A professional nursing career cannot be successfully managed by chance or default. Instead, it requires self-evaluation of your need for further career development, attention to anticipated trends in healthcare provision, conversation with nursing peers who have succeeded in progressing their careers, analysis of nursing education programs that will enable you to advance in your nursing career, forethought of how you will effectively manage work and study pressures while remaining healthy, and investment of self-time. When pursuing possibilities to improve your professional nursing career, it is important to be introspective and proactive.
Nursing: job vs career
Many students enroll in nursing courses with the intention of securing well-paid jobs in the future. However, after spending some time as a practicing nurse, nurses come to understand that practicing professional nursing as a career option is a meaningful, long-term endeavor that is also satisfying.
A career in professional nursing necessitates quality education, at least to bachelor degree level where nurses acquire a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or higher, involvement in continuous learning to broaden skills and clinical leadership competencies, determination to continuously translate research evidence into practice, and commitment to advancing patient health and the nursing profession.
A professional career in nursing is rewarding and should be managed. There are many differences between a nurse who sees nursing as a job and a nurse who sees it as a career. However, the two main ones are highlighted below:
- Education: A nurse who sees their profession as a job only gains education that is sufficient to get them a job, which is usually up to bachelor’s level. They never try to keep themselves up to date with the latest knowledge or take any career development courses that can help them become a better nurse.
On the other hand, a nurse who sees their profession as their career strives to bring improvement in it by learning new things and gaining further education in the field of nursing. Examples include master’s degrees in nursing and doctoral and PhD degrees in nursing.
- Commitment: Nurses who see their profession as a job work only to fulfill their financial or other personal needs. All of their decisions revolve around the pay they get for their job, and they are only responsible until their shift ends.
On the contrary, a nurse who sees their work as their career respects their profession. They do not perform their duties just for the money or to fulfill personal needs. Instead, they do it because they have the motivation, compassion and empathy to care for those who need them.
What are the factors that prevent nurses from advancing in their careers?
Healthcare organizations are always evolving in order to serve the community better while keeping costs down. Although there is enough evidence to show that there is a professional nursing shortage in many regions of the US, healthcare organizations must deal with rising costs, strict cost-containment initiatives, refined reimbursement schemes, and a multitude of federal and state regulations, all of which frequently limit how well or unsatisfactorily these organizations can provide healthcare.
Due to these financial restrictions, many hospitals have moved traditional inpatient care to outpatient settings, hired fewer professional nurses, trained more unlicensed assistive nursing staff, reduced nursing salaries, hired more registered nurses to part-time roles to stop providing healthcare and retirement benefits, and relied less on registered nurses to fill open positions.
Examining future healthcare trends is crucial as you think about how to improve your career as a nurse, especially as they relate to:
- Where healthcare is given.
- The types of practitioners needed.
- The nursing training needed to deliver the required type of care.
Find out where there are shortages in the area in which you will be working, what kinds of practitioners are required to fill these gaps, and what kind of advanced nursing training is necessary for these roles. Always keep in mind that it is up to you to make decisions that best serve your immediate and long-term professional objectives. When preparing for the nursing profession, you are your greatest advocate.
How can nurses advance their nursing careers?
There is a variety of steps that you will need to take if you plan to advance in your career as a nurse. These steps are described below in detail.
Education and qualification
Education is the first and foremost step you should focus on when trying to advance your career in nursing. Previously, diplomas and certifications were sufficient to begin your career as a nurse in a professional environment. However, with advancements in the field of healthcare, the educational requirement for nurses has also increased drastically.
The job of a nurse is as important as a doctor’s. Therefore, it is important for them to have an equal level of knowledge when it comes to medicine. In fact, today, nurses are the right hand of doctors, and doctors depend a lot on nurses. As a result, nurses today must at least have a BSN degree before they can start their practice. Education and qualification play a major role in helping nurses advance in their careers.
