Nursing is a demanding profession that can be both physically and emotionally exhausting, but it can also be tremendously rewarding when you know that you’ve helped someone. Nurses are not just responsible for making their patients healthy, but for making them comfortable (especially in the case of hospice nurses), and teaching patients and families how to manage and prevent injuries though diet and exercise programs.

Three out of every five nursing jobs are in hospitals. Most nurses begin as aides or staff nurses, and with advanced training, nurses may take management positions or enter a specialty field. Nurses with a knack for the business world can find jobs working for insurance companies or pharmaceuticals.

While nursing is a female-dominated profession – 94.6% of all nurses are female – the number of men joining the ranks of nursing has risen substantially in recent years.