education and advance your career, there are many ways to do so.”

13 | Nursing Grads Have Smoother New Hire Transitions

All nurses experience orientation or onboarding as they move from an academic to a clinical setting after they graduate as a nurse . For many nurses working in large teaching hospitals, this transition may be eased by the hospital’s one-year nurse residency programs designed to help new nurses successfully transition from school to various work settings for nurses .

Although there is a nursing shortage across the U.S. , it is still challenging to get a premium job. You can improve your success by working while you’re in school to gain nursing experience and complete internships. Nursing students who gain volunteer experience and network while in nursing school also have an advantage when it’s time to apply for their first nursing job.

14 | Nurses Collaborate With Different Healthcare Professionals

Nurses play a unique role in healthcare. They spend a lot of time with patients at the bedside, so they must collaborate with healthcare teams to coordinate patient care and improve outcomes.

The bedside nurse is the hub of patient activity. They know the recommendations of each healthcare professional attending to the patient. Nurses need strong organizational and critical thinking skills to understand how each recommendation affects the overall care plan.

They must also explain the care plan and instructions to patients and their families in an understandable way.

“Nurses are often the first person to assess and examine a patient and to come up with differential diagnoses or an assessment of what the problem may be. From there, the nurse lets the attending physician or provider know the outcomes of the assessment.”

15 | Nurses Have Many Leadership Opportunities

The skills you learn caring for patients can help as you apply to a charge nurse role on the unit. Charge nurses must assign patient care and monitor the staff, making adjustments as needed during the shift.

Nurses with strong nursing leadership skills may go on to positions in administration, such as unit managers, clinical nurse leaders , patient care directors, or chief nursing officers .

You can also take advantage of leadership roles in clinical practice, including advanced practice nurses , clinical nurse specialists , and case managers . Nursing offers several avenues to take additional responsibility and progress up the career ladder.

16 | Nurses Are at the Forefront of the Telemedicine Movement

Telehealth nursing increased significantly during 2020 when healthcare providers began treating patients at home to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

The need for remote telemonitoring for patients in the intensive care unit or at home continues to grow. Remote monitoring can reduce costs for a hospital or physician’s office without sacrificing patient care.

Nurses are integral to patient consultations, taking patient histories and coordinating care at home. They are often the primary source of health education and monitoring. Incorporating telehealth services has given nurses a new tool to improve patient outcomes and satisfaction.

Popular Online RN-to-BSN Programs

Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.

A Nurse and a Nursing Student Share Why They Choose a Nursing Career

Elizabeth Clarke, FNP, MSN, RN, MSSW

Elizabeth Clarke is a board-certified family nurse practitioner. Her experience spans emergency departments, cardiac units, pediatric urgent care, and occupational health settings. She earned her bachelor of science in nursing and master’s in nursing from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.

Clarke is a paid member of the Red Ventures Education Integrity Network.

Sarah Brooks

I’m a mom to three daughters, currently enrolled in an accelerated nursing program. Prior to nursing school, I spent over a decade as a writer and editor in the personal finance niche. While I’ve enjoyed it, I’ve always felt a desire to go back to school to become a nurse. With my youngest starting kindergarten last August, I figured there was no better time for me to take the leap and return to school. My career goals include both working as a nurse and continuing to write and edit in the finance and healthcare spaces.

Sarah is a paid member of the Red Ventures freelance Education Student Network.

What experience of making a difference as a nurse would you share with a prospective student to help them understand how nurses make a difference?

I can remember feeling overwhelmed, working my first holiday shift as a new graduate RN.

It was New Year’s Day, my unit was busy and short-staffed. Patients and family members were short-tempered. I ran from patient room to patient room, getting their medications done relatively on time, monitoring vital signs, and ensuring my post-cardiac catheterization patients remained on bed rest.

I had a patient who needed monitoring, she was very sick, but was waiting on testing. She was frustrated, hungry, and thirsty. She was being kept NPO (nothing by mouth), since her doctors still did not know what was wrong with her.

Every time I passed by her room, she would call out and ask for help, needing reassurance. One of the times I stopped in, she began complaining of severe abdominal pain.

I looked at her abdomen and noticed it was beginning to appear distended. Her face was pale with pain, a fine sheen of sweat forming. I auscultated (listened to with my stethoscope) her abdomen, and heard nothing, no bowel sounds. I palpated her abdomen; it was rock hard.

I called the on-call internal medicine physician covering her that day. I quickly gave him a rundown of my concerns, how she looked, and her growing abdomen.

He came right up, we examined her together, and he went running to call a stat surgical consult. He asked me to drop an NG (nasogastric tube) down to see if we could decompress her, standard procedure if you suspect someone has an obstruction or ileus. I grabbed my supplies and my health care technician for help.

We went in and quietly explained to our patient what we needed to do, how we needed to help her, that I would try and get her pain under control and we would figure out what was wrong.

She was clenching her teeth in pain, fear, nausea, all of the above. We started prepping her to put in her NG tube when the surgery resident ran into the room, he began examining her in a brusque manner, pressing hard on her abdomen.

She cried out in pain, I remember quietly asking him if he would let me give her some IV pain medication quickly to minimize her pain while he finished the exam.

He gave me a quick nod and then called his attending on his cell phone in front of the patient, saying he needed an OR, stat. He then turned to my tech and me and told us to get her moving to the third floor OR suites now.

It was a tense moment, my patient did not understand what was happening, she was in severe pain, nauseous, and confused.

As we pushed her down the hall, grabbing additional staff for help, following the resident, I quickly told her they suspected a small bowel obstruction that was becoming worse, twisting her intestines, and they were rushing her so they could get her into the OR as soon as possible.

I remember promising her the on-call surgeon was very good, we would help her, and anesthesia would keep her comfortable so she would not feel any pain.

She asked to hold my hand. She wanted to know if I would be there when she woke up. I told her it depended on the time they finished the surgery, but I promised to tell the recovery room nurses to please hold her hand as they woke her up so she would know she was not alone.

I gave a quick bedside report to the receiving nurse and went back to my unit.

I was working the next day as well, and when I came into my unit, I looked in the system to see where my patient from the day before was. She was in the surgical ICU. I had a busy morning, so later in the afternoon, I asked my charge nurse if I could run down to the SICU to visit my patient, she agreed to watch my beds for me.

When I went into the SICU, I greeted some of my friends who were working and told them about my patient from the day before.

I connected with her nurse, she told me she was doing well, surgery was complicated by a previous liver transplant and lots of scar tissue. She said the surgery report noted the patient was quickly deteriorating and the obstruction was twisting the small bowel.

I went over to my patient’s bed and was surprised to see her awake and very alert. She smiled, reached for my hand, and thanked me. She started to cry, she told me no one had been listening to her when she tried to say something inside her was hurting.

She said she had felt ignored until she got transferred to my unit and I was her nurse. She told me she had felt very scared and discouraged, but when I told her I would take care of her and explained what was going on, she felt safe.

A decade and a half later, this patient is one I always remember even though I have cared for countless others since. I know I made a difference to her and provided excellent nursing care. We often speak of our nurses’ gut — our intuition.

On that New Year’s Day, I trusted my intuition; I knew something was very wrong. I listened to my patient and trusted my nursing assessment. I am glad I was able to make a difference in her life. She had a successful surgery — she survived — and was discharged to rehab for recovery a week later.

Sarah Brooks, ABSN Student

In my experience as a nursing student, it’s nurses that make or break a hospital stay. A kind, compassionate nurse who listens to their patients and does their best to meet their needs will be remembered.

My first shift in clinicals was on a Med-Surg floor specializing in disorders of the respiratory system. I was extremely nervous and had no idea what I was doing medical-wise, but I knew I could at least talk to my patients and provide a sense of comfort.

I had four patients in total and spent about an hour talking with them about why they were admitted to the hospital, how they were feeling, and other details of their lives. When I told them I was leaving for the day, they all individually thanked me for taking the time to sit with them.

Oftentimes, people are alone in the hospital and while they (of course) need medical care, they also sometimes just need a friend and to know that someone cares. As a nursing student, this is something you can do even on your first day.

What reasons do you have for being satisfied with choosing nursing as a career, even amid the challenges in the field right now? Why would you recommend nursing to prospective nursing students?

Nurse Elizabeth Clarke, FNP, MSN, RN, MSSW

I love being a nurse practitioner. I am proud to say I am a BSN RN and a family nurse practitioner.

I often have been with people in their hardest moments — when they are at their sickest, most injured, or most scared. I have been able to provide care, answer questions, hold a hand, and save lives.

Being an RN and now an NP has allowed me to fulfill my desire to help others and serve my patients and their families.

