4 Major Next Steps You Need in Your Nursing Career | What do I want to be when I grow up (Adult Version)?

We are in that profession that we set out to do. So now that we are here, what’s next? Here are 4 major next steps you need in your nursing career

Nurse, Teacher, Lawyer, Doctor, etc. some of us knew at a young age what we wanted to be when we got older. We went on to pursue that dream. Many of us didn’t find out what we wanted to be until we graduated from high school or got a little college and life experience under our belt. Never the less, we are here, we are in it, in that profession that we set out to do. So now that we are here, what’s next?

This is where figuring out what you want to be the adult version comes in. We are now in that profession or shall I say calling and not quite sure what to do with it. Possibly you found out the profession it is not what you thought it would be. There is a like for the profession but you don’t love it. It could be that you still love the basic premise of the profession, but need a little more out of it. You want to explore what the profession looks like in the future

Looking to explore your options of what that next step should be? We need to research in to your current profession to see what your options are.

Here are some useful tips to begin your journey of figuring out what you want to be when you grow up:

Self-Reflection

My first suggestion to everything and all things is to pray. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not to your own understanding, in all thy ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path Prov. 3:5-6. Its important in our self reflection to ask the Lord for guidance in all that we do. He gives us the direction in which we need to go. We should also ask ourselves, what do we value at this point in our career? What do we like? What do we not like? What are the pillars in our career that we want to reflect on?

2. Research

Research to find out what’s available in our profession. We may find jobs that we had not thought of before.

‣ Job Postings in your current profession or within your company There are postings in the job market that may not be the title that we are looking for. Majority of the the time we have 60-70% of the qualifiers for the job.

‣ Professional Journals– Articles in our professional journals can give insight to work that we like to do under a title that we didn’t know existed. In many cases, we assumed we knew what they did and that’s not necessarily what they do. For example, in a professional nursing journal you may see that a clinical nurse specialist or a nurse practitioner as a title. Their work is focused on of quality study or research in area not typical of that role. Seeing it gets your thoughts going about all of the possibilities of that position.

‣ Lifestyle Journals-journals such as Shape, Essence, Women Health, InStyle, have guest authors to provide commentary on a particular subject. They may be a teacher but giving insight on teaching strategies with personal fitness clients.

‣ Professional Organizations- Joining a professional organization is also a great way to see what your options are for growing in your profession.

3. Find a Mentor

A mentor can help you by asking the right questions of you when pursing a particular position. Firstly, they are able to guide you through the mines of the profession. Mentors can also help with connecting you with others. Mainly people in the roles you are considering to ask them questions about the position.

4. Contact HR Department

HR is not just for benefits, complaints, payroll and onboarding. Most large HR departments can also help you to navigate the waters of your career. They may offer classes in your profession that help you to see others at work in different areas of your profession.

Finding out what you want to be when you grown up adult version will take some time and include self-reflection, research, finding a mentor and sometimes having conversations with HR. Implementing these steps will help you to provide you with great options of how you want to move forward in your career.

Feeling the struggle in your career growth &
don’t know where to start?

This Nursing Growth Starter Guide will help you: