Nursing is the New Black

In the past, becoming a nurse was thought of as a step down from becoming a doctor, dentist, or other healthcare professional, but the tides have turned. One of the most important roles in the medical role, considered being the backbone of the industry by many, nurses are finally coming into their own and seeing a payout for their hard work and dedication. For the first time, becoming a nurse in the United States is a profession to be revered.

The average salary of a registered nurse in the United States is more than double that of the average around the globe. With an approximate salary of $63-thousand a year, and specialty nurses, such as Anesthetists, earning up to $140,900 or more per year, it’s certainly not a job that will land you in the poor house.

One of the more lucrative positions to take straight out of college, the benefit of becoming a nurse in the United States right now is that there are so many positions to be had. Nurses work in a variety of positions, including hospitals, nursing homes, schools, psychiatric and rehabilitation centers, and more. This means that not only is the payout good once you find a job, but finding placement as a nurse is also far easier than some other professions currently suffering from oversaturation in the U.S.

Becoming a Nurse in the U.S.

Mercer, a human resource consulting company recently reported that over the next 7 years, the U.S. will need to see an influx of more than 2-million nurses due to the aging population. Jobs may be hard to come by in other fields, but the healthcare industry is experiencing a boom like never before with consistent hiring numbers from hospital to hospital. In fact, statistics show that almost 300-thousand were added to the medical employment roster last year as nurses, with more jobs posted each month. This is due to an increase in patients, including retiring baby boomers, obese patients, and a rise in chronic medical disorders, such as diabetes.

Why Nurses Do What They Do

Nursing is not an easy job, which could be part of the reason most hospitals are understaffed. Long hours, hard labor, and mentally and emotionally draining patient interactions make nursing a difficult career for even the most caring individuals. In fact, studies show that nurses are one of the most common career paths to quit and move on to something different, aside from those in the IT profession who rank number 1 in this category.

Working 12-hour shifts, sometimes more, and sometimes without proper breaks, nurses have been fighting for better salaries for a long time coming. The shift in economy and work dynamics have finally made it possible for nurses to hold their heads high and stand among those who earn a decent salary in the United States. Nurses save lives daily, comfort the sick and dying, and care for our young, our old, and us. Yet, many nurses are made to feel unnecessary, undervalued, and underpaid.

More Nurses in the Future

The hope stands that this latest development in economic change will fuel the arrival of more nurses in the medical industry; a hope shared by doctors and other professionals supported by nurses in their own regular roles. Whether the increase in pay will be enough to change the employment rate for nurses in the U.S. remain to be seen, but if hours, breaks, benefits, and workplace respect follows the same pattern, the industry will see some much-needed growth in the next few years. If nothing else, the world will see how important nurses are to other roles throughout the science and medical world.