Nursing can be a very rewarding career, but it is no secret that this job comes with a lot of challenges, too. It will take someone who is compassionate and resilient to step into the role of a nurse, and if this is a career that you’re interested in, you will need to carefully consider whether or not these challenges are something you are willing to face. On the bright side, nursing is a stable career that can offer you a lot of different opportunities when it comes to career growth and even the opportunity to move on to better wage brackets as you develop your professional skills. If you are thinking about starting a nursing career, here are a few useful tips to help you on your journey and also how to find the right path for you within this field.
Do Your Research
When it comes to thinking about a nursing career, you might envision yourself working on a busy hospital ward or perhaps a slightly less intense environment such as a smaller healthcare clinic. While these are all things that you can expect from your career, it’s also important to factor in the other opportunities that you will be presented with once you become a registered nurse. For example, you might be interested in working with senior citizens in an assisted living facility or nursing home, or perhaps even a center for Alzheimer’s and dementia. Perhaps working with younger children and teenagers on the pediatric ward would be better suited to you? Or even a more research-based nursing role? Although you don’t need to figure out your exact career path in nursing at this early stage, looking into your options is always a sensible idea.
You should also be thinking about where is the best place for you to get your nursing degree and how you can prepare for your licensing exam once you have finished your qualifications. Doing as much research into nursing as possible before you start applying for degree programs is important, as it should give you a better idea of what to expect when you will start.
Work Experience
When you’re studying to be a nurse, you will have work placements in hospitals or other healthcare clinics as part of your training, but it may be worth seeing if you can get some work experience in environments like this before applying for your degree. While looking things up online and taking in the information written about what it is like to be a nurse, you’ll learn a lot more if you see these jobs first-hand. While you won’t be able to carry out the same duties as a nurse because you won’t have a license, you can always see if you can volunteer with a healthcare service to get some idea of what to expect, or perhaps ask if you can shadow someone for a couple of days to see what a typical day looks like for a nurse. If you have a specific area of interest that you would like to pursue in your nursing career, aim to shadow another nurse who works in that specialty field.
Education
Studying to be a nurse will be one of the first steps you’ll take on your career path, and it will also be your first hurdle. It is important to realize how much time your studies will take up, so you need to think about what the best learning option is for you. You can enroll in online nursing degree programs if you want a slightly more flexible approach to your studies because you still need to work or have other commitments. However, make sure that the course can organize work placements for you, as this kind of experience will be essential to your development. While you can organize placements yourself, it will make your life easier if the college you’re studying at does this for you. You will also need to take part in nursing clinicals which will show you how you put everything you have learned on your course into practice. These clinical exams can be daunting at times, but they are also the best way for you to learn and get used to the responsibilities of being a nurse.
Find a Mentor
When you do finish your nursing degree and get your license, you might also want to start thinking about finding a mentor to help you through the first year as a practicing nurse. It can help you to transition from being a student to a professional, as there will still be a lot of things that you’ll come to learn from being on the job. A mentor can help to support you professionally and emotionally through this time, highlighting your strengths and the areas you need to work on. They could also serve as a reference if you wanted to apply for a different role within your clinic or elsewhere when you are ready to do that. Ask if your place of work already has a mentorship scheme in place, and if not, approach an experienced nurse that you trust and see if this is something that they are willing to do with you.
Network
Just like in any other career, networking will help you to discover new career opportunities and build positive relationships with your colleagues. Attending nursing or other healthcare conferences is a good way to do this, or join your team for drinks after work one evening to get to know everyone better. You should also keep your eye out for other networking events for healthcare professionals in your local area that you can attend.
Practice Self-care
Nursing can be a tough profession at times, and it can be easy to feel overwhelmed as a result. If you want to be performing at your best, you need to be mindful of how well you’re looking after yourself and make sure that you’re practicing good self-care. This means eating healthy, nutritious meals, getting enough sleep at night, exercising, and doing things that help you to relax. Spending time with loved ones is also key to boosting your mood and allowing yourself to unwind from the pressures of work.
If you are interested in pursuing a career in nursing, consider the tips above and see how they can help you get on the right track and thrive in this role.
Sunil Chandel
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