Why Do You Want To Be a Nurse? 15 Reasons to Choose a Career in Nursing

To be honest, it’s a fair question, and each person has their own reasons for wanting to become a nurse. If you’re reading this blog post and wondering if a nursing career is for you, here are the 15 top reasons to choose a career in nursing.

Why Do You Want to Be a Nurse? 15 Reasons

Becoming a nurse is a great career choice with many advantages, including plenty of opportunities for growth and development. Here are the top 15 reasons why you should consider a career in nursing:

1. High Demand for Nurses

Nursing is an increasingly relevant and sought-after career path in today's world. With the aging population, there’s an increasing demand for nursing professionals due to the increased need for both medical and assisted living services. 

On top of this, a shortage of physicians has also increased the demand for primary care providers putting nurse practitioners in much higher demand as well.

2. Ability to Start Working Fast

Nursing is an amazing career choice for many reasons, one of them being that you don't necessarily need an extensive education in order to get started. 

Becoming a CNA or LPN only requires a 1-2 year associate degree and the starting pay is decent too. 

Even if your goal is to become an RN, there are now accelerated BSN programs available at most universities that offer nurses the opportunity to obtain their Bachelor of Science degree in nursing (BSN) quickly so they can begin their careers. 

And most of these programs can be completed online (except for some lab and/or clinical components).

3. Great Pay and Benefits

Another awesome advantage of being a nurse is that most nurses earn a really good salary and have excellent benefits. Although nursing salaries vary widely from state to state, the median annual registered nurse salary in 2022 was $81,220, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Licensed practical nurses earn an average salary of $94,538 a year in 2023, according to Glassdoor.com.

Nurses also receive a number of benefits that can’t be found in other occupations, such as access to excellent health insurance options, retirement savings plans, flexible hours or shifts, paid vacation time, and even educational assistance programs that can help make continuing your education more affordable. 

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4. Incentives to Work in Many Different Areas

Besides a great salary and benefits, nurses are also offered special incentives such as higher pay, relocation assistance, hefty sign-on bonuses, and nursing tuition reimbursement to work in high-need areas. 

And there are many places offering these incentives for nurses, from busy urban medical centers to under-served rural and remote communities.

5. Job Security

When it comes to job security, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a job that is more secure and in higher demand. 

Currently, there is a nursing shortage, and this shortage is expected to increase over the next decade due to the aging population of Baby Boomers and a growing need for healthcare services related to chronic conditions like diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.