Nursing Career and Challenges - Essay Example

Pioneers of the field of nursing have established that such is a caring profession. They have argued to a high extent its uniqueness among other professions, with a goal to serve clients in need, with genuine and unconditional caring as its foreground and guiding principle. Nursing has been previously perceived as subordinate in the dominantly medical field in the health care system. However, continuous endeavors over the years have transformed it into an independent and autonomous sphere, having its own body of knowledge, and capable of its own practice separate from that of medicine. 

Nursing is full of career opportunities. One may decide to be involved in a specific area, whether in nursing education, administration, community, or clinical practice or participate in several areas at the same time. Trending career opportunities nowadays also involve nursing informatics and nursing research. Despite these diversities, the goal of nursing to provide care is still the backbone of the profession.

The idea that change is inevitable implies that the continuous evolution of the world also poses challenges to society, including the field of nursing. Nursing leaders play essential roles in the performance of their staff. Sherman (2006) presents in her paper that there are challenges to the nursing leader in the presence of a multigenerational nursing workforce. Various diversities, including differences in attitudes, beliefs, work habits, and expectations can create problems in administration, but when awareness and change of perception are given to the leader, conflicts among nurses would be reduced and there would be enhanced productivity.

On the other hand, Silva (2008) presents that nursing challenges in the 21st century are brought about by globalization. These are not exclusive to nursing leaders but to the entire nursing population and the field itself. Emphasis is on the “negative impact of globalization on the everyday lives and on the health of people in the global sphere...especially of those economically deprived of goods and basic social services such as education, and health care,” where nursing is challenged to find avenues to effectively meet the health demands of society (p. 788). As nurses, we are tasked to answer to the needs of the client and the client system, regardless of the economic situation. We are responsible to find means and resources to make health care accessible especially to those haunted by the crisis in the effect of globalization. Thus, a career in nursing is not simply caring, but rather caring even in the presence of many changes and difficulties.