Nurses make up the largest workforce within the clinical health care industry with more than 2.5 million employees. Because of a projected critical shortage of nurses throughout the United States and worldwide, job opportunities are plentiful and will remain consistent for decades to come.
Opportunities abound in community health, occupational health, rehabilitation, psychiatric, obstetric and pediatric nursing. Many nurses choose to pursue careers as managers, administrators, educators and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). With the tremendous job variety and flexibility available, more and more men as well as people looking for a new occupation are choosing this career field.
More than half of all nurses work in hospitals, but many other possibilities are also available. Nurses may choose a number of job settings, including:
- Hospitals
- Long-term care/extended care facilities
- Home health care agencies
- Hospice agencies
- Physician offices and clinics
- The military
- Universities
- School systems
- Government agencies
- Corporations
- Camps