21 Sure-Shot Signs To Know If NURSING Is Right For You
Written By:
Darby Faubion
Darby Faubion RN, BSN, MBA
Darby Faubion is a nurse and allied health instructor with over 20 years of clinical experience. Darby lives in Louisiana and loves exploring the state’s rich culture and history. Darby has a passion for caring for veterans and a special interest in those affected by post-traumatic stress disorder. In her quest to make a difference for veterans, she founded a non-profit called “Operation Battle Buddy.” Read Full Bio »» RN, BSN, MBA
Are you searching for the right career path but feel unsure about which direction to go? Do you enjoy caring for people and love learning? Does facing challenges and overcoming them give you a sense of fulfillment? If so, have you considered a career in nursing?
Perhaps you want to be a nurse but wonder, “Can someone tell me how to know if nursing is right for you?” If that sounds familiar, I believe this article will give you some insight. I know what it is like to wonder what career is best and how it feels to second-guess yourself, especially when it comes to deciding which career path to pursue. As you continue to read, I will share 21 sure-shot signs to know if nursing is right for you and share some of my experiences as a nurse and healthcare instructor.
5 Reasons Why It's Important to Know if Nursing is Right for You
Choosing which career you want to pursue is one of the most significant decisions you will make. It is essential to weigh your options carefully. As a nurse with more than 20 years of experience, I believe it is crucial to compare the advantages and disadvantages of nursing and to think about what you hope to get out of this career. The following are five reasons I believe it is crucial to determine if nursing is right for you.
REASON #1: Nursing can be a stressful job.
No matter how much you love nursing or how fantastic your job is, nursing can be stressful! Some days are easier than others, but it is stressful, nonetheless. If you are trying to decide if nursing is right for you, think about how well you handle stress and whether your coping mechanisms and de-stressing efforts have been effective.
For the sake of argument, even if you handle stress well, you may be interested in hearing about some nursing jobs that are the least stressful. My colleague, Donna Reese, MSN, RN, CSN, has written an
excellent article to give you some insight into those options.
REASON #2: There may be times when you feel unappreciated.
Most of the time, patients and their loved ones show a sense of appreciation for the jobs we do as nurses. However, do not be surprised if you face situations when you feel unappreciated or, worse, unwanted. Throughout my nursing career, I learned to accept the fact that not all patients are the same and that the way patients and their families respond to us is usually not meant as a personal attack. A shocking diagnosis, adverse reactions to treatments, or general depression and anxiety can come across as rude or unappreciative behavior. Remember, do not take everything personally.
REASON #3: There are other careers that pay as much or more but that are not as hard.
Can you make good money as a nurse? Absolutely! You can earn an excellent income in nursing. However, you can earn good money in other jobs that do not require as much physical, mental, or emotional exertion and where climbing the corporate ladder may not be as challenging. The vital thing to consider is why you want to become a nurse. If you want to become a nurse simply because of the income, I would encourage you to think twice about whether nursing is right for you.
REASON #4: You must be committed to lifelong learning.
One thing I always cautioned my nursing students to understand is that earning your nursing degree and passing your
licensure exam does not mean you are finished learning. Because of the ever-evolving landscape of medicine and healthcare, to be an effective nurse, you must be committed to lifelong learning.
REASON #5: You will be responsible for the health and well-being of others.
As a nurse, you will make important decisions that impact the health and well-being of patients entrusted to your care. There is a lot to consider when you think of the impact your choices have on patient outcomes. If nursing is right for you, you will address the issues head-on, learn all you can, and become the best nurse you can be.
How to Know if Nursing is Right for You?
(The following are the 21 sure-shot signs to know if registered nursing is right for you.)
SIGN #1: You genuinely care about others.
About The Sign:
One of the main
qualities of being a good nurse is to have a caring attitude and character. If nursing is right for you, there is no doubt you will care for others and work to make their needs a priority.
Why This Sign is Important to Know if Nursing is Right For You:
It is essential to consider whether you sincerely care about the health and well-being of others when deciding if you want to pursue a career in nursing. Your job as a nurse will involve caring for patients with different backgrounds, beliefs, health concerns, and needs. You will also care for family members by being a support system to them while their loved ones go through complex health issues or crises.
SIGN #2: You have a way of helping others feel at ease.
About The Sign:
Are you one of the people who seems to know what to say or do when tension is high among a group of friends or family? Do others look to you when they feel uncomfortable or uneasy about a situation? If helping others overcome their anxiety or feelings of uneasiness, it could indicate you are an excellent candidate to become a nurse.
Why This Sign is Important to Know if Nursing is Right For You:
Every patient and healthcare situation is different in some way. One thing that is common among all patients is that there is typically some level of anxiety or fear. As nurses, it is our responsibility to be there for patients and their loved ones.
