How to Get the Most Out of Your Nursing Career

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An important part of enjoying your nursing career is getting the most out of each and every work day. Nursing can be a challenging job and we’ve all experienced at least one shift from you-know-where. There are lots of things that your organization can do to make the workplace safe, healthy and fun- but when it comes down to it, it’s up to you to make the most of your career.

Before I get into the tips, I want to ask you a simple, yet profound question. Why did you go into nursing in the first place? Really, why? Was it to help people? Make the world a healthier place? Take care of the dying or bring life into this world? Why did you choose to become a nurse?

When you reconnect to your ‘why’, it will be that much easier to find value, meaning and joy in the workplace. That being said, I’d like to share with you a list of tips to help you make the most out of each and every work day. So here we go…

Here Are 5 Strategies to Get the Most Out of Your Nursing Career

1. Always Have a Goal. 

I’d imagine you’d agree with this next statement: nurses are lifelong learners. That being said, stagnation is any nurse’s worse nightmare. Finding ourselves in a job that has become boring is no way to enjoy your nursing career. On a routine basis- whether yearly, quarterly, or even monthly- check in with yourself and your career goals. Do this outside of the annual performance evaluation that occurs at work. This is your time to check in with what you really want and ensure you are getting the most out of your current job. Set new goals and continue to see nursing as a fulfilling career.

2. Be a Resource.

Nurses certainly like to help out. Be someone on the team that your colleagues can come to. And even more than that, be an expert that providers, ancillary staff, patient families and the community can turn to. While nurses tend to function as the ‘jack of all trades’ this can set us up for confusion and feelings of disorganization in our careers. Become an expert in one content area and leverage the resources that you offer.

3. Create Connections.

An exceptional way to stay front of mind and abreast of new information is to continuously build your referral networks. I’m talking both on and offline. Creating a professional network on a social platform, such as LinkedIn, can serve you down the road. You may look for promotion in the future. You might have an evidence-based practice problem that needs solving. You may move to a new location and need a new job. You never know where your nursing career will take you. If you plan ahead by creating connections, you can always receive support.

4. Focus on Strengths.

One thing I’ve noticed in the past 10+ years I’ve been a nurse, is that we tend to speak and think in a fear-based way. What I mean by this is our language is often filled with lack mentality type comments. Take this for example, ‘We don’t have enough staff’. Or, ‘There aren’t enough IV poles available from central stores.’ Finally, ‘We don’t have the budget for that’. It is chock filled with not enough and ‘don’t’ type language. What we need to do in order to get the most out of our careers is focus on strengths. What is going well? What does work? Where are we thriving? When we focus on what’s working, we will create more of these situations in the future.

5. Have Courage to Speak Up.

As I opened up with in the start of this post, nursing can be tough work. Nursing literature is filled with reports of hostile work environments and workplace bullying. We have to negotiate challenging personalities as we interact with our physician colleagues. And let’s face it, healthcare is shifting causing us to do more with less. What this can lead to is the decision to stay quiet and ‘deal with’ all of the challenging things about work. Bottling them up so as to not create a scene. When we do that, we actually do ourselves more harm and increase our chances of burnout. Instead of keeping it in, make a point to start off your nursing career (or start now where you are) with speaking up. Say something to your supervisor. Have the courage to go up the chain of command. Take action in the workplace in order to get more out of your career.

Do you currently use any of these strategies in your nursing career? Do you have different career tips that help you? Be sure to tweet me @ElizabethScala on Twitter to tell me how you get the most out of your nursing career.

Browse hundreds of nursing jobs and visit our nursing career center. 

As a keynote speaker, bestselling author and virtual conference host, Elizabeth partners with hospitals, organizations, associations, and nursing groups to help transform the field of nursing from the inside out. During the National Nurse’s Week online conference, ‘The Art of Nursing‘, Elizabeth supports nurses in achieving professional goals of continued learning and development. Click here to find out more about how The Art of Nursing appreciates and celebrates our profession in a meaningful way.