How a Career in Healthcare Could Change your Life

If you’ve ever felt you need to change your life around, then a job in healthcare could be just what you’re looking for. Nursing is considered to be one of the most personally rewarding careers you can choose by those already within the profession. Nurses speak of their motivation to follow this career path as being ‘a desire to help others,’ or ‘to care for the most vulnerable in society.’ But this belies the breadth and depth of the actual experience of nursing. The motivation is key, but what most nurses do not anticipate is the absorbing nature of medicine, the pleasure of mastering a wide range of both practical and interpersonal patient skills and the enormous variety of experiences that go to make up their working day.

What Does It Mean To Be A Nurse?

Nursing draws enormous strength from within its practitioners. Nurses need patience and understanding even when pushed to their limits; they must provide inspirational leadership, remain calm and professional during a crisis; they must be kind and gentle at all times, no matter how difficult their patient. In return they are rewarded with profound insights into the human condition and a connectedness to the circle of life we are all a part of. They are rewarded with a working day that is never the same as the last and with the whole range of human emotion it is possible to experience, not least the humour and camaraderie that comes from working with a great team of professionals.

How Can I Use My Skills?

Not many jobs afford such valuable gifts. Nursing can change your outlook on life dramatically, making you more understanding of the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of others. It can open up opportunities for you to work outside a hospital, in the community or working with children in schools. You need never feel job insecurity and will find your skills highly valued abroad, should you wish to travel or work on projects in other countries. You can specialise in the branch of medicine that interests you most and undertake further training to reach the top of your profession. You will almost certainly be called upon to help new nurses with their tasks and be a role model for them, which could see you taking on leadership and management skills within your department. The possibilities are huge for you, both professionally and personally.

What Do Others Say?

Some nurses speak of feeling ‘honoured’ that a parent trusts them with the care of their child. Others speak of the excitement of working in Accident and Emergency, a fast-moving and dynamic atmosphere where anything can happen at any moment. Some prefer the quiet and meticulous planning of care paths, or visiting new mothers at home. For every type of nurse there is a place in healthcare. Not many nurses regret taking up the career, although there are of course many challenges along the way. It isn’t always easy and it can be difficult when treatment fails and you lose a patient. You will need to be strong and determined. But for those who are motivated by that pure wish to help others and care for the most vulnerable in society, nursing is a tremendously rewarding and life changing career choice. By making a positive difference to other people’s lives, you can make a positive difference to your own.