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Published On Sep 16, 2019

Have you considered becoming a nurse? Registered nurses (RNs) have opportunities to make a positive difference in the lives of others on a daily basis, including patients and their families.

There are many potential benefits of becoming a nurse, like the strong need for more qualified nurses,⁴ the ability to work in different settings and the opportunity to choose from a wide range of nursing specialties. Plus, as a registered nurse, you could have a positive impact on your community.

Industry Demand

The future is bright for those who want to pursue a career in nursing.

First, older people tend to have more medical problems than younger people. Due to the growing aging population, there are increased opportunities for nurses. Additionally, because of the recent federal health insurance reform, more people have access to healthcare, which has led to an increase in demand for nurses. Finally, the demand for nurses has increased in settings such as home healthcare, as more patients are preferring to receive treatment at home.

Benefits of Becoming a Nurse

Is becoming a nurse worth it? Only you can answer that question. You should reflect on some of these top reasons to be a nurse and consider looking for job shadowing opportunities to get an inside look at the profession.

Rewarding Work

You may find becoming a nurse to be rewarding and meaningful. Nurses may find personal fulfillment in supporting patients and family caregivers as they navigate difficult circumstances.

In addition, nurses often have opportunities to develop relationships with their patients and support them every step of the way on their road to recovery. It can be satisfying to watch a patient improve and get well enough to be discharged.

Impact on Society

Nurses have the potential to make a significant, positive impact on their communities. As healthcare professionals who provide both clinical care and emotional support, nurses can substantially influence patient outcomes and the patient experience in the healthcare system. Nurses can also empower their patients by treating them with respect, validating their concerns and providing clear patient education.⁶

It isn’t just the individual patient that nurses can affect. Nurses can also serve as leaders in their departments and within their communities. Nurses have the potential to serve as advocates, helping to improve health equity in their communities so that underserved populations receive access to the resources and care they need.⁷

Nurses who work within the community, such as community health nurses and public health nurses, can address social issues and social determinants of health. They can improve public engagement with healthcare resources, focusing on populations with complex needs like the elderly, unhoused individuals and teenage parents.⁷

Workforce Needs in the Industry

There has been an ongoing need for new nurses to join the workforce; this trend is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the job growth rate for RNs is expected to be 6% from 2023 to 2033, faster than average. This indicates that healthcare employers expect to hire about 197,200 new nurses during this time period.¹

One reason why the U.S. needs the nursing workforce to grow is the aging population. Older adults tend to have more medical issues than younger people. Because of this, the BLS expects a robust need for nurses in residential care facilities and home health agencies in particular, although job growth is expected across most healthcare settings.¹

Income Potential in Nursing

Another top benefit of being a nurse is the income potential. According to the BLS, registered nurses made a median annual salary of $93,600 as of May 2024.² Individual salaries can vary, depending on factors like employer, years of experience, nursing specialty and individual qualifications.

If you decide to pursue career advancement, you may command even stronger earning potential. The BLS states that nurse practitioners (NPs), nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) and nurse midwives (CNMs)—all types of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs)—collectively made a median annual salary of $132,050 as of May 2024.³

Opportunities for Specialization

As a nurse, you’ll be able to choose from a diverse range of nursing specialties. For example, nursing education and public health are specific areas of the field in which nurses can specialize. As a result, nurses can pursue a career they are truly passionate about that suits their individual strengths.

A nursing specialty can focus on a particular patient population, such as women’s health, pediatrics or adult-gerontology. Alternatively, it could focus on a specific category of medical conditions, such as oncology nursing or orthopedic nursing. A nursing specialty can also be specific to a hospital department, such as emergency room nursing or trauma center nursing. There’s a specialty to fit virtually any interest, and nurses also have the opportunity to switch to different specialties if they crave a change.

Technological Advancements

If you’re excited about technology, you may be interested to know that technology has greatly influenced the field of nursing. Today, technology in nursing is used to manage workloads more efficiently, improve patient outcomes, streamline operations and enhance nursing team communications.⁵

In addition, because of the rapid growth of technology in the field, new and exciting career paths are available to nurses. For example, nurses who want to work with healthcare data can pursue a career in healthcare informatics. In the workplace, these nurses may take on roles such as automating clinical care, building new operational data systems, training healthcare workers in the use of computer systems or collecting and analyzing data in order to improve patient care.

Flexibility to Work in Different Settings

Nurses are not limited to working in hospitals and doctor’s offices. They can work in many different settings, such as at children’s camps, schools, on the mission field and even in the pharmaceutical field.

These different settings give nurses flexibility throughout their career, as they can transition to a different type of workplace if they’re interested in making a change. Working in a variety of settings can allow nurses to expand their nursing knowledge and clinical skills as they work with diverse patient populations.

Pursue Your Nursing Degree at GCU

Discover your own reasons to be a nurse at Grand Canyon University. GCU’s College of Nursing and Health Care Professions offers a variety of nursing degree programs, including the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Pre-Licensure) degree. Fill out the form on this page to speak with a university counselor about earning your nursing degree at GCU.

Approved and verified accurate by the Associate Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions on June 23, 2025.

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COVID-19 has adversely affected the global economy and data from 2020 to 2023 may be atypical compared to prior years. Accordingly, data shown is effective September 2024, which can be found here: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Registered Nurses, retrieved April 30, 2025.
The earnings referenced were reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Registered Nurses as of May 2024, retrieved April 30, 2025. Due to COVID-19, data from 2020 to 2023 may be atypical compared to prior years. BLS calculates the median using salaries of workers nationwide with varying levels of education and experience. It does not reflect the earnings of GCU graduates as Registered Nurses, nor does it reflect the earnings of workers in one city or region of the country or a typical entry-level salary. Median income is the statistical midpoint for the range of salaries in a specific occupation. It represents what you would earn if you were paid more money than half the workers in an occupation, and less than half the workers in an occupation. It may give you a basis to estimate what you might earn at some point if you enter this career. Grand Canyon University can make no guarantees on individual graduates’ salaries. Your employability will be determined by numerous factors over which GCU has no control, such as the employer the graduate chooses to apply to, the graduate’s experience level, individual characteristics, skills, etc. against a pool of candidates.
The earnings referenced were reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Midwives and Nurse Practitioners as of May 2024, retrieved April 30, 2025. Due to COVID-19, data from 2020 to 2023 may be atypical compared to prior years. BLS calculates the median using salaries of workers nationwide with varying levels of education and experience. It does not reflect the earnings of GCU graduates as Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Midwives, and Nurse Practitioners, nor does it reflect the earnings of workers in one city or region of the country or a typical entry-level salary. Median income is the statistical midpoint for the range of salaries in a specific occupation. It represents what you would earn if you were paid more money than half the workers in an occupation, and less than half the workers in an occupation. It may give you a basis to estimate what you might earn at some point if you enter this career. Grand Canyon University can make no guarantees on individual graduates’ salaries. Your employability will be determined by numerous factors over which GCU has no control, such as the employer the graduate chooses to apply to, the graduate’s experience level, individual characteristics, skills, etc. against a pool of candidates.
American Nurses Association. (2024, Feb. 17). Nursing Career Guide: Education & Job Opportunities for RNs. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
American Nurses Association. (2024, Feb. 9). How Technology Is Changing the Nursing Industry. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
American Nurses Association. (2023, Sept. 7). How Nurses Can Affect Positive Patient Outcomes. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, National Academy of Medicine, et al. (2021, May 11). The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved April 30, 2025.

Benefits of Becoming a Nurse