I recently saw a reel on a social media platform where the person filming it was speaking about hard times, and how we can choose to be someone’s light during their darkest hour. To me, this is what being an RN is all about.

We can be someone’s light; we are the helpers. At the end of some of my hardest shifts back when I was an RN, the days where I had too many patients, too high of an acuity, and no time to eat, I always knew I was helping.

Without my care, those patients may not have had their medications on time or had their pre-op workup completed, or been recovered from their procedure, or may have fallen when they tried to move from their bed to the bathroom.

When I speak with people and tell them about my job, almost always the response is, ‘Once when I was sick, I had the best nurse take care of me, and I’ll always remember them helping me.’ It is a wonderful feeling to know we have helped.

Nursing is a second career for me and is something that had been in the back of my mind for many years. I knew I had to at least give it a shot. From what I’ve experienced so far, the rewards of nursing outweigh the hard times by far.

I, personally, am satisfied with choosing nursing as a career because it’s truly a job that makes a difference.

It’s not always going to feel that way, but when push comes to shove, it is us nurses that the patients will remember. It’s up to us whether their hospital stay is an excellent one or a poor one. I love knowing that I’m directly impacting the lives of patients day in and day out.

Nursing is also a flexible career with so many options. If you don’t like a certain floor or hospital, you can try another one. If you don’t like your current schedule, you can switch it.

If you want to further your education and advance your career, there are many ways to do so. There are school nursing, work-from-home nursing jobs, per diem jobs, and more.

While the main thing that drew me to the career was my interest in the medical field and the ability to make a difference in the lives of others, the schedule flexibility and opportunities for advancement helped to solidify my decision.

What do you find exciting about your nursing career?

I work in occupational medicine currently, so while it is not quite as exciting as my days back in the ED or cardiac unit, it does have its moments of excitement and busyness.

One of the most exciting things about being an RN is that you can work almost anywhere in the medical field.

If working with children interests you, choose pediatrics. If surgery is where your interests lie, think about working in the operating room as a scrub nurse, or in the pre or post-operative units prepping and recovering patients.

Are you someone who craves an adrenaline rush to keep you on your toes at work? The emergency department is your place then, there is never a boring moment. From overdoses, to accidents, and illnesses, the ED is hopping.

If you tire or are burnt out in your chosen area, you can switch to a different area of nursing. Nursing is incredibly versatile. There are many ways to learn new skills and apply the ones you already have. It is one of the most exciting and unique things about nursing, you can be a chameleon and constantly change.

The entire job of a nurse is exciting because anytime you walk through the hospital doors, you truly don’t know what you’ll walk into.

You never know if you’ll have a smooth, calm day or a crazy, hectic one. Things can take a turn for the worse at any time and on any floor, so you always need to be prepared and keep an eye on your patients at all times.

I also get excited thinking about my future as a nurse and what that will look like.

Again, this is a career with so many options and opportunities. I’ve toyed with everything from going back to school to pursue my nurse anesthetist degree (CRNA) to working from home as a nurse writer.

Only time and experience will determine what I’ll land on, but I definitely get excited thinking about all the possibilities.

How would you say about how the nurse’s pivotal role in coordinating patient care with the rest of the healthcare helps make nursing a good career choice?

As nurses, we are constantly in contact with other healthcare professionals. From doctors, NPs, or PAs to therapists (physical, occupational, speech or mental health), to registered dieticians, and more, we must collaborate with other professionals regarding what is best for our patients.

Nurses are often the first people to assess and examine a patient and to come up with differential diagnoses or an assessment of what the problem may be.

From there, the nurse lets the attending physician or provider know the outcomes of the assessment. In this way, nurses have a unique position to see, assess and call attention to a problem.

Nurses are excellent at knowing what other care a patient may need, and how to ask for that help. If a nurse sees a patient struggling to swallow, asking for a referral to speech therapy can help ensure the safety of that patient so they do not aspirate.

Nurses are often asked by the provider how the patient is doing and what their needs are – this is an example of the provider realizing the pivotal roles nurses play.

Collaboration in nursing is often mentioned during nursing school, because of this, nurses develop excellent collaboration skills.

Nursing is a great career choice for those who want to help, care, and collaborate for the best outcomes of their patients.

Nurses are the eyes and ears of the hospital. If something goes wrong, it’s almost always a nurse who catches it first. We are the ones in the hospital 24/7.

Doctors, of course, have a pivotal role in determining treatment plans and helping patients recover, but it’s the nurses who play out the treatment plan, see how the patient is responding, and keep the doctor in the loop on any changes.

In my (limited) experience, one thing I’ve really come to learn is that it truly takes a patient care team to treat the patient. All roles are equally necessary and important.

Not only do nurses collaborate with other members of the healthcare team, but also with the family members of the patient. This could be in person or by calling a family member to update them on the status of their loved one.

The nurse not only provides comfort to the patient, but to the family members, as well.

Frequently Asked Questions About Nursing Careers

What are the reasons for choosing nursing as a career.

Most nurses choose to work in the profession to help others live better lives. Whether you work in a hospital, clinic, missionary clinic overseas, administration, or correctional facility, the underlying reason most nurses choose the profession is to help those in need. Another reason is that nursing is a high-paying career with advancement opportunities and flexibility.

How hard is it to become a nurse?

You can become a nurse in as little as two years by completing an ADN. You can further advance your career options and salary by earning a BSN degree. You can do this in two years if you already have an RN license, online or in the classroom and while you continue to work. You can also earn an accelerated BSN degree if you hold a bachelor’s in another field.

What qualities do you need to be a nurse?

Nurses are compassionate, patient, and understanding. They have strong critical thinking, communication, and organizational skills. You may not have these skills at the start of your nursing education but will develop them in your nursing program and hone them in your practice.

How do I know if nursing is right for me?

If you are curious to learn more about health and wellness and have a desire to help others, consider speaking with an admission counselor at your local college or university. You may also want to consider volunteering in a hospital or shadowing a nurse for a shift.

Page last reviewed on November 2, 2023

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21 Sure-Shot Signs To Know If NURSING Is Right For You

Are you searching for the right career path but feel unsure about which direction to go? Do you enjoy caring for people and love learning? Does facing challenges and overcoming them give you a sense of fulfillment? If so, have you considered a career in nursing? Perhaps you want to be a nurse but wonder, “Can someone tell me how to know if nursing is right for you?” If that sounds familiar, I believe this article will give you some insight. I know what it is like to wonder what career is best and how it feels to second-guess yourself, especially when it comes to deciding which career path to pursue. As you continue to read, I will share 21 sure-shot signs to know if nursing is right for you and share some of my experiences as a nurse and healthcare instructor.

5 Reasons Why It's Important to Know if Nursing is Right for You

Reason #1: nursing can be a stressful job., reason #2: there may be times when you feel unappreciated., reason #3: there are other careers that pay as much or more but that are not as hard., reason #4: you must be committed to lifelong learning., reason #5: you will be responsible for the health and well-being of others., how to know if nursing is right for you, sign #1: you genuinely care about others., about the sign:, why this sign is important to know if nursing is right for you:, sign #2: you have a way of helping others feel at ease., sign #3: you have a strong sense of emotional resiliency., sign #4: you enjoy getting to know and dealing with people from different backgrounds., sign #5: you believe in standing up for others., sign #6: working in a fast-paced environment does not scare you., sign #7: you work well under pressure., sign #8: you believe in being an ethical person., sign #9: you have good problem-solving skills., sign #10: you are a critical thinker., sign #11: you pay close attention to detail., sign #12: you know how to prioritize., sign #13: you have strong leadership qualities., sign #14: you are empathetic., sign #15: you don’t mind being flexible regarding your schedule or duties., sign #16: you have a good sense of self-confidence., sign #17: you like to spread optimism., sign #18: you are emotionally stable., sign #19: you know how to be assertive when necessary., sign #20: you are a dependable person., sign #21: you love learning., my final thoughts.

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Why Should I Be a Nurse? 6 Things to Consider When Choosing a Nursing Career

4 min • February, 13 2024

Nursing is a fantastic career choice with numerous benefits, ranging from incredible opportunities to personal fulfillment. However, before diving into a nursing course or role, it's crucial to ensure that the profession aligns with your interests and abilities. Nursing can be profoundly rewarding, but it demands commitment and compassion. Here are six key factors to contemplate before embarking on a nursing career:

1. Caring is Key:

As a nurse, you become a vital part of patients' support networks, often playing a crucial role in their comfort and well-being. Establishing connections with patients can be immensely fulfilling, but it also presents challenges. Supporting patients can be emotionally draining, requiring resilience and compassion, but creating caring connections is one of the most rewarding aspects of nursing. S Providing comfort and safe passage to patients, whether through medical interventions or emotional support is a privilege.

