Do you have a desire to help others and provide care? Working as a nurse can be a very fulfilling career. Registered nurses provide direct nursing care to patients in a variety of settings – doctors offices, hospital, and clinics. Depending on your role you may also provide healthcare consulting and health education programming to the community. You have the opportunity to specialize in different types of care and work in many different settings within the health profession.
Nurses typically work in a hospital, clinic, or physician’s office. You may also provide on-site care to patients. If you work in the hospital you will work in shifts. If you work in a clinic or office, you could work a standard 40-hour work week. Evenings and weekends are common.
Nursing is demanding and rewarding. Working as an R.N. gives you the opportunity to make a difference and help people in the community. You will work with many different people and have the opportunity to specialize in the area of healthcare you find most interesting and fulfilling. The job can be very stressful and sometimes unpredictable. Work-life balance can be challenging to achieve at times. Working 12 hour days can be seen as a pro by some and a con by others. You will be required to work overnight.
Once you gain experience as a registered nurse, you can complete further education to specialize. You can get certified in your area of expertise or become a nurse practitioner. Additional education is required.
Other jobs you might be interested in that are similar to registered nurse include:
Registered nurses in Canada start out as a generalist with a starting salary of about $60,000 per year. The average salary for nurses with experience is about $80,000 annually. Nurses who work in Alberta or in more remote regions in Canada tend to have a slightly higher salary.
annual: $80,000
monthly: $6,667
weekly: $1,538.46
hourly: $38.46
Top paying areas for registered nurses in Canada include: Alberta, Northwest Territories, Yukon, Nova Scotia.
Your daily tasks and responsibilities as a nurse will largely depend on your setting and where you work. Here’s a list of the general responsibilities that will be part of your job:
Nurses most commonly work in hospitals, but this is only one of the many locations they can work in the community. They can work for private companies, extended care facilities, rehabilitation centres, educational institutions, clinics, and other settings. There is ample opportunity to try out different roles to find the one that you enjoy most.
Nurses possess a combination of medical knowledge and interpersonal skills. You need to apply what you know while effectively assisting patients in many unique and stressful situations. Here are the top skills required to be a registered nurse:
To become a registered nurse you will need a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Depending on your area of specialization, additional post secondary certifications may be required.