Ten Things You May Not Know About Nurses

Nurses are superheroes. They work for hours to guarantee that their patients receive the finest possible treatment, continually monitor their information, and handle everything while getting very little sleep. What makes nurses so utterly fascinating is that they are expected to deal with the medical aspect of patient management. And they also cater to their patient’s emotional well-being, which can be extremely overwhelming at times! Hence, being a nurse can be both emotionally and physically burdening – but this is something you may already know. What about the things you may not know?

The world of nursing is complex, and there are many cool things about nurses that you may not know. Listed below are a few of the most interesting facts about nursing. It will help increase your interest in the field and teach you something extra about the stakeholders of the healthcare system!

Nurses are one of the most trusted professions of all

Nurses are honest and ethical workers. Their career line demands that they remain devoted, sincere, and faithful to their role. As of statistics, nurses are rated to be the most trusted profession of all time. They have not only remained at the top of Gallup’s honesty poll for the past two decades. But in a recent 2020 Gallup poll, they also scored a stunning top score (with 89 percent of respondents believing that nurses are highly trusted professionals).

You can be called a Doctor even as a Nurse

Even as a nurse, you can earn the title of “Doctor” next to your name. For that, you have to pursue a doctorate in nursing or a doctorate of philosophy in nursing. If this sounds like something you’re interested in, consider checking out many post masters DNP programs online courses. A DNP degree is the highest level of education you as a nurse can obtain. It helps instill leadership skills and paves the way for many new career opportunities. With a DNP, you can also help create policies, manage the healthcare system and even train newer nurses from a leadership position.

Florence Nightingale’s contribution to nursing

Florence Nightingale, also known as the “woman with the lamp,” was the foundation of modern nursing. In addition to writing over 150 texts and reports about health-related issues, she also came up with sanitation and hygiene practices that nurses still follow to this day. It may be interesting to know that a nurse’s uniform- Nightingale inspires the cap particularly. She helped come up with many practices and techniques that make nursing as credible as it is today.

Nurses walk a lot!

Considering the amount of workload they have to handle, nurses are required to walk quite a lot. As per an estimate, they walk double the time an average person does in a day. It can be as much as four to five miles on a 12-hour shift. It’s of no surprise you’d see them sleeping on uncomfortable hospital benches during their time off.

Nursing is expected to keep growing

With more and more students enrolling for nursing degrees, it is not wrong to say that nursing is highly demanded. Every year, there are over 100,000 job openings for nurses. It is only expected to increase in the next few years. The American Nurses Association estimates a growth of 11% in nurse positions as of 2022.

Shortage of Nurses

Despite nursing being a lucrative choice of career and an increasing number of students are enrolling in nursing-related courses. There’s been a worldwide shortage of nurses for the last few decades. This shortage is expected to continue for a few more years, with over 80,000 nurses leaving the workforce in 2020 alone. There are multiple reasons why nurses leave their jobs. Nonetheless, the ratio of nurses departing versus nurses entering is grossly inflated. It is something the organizations are still working to fix.

Nurses are no less than doctors

There’s a popular misconception that doctors are far superior to nurses in many ways. While it is true that doctors spend much more time specializing in their fields, that doesn’t mean a nurse is less competent. Like doctors, an advanced practice nurse can also diagnose diseases, write prescriptions, and order tests. The key difference between a nurse and a doctor is their interaction with patients. Nurses have to spend much more time ensuring that the patient is satisfied in all regards.

Not all nurses work in hospitals

A nurse isn’t always destined for a career in a hospital. There are many other locations a nurse can choose to work at based on their qualifications. A few of these places include schools, universities, offices, forensic labs, and nurse educators. You can even choose to specialize and work for caring for the elderly as a geriatric nurse.

Nursing students can work anywhere after graduation

Nursing practices are universal all around the globe. That means you can work anywhere in the world after you get your degree. You need not acquire any advanced form of education. At most, you’d be required to pass the state’s exam to confirm your eligibility. It is highly beneficial for those new graduates who particularly like to travel. You could even work to become a travel nurse. These professionals are assigned cities from time to time and constantly shifted based on a schedule.

Nursing is a very flexible career

After getting a BSN, a nurse can pursue a variety of professional options. An RN can choose from over 100 nursing specialties and advanced practice degrees. Due to this, nurses can pick over 100s of career paths and customize them according to their liking. It also allows for tremendous opportunities for growth.

Final Thoughts

Nursing is a highly well-versed field with lots of opportunities for growth, learning, and experience. While it is genuinely a strenuous nature, many remarkable aspects make it favorable amongst many students. A few cool facts are a large number of specialties it offers, the worldwide shortage of nurses, and the nursing economy’s future.