2. Be Resilient:

Resilience is a fundamental trait for nurses, who must navigate both highs and lows in patient care. Nurses often find themselves working with individuals at their most vulnerable moments, necessitating emotional fortitude and the ability to maintain composure, while facing emotionally challenging situations with sensitivity and strength. Despite the emotional toll, nurses must remain available and composed for their next patient, embodying therapeutic care.  Meeting patients at their point of need calls for both sensitivity and resiliency .

3. The Pros and Cons of Shift Work:

Nursing demands flexibility, often involving shift work and unconventional hours . While this schedule allows for extended periods off duty, it requires adjustment and prioritization of self-care, including adequate sleep and support from loved ones.

Balancing responsibilities and personal preferences are essential for optimal performance and job satisfaction. When you find the right position for you, your performance will be at its best.

4. Keep Active:

Nursing is a physically demanding profession, requiring nurses to stay active for long periods of time. Maintaining physical fitness and investing in your health, like eating healthy and purchasing supportive footwear for example, are crucial for sustained energy and focus during long shifts.

5. There’s a Balance Between Science and Service:

Nursing encompasses both providing compassionate care and applying scientific principles to patient treatment . Nurses must find a balance between these aspects based on their role and specialization , ensuring excellence in both areas.

Whether administering medical treatments or offering emotional support, nurses play a multifaceted role in patient well-being.

6. On-Going Education is Important:

Continuous learning is integral to nursing professionals' development and advancement. Nurses have various opportunities for growth, including specialization in areas like oncology or pursuing senior roles such as Nurse Practitioner .

Nurses should strive for lifelong learning and seek out opportunities for mentorship and professional development . Nurses should remain committed to ongoing education, seizing opportunities to expand their knowledge and skills.

If these qualities resonate with you, a nursing career could be an ideal path. Despite its challenges, nursing offers immense fulfillment and stability. It's a profession that allows individuals to make a tangible difference in others' lives while enjoying opportunities for personal and professional growth.

For expert guidance on pursuing a nursing career, visit our Career Center .

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Why I Love Being a Nurse

This blog has been updated on March 22, 2023.

Learn more about Carson-Newman's online FNP nursing programs .

Nursing is one of the most professionally, personally, and spiritually rewarding careers there is.

People are driven to a career in nursing for a variety of reasons. Carson-Newman wanted to better understand and document some of these reasons, which is why we reached out to 15 registered nurses, including three of our own FNP students, to get their perspectives on a simple question: What do you find most rewarding about a career in nursing ?

Read on to discover some of the responses we received and compare these answers to your own experience.

Earn Your MSN-FNP Part-Time For Less than $30k

Nancy brook, rn, msn, cfnp.

'One of the most rewarding aspects of a career in nursing is the ability to connect with our patients on such an intimate level. While we often meet under very difficult circumstances—being present as people face serious health challenges or injuries, witnessing the moment of birth or the end of life—we get to know our patients very quickly and have the opportunity to play an important role in their lives.

"I became a nurse so that I could have an impact on the lives of others and have a career that felt very meaningful . After 25 years of helping patients and their families navigate cancer and mentoring new nurses, I believe that at the end of the day, no matter how challenging, I have impacted someone's life for the better."

Catherine Burger, RN, MS, MSOL, NEA-BC

"What I find to be the most rewarding about being a nurse is the numerous career paths that are available within the profession. For example, in my nearly 30-year career I have been blessed to work in labor and delivery, the Intensive Care Unit, home health, informatics, leadership, clinical practice, and ambulatory care. As a contributing writer for registerednursing.org, I now get to educate my colleagues and future nurses on current events and issues.

"I initially chose a nursing career just out of high school as I wanted to work in the field of medicine, and I knew I could complete the degree within two years. After many years and many advanced degrees, I still love being of help to people at all stages of life. I am very proud of my nursing profession and I love that nurses are still the most trusted profession to the public: a responsibility we should never take for granted."

Elizabeth Mason, RN, MSN - Carson-Newman FNP Student

"After working for a while, I went back to school and became a nursing instructor in the classroom and clinical. It is the perfect balance of hands-on patient care and teaching the next generation of nurses. I love [when] my students have that "ah-ha" moment as they put together the big picture of the patient, their diagnosis, medications, and treatment plans. I love seeing the growth of new nursing students to their preceptorship. It is always a blessing to see them in the hospital later as nurses succeeding at their calling."

Sandy Griffin, LPN, CHPLN

"I really love going to bed knowing I made a difference. As an LPN at a hospice, that difference is usually making sure our patients are as comfortable as possible, but we often have the opportunity to help the patients' families too. It's satisfying to know they feel more at ease after they see the care we provide.

"I chose a nursing career partially because I loved biology and anatomy and partially to have a career with which I could support myself and be independent. The further I got into my nursing education, I realized how rewarding it was to be able to make people who are sick and uncomfortable feel better, even if it's just a little. Treating people with kindness and respect goes a long way. I found my nursing career home in hospice. It hasn't always been easy, but it has always been worth it.

"I have loved empowering and supporting patients and families to know that they are able to get through anything. Working for a hospice agency, I have been able to help patients have dignity at some of the most vulnerable times in their lives. Being with patients and their families at the end of life is a privilege. It has been an honor to have been with so many at that time.

"I also love the pride I feel in my work. Being a nurse is one of the most challenging jobs someone could do. It's physically and mentally demanding at times. However, at the end of the day, you feel amazing satisfaction and pride. Being able to help those in need for a living is unlike any other profession."

MaryAnn Ciambriello, RN, BSN

"The most rewarding thing about being a nurse is making a difference in the lives of others. It may be your patients, their families, or your students. Nursing offers us so many arenas to practice in. As an RN, I have worked in the delivery room, in home care, in a prison, as a high school nurse, and as the director of nurses in assisted living facilities. Now, I am the owner of a few businesses.

"What motivated me to be an RN? My dad chose my profession for me. I was studying business in college and he thought that I should become an RN. So, like any good daughter, I dropped my business studies and became an RN; however, I did go back to complete two business degrees.

"What do I love about nursing? I love that this profession allows us the opportunity to work in so many diverse areas. We are not pigeonholed into just the hospital—the sky's the limit in this profession.

"In nursing, you just have to follow your passion and purpose and stay true to yourself. Always remember to have empathy and to give the best care possible."

Shantay Carter, RN, BSN

"Knowing that my care, touch, voice, and time can help a patient make it through the night is one of the most rewarding feelings. Sometimes, it's the little things that you do for your patient that make a difference. The nursing profession has opened so many doors for me. It has allowed me to become an author and run a successful non-profit organization that addresses the needs in my community. My specialty is orthopedics and trauma, and I love working in this area."

Lauren Mochizuki, RN, BSN

"What I find most rewarding about my career as a nurse is that I have the opportunity to help people in their most vulnerable, and unexpected, moments. For some, coming to the emergency department can be one of the worst days of their lives. As their nurse, my job is to make them feel safe, comfortable, and cared for.

"There are many things that motivated me to choose nursing as a career. First, I love people. I love chatting with them, being around them, and taking care of them—it is very fulfilling to my soul. The second reason is that the schedule is wonderful for being a mother. I now have the opportunity to work per diem and work around my husband's schedule so I can spend lots of time with our children.

"Lastly, I love that it provides great compensation so that I can contribute to my family financially. Five years ago, my husband and I paid off $266,000 of debt, and I am so thankful for my various nursing jobs that allowed me to work to reach this goal. I also love the culture of nursing in my emergency department. It feels like we understand each other, like we can look at each other in a certain way and know what we are thinking. We can sense when something is wrong in each other or celebrate our personal victories. I have the privilege to work among great nurses and that makes the entire shift more enjoyable."

Cynthia Attaway, RN, MSN - Carson-Newman FNP Student

"I am a part time nursing instructor for a community college, and the first to be allowed in the acute hospital setting. The human connection cannot be experienced in simulation and observing the science of human caring was emotional during the pandemic.

"Nursing is the best—high technology, and high touch."

Chris Caulfield, RN, NP-C

"As a nurse, I have a flexible career that allows me to pursue my passions while also having a significant positive impact on patients at need. I was initially attracted to the nursing profession as I loved working with the elderly and had a strong interest in human physiology. There were flexible nursing programs in my local area that were affordably priced, so it was easy for me to start my RN program. I was also very excited by the opportunities to obtain advanced practice certifications and licenses through distanced-based programs that were flexible and could work around my personal commitments.

