Choosing a future career can be difficult, confusing, and intimidating for a high school senior. People say find something that you love to do and you will never work a day in your life, but there are thousands of jobs out there. Of course, as children, we dream of being a superhero or a fabulously rich Powerball winner, but the truth is that high school is almost over and the opportunity for further education is on the horizon. A high school senior is not completely understood, and in turn, high school seniors do not completely understand what life is like outside of high school. We will be on our own soon, making us wonder what life will be like in the coming months and years. The biggest question is 'What do I want to do when I grow up?'. Who knew it would be so difficult to decide what to do with our futures? Do we look for just a job or find a career? Everyone has so much advice. People say find something that you love to do and you will never work a day in your life. For me, this means finding a job that fulfills the goals set for my life, sharing my time with family and friends, and giving myself the chance to learn and experience new things from others. If graduating from high school is a stepping stone to starting our young lives, then furthering our education should be a stepping stone to a fulfilling career. Out of thousands of choices, pursuing an education as a nurse will provide me with a fulfilling mission, job security, the opportunity to specialize, endless chance to further my education, and the skills to become an independent adult.
A licensed practical nurse is the field I have chosen to pursue after graduation. The medical field has become a growing community of specialties that can offer multiple wide ranges of settings to practice. LPNs are state-licensed medically trained professionals that provide hands-on patient care for the sick. This includes taking vital signs, giving injections, and dressing wounds. Training requires an accredited educational program that is approximately eighteen months, provided by a community college, and state licensure, awarded after passing the National Council Licensure Examination. Licensed practical nurses work under the direction of physicians. They provide direct care for the injured and elderly and advocate for the people that cannot help themselves. LPNs are direct patient caregivers and ensure people are comfortable and well cared for. For me, this means chances to work with geriatrics (elderly), pediatrics (children), and everything in between from hospitals to walk-in clinics. Being a nurse will provide a fulfilling occupation, allowing me to share compassion and care for other people.
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According to Athena Career Academy, the nursing industry has grown rapidly in recent years and is projected to grow even more in the next decade because of longer life expectancies, population growth, and new technologies. As people get older, they will need caretakers, which means a nursing career is also job security. According to SeniorCare.com, the aging population is currently over 50 million and the projected senior population is expected to rise to 83 million by 2050. This also means that a large portion of nurses are also nearing retirement. According to a Vanderbilt University study, the shortage of nurses could reach as high as 500,00 by 2025. A nursing career will equip me with job security for many years to come.
A career in nursing also provides a solid foundation for independence. Whatever my future holds, wherever I go, I will have the ability to support myself financially as a nurse. Schedules are flexible and shifts are variable, including eight and twelve-hour shifts, not just the nine-to-five. A Louisiana state-licensed LPN can also transfer licensure to any other state. Specifically, choosing to pursue LPN licensure means the opportunity to get a degree in a short amount of time, affording myself the beginning of a stable career and time to further my education with online classes to pursue a specialty. This field of education secures independence both financially and in time to pursue further education.
I would like to allow myself time to explore different specialties and further my education while still being able to work full-time. Although Central Louisiana is not a heavily populated area, it still offers doctor's offices, clinics, urgent care centers, hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home health, hospices, and outpatient centers. These opportunities would allow time to explore different areas of nursing while remaining close to family and friends while working toward accomplishing larger goals. Travel nursing offers the same career goals but in different locations all over the United States. It is important to me to choose a career that can offer a change of pace and scenery close to home while continuing to fulfill my personal mission of caring for people. Above and beyond this, are chances to practice in many different specialties, including obstetrics (working with pregnant moms), anesthesiology (putting people to sleep for surgery), and hospice (end-of-life care). Essentially, further education after high school is endless in the field of nursing.
My plan to accomplish becoming a nurse is to attend Central Louisiana Technical College and complete the eighteen-month Licensed Practical Nurse program. After completion of the LPN program, I would like to continue online college classes to become a registered nurse while working full-time. This would allow me time to work in different areas of nursing and find the work I am passionate about. Becoming an LPN also allows me to accomplish my goal of doing something every day that I enjoy. If I work at a job I love, maybe I will never work a day in my life.
