HealthStream offers performance learning management solutions to help develop your healthcare staff into leaders and reduce turnover.
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View All ProductsThe leadership development program from HealthStream helps mold your high-potential healthcare employees into proven leaders.
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View All ProductsDeliver custom or industry designed product training directly to patient and resident care environments to reinforce proper use.
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View All ProductsIn all areas of resuscitation, from neonatal to elderly care, clinical deterioration is a risk that can be avoided with the help of HealthStream's training programs.
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View All ProductsNurture the skills of your nurses and medical staff to help mold them into effective leaders with development training from HealthStream.
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View All ProductsThe suite of healthcare onboarding solutions available from HealthStream aids in nurse retention and improved patient outcomes.
View All ProductsGive your healthcare staff the decision support and skills training they need with the online products available from HealthStream.
View All ProductsHealthStream leverages medical professional development in healthcare by providing staff training programs
View All ProductsHealthStream’s learning management system and comprehensive suite of competency management tools empower your healthcare workforce to deliver the best patient care.
View All ProductsExperience standardized and centralized healthcare credentialing, privileging, and enrollment that is smarter and faster than ever before.
View All ProductsAutomated, web-based provider credentialing and enrollment software for growing medical groups.
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View All ProductsHealthStream’s free nurse schedule app, NurseGrid™, is built to help you care for your staff and engage with their specific needs.
View All ProductsMitigate risk and elevate your quality of care. Improving both clinical and business outcomes starts with a smarter, more integrated approach to regulatory training, continuing education and quality management.
Learn MoreBy Kati Kleber, BSN RN CCRN
When I was in nursing school and during my first year in the field, I thought that professional development simply consisted of becoming a nurse practitioner. I assumed that was the only way to progress professionally as a nurse. Oh, how wrong
I was. There are actually many different ways to further your career. However, you can’t just be hungry for it… you have to know specifically what you’re hungry for.
Going to graduate school is not the only option out there. There are many professionally satisfying and interesting paths to take. Do you like nursing research? Do you like mentoring new nurses? Do you like leading your unit? Do
you like networking? Do you enjoy sitting on committees as the voice for your unit? Do you like working with leadership? Do you want more autonomy as a clinician?
Having a good idea about what you enjoy is the first step
of deciding which path to take for professional development. You don’t want to commit a large amount of time and money to obtain a degree that you weren’t really passionate about in the first place. Instead of thinking about what
goal you’d like to achieve, think about what makes you passionate and excited about nursing. After you’ve defined your passion, then think about the various ways to cultivate it. Like the vast array of various delicacies and
cuisines to choose from to satisfy our hunger, there are many different options for nursing development to satisfy our professional hunger. There is no one right way; everyone’s path to his or her ideal career looks different. This
is one reason why nursing is such an amazing field to get into; it’s so dynamic. Let’s discuss some of the options available…
If you are a nurse working at the bedside and want a taste of professional development without the financial or time commitment of graduate school, try out precepting new nurses, training to be a charge nurse, or mentoring new nurses on your unit. If you really dive into these roles, they can be incredibly rewarding. The preceptor is like the coach, the mentor is the encourager/supporter, and the charge nurse is the leader. Each role contains its own set of responsibilities and has a bit of a learning curve on how to not only be proficient, but exceptional. It takes time to be a great preceptor, mentor, or charge nurse, but it feels pretty awesome to be that go-to person for an entire unit in those different capacities.
Many facilities have different ways to encourage professional development for their nursing staff. Some have specific clinical ladder programs. These typically are comprised of various levels and requirements to receive different designations
based on its structure. Various professional development activities will carry a different amount of weight or importance (for example, being in graduate school, precepting, obtaining a specialty certification, and so forth).
Many
facilities also have various committees in which bedside nurses take part to offer their input. Shared governance, nursing peer review, Magnet® Champions, best practice teams, and policy/procedure committees are a few examples. You
can talk to your manager about your interests and they may have suggestions about what they think would be a good fit.
As I said before, I used to think that becoming a nurse practitioner was all there was as far as graduate school is concerned for a nurse. While you can choose that route, there are many other options. You can obtain an Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN) with a focus in education, you can study to become a nurse midwife, have a focus in geriatrics, informatics, become a clinical nurse specialist, or in nursing administration, just to name a few. There are also two doctorate-level options for nurses, both a PhD in Nursing (which is more research-based) and a Doctorate in Nursing Practice (which is more practice-based).
There are quite a few professional organizations in nursing that you can join. The American Nurses Association is the largest, and applicable to all registered nurses. However, there are more that are specific to various areas of the field.
Most have local chapters that you can get involved in and network. Many also have various publications and journals that discuss issues relevant to specific patient populations. Some of the larger professional organizations also have annual
conferences as well. There are a ton of ways to get to know your colleagues and specialty more through professional organizations.