"Throughout my nursing career, I've had the great opportunity to work in many different fields including long-term care, psychiatric nursing, urgent care, labor relations, and nursing informatics. As you work in different specialties, your knowledge continues to grow and your ability to think outside the box increases. As an advanced practice nurse (FNP-C), I've gained a deeper understanding of the health care system, which had a significant contribution in leading me to success in my most recent venture-backed technology startup. I've been able to take this knowledge and create a system that focuses on allowing nurses to work a flexible schedule via their mobile app, while also helping to address the staffing shortage crises experienced in long-term care facilities.

"Over the past three years, I've had over 10,000 nursing professionals join my organization to pick up shifts on the side. With almost unlimited opportunities, I continue to recommend the nursing profession to countless numbers of family members, friends, and acquaintances. I've yet to find another career choice that allows the flexibility and options that nursing does."

Tina Baxter, APRN, GNP-BC

"As a nurse, I have the privilege of helping others when they are the most vulnerable. I witness some of their greatest triumphs and their greatest defeats. There is nothing better than attending a birth, holding the hand of someone who is dying, or helping someone achieve a better life through improving their health. It is a legacy that will live on long after you are gone. The patients and families will remember your warm smile, your gentle touch, the knowledge you shared, and the fact that you cared for them.

"As a student in health care, I realized I was more concerned about how a person got ill and how to prevent it, rather than just how to treat it. I wanted to understand how I could help a person not only get healthy but stay healthy. That's what nurses do. We teach our patients to take care of themselves and to optimize their health.

"One of the things I love about being a nurse is that this career is flexible . I have been a bedside nurse, a nursing professor, a mentor, a supervisor/manager/charge nurse, an entrepreneur, a nurse scientist, a nurse educator, a legal nurse consultant, a wellness practitioner, a nurse practitioner, and coming soon, a nurse author with my first book. I would say that being a nurse is pretty fabulous."

Andrea Tran, RN, IBCLC

"The most rewarding thing I have found about being a nurse is the personal connection that I am able to make with patients. No matter how long it has been, a patient remembers their nurse. They may or may not remember the nurse's name, but they remember if they were kind and compassionate. A good nurse always is.

"I became a nurse in response to nothing short of "a calling." I was visiting my grandmother with my mother. She had gone into another room to visit with someone else she knew, and I went to get her. I noticed that the other patient in the room was in a lot of pain, and I had such a strong and deep desire to help them. I decided then and there that I would become a nurse.

"I have spent my entire career with women during the childbearing period. It is mostly wonderful, but when it is not, it is terrible.

"Getting to share in the joy of a new family creates so much happiness. Helping new parents step into their new world with education and support puts me in my happy place."

Nancy Congleton, RN, Author

"What initially motivated me to become a nurse was that my husband and I were sinking financially. We both worked full time, our home was small and affordable, our vehicles were not brand new, and yet we were barely making it. At a young age I found myself intrigued by the medical profession and, after discovering that I could have my associate's degree in nursing and become an RN in approximately three years, I went for it. What started as a financial necessity has become so much more. I thoroughly enjoy caring for my patients and love mentoring new nurses.

"The things I love most about being a nurse include the variety of areas to practice in, the constant opportunities to focus on others, and those 12-hour shifts! If I had to go back to a Monday–Friday schedule, I don't know if I'd survive!"

Megan McHatten, RN, BSN, CNOR

"As an operating room nurse at a trauma center, there are times that can be pretty stressful and fast paced. Recently, a trauma was called and about six of us rushed to the OR to set up. All we typically know during these events are the very basics, and in this case, a motor vehicle accident had occurred, and we needed to do an exploratory laparotomy. Within about two minutes, we had the supplies and instruments opened, scrub techs were setting up, and anesthesia was getting ready. I looked around and was so proud to be a part of a team that could, within minutes, be ready to potentially save someone's life. Those are times when I am proud to be a perioperative nurse and I find them especially rewarding.

"What motivated me to choose this career? High demand, good pay, multiple specialties to work in, the ability to move forward with my career if I choose (i.e. nurse practitioner, administration) and the feeling of making a difference.

"I love the feeling when our team has a great surgical case, and everyone is working together like a well-oiled machine. I love knowing that many of my patients will begin their healing journey in my OR. I love the endless amount of learning and science that the health care field offers."

Maria Kindrai, RN, MSN - Carson-Newman FNP Student

"As a nurse, I have learned to appreciate every moment spent at the bedside of a patient.  Caring for others has always been a priority but during a pandemic it has been heightened.  This one on one time with someone is certainly time when both the patient and the nurse have the opportunity for growth and to learn from one another."

Donna Mathezing, RN

"30 years of being a nurse and I have never had a regret about my career choice. I knew when I was five years old that helping people and talking with them was what I was meant to do.

"I have worked in all critical care areas from emergency to the cardiovascular ICU to the general systems ICU; I now work in the post-operative care unit and have 10 years of experience flying with our air ambulance service in a helicopter. I get to make a profound difference every single day. That profound difference is different for every patient, depending on what they need from me at their time of need. That could be something simple like holding a hand, letting them cry on my shoulder, giving pain medications so their loved one is comfortable, or just reassuring them that we will take care of them!

"Being with people at what is sometimes the worst moments of their lives or the best moments (diagnosis is negative or the birth of a baby) is a privilege and one I take very seriously. Being with a family as their loved one is passing away is the ultimate compliment for a nurse. Death is a sacred and scary time for many, and to be allowed within that sacred circle to offer support and comfort is what is rewarding about nursing.

"If I can walk away after my shift knowing that I have eased a person's worry or fear and brought some sort of peace to them, then my day is fulfilled. And the best part of that is that I get many opportunities every day that I work."

Learn more about Carson-Newman's online nursing programs for registered nurses with their bachelor's or master's.

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Is Nursing a Good Career? Five Signs It Suits You

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With our rapidly changing world comes uncertainty and instability. Sometimes that feeling of instability manifests in our careers and job security. But some career paths offer a door to much-needed steadiness and promise. A registered nursing job is one of those paths. Not only is it a stable profession to enter; it’s also slated to grow, making it an ideal career path for many. The National Library of Medicine projects that between 2020 and 2029, there will be a 15% growth in healthcare, creating over two million jobs—222,000 of which will be nurses.

You might find yourself wondering, is nursing right for me? Successful nurses are empathetic, outstandingly ethical, and have a love for helping people. They are also bound to professionalism and are seeking a competitive career. If these sound like qualities you possess, keep reading.

Despite popular belief, there are very many different career paths for a registered nurse and, frankly, there is a role suitable for just about anyone. There is direct care, which is probably what you imagine when you think of the work of a nurse, but it doesn’t stop there. If you’re interested in driving innovation in the medical and care fields, you could go into nursing research, or if you feel like your talents are best used as a leader, you can aim for a nursing training and management track. If you feel like you’re a well of teachable knowledge, you can go into nursing education. The possibilities are truly endless.

Why nursing? Five goals that prove it's a good career for you.

1. You Want Growth and Variety in the Job Market

Career stability is really important in today’s job market and going into nursing guarantees you that. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts a 12% growth in nursing careers in the United States by the year 2028, which is much higher than average. What does this statistic mean for nurses? A surplus of jobs and a natural agility in the job market. There’s nothing quite as anxiety-inducing as dealing with job scarcity in your hunt for work; as a nurse you’ll never have to face that. A career in nursing also puts you right on the cutting edge of innovative medicine and growing long-term care for chronic illnesses, which means you’re in an environment that’s constantly changing and offering you new opportunities to learn and increase your market value as a nurse.

2. You Want to Earn a Decent Salary

With the job growth mentioned above comes competitive salaries, which, as a nurse, comes to your advantage. A registered nurse salary is $77,000 a year on average. If you become an advanced practice nurse—a nurse with post-graduate education and training in nursing—you stand to earn an average salary of $90,000, plus sign-on bonuses due to profession shortages (which, as stated, are projected to grow). Many senior-level nurses make an average salary of well over $100,000 and have the sought-after luxury of terrific job security, which can’t be undervalued in this day and age. Depending on which nursing field you pursue, you can make even more, according to a recent article featured on nurse.org .

Highest paying nurses jobs

3. You Want Lots of Job Options with Real Impact

If you like to have options in your profession, consider nursing. Nursing professionals can work in a variety of settings, such as hospitals, homes, hospices, clinics, and doctor’s offices—even the military, schools, or businesses. Nurses in management or a particular specialization work with diverse teams and populations in their journey to advance healthcare. Are you the type who wants to do more with their profession than simply earn money? If you want your career to be marked by impact, then nursing is a great route for you. Nursing is one of the few jobs where you can be an integral piece in offering immediate and life-changing interventions directly to people and communities every day.

