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Jasmin Barrett
Instructor Joan Robinson
English 101
25 October 2015
Needy for Nurses
Mahatma Gandhi once said, The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the
service of others. Throughout my life, I have been portrayed as a kindhearted, passionate and
nurturing person. As an adult, having an individual see those characteristics in myself, whether
coming from a family member, friend, or acquaintance, is something I take pride in. As a young
girl, I genuinely cared for others and always felt the need to help someone on a daily occurrence.
In school, teachers would always ask, What do you want to be when you grow up? I could
never answer the question confidently, but nursing was one of my top three picks. It wasnt until
my adult years, after unsatisfied jobs, feeling like my future had no job security, when I really
began to question, What career could I see myself doing for the rest of my life? Nursing may
not be the easiest job and it requires a lot of dedication, but I chose this career path because of
the mental satisfaction that comes with it is much more rewarding than a paycheck.
Taken from a job posting from Sunrise Hospitals website, the job description for a
Registered Nurse requires a candidate to provide direct nursing care in accordance with
established policies, procedures and protocols of the healthcare organization. Registered Nurses
have many tasks, such as assisting a physician with medication distribution and the physicians
request. One of the most important duties is making sure the patient needs are met, whether it is
tending to their wounds, monitoring a patients vitals, or keeping a safe and clean environment.

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Nurses are required to maintain computerized records on the status of a patient and have great
communication skills. These are just a few job descriptions, but the position also requires nurses
to provide appropriate care by upholding a specific professionalism, depending on the age of the
patient. The Career Information Center exclaims, All states specifically define requirements for
Registered Nurses in these four advanced practice roles of Clinical Nurse Specialists, Nurse
Anesthetists, Nurse-midwives and Nurse Practitioners.
In accordance with the Occupational Outlook Handbook, As the largest healthcare
occupation, registered nurses held about 2.7 million jobs in 2012. The work accommodations
for nurses are none to be feared because nurses work in illuminated and adequate health care
structures. Being a nurse doesnt restrict one to just working in one location such as a hospital,
but also allows nurses to provide home and public health services. Some registered nurses work
in correctional facilities, schools, summer camps and nurses often work with the military
(Bureau of Labor Statistics). Some nurses travel periodically, constantly moving around the
United States and other parts of the world, where healthcare workers are very limited. The job of
a nurse most likely will involve vigorous activity to where upper and lower body strength is a
plus. Nurses are more likely to develop back injuries due to strenuous physical duties. Having
close contact with people who have communicable diseases and being surrounded by hazardous
drugs or substances that can be harmful to ones health go hand-in-hand when working in this
field. Therefore, nurses must follow strict, standardized guidelines to guard against diseases and
other dangers, such as radiation, accidental needle sticks, or the chemicals they use to sterilize
instruments (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Work Schedules for a nurse vary depending on
location. Hospitals and nursing care facilities require round-the-clock care, so the job of the
nurse is never over, but rotating shifts are used to ensure full 24 hour coverage (Bureau of Labor

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Statistics). Nights, weekends, holidays and being on call are never off limits. Nurses who work in
facilities, such as schools and offices that only provide regular business hour aid would work
schedules of an eight to four or nine to five with weekends off. In 2012, about 1 out of 5
registered nurses worked part time. Many employers offer flexible work schedules, childcare,
educational benefits, and bonuses. The median annual wage for registered nurses was $65,470 in
May 2012 (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Those figures could give financial reassurance, but that
is not the only benefit when working in the medical field.
The need for healthcare services will be in high demand in the near future due to the increase
of the aging population or at least that is what the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment
Projections Program specifies. Employment of registered nurses is projected to grow 19 percent
from 2012 to 2022, faster than the average for all occupations. Growth will occur for a number
of reasons (Bureau of Labor Statistics). With numerous chronic conditions, patients will need
the guidance of a nurse to acquire the care necessary or to be educated on that specific condition.
In addition financial pressure on hospitals to discharge patients as soon as possible may result
in more people admitted to long-term care facilities, outpatient care centers, and greater need for
home healthcare (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Due to these preferences and demands, the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics conclude that the request for nurses will only get higher, providing
more opportunities for future nurses.
Registered nurses can take one of three education directions: a bachelor's degree, an
associates degree or a diploma from an approved nursing program. In order to become a
Registered Nurse, one must also be licensed. Limited entry programs, like the one offered at
Ralph and Betty Englestad School of Health Sciences at the College of Southern Nevada,

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provide students with the tools and education necessary to pursue a degree. This program offers
students full time and part time schedules where students will complete classroom and laboratory
assignments. An application for admission must be submitted to the Limited Entry office by the
application deadline. All prerequisite requirements must be completed by the completion
deadline in order to be eligible for consideration. Students will also be assigned to clinical
internships from the first semester to provide care to patients. As a result of new nursing
technologies, research, and methods, education and knowledge of a nurse must be maintained
and kept up to date with the ever changing public safety regulations.
Just like any other job, drawbacks occur, where one may look at education recertification
requirements as an annoyance and must recertify their license after a specific period of time,
ensuring the public are in the hands of well-qualified, educated, and committed professionals.
Other drawbacks are the high volume of patient demands, work related stress, and what may
seem like endless long hours. I believe the pros far outweigh the cons! Benefits to being a nurse
is that you will always have job security due to the growing number of people who require
healthcare services. Working in the medical field has many beneficial outcomes, such as
flexibility in schedule, where facilities give options that allow nurses to organize and coordinate
their schedule to coincide with their personal life. Another benefit is career flexibility, where you
can choose to stay complacent in the current position or advance to a department or field more
challenging. Tuition reimbursement, pension plans, health insurance, fringe benefits, and
traveling assistance are also among one of many beneficial reasons to be a nurse. Last but not
least, being a nurse allows you to join unions just like ASRN (American Society of Registered
Nurses) where they give recognition by, Acknowledging the significant strides and
achievements the nursing profession has already made. Today's nurses must assume a forward-

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looking approach to both the nursing practice and healthcare delivery, while weighing and
balancing their individual needs and desires with their careers. Researching the drawbacks and
advantages to this specific field has allowed me to gain a better perspective on why I am devoted
to becoming a Registered Nurse.
My findings opened my eyes to pertinent information one would want to acquire when
determining if the medical field could be a long term career possibility. Having acquired this
knowledge, I understand this career path requires an enormous amount of dedication and
commitment, which I am more than happy to provide, on top of receiving mental satisfaction.
The trained nurse has become one of the great blessing of humanity, taking a place beside the
physician and the priest (William Osler).

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Works Cited
Bureau of Labor Statistics. United States Department of Labor. Occupational Outlook
Handbook, 2014-15 Edition, Registered Nurses, N.p. 8 Jan. 2014. Web. 21
Oct. 2015.
Nursing. Ralph & Betty Engelstad School of Health Sciences College of Southern
Nevada. N.p. 2015. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.
Recognition/Distinction. American Society of Registered Nurses. California: N.p. 2014.
Web. 25 Oct. 2015.
"Registered Nurses." Career Information Center. Ed. Mallegg, Kristin B. and Joseph
Palmisano. 10th ed. Vol. 8: Health Science. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA,
2014. 343-347. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 25 Nov. 2015.
Registered Nurse Benefits. Registered Nurse: All Guides about RN Schools and
Programs. 2015. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.