Nursing Journeys: Essential Career Advice for Aspiring and Current Healthcare Professionals
Nursing is one of the most important professions within the field of medicine. Although doctors diagnose problems and provide complex treatments, nurses are on the front lines of patient care every day, helping each patient with their daily needs, monitoring them, and helping to keep their spirits up.
A nursing career is a noble calling, and it can offer many benefits to go along with the inevitable challenges. While it is a stressful career, it’s also extremely fulfilling and rewarding. Nursing is also very stable, as the need for nurses is only growing. Competitive salaries round out the benefits of becoming a nurse.
Whether you’re working in the field already or you’re thinking of getting into the nursing field, here are some tips to help you make the most of your career, now or in the future.
Leverage the Education You Have
Those who are making a career change into nursing don’t always have to start from scratch. If you’ve already got a Bachelor’s degree in another discipline, you can leverage that education to get through your nursing program more quickly. Depending on the degree you already have, the classes you’ve taken in the past might help you graduate sooner!
Even if you don’t have prior college courses to apply to your nursing program, there are some accelerated programs that are designed to provide the same nursing coursework in a shorter timeframe. These are demanding programs, but they could fast-track your career.
Think About Your Long-Term Goals
Even before you choose your nursing program, it’s a good idea to start thinking about your long-term goals in the field. What would your ideal nursing journey look like?
Would you eventually specialize? Earn an advanced degree and become an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) or a Nurse Practitioner (NP)? Are you interested in travel nursing?
These days, nursing doesn’t have to mean getting your Registered Nurse (RN) certification and working in a large hospital. You have lots of different options for your career, from the setting to the types of patients you work with.
Think about what you want out of your career so that you have some long-term goals you’re working towards. Those goals don’t have to be set in stone, but they can help you decide which opportunities make sense for you and will help guide you through your nursing journey.
Try Different Types of Nursing Jobs
You might have a clear idea of what you want to do in the field of nursing, but it never hurts to try a few different things out and see what you enjoy the most. If you get the chance to learn a variety of skills during your practicum, take those opportunities and keep an open mind!
In addition to helping you understand what you enjoy most about working in the field, trying out different types of nursing roles and learning new skills will make you more adaptable. Nurses have to be able to adapt and think on their feet, so the more exposure you get to different types of situations and different patient populations, the better.
Take Advantage of Professional Development Opportunities
Even once you’re a licensed nurse, that doesn’t mean it’s time to stop learning. Professional development is important for keeping up with changes in the field and keeping your skills sharp. These opportunities are also often great for networking with others in the healthcare field, which is especially important if you’re coming into nursing as a second career.
If you get a chance to take classes, attend seminars and workshops, and collaborate with other healthcare professionals, you’ll gain valuable career benefits such as job opportunities, new friends, and great information that will help you become the best nurse you can be.
Prioritize Cultural Competency
As a nurse, you’ll be working with people from all walks of life on a daily basis. Because of this, cultural competence is a critical skill that you should prioritize. Learning how to communicate with people who have different cultural backgrounds, customs, and beliefs is incredibly important for providing excellent patient care.
Use Your First Job as a Learning Experience
Your first job will be a stepping stone to bigger and better things but don’t forget to use it as a learning experience for as long as you’re there. Until you’ve gotten some experience, you might not get your dream job—and that’s okay! Make the most of any jobs you get and remember that you don’t have to stay in any job forever.
On difficult days, it’s important to remember that nursing is a journey. Whether you come into the field as your first career or your fifth, you’ll quickly learn that providing care for people at their most vulnerable and helping them get back on their feet is an experience like no other.
