Do you ask yourself, ”Should I become a nurse?” There are many factors to consider before deciding. For example, do you enjoy helping people, have good communication skills, handle stress well, tolerate unpleasant situations, stay organized and enjoy science? If so, then nursing might be a good choice for you.
Switching to a career in nursing is a big decision, and you likely have many questions. “Should I become a nurse? Is nursing for me, and would I make a good nurse?” It is indeed important to be sure of your career choice. After all, going back to school for nursing requires hard work, commitment and resources. Take some time to explore the pathway and figure out how to know if nursing is for you.
Concordia University, St. Paul is committed to ensuring our nursing students in the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program feel a strong calling to the profession and believe passionately in the purpose of nursing. Nursing is a career that offers professional satisfaction and personal fulfillment, and we are proud to help our students earn their BSN in as few as 16 months.
How does the accelerated nursing program work? Learn what to expect in the ABSN program at Concordia.
There are several considerations that will help you answer the question, “Do I want to be a nurse?” You can explore them here.
Is Nursing Right for Me? Key Considerations
Every future nurse makes the decision to enter nursing school for their own reasons, but there are common ones to consider. For many people, the main motivation is the desire for a career that provides personal fulfillment and meaning. Consider this and other factors as you seek to answer the question, “Should I become a nurse?”
1. Does Helping People Bring You Joy?
Passion for helping people is the first factor to consider when asking yourself, “Is nursing right for me?” After all, the foundation of nursing is helping people in times of need. Nurses support patients experiencing various health challenges, such as surgery recovery or cancer treatment. If helping people invigorates you and makes you feel a sense of purpose, nursing might be a great fit for you.
2. Do You Have Essential Nursing Traits and Skills?
Many people wonder what age is good for nursing, but you’ll find working nurses at a wide range of ages. It’s even possible to become a nurse in your 40s, 50s or even 60s. Character traits and skills are more important for becoming a nurse than being a particular age. Some of the most essential nursing traits and skills include:
Communication and Interpersonal Skills
Nurses spend much of their day communicating with their patients and other healthcare providers, so being a clear communicator will serve you well.
Nurses need to be good at listening when patients share their feelings. They spend a lot of time at their patients’ bedsides, so patients come to trust them with their life details. Often in healthcare settings, patients need a sounding board, someone who genuinely cares about them. That’s a primary role of a registered nurse (RN). A passion for therapeutic communication that complements the healthcare needs of patients is a quality the best nurses possess.
As a nurse, you would also need to communicate effectively with coworkers. Having strong communication skills and thriving in a collaborative atmosphere are important for success in nursing.
Organization and Attention to Detail
Organization is another key skill for successful nurses. Nurses are responsible for administering precise treatments and keeping a detailed record of their patients’ status in the electronic medical record (EMR).
Nurses also need to stay organized when juggling multiple patients during one shift. When nurses are handling multiple patients with varying conditions, it’s important to implement effective strategies to ensure their patients get the care they need. Along with this need for clarity and focus, you’ll also need to prioritize and address the most urgent issues first. This multitasking is much easier if you have naturally good organization skills.
3. Does Nursing Fulfill Your Career Goals?
Is nursing for me? To answer this question, it can be helpful to answer other questions about your career goals. What are your career aspirations? Where do you hope to be in 10 years career-wise? Think about your goals and consider whether nursing aligns with these. Nursing offers opportunities for professional growth in a variety of settings.
For example, many nurses choose to grow into specialist nursing roles. They can gain certifications and become qualified to care for patients in higher-acuity units, such as critical care or neonatal intensive care. There are so many nursing specialties to choose from, from pediatrics to geriatrics to oncology to orthopedics and beyond.
If you aspire to a clinical role with more independence and a larger scope of practice, you might choose to return to school to qualify as a nurse practitioner (NP), nurse anesthetist (CRNA) or nurse midwife (CNM). These are all types of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), and these careers come with a significant salary boost. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), these types of APRNs made a median annual salary of $129,480 as of May 2023.
Some higher positions require advanced degrees. Becoming an APRN, for example, requires at least a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree. You’ll also need to pass a board certification exam in your specialty and obtain a state-issued APRN license.
Interested in becoming a nurse practitioner? See the pathway to become a nurse practitioner.
