If you’re thinking about becoming a nurse, you’re in good company.

The industry is supposed to grow rapidly, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. By 2024, the bureau predicts that there will be a need for more than 220,000 more skilled caregiver positions nationwide with Registered Nurse certification, which is a 7 percent gain overall. This percentage rate of growth is considered faster than average.

The team at Accredited Home Care is eager to see more nurses in the field for a lot of reasons. Primarily, it’s due to a need at a local and national level. As a society, we’re aging and more and more of us will need critical care soon, even as early as the next decade for some.

Many nurses in the industry sometimes feel like they’re already spread pretty thin with all the needs out there in their particular specialty area or areas, so they gladly welcome newcomers, especially those with training in unique areas.

Certainly, there are other industries that currently need skilled help and are increasing in demand. Attorneys, for instance, seem to be popular career areas in terms of compensation, challenge, and social value. Web developers, network managers, and other high-tech positions also appear high on the top jobs lists.

But nursing has something special about it that keeps on attracting quality candidates.

Some of the reasons why the demand for skilled nurses keeps growing include:

• So many options. It’s easy to think of a nurse only as someone who works in a hospital or a doctor’s clinic, and there are many of these. But the profession has expanded so much in just the last few decades that there are so many specialties that need trained nurses. This can be everything from nurses in schools who offer help with teaching with injuries and education to hospice nurses who provide care to clients and their families in their final days.
• You can do it all your life. Many nurses keep going after suggested retirement ages. They may want to do this and keep on helping people.
• You never stop learning. In most cases, nurses are required to keep up with the continuing education credits. This can be attending classes or for a refresher on certain subjects. A variation of this is how much can be learned on the job. Both of these areas are vital.
• It can be fun. Nurses are said to have big hearts that allow them to deliver quality care even if sometimes they can be hurt easier. They look for opportunities to laugh and celebrate whenever possible, whether it’s with the patients or with peers. Though there are moments that are less fun, there are still moments where people love it because they’re truly helping others.
• You can be a nurse anywhere. Every community is going to need some sort of nursing position, whether it’s working with doctors at a physical office or traveling from state to state to help other nurses where you’re needed. Some nurses prefer not to be in one place so there are always opportunities to help.
• Every day is different. This variety can appeal to people who don’t like things the same. You never know what patients will need.
• Great role models. Plenty of nurses have gone into the industry due to a positive experience with another nurse, especially if he or she was a trusted family member or loved one. Most nurses enjoy helping fellow nurses as much as they like helping patients. As a group, many modern nurses treasure the role of Florence Nightingale in the profession today. In the 1850s, she visited Crimea and other troubled countries. She even received a nickname: The Lady with the Lamp,” which describes how she was able to deal with so many wounded soldiers, and bring joy back to their lives simply because someone took the time to help. This ‘help out’ attitude still is going strong.

Time to celebrate

Good nurses, of which there are many, should be celebrated all the time, whether at an internal level or a larger level.

Luckily there are several public holidays that honor different types of nurses. Many are in May.

Over the years, May has become a core month for a variety of occasions. There’s National Nurses Week which ran May 6-12. Within the week there were several other observances that recognize other group’s accomplishments, such as National Student Nurses Day and International Nurses Day. National Recognition Day for Nurses in mid-May.

The American Nurses Association has been celebrating the profession since 1896 in different ways, but the first National Nurses Week was made official in 1954, which was the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s first trip to Crimea. She remains seen as the role model of the modern nurse. So the industry celebrates on May 12 each year, which is also her birthday.