Military Nurses Making A Major Difference

November 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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Serving as a military nurse is an opportunity to receive rewards in a multitude of ways. In addition to all of the benefits of a traditional nursing career, the military nurse is also given the privilege of serving their country. Many who choose to become a military nurse cite this as one of the chief reasons they decided to pursue nursing as a career. With ongoing wars and other military engagements taking place throughout the world, the urgency of need for people willing to step up and serve has never been greater. The rewards are great. The challenges are many. But to an overwhelming degree, a military nursing career is truly the best of both worlds.

It has been over 80 years since the Veteran’s Health Administration (better known as the VA) was established. From its earliest beginnings, the VA has been focused on providing the best care for the brave men and women serving our country. It is now one of the largest health care delivery systems in the United States, with over 150 hospitals nationwide and serving more than 5 million veterans annually. It is also the largest employer of nurses in the entire world, with a total of over 60,000 currently employed. It is also one of the largest employers in the country of minority nurses.

The opportunities for a military nurse are also remarkably diverse and ever expanding. Whether one wants the intense but rewarding experience of a military hospital, the excitement of being a health educator, or the chance to specialize in innumerable niches, a military nursing career can fill the bill. There are also many opportunities for developing nursing skills that will easily carry over into a non-military nursing career. This in fact is yet another attraction of choosing the military.

Each of these factors, coupled with many, many more, make the decision to be a military nurse one for careful consideration. There is truly limitless, exciting opportunities ahead.

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Military Nursing Career is Path to Adventure

November 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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Have you been struggling with the decision of what to choose for a career? Or you a service-oriented person and find yourself interested in helping other people? There is an opportunity now available that may be just right for you. And not only is it a rewarding, fast-paced and exciting experience, you’re likely to discover that it is also a personally fulfilling career as well. Is it a job in the circus? Not at all. It’s the chance to serve and work as a military nurse.

The reasons that could be cited as motivators to choose this career are many. Below are just a few of the possible reasons people give when mentioning how much they enjoy the work they do as a military nurse. Many more could be cited. It would be very wise to do some personal research, coupled with discussing military nursing as a career with someone actually now serving in that capacity.

For example, one of the leading reasons people cite for job satisfaction in nursing is the chance to innovate. Innovation is a part of almost every day life for military nurses. Whether it’s using cutting-edge technology to help a cancer patient, helping a soldier adapt to life with a prosthetic limb, or almost innumerable other possibilities, a career in military nursing is the place to be if you’re passionate about innovation.

In fact, many of the innovations now employed by hospitals and healthcare providers all over the world had their beginnings in the military healthcare world. For example, VA doctors and researchers have been key players in the development of such things as CT scans, the pacemaker, artificial limbs, and cancer research. They have also made an important contribution to the world of pharmaceuticals, whether in the discovery of new drugs or through improvement of existing ones.

If this isn’t enough to get you excited about pursuing a military nursing career, do your research. It could change your life.

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New, Exciting Opportunites to Specialize in Nursing Profession Now Available

November 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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When someone is asked about pursuing a career in nursing, their first thought is often connected to their preconceived notions about what it means to be a nurse. More often than not, an image of a woman rushing around a hospital or operating room is what comes to mind. However, in the 21st century, there are an ever-increasing number of alternatives to this traditional view of nursing. This makes choosing a career in the nursing field a more exciting one than ever before. Here are several of the many exciting options available to those opting to pursue this path:

Travel nursing – although it is not often thought of when thinking of a nursing career, travel nursing is perhaps the most exciting way to live the nursing life. There are literally thousands of locations both in the United States and around the world where the demand is great and growing for travel nurses. This is truly a way to be in total command of your career. For each assignment, the travel nurse has the freedom to choose where they work, for how long, and in what specialty. With the severe nursing shortage literally impacting hospitals around the world. a travel nurse can find short-term work anywhere they choose. The compensation is also generous, ranging from $20 to $40 per hour on average. Many of these locations also offer free or reduced-cost housing as a bonus, in addition to signing and contract-completion bonuses.

Surgical nursing – this is another in-demand and high-compensation category in the nursing field. Surgical nurses employ their advanced training during delicate procedures such as organ transplants, heart surgery, laser incisions, and countless other surgery-related services. Surgical nurses are also some of the highest paid nurses in all of nursing, due to their advanced training and experience. They are also a vital part of the recovery process for patients after a procedure has been done. Surgical nursing is red-hot and getting hotter.