After spending a day observing multiple different nurses in the medical field as in RNs, LPNs, CNAs, and unit secretaries, I have concluded that becoming an LPN is what I desire to do. Looking at the future now, I see myself becoming an RN. To do it correctly, I plan to take baby steps as in not jumping straight into it. Planning to allow time for all my interests including family and friends while working toward a bigger goal is important to me. From doing one on one patient visits, observing patient care, learning and organizing medicines both oral and intravenous to even doing the dirty work of a CNA (meaning changing sheets, giving baths to the ones in need of help, and feeding the sick) is fulfilling work for me. Hands-on experience is what every high school student should experience before going to college. Spending three days shadowing medical professionals was an eye-opening experience. Hands-on experience with the daily life of different medical field workers, managing their time, meeting the needs of patients, and using the skills they have learned made this senior project a little more interesting. When participating, you get a feeling of what life after college would look like.
As I interviewed Mrs. Paige, an RN at the local Avoyelles Hospital located in Marksville Louisiana, I have put together lots of useful information. From where she was in high school to how she got where she is now. Mrs. Paige recently became an RN. She became an LPN through CLTCC before becoming an RN. I chose to interview Mrs. Paige because she became an RN the exact same way I plan on following my dreams. I had many questions about how the current schooling is. As I asked millions of questions to Mrs. Paige, different conversations came along, and I learned something new from each and every one. According to Mrs. Paige, you could either take the ACCUPLACER test or use your highest ACT score, but your ACT score has to be eighteen or above. The ACCUPLACER test must be passed, but you can retake it as many times as needed at forty dollars each time, and every seven days it's available to retake. Nursing requires mainly math, biology, and chemistry. Nurses administer medications, and each dosage much be customized to the patient. Math formulas are used to determine how much meds to administer by IV drip, injection, or other methods. Nurses use math to make sure the medication amount is appropriate and that patients do not receive too much or too little. Biology is the study of the body and life, all nurses use this in their daily work life. Biology, chemistry, and math are all requirements to become any type of nurse. Human anatomy, human physiology, and microbiology are also required in nursing school. Licensed practical nurses yearly salary starting off runs about $38,000 a year. At any place, you would be making about sixteen to twenty dollars an hour in hospitals or clinics. Twelve-hour shifts are very common being an LPN. 36 to 40-plus hours a week on different shifts, weekends, mornings, nights, and even holidays are required, according to indeed.com.
Going into the medical field has its share of pros and cons. Suicide is a huge con when it comes to nurses in the medical field. Suicide can be caused by many different things. Earlier this year nursing.org published research on the rate of suicides in nurses in general. Of all the female population, nurses in particular are 23 percent more likely to commit suicide than women in general. According to a nam.edu study, registered nurses are most likely to commit suicide. The most common means of suicide in nurses is overdoses. An overdose is excessive use of any type of drug ending with different types of reactions possible coma, hysteria, mania, or death if not caught in time. Overdoses are very common only because of the easy access to lethal doses of medications. Nurses are very overworked and stressed with anxiety related to emotional situations, complicated patient care, and the amount of work they have to accomplish daily. Many nurses put others before themselves. Most nurse-related suicides are caused by either personal or workplace responsibilities.
Nurses enjoy helping others and putting a smile on everyone's face, including theirs. Nurses devote themselves to caring for their patients' wants and needs. Caring for others is my goal in life. Once I complete LPN school, I plan on furthering my education as a registered nurse or maybe even a surgical nurse. Being an LPN is far more than being just a nurse and taking care of everyone, It’s a job that reminds someone daily that they are helping to change lives. Although there are pros and cons to a nursing career, this path fulfills all the goals I have set, including a career with a fulfilling personal mission, job security with opportunities to specialize endless ways to further my education, and the skills to become an independent adult.
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