Is nursing a good career choice?

Question:

Would you recommend nursing as a good career option?

Answer:

I can only speak for myself as the decision to enter nursing is personal and only you can answer that question yourself.
I am an Australian Nurse. I am so glad that I entered nursing as I enjoy the work. Also as a working mother I have been able to get work part time easily and during the hours I want to work so that I can be with my family. In Australia we have the same problems with nurses leaving the profession and lack of new young recruits.
For me, I am glad of my decision to enter nursing.
I wish you luck in making your career choices. These days we all have so many career options available which is fantastic.
Canadian nurses are leaving the profession and fewer are seeing it as a viable career option. Of Canada's 1990 nursing graduates, 20% had left the profession five years later, and nearly 10% of nursing graduates immigrated to the United States between 1995 and 1997, mostly to find work. Almost one in three of those interviewed said that, given the opportunity, they would not again choose nursing as a career

I wonder what the statistics for the USA would be. I would expect that it might very well be similar. I believe that the lack of respect shown to nurses combined with the imposition of additional duties every day have caused many nurses to look at alternative careers. Nursing has led me to fascinating and interesting positions, and I am glad I became a nurse, but would I do it again? I truly am not sure. Certainly the profession has changed and most of the changes have not been for the better. You presented some very interesting stats.

Nursing is mostly a love it or leave it job, there are lots of downsides
& it is quite possible to burn out & /or become disillusioned.
To take your points in order:
Part time/flex work, can happen to your advantage, but in the UK it often works to prevent a regular social life (& that includes the kids’ lives if they need mum in attendance or for lifts) Christmas & other public holidays are erratic at best & although work places differ wildly extra shifts at short notice. Decent Pay, in the UK the pay is reasonable, just so long as you don’t look at the work done nor the responsibility taken.
Opportunity to help others doesn't always happen & when you see the same face come in through the door with the same problem eventually your heart will sink. It's difficult to accept that there are some people who you just can't/haven't got the skills to/haven't got the resources to help.
Opportunity to upgrade skills, continue education: Great in the right environment (& mine is), but some of the girls I graduated with have to pay for all their own courses & go in their days off. You can get some very obstructive management & resentment for trying to change practice after you have learned better.
All very negative & let me add another, with short staffing it can be frustrating trying to get even safe care for your patient, never mind the best care.

However, I love my job. I do work part time, & I am paid sufficient to my needs (if not my value), I get to help some patients, enough for it to feel worthwhile & I have a continuing education & skills program written to suit both me and the unit. I like nursing, it suits me & I have recommended to a friend, but for the outside world nursing is looked upon as a worthwhile thing that those of lesser ability can do, along the same sort of lines as those who can't teach