Covid-19 has impacted everyone’s way of life and altered the course of the future. Taking the brunt of the pandemic were healthcare professionals around the world, especially our nurses who are already overworked and under-appreciated. It is suggested by Nursing in Practice, that the number of nurses likely to quit has risen by 30%. This means that despite the ongoing crisis, there will be fewer nursing staff to bear the brunt. However, the decline in nurses means that hospitals are crying out for new staff. Therefore, if you’ve ever considered becoming a nurse and want to know why you should still take it on, you’ve come to the right place. Throughout this article, we will tell you how to start your journey and what the benefits of being a nurse post-pandemic are.
How to Become a Registered Nurse
There is a clear path into the nursing profession which involves passing courses and racking up hours. First, you will need to complete a registered nurse course. More often, healthcare professionals are required to hold a degree.
After you have completed an RN program, you should be well enough prepared to pass the National Council of State Boards of Nursing examination. You can sign up remotely and will be notified when it’s your turn to take the test. You will be required to get around 70% of the questions correct to pass. Once you’ve passed the test, you will be able to gain a state license – each US state requires a different license.
The last thing you need to do is to get a job as a registered nurse and continue to develop yourself. Once you’re here, you can choose to follow the route of the family nurse practitioner and broaden the age range of people you work with. You can find out more about the role of a family nurse practitioner at Texas Woman’s University.
Alongside the above steps, you will need to gain experience. So, gain placement as a trainee nurse and be prepared for evidence work and writing assignments based on your practice.
If you’re still here, and you’re ready to take on the challenge of nursing after Covid-19, we take you through the perks of entering now.
Fill The Demand
As mentioned earlier, the number of nurses quitting their jobs has risen significantly during the course of the pandemic, which leaves the perfect opportunity to join the ranks. The shortage of nurses isn’t a new phenomenon – the pandemic has merely added fuel to the fire. There have been reports of nurses cracking under the pressure and leaving without notice.
To put this into perspective,The American Association of Colleges of Nurses predicted that there would be a requirement for around 204,000 RNs by the end of 2026. However, this figure is set to rise through the course of the next year as a result of the global pandemic.
Greater Compensation
If are coming to the end of your RN training and can get a job fairly soon, you are in with the chance of reaping in higher rates of pay. Of course, the job of a nurse isn’t all about the money, otherwise, no one would do it. However, the money must help. Even if your degree is in another field, you can still accomplish your RN within a year.
Areas hard-hit by the pandemic, and those in need of nurses, are incentivizing newcomers with sign-on bonuses. Further, nursing agencies have skyrocketed, and are offering crisis compensation alongside extra bonuses. Also, if you’re required to quarantine, you can benefit from pay that will help cover any loss of earnings.
Although the motivation to nurse doesn’t come down to money, you can be sure that it will motivate newcomers into the field.
There Will Always Be Sick People
The economy is unstable and every industry took a hit, with businesses closing and some folding under the pressure. However, the health industry boomed throughout because there is always a supply of sick people. Jumping into a nursing career is a guaranteed way to ensure you’re not going to be laid off.
There will always be a need for healthcare professionals because healthcare is the one constant in life. So, if you’re ready to embrace the crisis and become a nurse, now is a great time to do it.
Make a Difference
Sitting at home amidst the pandemic came with a feeling of helpfulness because there wasn’t much you could do aside from being clean and staying away from people.
If that resonates with you, and you wish you could have done more to help – now’s your chance. As a nurse, you will be front-line support to people with a range of illnesses. You will make a positive impact on people’s lives that runs deeper than curing the sick. You will need to show compassion for people and learn how to wear the many masks of emotional support. A career in nursing is the ultimate way to give something back.
Goodbye Entry Requirements
Any course will have entry requirements, whether it’s the need for academic skills or the call for necessary experience. You can learn how to become a nurse without the need to know the hypotenuse of a triangle. Further, if your later nursing career requires missing skills, you can benefit from fees likely covered through employment.
The global pandemic shut down testing centers across the country, meaning that universities are struggling to assess applications. With this in mind, you should make the most of the chaos and try to bypass entry requirements – especially if this is something that has held you back in the past.
Increased Government Fund
The global pandemic has generated the need for governments to rethink their fund for healthcare training. With that, bills are being created that are there to benefit healthcare training. The specifics of these are unclear, but you can rest assured that the number of government-funded courses will rise. This initiative is designed to help those that lost their jobs during the peak of the pandemic. The healthcare profession needs staff, people need to learn new skills, the government is enabling that to happen.
Government-funded courses will cover everything from entry-level to RN. If the cost of training has ever been a reason you haven’t become a nurse, you can put that aside now. Once you’ve got yourself on the ladder, there are always opportunities to find funding for professional development.
The Emergence of Telehealth
The global pandemic bought about a requirement for remote access. This is an exciting time to join the nursing profession and experience the rise of telehealth. This is a new era of healthcare and will allow patients to be assessed without the need to busy the ER.
To give some more perspective on this. Telehealth is achieved by using digital communication techniques including smartphones and computers, which allows patients to gain care remotely. Clinics can use the systems to upload pictures, videos, and educational pieces to direct the patient. Telehealth aims to allow medical access for everyone including those in rural areas. If you’re interested in nursing and technology, this is the perfect reason for you to become a nurse. There will be room for people to train telehealth to current nurses and develop new systems.
Although the implications of telehealth are enormous, there is a potential for error. For example, a video appointment with a clinician may lead to incorrect diagnosis and treatments, especially if there is a history of complex health issues.
Improved Work-Life Balance
There’s no denying that the global pandemic was tough. However, this lit a floodlight on the need to improve mental health support for nurses. A large number of nurses were susceptible to burnout anyway, let alone after the pandemic. With that in mind, you should be able to leverage a smoother balance. For example, you could pledge to work three full days and reap the benefit of the extra time off. However, you will need to say no to more work. There are already drives to see the number of breaks nurses are entitled to go up – and the availability of mental health services has risen.
Covid-19 was a harrowing experience for the majority of nurses. However, it has ultimately led to a positive experience when it comes to the availability of mental health for nurses. If you’ve been wondering about a career in mental health but were concerned about the impact on your health, you can start your nursing journey knowing that you have greater access to wellbeing services.
Giving back to the community and becoming a nurse has always had great appeal. However, since the outbreak of Covid-19, there are even more reasons to become a nurse. You will be responsible for leading the technical revolution within the healthcare profession. Further, you will be able to access courses with lower requirements. As the cherry on the cake, if you’ve been concerned with funding training, the government has boosted its budget for nurse training courses.