You may find that, in certain situations, you are the first person a patient opens up to about their fears or anxiety or questions they have about their illness. Knowing how to talk to people and ease their minds when they are troubled is a strong indication nursing is right for you.
SIGN #3: You have a strong sense of emotional resiliency.
About The Sign:
Emotional resilience is a concept that allows you to recognize and overcome stressful situations by applying a positive attitude. Emotional resilience involves
prioritizing self-care, focusing on what you want to accomplish as a nurse and in your current job, working toward goals, having flexible thought processes, and building strong relationships.
Why This Sign is Important to Know if Nursing is Right For You:
If you can understand and control your emotions, you can endure challenges in nursing while still providing excellent nursing care. A strong sense of emotional resilience is believed to reduce nurse burnout, as well.
SIGN #4: You enjoy getting to know and dealing with people from different backgrounds.
About The Sign:
One of the most essential characteristics of good nurses is the ability to demonstrate
cultural competence. Cultural competence is the term used to describe your ability to respect and understand the values, beliefs, and attitudes of people who come from different cultural backgrounds.
Why This Sign is Important to Know if Nursing is Right For You:
In nursing, the patients we care for come from many backgrounds and have diverse beliefs. It is vital that we learn to accept and appreciate the individual beliefs of each client.
As a nursing instructor, I like to express that showing cultural competence is more than demonstrating an appreciation or attempting to understand the differences in culture we have. One’s beliefs may influence his or her decision to accept or reject certain medications, treatments, or even foods. If you enjoy getting to know people on a personal level and find it easy to accept beliefs that are different from your own as an individual’s right, this could be a sign that nursing is right for you.
SIGN #5: You believe in standing up for others.
About The Sign:
One of the primary responsibilities of nurses is to advocate for others. We advocate on behalf of patients to ensure they receive appropriate care and that their wants and needs are addressed. We advocate for coworkers, our patient's families, and the profession.
Why This Sign is Important to Know if Nursing is Right For You:
Nursing truly is a profession of service, and one of the most critical services we provide is
advocacy. It is important to recognize the ability to advocate to know if nursing is right for you because there may be times when you are the only person a patient has to represent their interests. At times, you may feel you are the only person standing up for a person or cause. If it is just and right, stand anyway.
SIGN #6: Working in a fast-paced environment does not scare you.
About The Sign:
Nursing can be hectic, to say the least. Depending on the setting where you work, you could see and care for several patients daily. The number of patients you provide care for daily is not the only issue you may face in nursing. The types of illnesses your patients have and the severity to which they are affected can impact how hectic your day may become.
Why This Sign is Important to Know if Nursing is Right For You:
Because a patient’s status can change quickly, it is important to determine if you are able to work in a fast-paced environment where the unexpected often occurs. If you adapt quickly to changing environments and find it easy to accommodate the needs of others, you may feel nursing is right for you.
SIGN #7: You work well under pressure.
About The Sign:
It is truly no secret that nurses work under pressure. Nurses working in even some of the most relaxed settings, such as doctor’s offices or nursing homes, find that some situations cause them to feel more pressure than others. The ability to work under pressure is essential to effective nursing.
Why This Sign is Important to Know if Nursing is Right For You:
It is vital for nurses to recognize changes in their environment and to identify stressful situations or those that require working under more pressure, as these are times when errors are more likely to occur. If you struggle when faced with situations that require you to work under pressure, I will caution you to question if nursing is right for you.
SIGN #8: You believe in being an ethical person.
About The Sign:
Ethical principles in nursing involve looking beyond bedside nursing to recognize and demonstrate individual regard for yourself and human rights while promoting social justice and health care advancement. Ethics in nursing promotes considering the values of others as you prioritize and justify your actions which may impact the health outcomes of patients, organizations, and the nursing profession.
Why This Sign is Important to Know if Nursing is Right For You:
Practicing good ethics is so important in nursing that the American Nurses Association (ANA) established the
American Nurses Association Code of Ethics as the source of expected ethical principles in nursing.
It is essential that you know if you can
demonstrate ethical behavior to determine if nursing is right for you for several reasons. For example, ethical principles will help guide you to provide quality care within the law, develop strong nurse-patient relationships, and help promote positive patient outcomes.
SIGN #9: You have good problem-solving skills.
About The Sign:
Do you like the idea of addressing problems and finding usable solutions? Good problem-solving skills are an essential skill for nurses of all degree levels in every nursing position.
Why This Sign is Important to Know if Nursing is Right For You:
Nurses work in complex, often unpredictable environments where the ability to effectively solve problems is essential. You will be required to apply cognitive and intellectual skills to find solutions to patient problems and provide essential care in a safe manner, sometimes with little time to spare.
