7 Ways to Diversify Your Nursing Career
For those passionate about the healthcare and medical fields, nursing offers one of the most challenging yet rewarding career paths. Whether you’re a newly licensed nurse or a seasoned professional, here are some tips to help you advance your nursing career.
Turn Networking into a Regular Habit
Your network acts as a personal brain trust, and having a large, diverse professional network can unlock numerous opportunities in your nursing career. It’s smart to start networking from your first nursing class and continue throughout your career. A classmate from Nursing Fundamentals might lead to a remarkable job opportunity in five years, or a preceptor during your obstetrics rotation could become an invaluable lifelong mentor.
For in-person networking, join state, national, and specialty nursing associations and attend conferences and meetings. Use social media, LinkedIn, and other platforms to connect with like-minded professionals online.
Explore Fresh Opportunities
Embrace putting yourself out there and taking risks. Pursue learning opportunities, whether it’s managing a complex patient or mastering new technology. As nurses, being lifelong learners is crucial; healthcare constantly evolves, and keeping up with the latest evidence is vital.
If you haven’t already, consider exploring new roles, become a mentor to a student, a new nurse, or someone new to your unit; take on the charge nurse role; join or lead a working group or committee; and seize opportunities to climb the clinical ladder if possible.
You can begin by conversing with or shadowing someone in a different role. Try new options like becoming a nursing midwife and help deliver babies or becoming a nurse educator and teach future nurses.
Keep Learning Continuously
This approach leverages curiosity with a clear objective: learning. One of the most dangerous phrases in healthcare is, “But that’s the way we’ve always done it.” When considering the power and substantial positive effects of evidence-based practice, those eight words are not what we should be saying.
A nurse’s education is continuous. Research is ever-evolving, new evidence consistently emerges, and we must be prepared to adapt, rethink, and welcome new insights. Pursuing further education is a valuable way to expand our knowledge. Additionally, we can learn and develop by:
- Reading nursing and medical journals
- Attending conferences, webinars, and seminars
- Joining nursing organizations and associations
- Listening to podcasts and watching videos
- Engaging with current nursing and medical discussions on social media
Treat Yourself Kindly
Beyond advancing your career with tasks and strategies, prioritizing self-care is crucial. Your approach to personal wellness is unique; some might concentrate on physical health, while others emphasize emotional and spiritual well-being.
While learning, networking, and clarifying your goals as a nursing professional are beneficial, your happiness and personal fulfillment are just as vital. By prioritizing yourself in the areas that matter most at any given time, you will experience career benefits through the balance and satisfaction you gain.
Nursing Career Mobility
Nursing offers a variety of work environments, allowing you to select what best fits your preferences. You can engage in the dynamic atmosphere of hospitals and emergency rooms, where there’s constant action. Alternatively, if you favor more personalized interactions or regular hours, health clinics and doctor’s offices allow you to foster lasting patient relationships.
For those interested in education, teaching at a university might be ideal. There’s also a corporate path, focusing on workplace wellness. If you aim to provide care in a comfortable, home-like setting, home healthcare is an option.
Telehealth nurses may work from home, while long-term care nurses are in apartment complexes. Critical care transport nurses operate from helicopters, airplanes, ambulances, and other vehicles. In contrast, float pool nurses could find themselves at a different hospital each week, moving around their healthcare system as needed.
Enhance Diversity in Leadership Teams
In a survey involving over 5,600 nurses, more than half reported experiencing racism from a manager or supervisor at work. Over half of those reporting these incidents noted no action was taken. In addition to recruiting nurses from underrepresented groups, set an example and boost diversity within nursing leadership. Nurses need to be visible and heard to drive change. For minority groups, having a leader with similar experiences fosters the trust and communication essential for creating an inclusive environment.
Close Knowledge Gaps Within Your Team
Promoting diversity necessitates continuous dialogue and introspection to effectively support underrepresented nurses. If racism and discrimination incidents arise at your facility, explore the underlying causes. Engage in open discussions with your staff, seeking educational opportunities directly from the perspectives of minority nurses.
Combating racism involves persistent, personal efforts to dismantle harmful biases and stereotypes. While this process can be lengthy, consider utilizing resources and toolkits offered by the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing and the American Nurses Association as a starting point.
Endnote
Nurses involve engaging in diverse scenarios with patients and various medical colleagues. Effective communication involves interacting with patients, their families, and the medical team. It’s about fostering connections and ensuring everyone is aligned. Nurses must also be quick thinkers, able to assess situations and devise strategies rapidly.
