You’ve probably heard the phrase “nobody’s perfect” before, and when it comes to nursing this is especially true. You’ve probably felt inadequate at some point or another; you might compare yourself to others who are further along in their career than you are. Whatever the case may be, you don’t have to settle for feeling not good enough. Instead, consider continuing your education to become an even better nurse. Not convinced? We’ve rounded up a few excellent reasons for why you should continue your education as a nurse.
Stay Current
Education is all about learning the latest information in your field. As a working nurse, one of your top priorities should be staying up to date with the latest nursing knowledge. This is especially important because science progresses so rapidly and there are treatments and medical techniques that are being replaced constantly. Continuing your education as a nurse means that you are staying open to the newest advancements in the field; in turn, this means that your patients will receive the very best of care.
Stay Interested
It’s easy to feel stuck in a rut in any job, and nursing is no different. You have daily routines and are comfortable with how things are going. Unfortunately, this comfort can lead to complacency, which could lead to nurses not offering the best care possible. In other words, a bored nurse is not an efficient nurse.
To combat the complacency you might experience as a nurse, consider delving into continuing education courses outside of your normal interests and tendencies. There is such a wide variety of options for CE courses out there that there is bound to be something you are interested in. Leadership, patient safety, legal issues, neurology, pharmacology, and many more topics are all available for the nurse looking to continue his education. With so many diverse options, choose a class about something you’ve not learned about before, or something that you’ve always been curious about.
Keep Your License
While continuing education is optional in most cases, there are some states that require certified nurses to complete CE hours each year. If you fail to do so, you could lose your nursing license and have to retake exams and classes. It’s a good idea to look into whether you need to take CE courses to keep your license.
Better Pay
It’s no secret that the more qualifications you have, the better your pay is likely to be. Employers see nurses that continually better themselves and stay up to date on current practices and information a good investment. Good employers will reward employees for taking initiative and staying motivated in the field, so show your boss that you deserve more by putting in that extra bit of effort. While money shouldn’t necessarily be the primary motivating factor for continuing your education, it certainly won’t hurt!
Offer the Best Care Possible
As you continue your nursing education during your career, you become a better nurse, plain and simple. As you strive to stay current with new medical breakthroughs, you will be able to offer your patients a level of care that will exceed what you were previously capable of. But perhaps even more importantly, you will be learning much more than just how to treat diseases. You will be learning how to treat patients. You will have the most up-to-date information on treatments and procedures, meaning that you will have more medical weapons in your metaphorical arsenal to choose from to help others. And the more you know and can share with coworkers, the more reliable you will become, and colleagues will come to trust your professional opinions even more.
Final Thoughts
The more you learn, the more you realize you didn’t know, so you will continue to push yourself and learn more. The continuing education cycle allows you to learn and grow consistently, which makes you able to offer the best care to patients.