There is at least one remarkable career opportunity that is largely unrecognized by students and others seeking a career change. That opportunity involves my profession. I am a perioperative nurse, also known as an operating room nurse. Besides registered nurses there are nearly two dozen specialties offered by the nursing profession. One that is a sure fit for you.
I think a nursing career is a perfect job for any woman who wants to balance family life and a career. The flexible hours allows you to work and be a Mom. You can even work part time making full time wages.
Typical Job Description:
* Starting salary in the $30,000 to $45,000 range.
* Flexible hours and comprehensive benefit package.
* Excellent job security and opportunities for advancement.
* Challenging, meaningful and fulfilling work.
* Employment opportunities nationwide in large cities and small towns.
* Signing bonuses with experience.
Hospitals are just one of the many areas where today's nurses care for patients. And, the versatile skills required of nurses put them on equal footing with all health care professionals.
Perioperative nurses work in hospital surgery departments, ambulatory surgery units, clinics and physicians' offices. They are relied upon for their professional judgment and critical thinking skills. They are the surgical patient's advocate, working closely with family members and fellow health care professionals. In short, they plan, implement and evaluate the nursing care of the patient.
An added bonus: Skills developed as a nurse are some of the most valuable and transferable assets found in today's workplace. This includes high tech computer and communication skills, as well as leadership, problem-solving and organizational skills.
The demands of a nursing career require a person who can be caring and empathetic, but who also is capable of making critical decisions based on available information.
To become a perioperative nurse, you must first graduate from a state approved nursing program and pass the nurse license exam to become a registered nurse (RN). State nursing programs can be either a four-year bachelor's degree program or a two-year associate degree.
While there is a commitment to achieving the education needed to reap the many benefits of the nursing profession, the good news is that there will be an excellent paying job waiting when you complete your education.
The federal government estimates that more than 1 million new and replacement nurses will be needed in the United States by 2010. The current nursing shortage is expected to intensify, with nearly every state in the country (44 states) expected to have shortages by the year 2020.
There are a number of reasons for this predicted long-term shortage of nurses. The much publicized baby-boom bubble will require increasingly intense health care services for an aging population at a time when nursing colleges and universities are struggling to maintain enrollments. And, America's nursing population is aging, with about one-half of the current RN workforce reaching retirement age in the next 13 years.
The shortage also feeds on itself, leading to increasing turnover because of increasing demands and fewer health care professionals to meet the demands. When forced to assume responsibility for more patients than they feel they can safely care for, some nurses experience emotional burnout and leave the profession.
But, in many areas of the country, the shortage is not about the sheer numbers of nurses, but about nurses, such as perioperative nurses, who possess the needed specialties, skills and experience to cope in the increasingly complex and technologically-advanced health care arena.