Many nursing specialties have an optional certification exam. There is one for medical-surgical nurses, progressive care nurses, critical care nurses, neonatal intensive care nurses… you name it, they probably have it! Becoming
certified includes working within a certain specialty and then sitting for the exam. Certification exams are extremely challenging, but once you pass you are then able to add additional credentials behind your name.
As you can see, there are many diverse ways to grow professionally. While it’s essential to first recognize your hunger for something more challenging and fulfilling, you must then figure out specifically what you’re hungry for.
This will enable you to not only have goals, but goals in which you are passionate about, which is the key to professional development and job satisfaction.
Bon appètit!
Summary
Instead of thinking about what nursing career goal you’d like to achieve, think about what makes you passionate and excited about nursing. After you’ve defined your passion, then think about the various ways to cultivate it.
About the Author: Kati Kleber, BSN RN CCRN has been a nurse since 2010. She has experience in cardiac step-down as well as neurosciences intensive care. She is the author of three publications, and is an avid blogger, podcaster
and speaker on various nursing topics, and is the nurse behind FreshRN.com. She is also a course instructor at NRSNG.com. Her passion is to help grow new nurses as they transition from graduate nurse to bedside nurse.
HealthStream’s learning management system and comprehensive suite of competency management tools empower your healthcare workforce to deliver the best patient care.
View All Learning & PerformanceHealthStream offers performance learning management solutions to help develop your healthcare staff into leaders and reduce turnover.
View All ProductsHealthStream works with healthcare organizations to create engaging and high-quality training videos for your staff and management.
View All ProductsImprove care quality and save money by making informed decisions about your healthcare facility and staff with HealthStream's reporting analytics solution.
View All ProductsHealthStream's proven methods for the improvement and overall engagement of your healthcare staff foster a positive workplace and increase retention rates.
View All ProductsThe leadership development program from HealthStream helps mold your high-potential healthcare employees into proven leaders.
View All ProductsWhen you enact HealthStream's quality compliance solutions, you can do so with the confidence your healthcare organization will meet all standards of care.
View All Quality & ComplianceFulfill compliance requirements with a variety of programs and courseware designed to address critical regulatory requirements as well as educate staff to recognize and mitigate risks.
View All ProductsBy increasing your healthcare staff's focus on quality and safety with HealthStream, they can help to reduce medical errors and readmission rates.
View All ProductsLearn about what HealthStream's healthcare policy management software and how it can help aid your organization efforts.
View All ProductsHealthStream's education helps address diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization, as well as promoting health equity in the communities you serve.
View All ProductsHealthStream offers professional training and education on how to best optimize your reimbursement process within your healthcare organization.
View All ReimbursementTeach your healthcare staff about the revenue cycle and claim management through targeted training and video tools from HealthStream.
View All ProductsLearn about our advanced resuscitation training solutions. Our solutions are designed to help improve patient outcomes.
View All ResuscitationIn all areas of resuscitation, from neonatal to elderly care, clinical deterioration is a risk that can be avoided with the help of HealthStream's training programs.
View All ProductsHealthStream's EMS Program offers a comprehensive, CAPCE accredited EMS course library that meets National Registry annual recertification.
View All ProductsNurture the skills of your nurses and medical staff to help mold them into effective leaders with development training from HealthStream.
View All ProductsExpand the decision-making skills and effectiveness of your healthcare workforce with HealthStream's clinical development programs and services.
View All Clinical DevelopmentMake sure your clinicians have the support they need to provide competent care with clinical competency training and development from HealthStream.
View All ProductsThe suite of healthcare onboarding solutions available from HealthStream aids in nurse retention and improved patient outcomes.
View All ProductsGive your healthcare staff the decision support and skills training they need with the online products available from HealthStream.
View All ProductsHealthStream leverages medical professional development in healthcare by providing staff training programs
View All ProductsHealthStream’s learning management system and comprehensive suite of competency management tools empower your healthcare workforce to deliver the best patient care.
View All ProductsLearn more about HealthStream's Provider Credentialing, privileging, & enrollment solutions.
View All CredentialingExperience standardized and centralized healthcare credentialing, privileging, and enrollment that is smarter and faster than ever before.
View All ProductsAutomated, web-based provider credentialing and enrollment software for growing medical groups.
View All ProductsNCQA-certified CVO verification services for initial and re-credentialing files in an overflow or full-service capacity for healthcare organizations.
View All ProductsSearch, review, and add providers into the Epic provider master file with our Epic app integration, Provider Validate.
View All ProductsMake sure your healthcare staff can schedule out appointments and work schedules with ease using HealthStream's line of software solutions.
View All Scheduling & Capacity ManagementHealthcare scheduling software designed to optimize staffing requirements & elevate patient care
View All ProductsPrecisely align staffing and needed resources to enable efficient patient flow and high-quality, cost-effective patient care.
View All ProductsHealthStream’s free nurse schedule app, NurseGrid™, is built to help you care for your staff and engage with their specific needs.
View All Products