Becoming a nurse is courageous and noble. Not only is it a profession that positively impacts the world, but it can also be a career that provides security, reward, and the chance to advance.
Regardless of your nursing career stage, it can be easy to think about where you want to head to next, especially if you are a driven personality.
If you are already a qualified nurse, and you are looking to find out what the natural progression is, then this is the piece for you.Take a look at these advancement options to help you make the right choice.
Research Volunteer Opportunities
If you are interested in taking a different route with nursing, one of the best routes you can take is to look at the volunteer opportunities available in the nursing niches you want to take a closer look at. This could be abroad, in undeveloped areas, in a hospice, or out in the field. If you can’t find anything available, then don’t hesitate to contact the appropriate channels to see if they can do something to help you help them.
Look at Higher Qualifications
One of the best ways to advance your career is to gain further qualifications that allow you to do more as a nurse.
Depending on what you are looking into, there are a few different paths to take, but a master’s is usually the natural trajectory. Take a look at a direct entry master of science in nursing for more information.
Speak with Your Line Manager
If you are happy with where you are at, and looking for a more natural progression within your current workplace, just a simple conversation with your line manager could yield the results you are looking for. Asking for more responsibility, being involved with other projects, or gaining a qualification while taking on a different role can all advance your career in a direction that works for you.
Network
Networking is an important part of many jobs – as the saying goes, ‘it’s not about what you know but who you know’. You could be the best nurse that has ever graced the earth, but if people don’t know that, it can be pretty difficult for you to do your best.
Making sure networking is a part of your career can help you open doors that may not have been available to you or get you in front of people who can do that for you.
There are many different ways you can network as a medical professional – choose what suits you best.
Shadow
If you get the chance to shadow someone you look up to or know does a good job in the industry, it can be worth taking. Learning things on the job can be invaluable, some of which you might not be able to get elsewhere. If you have someone in mind who you would like to shadow, it will always be worth an inquiry – even if it is an informal arrangement. People can learn a lot by seeing how things are done.