Nursing, as challenging as it can be, has a lot of benefits. Aside from the fact that there is always a demand for more nurses, so you will always be able to find a place to work, it also enjoys a lot of flexibility. You can have more say over when you work, where you work, and even the kind of work you do with enough focus. Here, we’re going to look at some of the kinds of flexibility a nurse can enjoy.
Decide when you work
Across the board, the workplaces and positions that require nurses typically require them to be available all of the time. In part-time and even full-time positions, there are going to be day-shift nurses and night-shift nurses, with a lot of scheduling options for each of them. If you are finding that your current work-life balance is not where you want it to be, could you start picking up night shifts instead? Some people work a lot better when they are able to take care of their other responsibilities during the day, and then do their work when the rest of the family is asleep in bed, for instance.
Decide where you work
Aside from having more say over when you work, you could also look for roles that give you more options on where you work. Aside from hospitals and medical practices, nurses are required in care facilities, schools, and birthing centers, as well as in the homes of patients who need around-the-clock care. If you like the idea of working in multiple workplaces and not being tied down to one location all the time, you can also look at some of the available traveling nurse jobs currently out there. Some nurses prefer traveling for their work, as it can help them avoid the burnout that often comes with spending too much time doing the same thing day after day in the same work environment.
Find your next step
Aside from the opportunity to figure out when and where you want to work, you might be looking to start to transition out of a general day-to-day nursing role, and into something different. There are lots of ways to boost your healthcare career as a nurse. For instance, you can look into specializing in a specific type of nursing, whether it’s working with specific kinds of patients as women’s health or pediatrics, or in a particular form of healthcare, such as oncology or anesthetics. If you earn the education you need, such as a doctorate in nursing practice, you can also start to climb internally from your current position, getting into a leadership or management position. With the added skills and responsibilities, you can also enjoy the additional pay.
If you want to enjoy the flexibility of being a nurse, then you have to make sure that you find the role that suits your need. As mentioned, there’s always a demand for nurses across almost every sector they work in, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.