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Nursing, the career that gives you flexibility and job security

October 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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When it comes time to deciding what you want to do with the rest of your work life, quality of life, money earnings capability and flexibility in schedule should be near the top of your list.       In most of these instances, Nursing provides an opportunity that will meet or exceed all of your expectations.
There is nothing worse than coming home from a long day at work doing something that you don’t love.  If you like helping people, making a difference and are not turned off my sick and cranky patients, then perhaps Nursing is for you. Nursing provides a career that is rewarding in so many ways.  When your day is done after a long day of helping people, you can go home knowing that you made a difference in someone’s life.
For those that enter the field of Nursing, earning a steady and sometimes good living is a distinct possibility.  While those in the financial world are experiencing volatility and loss of jobs, Nursing and other working in the health care field are wanted and needed as people continue to get sick.  Many nurses make well over $40k per year, and have the ability to make much more with additional and specialized training.  Having a career that pays well, will help you get your first house faster and earn money for those vacation and family items you’ve always dreamed of.
While those in the Nursing field may have to work long hours, many are working 12 hours per day for three days per week.  Imagine a week where you only have to work three days, and are able to run errands, go to your kid’s athletic events and spend quality time with your family four days a week.
For all of these reasons, Nursing continues to be a solid career choice.

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The Value of Travel Nursing

October 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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Travel nursing agency services are becoming more popular these days, as many nurses want to travel to different cities and experience new cultures. Doing so is a great way for younger nurses to get the “travel bug” out of their system. These days many nurses do not want to travel once they get married and start families. Clearly, traveling a lot for children is destabilizing and not highly recommended, especially in their early years. With the divorce rate in the US as high as it is, it is not recommended that people go into marriages when they have many other interests (such as traveling) that both husband and wife cannot pursue together.

This is why travel nursing is a good place to begin for nurses who wish to travel the country. Placements can occur anywhere throughout the United States, and people learn actually how diverse the country is. From the far ends of conservative to liberal cities and culture, you can learn about how politics is affected by culture and geography.

One of the most valuable skills you learn through travel nursing programs is the variety of people whom you serve. When you have a broad range of experience in different parts of the country, you gain a confidence about the ability to treat and help anyone in need. You can better understand where people are coming from, including their values and beliefs that affect their medical treatment. The formal name for an academic study of such phenomena is called medical anthropology and medical sociology. Yet, a formal degree is not necessary. What matters is that you as a nurse have taken the time to learn about different people and how to best help them. Next time you feel the travel bug and want to go somewhere, think about travel nursing as a real option to consider.

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Military Need for Nurses Constant and Growing

September 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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Military Need for Nurses Constant and Growing

When considering a career in nursing, one option that should always be included in your research is the military. The need for highly-skilled, seasoned nurses in a wide variety of specialties within the military has never been greater. It is also expected that this need will continue to expand for as far out as experts can project. There are many factors to consider when deciding whether becoming a military nurse is the right call.

Military Nursing a Unique Opportunity to Serve

First of all, it is helpful to define just what a military nurse does, and how it differs from a more traditional nursing career. A military nurse essentially does what any other nurse does, only within a military setting, both in peace and during war. Each branch of the military (Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force) have their own division of nurses. A military nurse can be classified in one or more of the following classifications during the course of their career: Active duty, reserves and eventually civilian employment. It is wise to do a great deal of research and considering of one’s options before making the commitment to military service. It isn’t for everyone. Some are better off taking a more traditional path. This being said, military nursing should be something you consider seriously.

Career in Military Nursing Both Challenging and Rewarding

There are also a significant number of different roles that a military nurse can fill during their work life. These cover the entire range of medical professions and specialties, and provide opportunity to either pursue general practice or a more advanced specialty. The freedom to choose is entirely based on what you desire in your career. It is also important to note the unique challenges associated with a military nursing career, which of course can include being stationed in a battle zone, thousands of miles from home and family. There is also a required period of active duty. But to those who choose this path, the rewards and experiences for growth seem to come everyday.

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Travel Nursing: the Good and the Bad

March 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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As a nurse, chances are you work long hours every day and don’t have time for other things – like traveling. Travel nursing can combine work time and play time into one adventuresome job – that just happens to pay very well. There are both good and bad aspects to travel nursing, so be sure to do your research to see if it might be right for you.

One good point is the ability to literally choose anywhere that you would like to visit – and go work there. Most of the jobs last for 13 weeks and all nursing specialties can work as a travel nurse — though you need to have at least a year of recent experience in your field.

The pay and bonuses are very good, but vary from region to region. The benefits are also excellent and cover housing expense, health insurance, professional insurance, and 401(k). Most agencies are starting to offer a completion bonus and a loyalty bonus if you stick with jobs from just their agency. Travel expenses are included, as are license reimbursement expenses. Housing options can range from an apartment close to work, to a recreational vehicle that you can call home and move from job to job.

All of these sound like the good points, so if there is a bad side, what is it?

Some people like to travel, but think having to move into new housing all the time is stressful. It might help to have a cozy RV, as mentioned above, to provide a “constant” in your life – if you like RV life.

If you have a hard time making new friends, having new neighbors all the time could be difficult. Another negative point for some people is having a new contract – and new pay structure – every three months. This can affect your budget in a big way. Another potential negative point is having to worry about where your next job will be. If you work for an agency, you can have a management secretary who will locate your next job for you.

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