If you have been working as a nurse for a while now, you have probably had days when you ask yourself what else you want to do in your career. If you are content with being a professional nurse, perhaps you can have more job satisfaction if you advance your career.
To help you decide what you really want to do in your profession, you need to set some professional nursing goals. How do you start about deciding on your goals then? Well, here are some tips.
1. Do a self-assessment.
What are you good at? What are your talents and strengths? What specialization would you rather choose? If you took a paramedic to RN program, perhaps you might want to work as a trauma nurse. Connect the dots from your past so you can have an idea of how you have become as a professional. This will also lead you in realizing what you want to be in the future. Nursing can open a lot of opportunities, you just have to know which area or field you fit.
2. Be specific about what you want.
There is no point to creating career goals if they are not specific. By specifying what you really want to do, you can create a clear to-do list. Make a list of the steps you need to take to reach your dream.
If you want to get a master’s degree in nursing, make a list of the schools you are choosing from, their location and the pros and cons of each school.
3. Contact the right people.
If you are still unsure of your professional goals, perhaps you need to talk to someone with experience. If you have a mentor, talk to her or him. Share your thoughts and ask for advice on what the best thing to do is. Of course, in the end, it is still going to be your decision. Do not create goals that other people want to impose on you.
If you are planning to advance your career by taking further studies, talk to people you know who have done the same thing. They can enlighten you on your goals and can give you some recommendations as to which schools or programs are perfect for you.
・@Being able to look at your list of career goals is like taking a step closer of being what you will become in the future.