by Ashe Hope

Created on: November 15, 2008   Last Updated: November 20, 2008

Nursing has come a long way since the days of Florence Nightingale. Formerly , the image of a nurse was that of a smiling woman, dressed in starched whites, with a cap on her head, walking the hallways of a hospital. Now it is the harried person, with a phone to her ear, working on a computer, probabaly in colored scrubs. How did this picture go from one end to the other ? The answer lies in the pathway of a nursing career, marked by the changing job descriptions of a nurse.

If you are compassionate , a good listener, like working with people, and have top scores in science and math,then you are on the first step to a nursing career. Most schools need some type of community service to graduate. Pick a place , like a hospital or a nursing home.Walk in clinics are good. The ailments seen there are basic in nature, so you are not exposed to major illness before you are ready for it. Emergencies that crop up once in a while prepare you to see how you would react under pressure. If working in these conditions entice you, you are on to the next step.

In your post secondary education, pick appropriate courses. Have a good mixture of science and math. Math is necessary to calculate dosages of medicines. Take some courses in law, business and computers ! The changing world of nursing needs these. It is a good idea to work a part time job in health field. This will give an exposure to the real life job situation.

After these steps,if you can afford it, go straight for the RN ( Registered nurse ) course. If not, it is perfectly OK to go for the shorter LPN course,( Licensed to practice nursing ) work for a while and then add on to it. The job of a nurse is physically, mentally, and emotionally demmanding . But it is not a dead end job. If you are ambitious, you can specialize. There are so many branches in nursing . From Pediatrics to Geriatrics, with all kinds of specialities inbetween. The more you add to your nursing credentials, the more the job opportuinities and monetary compensation.

The good thing about a nursing career is, it has many facets. Depending on your aptitude, once you get the basic degree, you can be a hands on nurse, a teaching nurse, an administrative nurse, working with insurance companies, or a home health nurse, visitng people. The choices are endless, the rewards many. Nursing is one of the most rewarding careers.

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