Well, actually it's more than that. The fact is that nurses have been in high demand for quite a few years. And it's not hard to understand why. People are always going to have health issues, and consequently there will always be a need for doctors and nurses to treat people when they are ill. But the job outlook for nurses is even better now than ever before, and the reason can be summed up in two words; baby boomers.
In case you're not aware, the U.S. baby boomer generation is made up of the post-World War II kids that were born during the years from 1946-1964. WW II ended in 1945, and the subsequent 18 years were a period of heretofore unprecedented American prosperity. During this time, America led the world in virtually everything. They were the number one manufacturer of steel, automobiles, radios, tvs, you name it.
And while the WWII generation (dubbed the "greatest generation") was building America into an economic powerhouse, they were also busy at home having millions of kids. Well, as of 2011, the first of the 'boomers' started turning 65 and became eligible for full retirement benefits. There are millions more coming behind them, so this trend will continue for at least the next two decades.
What does all this mean to you? It means a BIG demand for health care industry workers in the future. With millions more aging, we are going to need hundreds of thousands of additional nurses to take care of them all. This means big opportunities for anyone who is qualified to enter a nursing program. Not only will jobs be in abundance, but pay will continually be higher as well, since there will be more nursing positions and fewer people to fill them.
So what's the best way into the nursing field? That depends on your individual circumstances. In general, there are 3 ways to get in. The quickest way is to become a CNA (certified nursing assistant). This takes only a few weeks of training and you can get a job. The upside is very quick employment. The downside is you're not an actual nurse, instead you're just an assistant. And with that, your pay and advancement opportunities are limited.
The second option is entering an LPN program. LPN (licensed practical nursing) training takes a year or two and gets you working as a full-fledged nurse making somewhere in the mid five figures, depending on the region of the country you live. This is a great option for many, as it allows you to get a good paying job with great benefits with only a couple years training after high school.
The third option is becoming a registered nurse (RN). This is great if you have the time to go to school for 4 years. RNs supervise LPNs and have a higher pay scale. For those who are able to wait a few years before joining the workforce, this may be the ideal option.
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