Finding the right mentor
In order to increase nurses’ preparation and retention to enhance patient outcomes, the IOM study on ‘The Future of Nursing’ (2011) suggests mentorship. When two nurses work together as mentors, the more seasoned nurse serves as the ‘mentee’ and offers leadership and advice to the less experienced nurse.
During the early stages of a nurse’s career, while changing employment, or when a nurse is pursuing more education, a mentor can offer advice on career management. A long-term relationship between a mentor and a mentee is possible.
Finding a great mentor can prove difficult as it involves patience and time. The mentor must be fair, knowledgeable, devoted to helping the mentee succeed in their job, skilled at giving criticism, and willing to share their expertise. The online FNP at Carson Newman facilitates such growth by helping you understand new techniques, ideas and concepts of nursing from an experienced peer, and eventually prepare you for leadership in nursing roles. Other benefits of having a competent mentor include an increase in self-confidence, enhanced intrapersonal communication, and knowledge of legal and ethical issues. So, look around yourself, and try to find a mentor who is willing to transfer their skills and knowledge to you so that you can prosper in your nursing career.
Working on your professional portfolio
The presentation of your nursing history and experience in your professional portfolio and during interviews is a crucial part of career management. Attaining an interview for any new position will be aided if you have an updated resume and cover letter, but you could get the new job thanks to a comprehensive professional portfolio. A portfolio has several benefits, such as self-enlightenment, career advancement, a record of advancement and development, a history of success through the years, and a tool for planning. It may also serve as a resource for those who want to build one.
A professional portfolio, whether it be in electronic or printed form, includes a cover letter, a resume, examples of achievements not specifically mentioned in the resume, a selection of excellent projects, papers, patient or nursing care forms, teaching tools/programs, presentations, policies, or procedures that you may have created or co-created throughout your career, as well as copies of your licenses, certifications, awards, and membership cards from professional organizations.
Being multilingual also has several benefits in today’s society. Your portfolio should include abilities in reading, comprehension, writing and speaking for each dialect and language, if applicable. Awards that you’ve won might serve as evidence of your dedication to work and desire to go above and beyond the call of duty.
Gaining experience
After attaining adequate education, finding a guiding mentor, and creating a detailed portfolio, you should now focus on gaining the right experience. Find jobs in your area that suit your interest and provide you with the necessary exposure to utilize your skills and put your learning into practice. Find a place that promotes growth instead of one that hinders it.
Specializing in your field of interest
Once you have gained sufficient experience, it is time to identify your interests and specialize in that field to improve your scope of career advancement. Nursing, in contrast to other healthcare professions, permits you to switch specialties during the course of your career. Increasing your degree of specialization and capitalizing on the aspects of your profession that you enjoy the most may both be accomplished by narrowing your focus. Obtaining certification in your selected area, particularly from a renowned organization, can help you progress in your career. Depending on your interests and expertise, you can specialize to become an ICU nurse, an NICU nurse, an ER nurse, a cardiac nurse, etc. The options here are endless.
Becoming part of a professional nursing organization
Making new relationships outside of your present coworkers and past nursing school acquaintances is possible when you join a professional nursing group. These are the kinds of people who can put you in touch with nursing mentors or help you discover an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) to observe.
Additionally, invitations to or concessions on nursing conferences or courses for continuing education may be extended to nurses who belong to professional organizations. Members may also have access to services for finding employment and developing their careers. There are more than 100 national nursing groups available to join, so you are highly likely to find one that suits you.
Continuing to seek education
For the sake of improving patient safety and the quality of healthcare, the nursing profession requires highly educated staff. According to Standard 12 of the American Nurses Association’s standards for professional nursing practice, every nurse has a duty to pursue competence and knowledge that represents the current nursing practice and fosters future thinking.
Although returning to school requires a significant time commitment, it can significantly alter the course of your nursing career. You must possess a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree in order to be considered for one of the nursing management, educator or APRN professions that we mentioned above. Others could even demand a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP).
