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Daniela
Student
1
Question
Asked
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What is it like being a registered nurse?
What does the life of a registered nurse look like in a daily basis?
Do you expect hiring for this job as a registered nurse to increase or decrease or maybe stay in the same over the next few years?
What step do you recommend I take to prepare as a registered nurse?
What are the most effective strategies for seeking a position in this field?
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1 answer
Maureen Komperda
Nurse Practitioner
44
Answers
Elmhurst, Illinois
Updated
Maureen’s Answer
Okay Daniela, you want the answers, I'm giving them to you. Nursing has changed a great deal over the last few decades. One thing hasn't changed... you can find a job anywhere, anytime. There are never enough qualified nurses to go around.
What does the life of a registered nurse look like in a daily basis? You have your choice of shifts days, evenings, & nights.
You have your choice of length of shifts: 8.5, 10.5, 12.5 hours, maybe even time sharing a shift if the hospital, clinic, or company is creative enough.
You can work part-time hours such as 20 hours or less or more than 40 hours a week.
You can travel and see the world, a country, a continent.
Do you expect hiring for this job as a registered nurse to increase or decrease or maybe stay in the same over the next few years?
RNs can always find work. I was an Emergency Room/Department RN in the early 1980s, I couldn't find an ED RN position so I moved toward ICU work as the hospital was advertising 3 weekends off each month and they meant it! It was the best move I ever made. Rush University Medical Center opened many doors for me including: education, moves up the career ladder and a boat load of friends.
What steps do you recommend I take to prepare as a registered nurse?
Volunteer or work in the healthcare field to make sure this is what you want. My nursing class has a big exit the first semester of our training. People didn't take the time to try it to see if they liked it before sending in their nursing school applications. I was a volunteer in a surgical unit in a small hospital near my high school. I racked up over 1000 hours of volunteer time and was sure this career was for me.
What are the most effective strategies for seeking a position in this field?
Get experience while getting through your studies. I worked as a nursing assistant (now health tech would be the job) in a busy night shift every other weekend of an Emergency Department...what fun! I then was hired in the same ED as a RN, my dream job.
What does the life of a registered nurse look like in a daily basis? You have your choice of shifts days, evenings, & nights.
You have your choice of length of shifts: 8.5, 10.5, 12.5 hours, maybe even time sharing a shift if the hospital, clinic, or company is creative enough.
You can work part-time hours such as 20 hours or less or more than 40 hours a week.
You can travel and see the world, a country, a continent.
Do you expect hiring for this job as a registered nurse to increase or decrease or maybe stay in the same over the next few years?
RNs can always find work. I was an Emergency Room/Department RN in the early 1980s, I couldn't find an ED RN position so I moved toward ICU work as the hospital was advertising 3 weekends off each month and they meant it! It was the best move I ever made. Rush University Medical Center opened many doors for me including: education, moves up the career ladder and a boat load of friends.
What steps do you recommend I take to prepare as a registered nurse?
Volunteer or work in the healthcare field to make sure this is what you want. My nursing class has a big exit the first semester of our training. People didn't take the time to try it to see if they liked it before sending in their nursing school applications. I was a volunteer in a surgical unit in a small hospital near my high school. I racked up over 1000 hours of volunteer time and was sure this career was for me.
What are the most effective strategies for seeking a position in this field?
Get experience while getting through your studies. I worked as a nursing assistant (now health tech would be the job) in a busy night shift every other weekend of an Emergency Department...what fun! I then was hired in the same ED as a RN, my dream job.