Searching for a career in healthcare means you’re pouring through countless different jobs in various departments. Despite there being so much diversity in this field, one type of healthcare job always stands out as the ultimate entry point: nursing.
There’s no denying that nurses are some of the most integral pieces in every healthcare organization. You could say that the whole system collapses without them. But what about this role makes it so suitable as a healthcare career starting point?
A Constant Demand For Nurses
Nursing jobs will always be in demand. Healthcare institutions rely on nurses to handle almost all of the everyday tasks in a hospital. Plus, you have other settings where nurses are also required – like at-home nurses, care facilities, etc. There’s always a steady stream of nursing jobs, which means it’s not hard to find work – hence, it’s a fantastic starting point for a healthcare career.
Relatively Low Barrier To Entry
You will need qualifications to become a registered nurse, but there aren’t many requirements to get on a nursing course. It’s a job that anyone can do, regardless of their experience level. You’ll also find lots of fast-track nursing programs that aim to get you qualified and registered in as little as 15 months.
Comparatively, a lot of healthcare careers require multiple years of study at university. Doctors are in med school for at least five years – and the requirements to get on some of these courses are extremely high. Nursing has a low barrier to entry, making it something anyone can decide to take up. You still need to pass the tests to gain your qualification, but most people manage this without complaints.
An Incredible Array Of Career Growth Opportunities
What does “a good starting point” look like for a career? We’ve already discussed nursing as something that’s easy to get into with a high demand for workers. Aside from that, the best starting points are those that give you room to grow – and nursing is the ultimate example of that.
Anyone can become a registered nurse, but then you can advance your career in countless ways. You could specialize as an ICU or ER nurse, and you’ll often find ambulance services asking nurses to join our critical care transport nursing team. This means you can go from being a nurse on the wards to the frontlines within a few years.
And lets not forget the general management progression as a nurse. You could start as a simple nurse and work your way up to be the head of a nursing department in a hospital. The amount of additional training a nurse can access is incredible – once you get into this world, there are endless ways to progress.
The overall summary is that nursing jobs form excellent starting points because they’re easy to get into, there’s a strong demand for nurses everywhere, and the jobs pave the way for a highly successful career. When you look at the healthcare field as a whole, there aren’t many jobs that provide all three of these benefits.