SIGN #10: You are a critical thinker.
About The Sign:
Nurses have a wide range of valuable skills. Critical thinking is one of the most important skills you can develop, as it involves the process by which you solve problems relevant to patient care. I love to encourage nurses and nursing students to strive to develop and improve critical thinking skills because these skills prepare you to become an influential member of the healthcare team.
Why This Sign is Important to Know if Nursing is Right For You:
It is important to recognize your ability to
demonstrate critical thinking to determine if nursing is right for you because this ability reflects being able to anticipate and understand changes in your patient's status and make decisions that support favorable patient outcomes. Nurses with good critical thinking skills will show impartiality, flexibility, and independent thought in their work.
SIGN #11: You pay close attention to detail.
About The Sign:
One of the most important characteristics good nurses demonstrate is attention to detail. If you are incapable of paying attention to details, even those that may seem insignificant, you should seriously question if nursing is right for you.
Why This Sign is Important to Know if Nursing is Right For You:
Attention to detail can have great benefits for nurses, patients, and the interdisciplinary team. When you pay close attention to detail, you are more likely to recognize subtle changes in your patient before they become more serious problems. Nurses who pay attention to detail are careful to follow directions and procedures carefully and quickly recognize and remedy any errors in care. Attention to detail could mean the difference in positive or negative patient outcomes.
SIGN #12: You know how to prioritize.
About The Sign:
In nursing, it is essential to
practice prioritization. Prioritization is the ability to look at a patient or situation and determine which tasks are most time-sensitive or may be critical in determining patient outcomes.
Why This Sign is Important to Know if Nursing is Right For You:
If you know how to prioritize important tasks and patient care, you are more likely to provide accurate, efficient, and timely patient care, which results in better patient outcomes. Also, when you prioritize care, it helps reduce stress for you and other members of the healthcare team, as each person knows what needs to be done and in what order. If you are serious about getting your work done well and value prioritizing work, this could be a strong indication that nursing is right for you.
SIGN #13: You have strong leadership qualities.
About The Sign:
Nurses of all education levels and in diverse positions exercise
leadership qualities. Leadership in nursing refers to your ability to take the initiative to get a job done, encourage and guide other nurses working under you, and oversee certain processes.
Why This Sign is Important to Know if Nursing is Right For You:
As an experienced nurse and healthcare educator, I have always valued leadership qualities in others. I often told prospective students that one of the first qualities they should develop is the ability to lead.
It is important to know if you have strong leadership qualities because you do not have to have the official title of a leader to lead others. True leaders lead by example or action. Nurses who demonstrate strong leadership skills promote positive patient and employee experiences, help nurture positive work environments, and inspire patients and team members to do their best in working toward common goals.
SIGN #14: You are empathetic.
About The Sign:
Being empathetic is more than acknowledging another person’s feelings. Empathy involves demonstrating the ability to understand and share someone else’s feelings. You can show empathy by being willing to feel for and understand your patients, listening and showing interest in what they say and how they feel, and being respectful, even if their opinions and feelings are different from yours.
Why This Sign is Important to Know if Nursing is Right For You:
Empathy is essential in providing patient-centered nursing care. When you practice empathy in nursing, you will find it easier to build stronger relationships with patients and their families and your team members. Empathy is a vital part of building constructive dialogue and
therapeutic communication, which impacts compliance and outcomes.
SIGN #15: You don’t mind being flexible regarding your schedule or duties.
About The Sign:
The simplest way to describe flexibility is the ability and willingness to adapt, accommodate, change, or modify something. Many situations in nursing require you to be flexible, including accommodating changes in your schedule or job duties.
Why This Sign is Important to Know if Nursing is Right For You:
No matter how well-planned your schedule is or what you expect your day to involve, in nursing, nothing is written in stone. For example, if you work in an emergency department, you may be assigned to work triage. However, in mid-shift, there could be an influx of patients who need bedside care, which could result in you being pulled from triage to work in the treatment area. If you lack the ability or willingness to adapt to changes in your schedule or duties, it is wise to reconsider whether nursing is right for you.
SIGN #16: You have a good sense of self-confidence.
About The Sign:
Self-confident nurses tend to have the self-assurance that they can perform well in their assigned capacity and know the care they provide is high-quality. Nurses who are confident tend to act with a more professional demeanor and are often more satisfied with their jobs.
Why This Sign is Important to Know if Nursing is Right For You:
Many people find it hard to believe that I once struggled terribly with a lack of self-confidence. I am unsure where my sense of low self-esteem came from or how I learned to persevere, but I did. I said that to say this, I understand what it is like to lack self-confidence and to question your own decisions.