4. You Want to Learn (and Keep Learning)

Working in nursing means always finding yourself in new situations with new people and with new knowledge and information. Every single day you work as a nurse, you’ll be exposed to opportunities to learn. Even the normal schedule of a nurse brings challenges and constant change. On top of that, the demands of the profession itself include constant education and credit requirements to maintain licensure or gain additional certification as the science of care becomes more advanced. Learn more about advanced nursing education options.

5. You Want to Make a Difference in a Niche

Nursing can be as broad or as specific as you like. You can cultivate knowledge in general medicine or you can specialize in psychology, obstetrics, and so much more. Whether you feel called to a specialized, technical niche or you feel more at home in family practice, there are countless opportunities for you as a nurse. You can seek a profession in telehealth, outpatient, bedside, and legal settings. Nurses play a life-changing role in hundreds upon hundreds of settings. Rest assured, you can make a meaningful and significant impact in any one of these settings as a professional nurse.

How to Begin a Career in Nursing

Considering the competitive nature of the role and the gravity of caring for humans in need, almost all nursing roles—especially where the registered nurse salary hovers around six-figures—require a bachelor’s degree . As mentioned above, you can take this type of work in any direction you see fit. For example, consider starting your career in a field similar to nursing and explore the healthcare degree programs from WGU . WGU’s healthcare degree programs are online and CCNE accredited , classes are 100% virtual (giving you total flexibility), and 95% of students say they would recommend the program. Begin your future career today by learning more about the healthcare and nursing programs available to you through WGU.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is nursing a good career.

The nursing field is an ever changing, high-paying, and always in-demand career field with high rates of job satisfaction overall. In fact, Advisory Board found that the vast majority of nurses in all positions—NMs, CNSs, CRNAs, NPs, LPNs, and RNs—all reported 94–98% job satisfaction. Becoming a nurse also opens you up to flexibility. Whether you choose to pursue nursing part-time or full-time, there is a large and growing number of occupations for a nursing school graduate.

What can you do with a nursing degree?

While most nurses are registered nurses (RNs) who have earned a bachelor’s degree in the science of nursing (BSN), that’s just one of so many career paths you can take with your nursing degree. Depending on your interests, you can pursue a career with a broad application of nursing or you can seek a specialty area like community nursing, burn unit nursing, or epidemics research nursing. You can also specify what type of people you’d prefer to work with (children, older adults, or researchers). The same goes for setting; if you don’t see yourself working in a hospital, you could work at an elderly care home, in a research lab, on the road as a travel nurse, or even on a cruise ship. That’s one of the beauties of working as a nurse: the variety across the board.

What are careers in nursing?

There are many career paths you can pursue as a nurse. Here are some of the popular nursing specialities you can pursue:

• Registered Nurse (RN)
• Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
• Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
• Cardiac Nurse
• Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
• Critical Care Nurse
• Geriatric Nursing
• Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
• Mental Health Nurse
• Perioperative Nurse (Surgical/OR Nurse)
• Nurse Educator
• Nurse Manager
• Nurse Practitioner
• Nurse Midwife
• Basic Life Support (BLS)
• Oncology Nurse
• Nursing Administrator
• Orthopedic Nurse
• Public Health Nurse
• Pediatric Nurse
• Travel Nurse

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• Should You Become a Nurse?

Should You Become a Nurse? 5 Things to Consider

"Nursing is one of the most challenging and rewarding professions. The avenues for practice are endless, and the opportunities for connections with the community and individuals are limitless. It has been my honor to share the most treasured, difficult, and meaningful moments with my students, patients, and their families. Nursing has been, and always will be, an essential aspect of my life and, in many ways, has defined how I choose to live my life — with ethics, compassion, and connections at the forefront."

—Jessica Gordon, associate dean of undergraduate nursing programs, Purdue Global

Every career has joys and frustrations. Nursing still gets high ratings for job satisfaction — 71% of respondents in the AMN Healthcare 2023 Survey of Registered Nurses either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that they were satisfied with their choice of nursing as a career. By comparison, a separate job satisfaction survey showed that only 62% of all U.S. workers said they were satisfied with their careers during the same period.

However, both nurses and health care executives are concerned about a nursing shortage, with 94% of respondents in the AMN survey agreeing that there is a severe or moderate shortage of nurses in their area. This is in part tied to the pandemic and an increased health care demand but also to the fact that retirements are outpacing new entrants to nursing .

While this is a challenge, it also creates an opportunity for those people looking to get into nursing as employment opportunities abound. If you’re thinking about becoming a nurse, here are five things to consider.

1. Nurses Work Varying Shifts

The length of nursing shifts varies depending on the work environment. A nurse in a doctor’s private practice or in a residential care facility might work five shifts of 8 hours each for a 40-hour workweek. A hospital nurse, on the other hand, might work three shifts of 12 hours each for a 36-hour workweek.

Why the difference? Hospitals are staffed 24/7, and 12-hour shifts provide better continuity because patients are under the care of a different nurse only twice a day. Hospitals generally consider 36 hours a full-time week. Part-time nurses work anywhere from 10 to 30 hours a week.

Many nurses work more than their shifts due to a  nursing shortage  rooted in both demographic and economic issues.

Why Is There a Nursing Shortage?

The aging of the baby boomers: This generation, born between the years of 1946 and 1964, began turning 65 in 2011 at the rate of 10,000 a day and will continue to do so until 2029. The ongoing retirement of the baby boomers is constantly affecting the number of employed nurses. Beginning in 2016, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics found that health care was one of the few industries with more job openings than hires. Between 2022 and 2032, the BLS expects registered nursing jobs to grow by 6%, or 177,400.

Nursing education needs reform: As noted in a 2021 article in The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing , there is a need to transform nursing education in this country. “Preparing future nurses as knowledge workers is the required and essential pivot,” the article states. The number of nursing students, while growing, is not keeping up with the number of open nursing positions. A shortage of nursing faculty is one of the causes. According to an American Association of Colleges of Nursing survey, thousands of qualified applicants were being turned away due to insufficient number of faculty, along with lack of clinical sites, classroom space, clinical preceptors, as well as budget constraints.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) expanded the role of nursing: Among other effects, the ACA expanded the roles of many nurses in health care overall. Since its passage in 2010, 31 million Americans have gained access to health coverage through the ACA, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services . Many of those newly insured patients were affected by chronic illnesses that had gone untreated so they required more care. The ACA also emphasized effective care and outcomes. This led to an increased demand for the role of nurse practitioners and other nurses with advanced education.

>> Learn More: A Guide to Nursing Programs, Degrees, & Career Paths

2. Nurses Love Their Work — But It’s Not Without Challenges

The high satisfaction ratings reported in the survey discussed earlier are not unusual; the survey is done every 2 years, and respondents consistently report high levels of job satisfaction, though it dropped a bit in the years since the pandemic. Connecting with patients, making a difference, contributing to better health, the variety of duties and work environments — these are just a few of the reasons nurses are satisfied with their work.

As in any career, there are factors that affect job satisfaction. Nursing is a demanding profession, both physically and psychologically. Some nurses worry that the demands of the job are affecting their health; others say they don’t have the time they need to spend with their patients, and still others say they don’t feel their leaders support them in their career development.

The nursing shortage only serves to exacerbate these situations. Most nurses enjoy the profession, but it’s not without its toll. Expect some stress and pressure.

3. Nursing Offers Numerous Career Opportunities and Paths

The career paths you can choose as a nurse are plentiful. Here are some general nursing categories:

Primary patient care: Nurses who work hands-on with patients are needed in hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, and residential care homes, and for in-home nursing care. Specialties can include neuro-trauma, neonatal, oncology, labor/delivery, anesthesia, geriatrics, acute care, and orthopedics, to name a few.

School nurses: School nurses specialize in all matters affecting children from preschool through grade 12. In addition to taking care of students who get sick or injured at school, they help disabled students and those with chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, allergies, or asthma with their medical needs. They have an active role in promoting hygiene, nutrition, exercise, and wellness, and they need to be familiar with the signs of substance abuse, physical and emotional abuse, and mental illness.

Nurses in private practice: Nurses in private practice enjoy an opportunity to practice independently. Of course, the type of nursing will be defined by the specialty of the doctor. Is the doctor an eye surgeon? A gynecologist? A general practitioner? The nursing care will follow suit.

Hospice care nurses: Hospice nurses care for patients at the end of life and help them live as comfortably as possible. These nurses specialize in palliative care and need extremely good communication skills to help patients and their families.

Nurse educators: Nurse educators are found in hospitals and nursing schools. In hospitals, they work with student nurses to teach patient care or alongside medical researchers. In nursing colleges, nurse educators are similar to any instructor; they create lesson plans, teach online and/or in the classroom, and evaluate students.

Leadership and administration: There are multiple levels of nursing leadership in a hospital. Charge nurses are responsible for supervising nurses and patient care during a given shift. Nurse administrators wear two hats: they manage the nursing department as well as facilities and the budget.

Nurse practitioners (NPs): Nurse practitioners are common in doctors’ offices as part of the front line against illness and injury. Although they work under the oversight of a doctor, nurse practitioners can examine patients, make diagnoses, and may prescribe medications. Nurse practitioners must earn advanced degrees in nursing, pass a licensing exam, and work for several years in the field to earn official credentials from the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners .

Certified nurse midwives: Certified nurse midwives are advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) , so they must earn an advanced degree and a certification and gain extra experience in order to practice. They monitor pregnant women throughout pregnancy and deliver their babies. In the case of complications that need a higher level of medical care, they take their patient to a hospital.

Learn more about nursing careers:

• Choosing a Nursing Specialty: Guidance for New and Experienced Nurses
• 10 Top Non-Hospital Nursing Jobs for Nurses

4. Nurses Combine Science and Service

If you’ve always liked science and helping people, you may have the ideal mix of left brain/right brain, along with the hard and soft skills that are needed to be a nurse. But what does that mean?

Nursing is, of course, based in science. But nursing is also an art, based on the intuition and moral compass of the nurse at hand.

Put another way, a nurse needs both hard skills — education, technique, experience — and soft skills, such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving, intuition, empathy, and professionalism. According to American Nurse Today , the Journal of the American Nursing Association, “It is vital that nursing leaders mentor and create work environments that encourage nurses to develop soft skills, which will enhance the use of both teamwork and collaboration and lead to the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes.” If you want to become a nurse, you’ll need to practice excellent soft skills.

5. Nursing Requires Continuing Education

Just as medicine advances, nursing care is ever-evolving, and continuing education has become a cornerstone of the profession. Requirements vary, but most states (and many hospitals) require nurses to complete a certain level of continuing education every 2 to 5 years to keep their license valid. Topics might include clinical management, controlled substances, HIV/AIDS training, pain management, bioterrorism, recognizing child or domestic abuse, ethics, and veterans’ health conditions.

Learn More About How to Become a Nurse

If you think you’d be a good fit for a nursing career, it’s time to take the next step. Learn more about the online nursing programs offered by Purdue Global, a nonprofit, online public university for working adults. Purdue Global offers multiple nursing degree programs, including an associate’s in nursing (for students in Iowa and Maine), an online RN-to-BSN degree , and multiple advanced nursing degrees. Request more information today .

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Is Nursing a Good Field? How Can I Know if it's Right For Me?

Nursing is often called a 'calling,' and for good reason. It takes a special kind of person to care for those who cannot care for themselves, a dedicated individual who truly feels called to help others. If you feel compelled to care of others in their moments of need, nursing could be a great field for you.

What Does it Take to Become a Nurse?

Becoming a good nurse takes more than just the desire for help. It takes a solid set of skills that make it possible to do the job effectively each time you show up for a shift. Communication skills are at the top of the list in this regard. The best nurses know how to communicate efficiently with patients, doctors, surgeons, anesthesiologists, patient's family members, and every member of the healthcare team they meet.

Similarly, the best nurses have a solid attention to detail and can process critical information in short order. Nurses must be able to read medical charts and possess a solid understanding of the effects the medications and treatments they administer will have on patients.

Of course, sometimes what needs to be communicated isn't pleasant and this requires nurses to have a significant degree of empathy and emotional stability. Whether it's changing a bedpan or comforting a patient in their last moments, nurses are on the front lines and have the closest contact with patients and their family. This also requires nurses to have the ability to compartmentalize their own emotions and remain calm and focused even when the highest stakes are on the line.

What is the Nursing Environment Like?

Nursing is a great role for those who enjoy fluid and flexible work environments. From ever changing shifts to the types of situations you will be called upon to address, the only routine in nursing is that there is no such thing as a daily routine. While treatments and protocols are set in stone, the need for their application and the patients who will need care means that each day is a brand new day.

Nurses are also perpetual students. From learning about new medical techniques to mastering advances in technology, every day on the job is like the first day of school. There is always something new to learn and something interesting to discover. This makes it ideal for individuals who have a strong degree of curiosity and a solid desire to learn as much as they can about the field of medicine.

While nurses are required to keep their minds sharp, they also must keep their bodies physically fit . Nursing can be a physically demanding job that requires lifting patients and moving heavy equipment. While you don't need to be a bodybuilder, you will need to stay in shape so that you can stand up to the physical rigors of the day. 

What About Different Types of Nurses and their Specializations?

There are many types of nurses, and many specializations that nurses can earn to further enhance their opportunities. You can choose to specialize in cardiothoracic medicine, neurology, children's care, operating room, and much more. Adding specialized certifications and skill sets allows you to tailor your work towards the fields of medicine that are most interesting to you. It also creates flexibility in work environments, from private clinics to public hospitals, and nursing home facilities to in-home care.

Nurses are required to be licensed within the states where they wish to work. This licensure must be kept up to date; however, while many people fear "the boards" the reality is that nurses who graduate from accredited nursing programs are well prepared for the exams and questions required to pass the test. Moreover, many states make it easy for nurses to transfer their credentials across state lines. This makes it possible for nurses to pursue opportunities whenever and wherever they arise.

Are you interested in a nursing degree? If you want to earn an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Nursing , ECPI University offers this degree at an accelerated rate. For more information about this exciting program, connect with a friendly admissions advisor today .

It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make !

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Is Nursing A Good Career? (11 Things You Can Expect)

With nursing being such an integral part of our country’s health industry, it is wise to consider it a career choice. If you’re interested in a medical career with a more straightforward pathway, consider a nursing career. 

As a nurse, you will probably find yourself doing various tasks associated with caring for patients, from births to surgeries. You will also have the opportunity to work closely with doctors and other medical professionals. In order to find out if nursing is one of your top career possibilities, check this out!

Is Nursing A Good Career? 

Nursing is a wise career choice because it offers a variety of opportunities, good pay, and the chance to make a difference in people’s lives. Additionally, a nursing career is a fulfilling and rewarding profession. Nurses are critical to the healthcare system. As a result, the field of nursing is one of the most in-demand professions worldwide, and it’s growing at an exponential rate. 

Here are 11 good reasons to pursue a profession in nursing, so tune in!

1. Nursing as a Profession Within the Health Care Sector

The nursing profession strongly emphasizes providing care to individuals, families, and communities to help people achieve, maintain, or regain their optimal health and quality of life.

In line with this, art and science, heart and mind, are all involved in its practice. Its main principles include respecting everyone and being aware of their needs.

As nurses may develop strong relationships with their patients, nursing differs from all other healthcare professions. It is about the caregiver’s intensity in their connection with the patient.

Keep in mind that clinical procedures, therapies, and the healthcare facility providing those services are all part of a nursing career!

2. Requirements for Nursing Career 

The Nursing profession experiences rapid changes, is highly lucrative, is in high demand, and offers generally high levels of job satisfaction.

In addition to challenging exams, hectic schedules, and clinical trials, there is much to learn in this field. Because nursing is incredibly competitive, starting with the application process and continuing through graduation can be a stressful detour.

One must obtain a four-year university degree and pass the nursing licensure exam to ensure the quality of all nursing graduates.

Overall, all facets of life and death are dealt with by nurses. But it’s also acknowledged as one of healthcare’s most rewarding, sought-after, secure, and top careers!

3. Nurses Make Above-Average Salaries

Registered nurses in the United States will make an average of $82,750 per year , or $39.78 per hour, in 2021–2022.

Additionally, their earnings are far higher than the national average for all employees in the United States, and American nurse salaries are among the highest and best in the world.

According to the BLS , RNs will have plenty of job opportunities between now and 2029. With the projections, there will be almost 222,000 more registered nurses working in the field between 2020 and 2030.

The current forecast estimates that we will need up to a million new nursing experts to fulfill the expanding demand. Thus, anyone considering becoming a nurse should be happy to hear they have incredible job opportunities. 

Learn more, do nurses make good money?

4. Nursing is About Nurturing And Caring 

Establishing a close connection with their patients is one of the most satisfying elements of choosing the professional path of a nurse.