Other career advancement opportunities with a graduate degree include becoming a nurse manager or a nurse administrator. Nurses with a passion for teaching may decide to become a nurse educator, teaching the next generation of nurses.
4. Can You Keep a Level Head in Stressful, Fast-Paced Settings?
Nurses have a lot of responsibility and need to manage the health of their patients in stressful situations sometimes. Nurses need to stay focused and clear-minded when the patient worsens or complications occur, such as during a heart attack.
As you consider nursing, think about your response to stress. Nurses experience stress in their work regularly, so it’s important that you can handle this. This is a skill you will develop over time as you go through nursing school and gain experience during your nursing career.
Not all nursing specialties offer the same level of stress. Whereas working in a trauma center is generally a high-stress position, serving as a home health nurse or school nurse may be less stressful. So, even if you’re interested in a low-stress line of work, nursing may still be a good career choice for you, depending on the specialty and work setting you choose.
5. Are You Prepared for Less-Than Pleasant Challenges?
Nurses need to be willing to manage and help patients with these sometimes uncomfortable situations. You will also be treating sick and sometimes contagious patients, so taking infection control measures will be necessary to protect yourself. Therefore, before you decide on nursing, consider your tolerance for these unpleasant situations. Nurses also care for patients from all walks of life and backgrounds, so the ability to be non-judgmental is extremely important.
It’s normal for new nursing students to feel a bit squeamish at times. As you practice your nursing skills, you’ll learn how to manage these situations with composure.
After you gain some clinical work experience at the bedside, you might decide to transition into a nursing role that offers less exposure to these types of situations. Some nurses, for example, work for insurance companies reviewing cases, while others act as consultants for law firms.
6. Do You Enjoy Learning about Health and Science?
Accelerated nursing school is a challenging path, and you’ll spend the 16 months of the ABSN program learning as much as you can about the human body and how it works. In online classes, you’ll learn about illnesses, the use of medication to treat them and how to apply that knowledge in experiential learning environments.
How does online learning work in nursing school? Learn the benefits of online nursing classes in an ABSN program.
Even once you finish nursing school, you will continue to grow and learn about biology and the human body every day. You will be putting that knowledge to use through your daily interactions with patients.
Think about whether you enjoyed your college biology or anatomy courses. Other science courses like microbiology provide the foundation you will need to learn about infection prevention and many illnesses. If you find science and learning about human health fascinating, then entering nursing is a great choice for you.
7. Will I Be Happy in Nursing?
Nursing can be a personally fulfilling and meaningful career choice for many people who enjoy helping others, but it isn’t necessarily right for everyone. At this point in your life, there’s a good chance you’ve had opportunities to interact with many different nurses as you sought care for yourself or loved ones. Reflect on whether you can see yourself in their shoes and whether this sort of job could bring you joy.
How to Know If Nursing Is for You: Steps to Take Before Deciding
Despite all the careful reflection you’ll likely put into your decision, sometimes the best way to determine if a particular life choice is the right one is to gain some experience with it. Of course, you can’t actually work as a nurse until you have a degree and licensure. However, you could pursue other opportunities to get an inside glimpse at this career.
For example, you might explore job shadowing opportunities. You may be able to talk to current nurses about their jobs and solicit some advice. Look for volunteer positions at your local hospital. You might even consider pursuing an entry-level healthcare job to gain more exposure to the field.
Begin Your Path to Nursing Today
After thinking through these questions, hopefully you have a better idea of your answer to the question, “Do I want to be a nurse?” If you’re inspired by a career caring for patients and offering support and compassion in their times of need, nursing may be the ideal fit for you. As a nurse, you’ll get to make a real difference in people’s lives each day.
At Concordia University, St. Paul, the ABSN curriculum gives you the opportunity to earn a BSN through a combination of online and experiential learning. In as few as 16 months, students can earn their BSN and be eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN® exam.
Hear from real ABSN students in our Concordia nursing student reviews. See why they chose the ABSN program and how it is helping them achieve their career goals.
We offer three program start dates each year at our locations in Portland, Oregon, and St. Paul, Minnesota. If you have a prior non-nursing bachelor’s degree or at least 54 non-nursing college credits, you may be eligible to apply.
To learn more about the ABSN program at CSP Global, fill out our online form, and an admissions advisor will reach out to you to set up a call. Now is the time to make a nursing career your reality!