As nurses, it is important to consider your level of confidence and to take measures to build self-confidence. Stay plugged into learning opportunities, join nursing organizations, and mingle with like-minded people who challenge you to be your best! Even if your confidence level is not where you want it to be or think it should be right now, the more you apply yourself and your knowledge, the more confidence you will gain. Your confidence and professional outlook can have far-reaching effects on patients, their loved ones, and your peers.
SIGN #17: You like to spread optimism.
About The Sign:
Anyone can have a pessimistic attitude and find what is wrong in a situation. As nurses, though, we can make a significant impact on the patients we care for, our team, and our work environment by having an upbeat, optimistic outlook.
Why This Sign is Important to Know if Nursing is Right For You:
Do not get me wrong when I say nurses should have an optimistic outlook. I know all too well that there are days in nursing when it feels as though nothing you do turns out right. Machines do not work properly, your patient's family is angry, doctors are rude, and worst of all, patients die. What is important, though, is that we look at things in the whole context of the situation. Even on bad days, our patients, their loved ones, and even grumpy doctors look to us for a word of encouragement. If you are strong enough to acknowledge your feelings and still try to find some good in the day and spread optimism, it could well be that nursing is right for you.
SIGN #18: You are emotionally stable.
About The Sign:
If anyone knows what it is like to have a day when you really want to have a meltdown, but you just cannot, it is me! We all have stressful moments or days that seem like nothing else could possibly go wrong. Being stressed or feeling emotional does not make you a bad nurse. However, to be effective, we must show the ability to remain stable and emotionally balanced, even in the most stressful situations.
Why This Sign is Important to Know if Nursing is Right For You:
Emotional stability is one of the most essential characteristics of good nurses. Your job as a nurse will be physically and mentally demanding, which can lead to feelings of frustration or sadness. You must be able to experience your emotions without allowing them to overcome you to the point that results in poor job performance, which could lead to
issues with patient safety and poor patient outcomes. Therefore, one of the things you need to consider to know if nursing is right for you is whether you are emotionally stable.
SIGN #19: You know how to be assertive when necessary.
About The Sign:
There is a difference between being assertive and aggressive. Nurses must know the difference and how to act. Aggression usually involves some type of manipulation or the feeling of wanting to be right. Assertiveness, on the other hand, is exercised with an attitude of mutual respect and is another sign to help you determine if nursing is right for you.
Why This Sign is Important to Know if Nursing is Right For You:
Knowing whether you are assertive enough to be a nurse is important because the way you act impacts nurse-patient and interdisciplinary relationships. If you are assertive when it comes to patient care, your patients and their loved ones or caregivers will feel represented and understood and will show you respect in return. If you are in a leadership role in nursing and demonstrate assertiveness on behalf of your team, the chances of good team rapport and better patient and organizational outcomes occur.
SIGN #20: You are a dependable person.
About The Sign:
Dependability involves so much more than showing up for an assigned shift. In nursing, dependability means doing your job well and in a consistent manner. Dependability means you learn to balance the needs of your patients and team while providing the highest quality care possible.
Why This Sign is Important to Know if Nursing is Right For You:
Your patients, coworkers, supervisors, and administrators all depend on you to show up for work, but they not only expect you to show up. They expect you to get things done in a high-quality, efficient manner. Being dependable means you make yourself available when needed and that you strive to do your best at every task you attempt. If you are truly dependable and want to positively impact others, it could be that nursing is right for you.
SIGN #21: You love learning.
About The Sign:
Nursing is one of the most diverse, ever-evolving careers anyone can pursue. If nursing is right for you, you will have a love for learning and demonstrate that love by doing your part to stay in the know about things dealing with health, wellness, disease, and treatments.
Why This Sign is Important to Know if Nursing is Right For You:
The things we knew about the human body, health, and wellness years ago have changed substantially through the years and continue to do so. Because of continual discoveries and strides in healthcare advancement, nurses must remain committed to learning.
My Final Thoughts
Nursing is an exciting career with many opportunities for growth and advancement. If you are still in the process of choosing a career, it is natural to ask, “Can someone tell me how to know if nursing is right for you?” The 21 sure-shot signs to know if nursing is right for you covered in this article are things I believe are important for anyone considering a nursing career to know. I encourage you to read each of these signs and why they are important carefully to decide if this is the right career path for you.
Darby Faubion, RN, BSN, MBA
Darby Faubion is a nurse and Allied Health educator with over twenty years of experience. She has assisted in developing curriculum for nursing programs and has instructed students at both community college and university levels. Because of her love of nursing education, Darby became a test-taking strategist and NCLEX prep coach and assists nursing graduates across the United States who are preparing to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX).