If you are thinking about going into nursing school, it is vital to understand several things about the profession to help prepare you for what to expect. Researching how to become a registered nurse will help affirm your resolve about pursuing your career. Here are 7 things you need to know before becoming a registered nurse:

1.  Nursing is nothing like what you see on TV

This profession is not glamorous. In reality, nursing will get you into a lot of nasty situations. Whether it is cleaning an infected wound, stopping bleeding or helping patients change their diapers, you are bound to be in situations where you have to get down and dirty. However, do not let this fact push you off because you will get used to the nature of the job a lot of the time. Most students realize that they will have gotten used to so much when they start the course when they start working. Every nurse has an issue that they still cannot deal with, but you will build hard skin for most of the stuff.

2.  You will develop a weird sense of humor

Nurses face a lot of strange things every single day. Making jokes about them is a way of dealing with the weirdness and can help you get through your day. As soon as you walk into the staff room, you will hear one of your colleagues make a weird joke about something they have dealt with on that day.

3.  Messed up schedule

You will wake up and sleep at strange hours. All over the world, nurses work pretty long shifts and most of the time, they are alternating. It is possible to work up to 12 hours a day. Also, you may have to work on holidays. However, it will not be the same every year because most hospitals have alternating shifts. Choosing to be a nurse means that you have to show up for the job on days when people are usually drunk and celebrating.

4.  Nursing school is tough

Do not expect that it will be easy to get through the course. Nursing is quite a challenging course because you have to juggle the practical side and the theoretical side. For most students, it is quite a struggle.  However, it depends a lot on the school: Some integrate the practical and the theoretical side within the same semester. There are quite a few schools that will make theory and practical separate. Apart from that, having a solid background in Biology and Chemistry will help you out with the course.

Additionally, there are many resources online that provide basic knowledge that will help you kick start your course. It would help if you did not give up when it gets tricky. Please put your mind to it and make sure that it is something that you want to be doing.

5.  Endless opportunities

You can work anywhere in the world if you have nursing credentials. Keep in mind that this career is a vast profession with different specialties like bedside, emergency, intensive care and theatre nursing. Unlike doctors, nurses can start in one field and move onto another one within a few years. If you specialize in one field, you will somehow apply that to the next. Do not be worried that you will be stuck in the same job for the rest of your life. Whenever you get bored of what you are doing, look at what you are interested in and shift into that field.

6.  You will bond with your patients

You will share a lot of experiences and build a relationship with your patients. However, this depends on how you approach them. You can begin to connect with your patients by having a friendly smile when talking to them or by just being compassionate. If a patient is anxious, you could try to calm them down. Bedside nurses have a lot more time to build a relationship with their patients, but no matter how short the session is, you will bond with your patient if you do your best.

7.  Nursing is a blessing

Being able to care for people at their most vulnerable time is humbling. Patients will come into the hospital in critical conditions. Seeing them being discharged to resume a healthy and everyday life will feel like a blessing. When you know you played a part in their recovery-being that person mediates the whole process, and easing the transition or facilitating patient health care will be heartwarming.