If you are considering a career in the medical field and are trying to decide what avenue would best fit your career goals and interests, one important consideration to weigh is the speed at which you’d be able to enter the field of your choice. Applying to medical school and pursuing a career as a Medical Doctor (MD) is one option, but it requires a long lead time before being able to practice. Careers that require multi-year runways before ever experiencing what it is like to work in them can be risky. Many people invest years and thousands of dollars pursuing the education required to enter them only to realize, when they are finally able to take a job in their field, that they don’t enjoy the work and would have been better suited for a different career path.
This unfortunate reality is what makes careers with relatively short runways (the time required to undergo the training and/or certifications necessary to pursue work in the field) so advantageous. Pursuing a career in a field like nursing provides this advantage. Nursing jobs can be applied for after accelerated study programs that can take just two years or (sometimes even less) to complete. A nursing career can be built in increments and allows incredible room for advancement over its duration.
Thus, if you’re interested in a medical career but want to join the workforce quickly, the following will help you take your first steps into a field that can prove not only quicker to enter than other medical routes but highly rewarding, fulfilling, and customizable to meet whatever your career aspirations might look like or become.
Current Outlook for Nursing Careers
Nursing jobs are highly diverse. They can lead to a wide array of educational pathways, specialties, clientele, and working environments. Entering the field of nursing not only ensures an option for speedy entry but provides strong job security and perennial demand. Nurses are an essential cog in the medical care landscape. Thus, choosing a career in nursing can virtually guarantee you job opportunities and access to a continually growing job market.
How to Pursue A Career in Nursing
Nursing careers can be accessed via multiple entry points. For those who want to enter the workforce quickly and try it out before deciding to invest more time in schooling, a number of nursing positions can be attained after very short vocational training programs.
Nursing Assistants (NA’s) can pursue jobs after completing training programs that usually just last 1-3 months and usually only require a high school diploma or GED in most states. NA positions are ideal for those who want to enter the workforce right away and experience what the job will be like before deciding whether to pursue more advanced schooling.
Likewise, Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN’s) or Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN’s) can enter the workforce after completing a short 1-2 year training program and passing a licensure exam. These programs can often be accessed through community colleges or technical schools. This level of nursing training makes you eligible for higher-paying jobs than NA roles and allows you to perform more technical levels of care.
The next step up in the spectrum of nursing education programs requires slightly more time but increases your entry-level earning power and makes more nursing opportunities accessible. Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs usually take 3-4 years to complete and allow you to become licensed as a Registered Nurse (RN). BSN programs can be completed in person or online.
However, a more expedient option exists: earning an Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) degree. In-person or online ABSN programs can usually be completed in 2 years or less – some in as little as 16 months. ABSN programs are concerted, thorough programs. Most recommend that you do not work another job while completing the program because of its academic rigor. ABSN programs can be a strategic way to streamline your educational pathway and make it possible to enter a robust nursing career quickly.
No matter what your life situation or career interests may be, there is a nursing pathway that can help you quickly move through the education required to enter the workforce and start a fulfilling career. Being able to progress quickly into a nursing position can help you hone your interests, determine what types of roles and responsibilities suit you best, and inform your career advancement as you go rather than spending many years in school before ever experiencing the work.