For instance, nurses may spend the entire 12-hour shift by the patient’s bedside. They understand their objectives and that collaborating with doctors to advance their patients’ health requires their extensive knowledge, patience, and critical thinking abilities.

As nurses, providing medical care is just one aspect of what they do. Nurses have the power to impact someone’s life, and people need hope, sometimes in the worst moments of their lives.

Nothing beats the care and devotion of a nurse. You must carry this motivation and inspiration from your patients and peers to succeed in this field!

5. Digging Deeper into the Nursing Degree and Requirements

Entry into a nursing degree typically requires high school graduation or GED. Prerequisites include biology, chemistry, college-preparatory math, and other GPA requirements. 

Please check your preferred college and university for a complete list of requirements. 

Furthermore, you can also continue to a nursing degree by obtaining access to a higher education diploma in nursing. Universities sometimes require either 60 level three credits or 45 level three credits plus 15 level two credits.

Many Universities, such as Purdue Global University, provide a blended or online RN to BSN bridging program that enables licensed registered nurses with a diploma or associate degree to acquire their bachelor’s certificate. 

Enrolling in these bridging programs will typically save time and money. 

In terms of internships, they are available to students throughout the academic year and during the summer, usually in 10-week blocks.

At the same time, practicum hours might also vary, but they are often less than those of clinical internships. Despite being unpaid, nursing students can use practicum hours to fulfill the required number of clinical hours!

6. Healthcare Expertise in Nursing

Employers in the nursing field expect competent nurses to have a set of technical abilities, such as taking vital signs, administering medication, starting IVs, and inserting catheters.

As well as that, understanding injections, obtaining cardinal functions, scheduling, patient preparation, and interpreting an electrocardiogram are part of medical assistance.

For instance, a patient could suddenly become short of breath or have an adverse drug reaction. Understanding the problem to provide care for the patient may need the use of additional abilities, including critical thinking, CPR, and teamwork with other medical professionals.

By all means, nurses greatly influence the patients’ safety. They assist in reducing the possibility of patient-related accidents and maximizing recoveries!

7. Nurse Residency Programs

A nurse residency program is required to pursue this career because it enables new graduates to get the information and practical experience they need to offer patients high-quality care.

These programs, typically lasting from six to 12 months, teach new nurses the necessary skills, empower them to have confidence in their clinical judgment, and enhance patient outcomes. 

Before beginning the professional journey, residency programs assist new nurses in developing their critical thinking, communication , and problem-solving skills.

Simply put, patients receive better care when nurses with extensive knowledge, clinical judgment, and confidence enter the workplace. 

8. Future Prospects and Boom in Nursing Specialties

There will be a 7% rise in RN employment between 2019 and 2029, making the profession reliable and appealing.

Additionally, there are other career options and medical specialties in this field, including those for Nurse Advocates, Nurse Midwives, Clinical Nurses, School Nurses, And Neonatal Nurses.

As you may already be aware, there is a nursing shortage. This is primarily due to a rapidly aging population and the predicted retirement of more than one million nurses in the United States. 

It’s only short of a guarantee that there will be a great career outlook and job security in the US and worldwide after earning a nursing degree!

9. Long Shifts and Work Hours

Nurses may work 8 hours to 12 hours per day, depending on their employers and workload. For example, the nursing staff in private clinics frequently work 8-hour shifts. However, hospital centers may offer shifts between 8 and 10 hours.

However, based on a study, nurses routinely get more paid vacation days than any other employee. Nurses frequently receive 17 vacation days after one year of work; this number of vacation days rises with experience in the industry. 

Due to extended hours and multiple shits, nursing professionals may find it challenging to balance their home and professional lives. 

Nurses often say that they cannot spend sufficient time with their families. 

10. Poor Work-life Balance and Other Issues in Healthcare

In exceptional cases, nurses typically work 12-hour shifts; however, they sometimes work even 13- or 14-hour shifts for overtime.

For some nurses, nothing else gets done on any given weekday, the hours are long, and the work is draining.

Due to a rise in the demand for travel nurses, some nurses quit , while others took early retirement. Others complained of bedside fatigue, while some demanded large sign-on bonuses. 

According to several young nurses, understaffing frequently leads to burnout, high-stress work situations, bullying, and detrimental effects on their health and well-being.

As a result, work-life balance is nonexistent!

11. Potential Exposure to Diseases

Although nurses should take precautions to stay healthy, there is always a danger that they could catch infectious diseases from patients.

There is always a potential that nurses could come into contact with bodily fluids and pathogens while working, even though they frequently wear personal protective equipment (PPE).

Extreme exposure situations may include mistakenly injecting themselves with a blood-borne infection or getting bodily fluid and aerosols sprayed in their eyes. 

To protect their safety and health, nurses and other healthcare personnel must follow standard protocols in contact, sanitary cleansing, and testing!

To learn more, you can also see our post on Paramedic, Radiology , and Pharmacy .

Nursing is challenging, but it’s one of the most rewarding careers. And with the current boom in nursing care facilities, you can expect to find many job opportunities available if you graduate as a nurse. 

Of course, there are also some drawbacks to be aware of before deciding on this career. But, with all that being said, if you are interested in nursing and have what it takes to make it in this field, it’s a good idea to pursue this career path. 

After all, the rewards are well worth the effort!

Learn about the similarities and differences between Biomedical Science vs. Nursing .

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Is Nursing the Right Career for Me?

Flexibility

"the 5 c's", general nursing faqs.

When deliberating career options, many try to imagine themselves in certain roles to see if it's right for them. For nursing, one might imagine sitting at a patient's bedside, comforting them during a trying time of illness. They may envision working closely with doctors, helping them make critical decisions to save a patient's life.

While these scenarios can and do happen, the reality of nursing is far different. The roles of nurses vary from organization to organization, facility to facility, and department to department. However, possessing certain personality traits can help one decide if a nursing career is right for them, and what is expected of them in nursing school.

The ability to adapt to change is one of the most important characteristics a nurse can have. Health care is ever-changing. When out in the workforce, change can be almost a daily occurrence. Workflows and healthcare laws can change. Policies change. It's important for nurses-to-be to realize that organizations must keep up with change, which trickles down to the front-line staff.

Healthcare is based on evidence-based standards, which means that when new studies show certain treatments work better than others, it can be adopted as the new standard of care. Nurses must be kept up-to-date on current standards and be able to adopt them into their nursing practice.

Change is not only organizational. A patient's status can change on a dime as well. Nurses must be prepared to intervene in an emergency, as well as be able to handle the stress that constant change has on one's psyche. Nurses should always "expect the unexpected". Additionally, nurses must be able to recognize burnout . No matter how flexible one thinks they are, constant change is draining. Taking time for oneself is critical in nursing to prevent burnout.

Having patience goes along with flexibility. One might have an idea of what to expect during their workday, but in reality, anything can happen. A patient may refuse medications and treatment. A family member might verbally abuse or yell at the staff. A manager may be too "present" during a shift. Doctors may take their time rounding or returning phone calls.

It's important to remember that nurses are there to take care of patients. That is the priority. So, while learning to "expect the unexpected", nurses should remember to take deep breaths, take challenges as they come, and make decisions based on what is best for patient care .

One of the concepts taught in nursing school is the "5 C's" of caring in nursing. In reality, there's an additional one that's taught as well. These concepts were taught to improve relationships with patients as well as co-workers. It is actually widely used by healthcare providers. The five C's are:

• Commitment – Nursing is not just a job. It's who one is. Becoming a nurse is a commitment to caring for patients, going above and beyond when needed, and devoting oneself to the profession.
• Conscience – This concept means that nurses have morals they need to uphold. They must work ethically on behalf of patients as well as be empathetic with others (more on empathy below).
• Competence – Nurses must demonstrate competence in everything they do. Patients rely on them to work safely and competently. Nurses must hold themselves to a high standard and ensure they remain up-to-date by completing continuing education courses. Learning is ongoing and life-long in nursing.
• Compassion – Demonstrating understanding, empathy, and consideration is vital in nursing. Compassion helps build nurse-patient relationships and can even facilitate patient compliance and healing. However, nurses should not only be compassionate towards patients but to each other. Nursing can be mentally draining; supporting one another is extremely important.
• Confidence – No matter the scenario, nurses MUST demonstrate confidence. Patients trust nurses to care for them safely. A nurse who doesn't appear confident will make patients concerned about their health and safety. It's okay to not know everything, but nurses should be confident to admit that and know who or where their resources are.

