A few decades ago, a career in nursing seemed comprise a straight line from graduation to working in a hospital. Today, however, the profession offers both new and existing nurses more career options than ever before. Indeed, nursing is now so diverse that newly-qualified graduates should consider which path they want to follow as early as they can, C Fay Raines RN PhD, the president of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, told nurse.com. She commented: "Do they want to remain at the bedside? Do they want a leadership position either in a hospital or another type of healthcare facility? Are they interested in a research career or in a faculty and teaching position?" The site noted that most experts still advise starting out in an "acute care" setting such as a hospital, as it gives new nurses a good grounding, as well as some ideas of what they would like to do long-term. Indeed, many hospitals and medical centers now offer their own orientation programs to aid development in specialist disciplines. According to the Department of Labor, types of specialist nursing can include working with certain patient groups, such as children or the elderly, dealing with specific conditions and even treating particular organs. In 2006, it added, there were 2.5 million nursing jobs in the United States.  |