5 Rewarding Advantages of Being A Nurse

Work isn’t always about the salary. Many people want to find a career that they find personally fulfilling. Nurses have the opportunity to work in an environment where they can make a difference in the world, while making enough to support themselves, their family, and have enough leftover for a night out. What are the advantages of a nursing job that make it so rewarding?

Flexibility

When new nurses start, they often have to take less desirable shifts – like the all-nighters. After proving themselves, they have the ability to propose their schedule. The circumstances around health care work often means that someone always needs assistance. However, those same conditions make consistent schedules rare. If one needs to make a personal doctor’s appointment, has to take care of a sick child at home, or needs to address some other pressing matter, she can often trade shifts with another nurse. Another option is asking the supervisor, who can then make temporary schedule changes and accommodations.

Benefits and Advancement

Nursing is one of the few careers where most jobs provide benefits – including part-time positions. Depending on the hospital, these benefits can include discounted medical treatments, vacation time, and professional development programs. Due to the high energy nature of the job, some hospitals and clinics offer 401(k) plans or early retiree medical benefits. Compared to other jobs, nursing has a much faster timeline from obtaining your license to finding your first position.

Meaningful Work

Doctors come and go during a patient’s stay, but it is the nurse who often sticks around to provide comfort. While staying active and saving lives is a part of the nursing routine, most time is spent sharing smaller, intimate moments with others. From helping a young couple deliver a newborn child to providing an elderly person extra comfort with a new pillow, the patient’s appreciation is the reward that many nurses value.

Staying in Shape

While it’s not construction work, nurses still have to take on more physical activities than a lot of other careers. Most people need to sit behind a desk for 8 hours a day, but nurses often need to run from one side of the hospital to the other. Due to the wide variety of tasks nurses need to take on a daily basis, they often don’t get bored during a shift.

Travel Opportunities

Every state has its own license and education requirements for practicing nurses, but the differences are not so large that one would need specialized training. There is no shortage of hospitals, clinics, homes, and more businesses around the country that need a nurse’s help. A traveling nurse’s skillset is broad enough to apply to many kinds of medical fields, while specialized enough to provide a service that no other career can match. With a travel job comes the opportunity to meet people from many walks of life, taking in new sights, and finding new experiences that you may have never thought possible. To find available travel nursing positions, take a look at our job listing.