Invest in your health and wellness
A nurse is someone who attends the birth, death, and the entirety of a person’s life. Life-and-death choices are made by nurses. Every member of the healthcare industry interacts with nurses. People from many walks of life engage with nurses. Every shift that a nurse works require multitasking. In every shift that a nurse works, on top of the weekends and holidays, they experience stress that most other professionals do not. A nurse must take care of themselves in order to prevent severe stress by:
- Maintaining a healthy diet.
- Sleeping enough and avoiding drugs that are addictive.
- Engaging in regular exercise.
- Considering their emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
- Being on the lookout for ways to deal with stressors both at work and at home.
Why is it important for nurses to advance in their careers?
Most nurses are motivated by one of the following three factors: new work positions, higher compensation, or improved job satisfaction when it comes to nursing career progression.
New work positions
Many nurses with BSN degrees are interested in seeking new nursing positions, particularly leadership ones. Nurses with BSN degrees frequently take on leadership roles earlier on in their careers. This can include APRN posts, managerial positions, teacher roles, and registered nurse employment in various or more specialized sectors. Here are a few typical examples of advanced nursing positions:
- Nursing practitioner
- Midwifery nurse
- Nurse educator
- Anesthetist nurse
- Nursing director
- Nurse manager
So, depending on what you are searching for, there are several potential growth options for you. There are methods to make the change you desire, whether you want to focus on a particular clinical aspect with a specialty job or move away from clinical duties and into the administrative or instructor role.
Higher compensation
All of the aforementioned nursing roles have more duties than your present registered nurse employment. Another reason for expanding in your nursing profession is the increased pay that comes with bigger responsibility.
So, what does a wage for a position in advanced nursing look like? Remember that your earning potential might vary significantly based on the kind of medical facility and the area in which you work. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median yearly earnings for advanced nursing posts in the US are as follows:
- Nurse educator: $77,440
- Nurse manager: $101,340
- Licensed nurse practitioner: $120,680
- Anesthetist nurse: $195,610
After viewing these statistics, it is evident that regardless of the path you choose, developing your nursing profession will probably have a good impact on your pay.
Improved job satisfaction
Greater job satisfaction is one of the less obvious but no less significant reasons to succeed in your nursing profession. After years of caring for patients, burnout in registered nurses is not unusual. There are several causes for this, including overworking or working long shifts, handling demanding circumstances, seeing a lot of patients, and experiencing ‘compassion fatigue’.
Not that advanced nursing professions don’t have these qualities, but often a change of pace is precisely what nurses need to feel reenergized in their careers. Knowing that you are assisting in the filling of a position that is really required may also be immensely fulfilling.
For instance, APRNs are becoming more and more important in addressing the expanding primary care physician deficit. On the other side, it is the critical duty of nurse educators to prepare the next generation of nurses. On a broad scale, nurse managers may make a big difference in patient outcomes.
Whatever path you choose, you have the chance to enhance your nursing career and do it in a fulfilling way. It is necessary for nurses to step up to the plate and lead nurses, interdisciplinary teams, healthcare facilities, colleges, and other healthcare institutions.
The takeaways
- Proactively advancing in nursing requires self-evaluation of your needs and motivations.
- Understand the difference between nursing as a job and nursing as a career.
- You will only be able to advance if you see nursing as a career rather than a job..
- Assess your intentions by checking your level of education and motivation.
- Other factors that keep nurses from advancing in their careers include financial restrictions and not knowing what niche in your vicinity requires more nursing professionals.
- There are a total of eight steps that can help you go further in your nursing career. These are getting the proper education, finding a mentor, working on your portfolio, gaining professional experience, specializing, joining a reputable nursing organization, continuing your education to keep up with the latest trends and knowledge, and taking care of your mental and physical health.
- Advancing your nursing career is important because it allows you to explore new work interests and positions, earn better, and increase your job satisfaction.
Infographic Provided By healthcare executive recruiters, HCT Healthcare
