The time is now for nursing jobs

Now is the key time to look into pursuing gainful and rewarding career opportunities with nursing jobs, according to a published report.

The Arizona Republic points to the aging population as driving the surge of opportunity, noting the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics will need at least 500,000 more nurses by 2018. Baby Boomers are aging and need medical attention for various maladies.

Nurses also must remain current and do what they can to stay up-to-date with the latest treatments and technologies. Getting into nursing schools also is challenging due to increasingly competitive circumstances.

"A lot of work is being done to level out the playing field amongst the various professional contenders in the field," organizational psychologist Billie Blair of Southern California told the publication. "As a patient, I would like to see that everyone taking care of me has a special certification that tells me that they're interested in what they do."

The educational requirements that nurses typically pursue include a bachelor's degree in nursing, an associate's degree in nursing or a diploma from a nursing program that has been approved, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.