5 Ways to Accelerate in Your Nursing Career | Keys to Nursing Professional Advancement

Want to advance in your profession? Here are 5 ways a professional organization can accelerate your nursing career.

Professional Organizations….. You’ve heard of them in college. You may have gone to a conference or two and some may have come to speak with your class. Now its coming back up again.. oh yes, professional organization. You like going to the conference or the convention because it’s a nice trip. It gives you an opportunity to get some education but also let your hair down. Yes, there is a fee for joining a professional organization but the return on investment is far beyond the fee that you pay if you play it right.

Here are five reasons joining a professional organization is a must to move forward in your profession.

Networking

I used to hate, hate, hate networking. I thought it was like being a used car salesman. People walking around, touting their accomplishments and lurking to see what they can get out of you or so I thought. Networking is so not what I thought it was. It has turned out to be such a blessing for me. I was networking and did not know it until I had left the conference on a natural high. I made so many connections and got to know so many great people. Not look for anything, they are just looking to connect with likeminded people and want to do the best and be the best for the profession.

2. Personal Growth:

Its an opportunity for personal growth. When you get involved in committees within the organization it stretches you beyond who you thought you were as a person. It allows for self-reflection through learning at conferences or quarterly/monthly sessions

3. Professional Growth

Some of the growth you gain from attending comes with learning from different perspectives. When you have an open mind to the perspective of others it allows you to gain more respect for others and shows you how to connect with others. These are characteristics you need to influence others and lead.

4. Job Opportunities

Having a career center is important to a lot of professional organizations. They want to be the hub for where people can go to find a job. Being apart of the organization allows you to access it from their website or their conferences in the exhibit hall. Also as you are gaining traction in networking its best to put your best foot forward because you don’t know if you will be looking for a reference for a job or a job from that person which you speak to.

5. Fresh Perspective

This may be the last thing on this list but it is far from the least. There is a refreshing that comes with reading and listening to what is new and upcoming in the profession. It renews your spirit for that profession you choose and provides great ideas for what you can implement now or what you can move on to in the future with a little more experience.

Being a member of a professional organization is one of the fastest ways to gain traction in our professions. All of the tools you gain with networking skills, personal growth, professional growth, job opportunities and a fresh perspective. It’s worth every dime I pay on a yearly basis to stay refreshed and looking forward in our profession.

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

This Nursing Growth Starter Guide will help you: