Not one hundred percent sure what you want to do with your life, or what new career you want to begin? If that’s the case and you’ve already considering nursing, then you’re in the right place here. What you’ll find is an amazing collection of positive statistics that make nursing a growing, dynamic and rewarding field and industry. Take a look at these stats and then get started as soon as you can with your studies towards becoming an RN.

* You can get started as an RN in less than a year by taking an accelerated nursing program, allowing you to jumpstart your career and get going immediately.

* Getting that degree is important, because more employers are preferring it. Over 50% of the field today has a bachelor’s degree or higher, versus just half of that figure a few decades ago. This is the best way to begin your career in nursing.

* About 62% of RNs work in hospitals, making it by and large the most common area of employment for a nursing career. But that percentage is way down, and shows that nearly 40% of nurses work elsewhere, including outpatient care facilities, nursing homes, the homes of clients, physicians offices and more.

* Diving into those statistics more, 14.2% of RNs work in community health settings, 10.5% are employed in outpatient care centers, and 5.3% work in long-term care facilities, amongst other options mentioned above.

* RNs now collectively have an average age of 47 years old, up from 40 years old in 1980. What this means is it’s an aging workforce that drastically needs new individuals to begin replacing the ones retiring.

* By 2018, there will need to be 580,000 new or replacement RNs to keep up with demand according to the BLS, Bureau of Labor Statistics. This growing need is due to a number of factors, such as the increasing roles of nurses and aging nurse workforce mentioned above.

* Another statistic says that by 2020 there will be 800,000 unfilled RN positions. This means the demand is not only huge, but largely incomplete, and the job opportunities and salaries will continue to rise and be prevalent.

* As mentioned, salaries are indeed rising for educated registered nurses. The average salary for 2007 was nearly $61k. The upper 10% make well over $90k, so there’s plenty of room for growth with experience and skill as well.

* There are more nurses than physicians, by a fourfold margin. Nurses are the primary means of care within hospitals, and as mentioned, are also branching out into new work settings and organizations.

* Nursing students account for half of all of the students studying any healthcare field or profession.

* According to the BLS, through the year 2018, the nursing field will be amongst the quickest growing sectors in any industry, and with the stats mentioned already, that leads to hundreds of thousands of new jobs being created.

Accelerated Nursing Degree Programs can save you time and money. Find the flexibility you are looking for. The profession of nursing is on the rise. Fast Track Nursing Programs