Nurses must have an incredible amount of empathy . Empathy means the ability to understand the thoughts and feelings of others, without experiencing them. Being able to empathize helps nurses establish a nurse-patient relationship and helps nurses demonstrate compassion for patients suffering from all types of illness and/or disease. Nursing is an incredibly emotional job; empathy and compassion are paramount in the field.

Humility is a trait that not many people associate with nurses (except nurses!). Humility means to feel humble or modest. This does NOT mean nurses should not be confident in their abilities. It means to always be aware that nursing is never black-and-white. There is always something new, something to learn, and something you may not recognize. Nurses are held to such a high standard that making errors is frowned upon. Of course, errors can affect patient safety, but being humble enough to admit you don't know everything can help prevent errors.

Caring for patients almost automatically leads to humility among nurses. Nurses connect to humans at an almost primal level – nurses can suffer from the disorders and illnesses their patients suffer from, too – it sort of levels the playing field. Nurses consider their own morbidity and mortality because they face it frequently. Being a nurse is not just a job, it's who one is. Nurses don't stop being nurses after they clock out or retire, it's ingrained in them. It's their life.

If you read this and believe nursing to be a career option for you, read more about becoming an RN .

Does a Student Nurse Need to be Supervised at all Times?

Each facility should have a process for overseeing students and probationary employees which typically includes a checklist of skills. Once the preceptor, or person assigned to orient and train the student, has deemed the student capable of managing skills on their own, the preceptor can act as a resource to the student and no longer needs to oversee each task.

If the preceptor determines that the student is not able to manage the tasks on their own after appropriate instruction over time, the preceptor should consult with the charge nurse or manager so feedback can be provided to the school of the student’s failure to perform at the expected standard level.

Students should refer to their school’s policy or the policies of the institution for further clarification.

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Is nursing a good career in Australia?

Careers Published 1 Feb, 2023  ·  3-minute read

Let’s explore what makes nursing a good career choice in Australia, with expert insights from UQ Lecturer and Researcher Dr Amanda Cottle-Quinn.

Since graduating with a Bachelor of Nursing in 2009, Amanda has spent the last 14 years working as a registered nurse, mostly in the Post Anaesthetic Care Unit. More recently, she has been lecturing in higher academia.

Amanda has a Master of Health Practice and a PhD focused on recruitment and retention of early career nurses. She is passionate about early career development and career progression for health professionals and uses her position in teaching and research to lead in this space.

Learn more about Dr Cottle-Quinn

We spoke with Amanda about the opportunities available to nursing graduates and what she believes makes nursing a good career in Australia.

A degree in nursing is an excellent step for someone hoping to lead a successful career. It opens doors for many career opportunities in many areas.

Is a career in nursing right for me? How do I know?

Amanda: It can be daunting to know what career choice is right for you. I think it is important to note that you’re probably going to have multiple careers in your life, and that takes a lot of pressure off picking where to start.

Nursing provides amazing baseline knowledge which can be applied to many settings. It is a trusted profession which holds you in good esteem in the community. It is a career where you get to apply knowledge, think critically and care for others – usually in a fast-paced and ever-changing environment.

My advice would be that you’ll never know what it is truly like to be a nurse until you start. So if you feel in yourself you want to try, just start. The only person who can decide if it is right for you, is you.

How do I start a nursing career?

Amanda: Starting a nursing career involves beginning education in the field. You can do this through a Bachelor of Nursing degree, or if you already hold a certain type of bachelor degree, you might be able to commence a master’s degree in nursing .

What career opportunities are there in nursing?

Amanda: This is a really difficult question to answer, because currently there are new roles and new spaces where nurses are working that weren’t there when I studied. And when you finish there will be even more roles and more spaces where you find nurses using their skills.

There are traditional areas such as hospitals and primary healthcare spaces where nurses work. But nurses can also be found in cosmetic medicine, in the travel industry, in community centres, in sports… the list can go on and on.

• Some nurses focus on their clinical skills and follow a career projection where they expand their clinical skills and grow their career in this space, some nurses move more towards management roles, and others expand into education roles.
• Some nurses are pulled towards political roles and others into advocacy roles.
• Some nurses move into nurse practitioner roles , and others – like me – move into academia, applying their nursing skills to research and higher education.

What are graduate outcomes like for nursing students?

If you want to be a registered nurse, Australia is a great place to be one. It’s a regulated profession with an average graduate annual salary over $70,000.

Data from 2021 indicates that the nursing profession grew by 19% between 2016 and 2021, and Labour Market insights suggest great career diversity for nursing and positive future industry growth. Certain areas of this workforce (including primary care, aged care and rural and remote locations) are experiencing workforce shortages, which can make it easier to find work.

And while a steady salary and job security are important, nursing also happens to be a career where you get to make a real impact on the lives of others, which is a motivating factor for many nursing students and graduates.

Take a glimpse at what it’s like to study nursing at UQ , or dig deeper into the entry requirements and graduate outcomes of the Bachelor of Nursing or Master of Nursing Studies .

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LA Times: Commentary: California needs to break down walls between CSU and community colleges

By Karin Klein

In a state that desperately needs more nurses, the Legislature is expected to approve a commonsense pilot program to let 15 community colleges offer bachelor’s degrees in nursing. This would make it cheaper and easier for nursing students to get their degree and allow them to get good jobs sooner.

As small and reasonable as the change would be, Senate Bill 895 sent a jolt through the California State University administration because it would slightly disturb the Master Plan for Higher Education.

The division of postsecondary education laid out in the master plan has been clear up to now: Four-year degrees have been the provenance of Cal State and the University of California, with UC as the main research and doctorate producer. Community colleges were for two-year degrees and vocational certificates; they could offer a bachelor’s only in fields such as respiratory science and mortuary service that had been bypassed by the university systems. Cal State officials see SB 895 as a crack in that historical wall, and are against the change.

The Legislature should pass this bill, but then it should start dismantling the wall between the community colleges and four-year universities. If anything, SB 895 aims too low. The time has come to rethink aspects of the master plan, which is more than half a century old, to create a more flexible higher education plan.

California works hard at making college affordable and increasing graduation rates, with some success. Despite its efforts, too many students don’t complete their education, wasting students’ and taxpayers’ time and money. According to a report by the Public Policy Institute of California, less than 20% of community college students who start out planning to transfer to a four-year school actually do so within four years. Transfer rates are especially low for rural students, who often don’t have a nearby Cal State to attend.

Among students who start their college careers at a Cal State campus, nearly 40% don’t graduate within six years, according to its own 2023 report.

In the course of researching my forthcoming book, “Rethinking College: A Guide to Thriving Without a Degree,” about how people can and do thrive without a bachelor’s degree, I learned that the general perception about higher education is disturbingly binary: The idea that you either have a bachelor’s degree or you’re second-rate is so untrue and harms teenagers and young adults. There are a few innovative colleges that are doing things differently, whether through degrees oriented around practical experience or by offering flexible degrees.

One school that’s gotten the message about what many of today’s students need is Utah State University Eastern. It offers a wide range of vocational certificates, associate degrees and majors for a bachelor’s degree, and extends into graduate degrees as well.

Unlike at most community colleges, Utah State University Eastern students generally live on campus. They might start out looking to get a bachelor’s degree, or they might be interested in a short-term program. In any case, they all begin within the associate’s degree program.

The school has more success getting bachelor’s-bound students over the hump between the first two community college years and their third year because they don’t have to change schools, so the courses are automatically accepted for “transfer” and counselors can more easily guide students. Plus, having been at the school for two years, students feel more at home. They know their way around, they’ve made friends and are familiar with professors. They get to see and interact with juniors and seniors. About 60% of students continue on to a third year at the school.

And those who find that a four-year degree isn’t for them can stick with an associate’s degree or a vocational certificate in fields as broad as 3D printing and environmental policy. They haven’t come out of a four-year school with nothing to show for it.

It takes financial support from the state to make this happen. Attending the Utah university costs much less than attending most four-year schools — about $4,000 a year for state residents and $12,000 for nonresidents. Room and board adds up to about $7,000 a year. Financial aid is available.

It’s not that California should completely redo its model along these lines. Recasting the system would be prohibitively expensive and possibly unworkable. But instead of creating a measly handful of bachelor’s degrees in just one field at community colleges, state leaders should be bolder and more ambitious about redesigning the master plan.

What should matter above all else is delivering meaningful education that’s accessible to the greatest number of students — and giving them the flexibility to earn a degree or certificate that will help them get a start on their careers, even if that’s not a bachelor’s degree. That means breaking down at least some of the walls between community colleges and Cal State, allowing community colleges to offer many of the same bachelor’s degrees, as well as setting up Cal State and UC to award associate degrees when students can’t make it all the way to a four-year degree.