Whether you are a newly qualified nurse or you have been nursing for a few years, there comes a point when a change is necessary and called for. When you look towards growth, you need to think about where you see yourself and why.
Sometimes you need to take a step back to establish just what you want to move onto and why. Some nurses take a shot break off work to establish which path they want to take next, while others simply book a couple of days’ vacation to establish what move they want to make and why.
If you fail to research your options and subsequent decision, you could rush through your choices and not pick the right path or right study method for you, which could be detrimental to the career you have worked so hard for.
Deciding Which Route You Want to Take
Establishing what you want to achieve within your nursing career is important. For example, do you want to move on to become a specialist, or would you like to move on to become a Nurse Practitioner? Is there a concentration area such as midwifery or psychiatric health that you would now like to pursue?
If, after looking at your options, there are now a couple of areas you would like to pursue, you will need to narrow down your criteria even more, to pinpoint exactly what you should move into next. If you get it wrong, then you will end up wasting time and energy.
Returning to Studying and Education
To push forwards, you will need to return once again to education. It is possible to work and study at the same time, and there are options to study DNP programs online which will probably work better for you than should you try and attend a physical campus. There are also options for online family nurse practitioner programs. Visit https://academicpartnerships.uta.edu/programs/master-of-science-in-nursing-family-nurse-practitioner.aspx, to learn more. It can be difficult returning to studying even if you have only had a short break and so it is important that you give yourself time to write up all of your options and to look at what is available to you.
Studying in and around your home life and work-life will be by no means be easy or simple, but it will be very rewarding, and the ultimate reward you get will come when you secure your new position and start your new job.
Making Online Studying Work for You
When you study online, you gain a bit of extra time to yourself as you do not have to travel to a physical campus, but on the downside, you have to find the dedication and motivation to get online and study, even after a very long or hard day at work.
You have to push yourself when you are studying online, and you have to be both dedicated and motivated. You will, of course, have support from your education provider, but as you will be studying more independently than you did before, it is all on you to make it happen and to keep driving and pushing your learning forwards.
To be effective at online learning, it is important to separate your studying from your home life. Try to have a dedicated area within your home to study from and try to have times of the day or week when you exclusively study. When you keep set study times, it makes the whole process a lot easier on you and those within your home, and it also ensures that you do not feel like you are studying constantly.
Why You Need to Further Your Career
You are an expert in your role as a nurse, and you have a passion for nursing, so why would you not look at progressing and furthering your nursing career. There are many benefits that come with career advancements, such as a better salary and remuneration package and greater job security.
However, apart from money, what else is motivating you to make a change and to grow. Do you want to make an impact, and do you want to make a change, or are you looking to gain more respect? When you have established the root of your growth, you can then look at why it is important to grow and develop, and quite often, you will see similarities between the reason for growth and the need for growth.
If you were to stay stagnant within your role as a nurse and you were to carry on as you are, would you be happy five years down the line? Or even two years down the line, are you content not reaching your full capacity. Would you be content with your peers passing you by and ultimately doing better than you?
You need to further your career to stay ahead of the competition from others within the nursing profession, and you need to advance your career for your own self-development and growth. If you do not push yourself now, you will always be asking yourself what if and wondering what you could have done should you have had the opportunity.
Other Considerations – Finding a Balance
Driving yourself towards a better job and career will inevitably take its toll on your personal life and perhaps on your work life too. If you are not careful, you can burn out and end up driving yourself into the ground from overworking instead of driving yourself forward to reach your goals. Getting a balance between working, studying, and enjoying life can be tiring, and it can be testing.
When you are studying from home, it can be stressful, and it can put a strain on the relationships you have with others. Where you can, you must create a balance to ensure you get the results you desire. A balance will be easier to create and maintain if everyone within your home is on board with your plans.
Trying to study from home is difficult enough without negativity from other people lingering, so ensure that everyone within your home is aware of when you are studying, where and why, and there should be more harmony within your home.
