Becoming a registered nurse is the ultimate goal for a lot of men and women looking to enter the medical field. Registered nurses work directly with patients to provide care and have a wealth of knowledge and skills to offer, but there might be a few things that you didn’t know about registered nurses. Without further ado, here are ten interesting facts about a registered nurses.
10 Interesting Facts about a Registered Nurse
You don’t need a four-year degree
Most registered nurses graduate with a 2-year degree. With this degree, they have enough practice and skill and can find a job that will provide enough money to support a family. Furthermore, many registered nurses even go for more education and come out with an 8-year degree! And in some cases, the hospital or other facility even helps out nurses looking to further their education by offering tuition reimbursement.
They make great money.
For some reason, people have got it into their heads that nurses don’t make very much money. This is entirely false! In fact, the majority of nurses in the United States make an average of $20-$38 per hour, much more than many other professions. While some RNs might make slightly less than this, many nurses make even more. Plus, working overtime (which happens pretty often) means time and half pay!
Nurses can be doctors, too.
It sounds a little crazy, but you can actually get a doctorate degree in nursing. The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) or Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP) are both possibilities for nursing qualifications. Oftentimes, nurses with doctorate degrees will become instructors in nursing school.
Nurses are very well trusted.
In surveys and studies about trustworthy professions, nurses consistently come out on top, and for good reason. Nurses are in charge of taking care of patients in ways that even doctors aren’t. They get more facetime with patients and are still just as educated and dedicated to their craft.
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Most RNs are female.
This one may not really come as too much of a surprise, but it is still a bit interesting that even in 2019 there are still many more women in nursing than men. Like other professions such as teaching, nursing is seen as a nurturing role and many women feel comfortable offering their natural tendencies to the profession.
It’s a job in high demand.
As long as there are people on the earth, there will be a need for dedicated healthcare professionals, especially nurses. This means that if you decide to become a registered nurse, you are basically guaranteed work no matter where in the world you go. Job security is an easy one for nurses!
You get to choose your specialty.
The human body is complicated and it’s impossible for a person to be an expert in every area of it. This is why physicians tend to specialize in one area, from obstetrics to orthopedic surgery.
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Registered nurses get to do the same thing! In fact, with so many specialties out there, there’s bound to be one that’s perfect for any nurse. If you don’t like inserting IVs, there’s a job out there for you where you won’t ever have to do it! If you have a hard time dealing with children, getting into geriatric nursing might be a better path.
Injury is common.
This one isn’t so much a fun fact, but it is interesting. According to the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, nurses in the US experience over 35,000 injuries per year from work. Nursing is a pretty physically demanding job; nurses are always on the move and constantly lifting heavy patients, reaching for things, and bending to pick things up. No surprise that nurses experience more work-related injuries than many other professions!
You never stop learning.
As part of the nursing career, RNs are expected to continue their education. It isn’t even just an expectation, either. Some facilities require that their nurses log so many continuing education hours in order to maintain their status. But overall, it’s for their own edification and self-improvement.
They suffer from obesity.
Sound counterintuitive that healthcare professionals can suffer from a somewhat preventative issue? With the overwhelming stress of the job combined with the lack of access to healthy foods and regular breaks during shifts, obesity is almost inevitable. Most nurses don’t have the time or energy to cook healthily or get in exercise every day, though there is a recent emphasis on taking care of one’s health as a nurse in order to turn that around.
