I’ve been a nurse for a long time, so people are always asking me for career advice. I just received this letter the other day:

I have been looking on the Internet and researching about becoming a nurse. I wanted to get some advice from someone who knows what nursing is like. I am afraid I will start and decide that nursing is not for me. Any advice? I am interested in nursing, but I’m just not sure what to do. Thanks for listening.

Sincerely, a Want-to-Be Nurse

Dear Want-to-Be Nurse,

Nursing is a great career for a lot of obvious reason, but there are many things to consider before you enroll in nursing school. First, don’t enroll in nursing school if you think that working at a hospital is going to improve your social life. You’re not going to have time to sit around the nurses station and drink coffee with physicians all day long. That only happens on television, and television hospital dramas are not based on reality. Bedside nursing is hard, demanding, backbreaking work that is not for the faint of heart. You will see many unpleasant things when you are in nursing school, so you need to stay out of nursing if you cannot stand the sight of blood or other bodily fluids.

Now, with all that said, there are many good reasons why you should go to nursing school, and enter the nursing profession. First, it is a great career for someone with a caring heart. Nursing is an honorable profession. Nurses can truly make the difference in someone’s life. You can take care of patients in many different settings, and you can work in a variety of nursing specialties. Then there is the issue of job security. Did you know that the average nurse is forty-six years old? That means that many nurses are nearing retirement age, and new nurses need to take their place. The US Department of Labor also says that there are currently 126,000 nursing positions unfilled in hospitals across the country. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that if this shortage of nurses continues, there will be about one million new job openings for registered nurses by 2010.

Volunteering at a nursing home or hospital, or becoming a certified nursing assistant (CNA) , is the best way to decide if nursing is for you. This gives you an opportunity to see nursing up-close and personal without all the glitz and glamour that you see on hospital TV shows. Nursing is a great profession to go into, but it has to be right for you.

Please visit the NursingVoices forum if you are a nursing student, and share your experiences with others. We’re waiting to hear from you!