Rewarding work
Nursing is one of the few professions to combine great job satisfaction with flexible working hours, stable pay, and the chance to work across a range of roles. Crucial to day-to-day medical care, nursing roles can range from working as part of large hospital teams to acting as a district nurse visiting homes and patients within local communities. Skilled nurses are also much in demand for private clinics and prisons, as well as hospices, cruise ships and major sporting events like the Olympics, to name a few.
General nursing courses can also lead to specialisation in different medical areas, from mental health to neonatal childcare and emergency medicine. Flexible hours also mean that you are able to balance work and home life, with the option of leaving and returning to the profession in order to raise a family or gain experience in another area.
Ultimately though, by providing one-to-one medical care, working as a nurse allows you to experience the rare reward of making a genuine difference to people’s lives. Every day provides new professional and personal challenges, while giving you the opportunity to take personal initiative and work as part of skilled teams.
Opportunity of working abroad Many options also exist for working overseas, most notably for contributing to under-developed regions of the world with a high demand for qualified nurses. Jobs might include working in a voluntary role for emergency support groups for disaster areas, or as part of more established medical teams in poor areas.
Organisations like the Royal College of Nursing can offer more advice on personal requirements and details of specific countries. Government and medical companies like the Department for International Development and the World House Organisations will also offer recruitment opportunities.
Once qualified, nurses also have extensive opportunities to work in more developed nations, with a particularly strong demand within Australia and New Zealand. Short-term exchanges, training programs and long-term work visas are available for nurses in the US, although this may depend on specialist knowledge or experience.
Good job security and prospects Job security for nurses is among the highest in terms of skilled professions worldwide. Most nurses work for large national institutions like the NHS in the UK, with strong benefit packages, minimum wage caps of roughly £21,000, training and constant demand for vacancies. Being able to specialise in many different areas of medicine, while working across different locations, also provides numerous opportunities to improve employability and salary through on-the-job training.
Nurses can re-train throughout their careers, and can take on graduate nursing degrees and research projects with the security of multiple sources of funding and employer support. A nursing degree and experience can similarly be used as a starting point for a career in other areas of medicine, from training as a doctor to taking a more specialist role as a medical researcher.
