When you are working as a nursing professional, you will find that the role is rewarding. However, there will be times when you feel that you can do more, be more, and of course, offer more to the industry. You owe it to yourself to push yourself, and you owe it to the other nursing professionals to push for success, growth, and development. Talking about change can be one thing, but making changes and taking your career further can be a different thing entirely. So, where do you start the process, and how do you benign to make a positive change to your nursing career while taking it to the next level in the process?
Are You Ready for Growth and Change?
To begin with, you must establish that you are truly ready for change. Making a commitment to change and growth is important. If you find that you are not ready for the process, you may well not take advantage of the opportunities around you. You may also struggle to enjoy any new role or position that you take on – and of course, this is not what you want. To make sure that you are ready for both growth and change, you have to look at what you are currently doing and offering. If you are feeling unfilled at the end of the day, then change has to happen. If you feel that you are not giving everything (and more to your role), then growth should be what you start focusing on. When you have established that you are ready (and willing) to change and grow, you can then start pushing forwards.
Why You Need to Focus on Pushing Forwards
In your career, you will hit inevitable points of stagnation- these are points where you feel stuck or you feel like you are not going in the direction you want. When you feel like you are stagnant, you can find that you do not enjoy your career in nursing as much as you want to or as much as you should. When you focus on pushing forwards, you learn to take control of the citation. You learn to grab hold of your dreams and aspirations, and you learn to push forwards for yourself and for those around you. It can be difficult to push forwards when you feel stuck, but sometimes, focusing on what the future may hold can help you take the crucial first steps.
Taking Positive Steps Forwards
Often, you will find that small positive steps forward will be more beneficial than giant leaps. Working on improving one area of your career at a time or even focusing on your studying will be a positive step in the right direction. When you commit to making positive steps forwards, you see the room for growth and development, and you see what needs to happen to realize your ambitions. When you take positive steps forwards (no matter how small you may think they are), you start progressing, and you start investing in yourself and your career. Positive steps forward will boost your confidence. When you feel more confident, you truly feel that you can handle anything – and this is how you want to feel (and, of course, how you must feel for career advancement). Insecurity or self-doubt is not going to be beneficial moving forwards, so learn to cope with this and learn to tackle these feelings and emotions head on to ensure that they do not hold you back from a successful future.
What Path Do You Want to Take?
To get your nursing career to the next level, you have to determine what path you want to follow. Will your path take you down toward a role that is less patient-orientated? Or perhaps you will focus on leading others? Do you see yourself in a leadership position, and is leadership something that you have envisaged? Is this something you feel that you would excel in? Or, would you like to have an impact in your local community, perhaps by working in a community clinic? What role do you see yourself playing, and what are you getting from career progression. You need to know which path you want to take to start formulating an action plan.
Look at Supporting New Nurses
A career path that you may wish to take may involve you working with other nursing professionals (instead of working with patients). You could look at becoming a preceptor to support new nurses and share your experience and knowledge in the process. The nursing industry needs experienced nursing professionals like yourself to be there for new nursing professionals and to offer support and guidance in any way that you can. When you look at a career path that involves supporting new nurses, you focus on the future of nursing just as much as you focus on your own career. The awareness and the knowledge that you have gained in your time as a nurse can help shape new nurses and help shape the treatment and care that patients then receive.
Creating an Action Plan
Once you know what career path you want to pursue, you must then start focusing on creating an action plan. An action plan or strategy will give you the direction you need for your career advancement. Within a career action plan, you will create actionable targets and goals, and you will establish what needs to happen and by when. For example, within a plan, you may establish that you have to focus on advancing your studies within the next 12 months. An action plan or strategy should cover your career for at least the next 3-5 years.
Building Your Network
As you are advancing your career, it is important to take advantage of connections with other nursing (and industry) professionals. Building your professional networks and reaching out to other professionals will help you to make new connections that may be critical to your future success. Making connections and links with other professionals and building your network will also allow you to spot new opportunities. To successfully build your network, you have to invest in the process as much as possible. Knowing what you want to achieve from each networking session is important. Also, looking at networking outside of your state may be beneficial to your future plans too. When you are building your networks and networking, you must focus on quality just as much as quantity, as there is no point in having lots of contacts who are not going to be beneficial to you or to your future plans.
Advancing Your Education and Professional Development
Your education is always going to be key in your nursing career. Focusing on advancing and enhancing your education and also focusing on professional development is important. When you focus on these two key areas, you can also then look at improving your skillset as well as staying up to date with industry changes. When you are pushing your career to the next level, you want to be sure that you are informed, knowledgeable, and aware at all times. To successfully advance your knowledge and professional development, you should focus on setting yourself goals, targets, and ambitions.
Studying and committing to studying can be difficult when you are juggling your work and role, and this is why goal setting can be essential and beneficial. However, this challenge isn’t as difficult when studying online, like with nursing programs from University of Texas at Arlington.
Utilizing a Mentor
Trying to achieve everything by yourself or on your own can be challenging. You have to remember that as a nursing professional, you are never on your own. Reaching out to a mentor who has experience, knowledge, and awareness may need to be the route you take. A mentor will have seen the nursing industry change, and they will have been involved in periods of change and growth. Utilizing the experience and knowledge of a mentor can help you to gain clarity and gain a renewed focus. Mentors can give you their input, and they can give you advice and guidance, and this is something that you may strongly benefit from. Valuable expertise can help you decide what action or steps you need to take your career to the next level. When you are finding a mentor, you need to start by looking at your networks and seeing if there is anyone there that you can utilize.
Joining Professional Organizations
To take your nursing career to the next level, you need to reach out and utilize the professional organizations that you are already part of. Professional support organizations and even membership unions will be able to advise, offer guidance and offer support. They mot to be able to tell you which route you should follow or pursue in your career, but they may be able to help you weigh up your options, and sometimes this clarity and direction can be the push that you need. To get the most out of professional organizations, you need to be prepared with as many questions as possible. Getting answers together with getting information will then allow you to make informed choices and decisions.
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