Attention Job Seekers: A Remarkable Career Opportunity
By Betty Shultz, RN, CNOR
(ARA) - With thousands of American jobs being lost abroad to foreign
workers and record levels of unemployment in many areas of the country,
it’s understandable that many young people attempting to enter today’s
job market view their future with trepidation.
Nevertheless, there is at least one remarkable career opportunity that
is largely unrecognized by students and others seeking a career change.
That opportunity involves my profession, which carries this typical job
description:
* Starting salary in the $30,000 to $45,000 range.
* Flexible hours and comprehensive benefit package.
* Excellent job security and opportunities for advancement.
* Challenging, meaningful and fulfilling work.
* Employment opportunities nationwide in large cities and small towns.
* Signing bonuses with experience.
I’m a perioperative nurse -- also known as an operating room nurse --
but, the above job descriptors also apply to registered nurses in many
of the nearly two dozen specialties offered by the nursing profession.
Hospitals are just one of the many areas where today’s nurses care for
patients. And, the versatile skills required of nurses put them on
equal footing with all health care professionals.
Perioperative nurses work in hospital surgery departments, ambulatory
surgery units, clinics and physicians’ offices. They are relied upon
for their professional judgment and critical thinking skills. They are
the surgical patient’s advocate, working closely with family members and
fellow health care professionals. In short, they plan, implement and
evaluate the nursing care of the patient.
An added bonus: Skills developed as a nurse are some of the most
valuable and transferable assets found in today’s workplace. This includes
high tech computer and communication skills, as well as leadership,
problem-solving and organizational skills.
The demands of a nursing career require a person who can be caring and
empathetic, but who also is capable of making critical decisions based
on available information.
To become a perioperative nurse, you must first graduate from a state
approved nursing program and pass the nurse license exam to become a
registered nurse (RN). State nursing programs can be either a four-year
bachelor’s degree program or a two-year associate degree.
While there is a commitment to achieving the education needed to reap
the many benefits of the nursing profession, the good news is that there
will be a job waiting when you complete your education.
The federal government estimates that more than 1 million new and
replacement nurses will be needed in the United States by 2010. The current
nursing shortage is expected to intensify, with nearly every state in
the country (44 states) expected to have shortages by the year 2020.
There are a number of reasons for this predicted long-term shortage of
nurses. The much publicized baby-boom bubble will require increasingly
intense health care services for an aging population at a time when
nursing colleges and universities are struggling to maintain enrollments.
And, America’s nursing population is aging, with about one-half of the
current RN workforce reaching retirement age in the next 13 years.
The shortage also feeds on itself, leading to increasing turnover
because of increasing demands and fewer health care professionals to meet
the demands. When forced to assume responsibility for more patients than
they feel they can safely care for, some nurses experience emotional
burnout and leave the profession.
But, in many areas of the country, the shortage is not about the sheer
numbers of nurses, but about nurses -- such as perioperative nurses --
who possess the needed specialties, skills and experience to cope in
the increasingly complex and technologically-advanced health care arena.
As national president of AORN, the Association of periOperative
Registered Nurses, I am proud to say that the organization and its members
throughout the country are working diligently with schools, lawmakers and
others to address the nursing shortage.
Now is an excellent time to consider a career in nursing. There are
reports of some hospitals giving signing bonuses of up to $14,000 to
attract experienced RNs. Last August, President Bush signed into law the
Nurse Reinvestment Act to combat the nursing shortage. While not yet
fully funded, the new law is expected to provide millions of dollars in
scholarship money to attract new students into nursing.
The current nursing shortage and increased complexity of the health
care system have created a broad selection of challenging career choices
never before seen in the profession. There is increased compensation
and increased professional respect for nurses. But what has remained
constant in the profession is what attracted me to nursing 35 years ago --
the enormous personal satisfaction and pleasure that comes from helping
others.
Courtesy of ARA Content
Betty Shultz is president of AORN, the professional organization of
perioperative registered nurses. The organization’s mission is to promote
quality patient care by providing its members with education,
standards, services, and representation. AORN is composed of more than 41,000
perioperative registered nurses in the United States and abroad who
manage, teach, and practice perioperative nursing; who are enrolled in
nursing education; and who are engaged in perioperative research.
Perioperative nursing practice is defined as “those activities performed by the
professional nurse in the preoperative, intraoperative, and
postoperative phases of the patient’s surgical experience.”
AORN provides continuing education opportunities for perioperative
nurses through seminars; clinical articles in the “AORN Journal;” and its
annual Congress, which offers technical and scientific exhibits and
educational sessions by speakers recognized in their fields. AORN publishes
SSM-Surgical Services Management and hosts SSM Online, both featuring
information about trends in management and the surgical environment. For
more information about AORN, log onto AORN Online at www.aorn.org or
www.ssmonline.org.
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Last modified: 07/28/03
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