How to Switch Careers: Nursing
If the career you chose after college or high school isn’t fulfilling you anymore, or perhaps your industry is experiencing turbulence, you might be considering a career change.
If you’ve always wanted to help people, work in a medical setting, experience long-term job security, and make a difference in people’s lives, a career in nursing may be just what you’re after.
Why Nursing?
As a nurse, you will have the opportunity to work with diverse populations, support and be a key member of medical teams, and choose an area of interest that you’d like to specialize in. When you’re approaching nursing as a means to change careers after several years or even decades in a different field, take some time to reflect on what your original career has taught you, and what kinds of valuable experiences and skills you’ve gained. Examining this may help you narrow down what kind of nursing field you are best suited for.
What Kind of Nurse Should You Be?
Assessing what education and steps you need to take next won’t be easy until you explore your nursing options, and decide on what nursing path is right for you. Are you most interested in becoming a nursing assistant (NA)? Or would you prefer to be more hands on and become a licensed practical nurse (LPN)? With more education, you can explore becoming a registered nurse (RN) or a nurse practitioner (NP).
You might be interested in deciding on a specialty, or further refining your nursing skills.
What Kind of Training Do You Need to be a Nurse?
For some types of nursing, you will only need to complete an associate of science degree alongside clinical rotations. To become a nurse at a higher level than RN, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree and clinical. However, you may still pursue a BSN for the greater education and increased chances are hire as an RN, LPN, or NA. If you have already completed a degree in a different field, you may be able to enroll in an accelerated degree program to obtain your nursing credentials faster.
