If you are considering a career in nursing, you may have some questions about the kind of work nurses actually do and if there are any jobs in the field.  According to the Division of Nursing, nurses needed for the future will: 

1. manage care of clients along a continuum of health and age
2. work with other health care team members
3. integrate clinical knowledge with knowledge of community resources

These activities will require individuals that have the following attributes:  

1. the capacity to adapt to change
2. a sound formation in basic, behavioral, social and management sciences
3. the ability to communicate effectively
4. critical thinking and problem solving skills

If this sounds like you, nursing may be a career choice for you to explore.  There are three entry points into the professional nursing field:

1.  an associate degree in nursing (ADN)

2.  a diploma in nursing

3.  a baccalaureate degree in nursing (BSN)*

   *the BSN is the only one of these that provides a base for graduate education

A testimonial by Dr. Ruth Gresley

As I thought about how to answer this question for potential students, I reviewed all the interesting things I had done in my career.  While I hate to admit I am getting older I have spent 40 years in this dynamic field.  Some of the reasons for staying include:

1. The opportunity to  make a difference in peoples lives. Caring for those who need assistance to reach their optimal health potential brings a great deal of satisfaction to me.
2. The opportunity to serve others, to help them grow and be strong.
3. The work is interesting. There are a great many innovations that happen in health care and I have seen a lot of them develop.
4. There is such a variety of people to work with to promote health and wellness.
5. There are so many kinds of nursing to be done (the operating room, the emergency room, pediatrics, surgery, medical nursing, teaching, flight nursing, home care, research and administration). All of these areas have been been my domain at some point in the last several decades, one never has time to get bored. There are always new challenges to take on and new roads. In times when the market is considered saturate, there are still places where jobs can be found. 

For more information and statistics about nurses, contact the Division of Nursing at:

U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services

Adm. Division of Health Professions Division of Nursing

5600 Fishers Lane, Room 9-35

Rockville, MD  20857

301.443.5786

or visit them online: http://www.hrsa.gov