You got your foot in the door at your current employer and your goal is to advance your nursing career and climb the ladder to more responsibility, challenging work and a higher salary. There may be a nurse manager position opening in your facility or perhaps you wish to take your nursing background in a new, non-clinical direction and apply for a patient advocate or nurse educator position. Many employers are eager to promote from within, but what does it take to stand out among competition from both internal and external applicants? Here are a few tips to help you land your next position within your current company.
Apply
The first step in applying for any job, whether it’s at your current employer or at an outside company, is to fill out an application and/or submit your resume for consideration. Treat your application packet just as thoughtfully as you would if you were an outside applicant. Just because you are a current employee doesn’t mean that you’re a sure pick for the new position. Ask a trusted mentor or friend to review your application to make sure you’re presenting yourself in the best light.
Put it in Writing
Writing a cover letter as part of your internal job application is a great way to stand out – especially if it’s not a requirement of the application. Some companies only require an online application, but you will make a statement by taking the time to craft a cover letter that details your experience and why you are the best candidate for the job. Attach your letter and resume to your application, if possible, or email it to the appropriate hiring manager.
Dress for Success
If you land an interview, again, it’s vital that you treat the process just as you would if you were applying for an outside position. Internal candidates can sometimes feel more confident and comfortable than outside applicants because they may already know the hiring committee and they already feel comfortable in the environment. But you are still competing for the job with many other candidates, so don’t get too comfortable. Dress for success and present yourself as professionally as possible by wearing a business suit – this is no time to wear your nursing scrubs.
Follow Up
After your interview, be sure to follow up with the hiring manager or committee with a written thank you letter to reiterate your interest in the position and your commitment to the company. You’d be surprised how many candidates do not follow up after an interview, so if you do, you’ll stand out. Send a handwritten note on a professional note card for a personal touch.
Tell Your Boss
Should you tell your boss that you are applying for internal positions? This can be a tricky area since you’re not certain that you will land the new job and you don’t want to give your current manager the impression that you’re unhappy (even if you are). According to Allison Doyle, About.com job search expert, it’s best to present your desire for the new position in a positive light. She writes: “The best rationale focuses on the positive aspects of the new job without expressing dissatisfaction about the job you have now. In fact, it is usually safest to emphasize that you are enjoying your current job, so your boss doesn’t think you can’t wait to move on.”
Ensure your boss that you would like to advance your career and this opportunity is too good to pass up. Try to be selective about which internal positions you apply for so that it doesn’t look like you’ll take any open position.
Landing a new position within your current company can be a great way to grow your career. Keep your eye out for a more challenging position and follow these tips for landing the job.
Denene Brox is a Kansas City-based freelance writer.
Have you thought about joining a professional nursing association or are you already a member of one? Nursing associations offer a variety of member benefits including opportunities to network and grow your career through continuing education and conferences. It can be a worthwhile investment – if you make the most of your membership. It will impress your boss a lot more if you can say that you are active in your association versus just listing it on your resume.
Here are a few ways to make the most of your nursing association membership:
Take Continuing Education Courses
As a nurse, you should also be a lifelong learner. Some nursing associations like the American Nurses Association (nursingworld.org) offer continuing education courses at a discounted price for members. Classes offered include Bullying in the Workplace: Reversing a Culture and Why Does Conflict Competence Matter?, among many others.
These continuing education courses offer education in areas probably not covered while in nursing school and can give you guidance and confidence in working in healthcare settings.
Network, Network, Network
This is a given, but you should be networking with other RNs and joining an association is a great way to meet other nurses outside of your current place of employment. Share best-practices and gain a supportive network of other nurses passionate about the field.
If your association offers monthly meetings or other gatherings, be sure to attend. You will broaden your perspective and your network.
Volunteer
Does your association have local chapters, committees or events that need volunteers? Rolling your sleeves up is a great way to get to know other nurses, network and make a difference.
Connect with Other Minority Nurses
As a minority nurse, there are nursing associations targeted to specific ethnicities such as the National Black Nurses Association (nbna.org), the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (nahnnet.org) and the Asian American/Pacific Islander Nurses Association (aapina.org).
Joining a nursing association dedicated to minority nurses offers a gathering place for minority nurses to work together toward providing better patient care and outcomes for diverse patient populations.
For instance, the National Black Nurses Association’s mission is “to represent and provide a forum for Black nurses to advocate and implement strategies to ensure access to the highest quality of healthcare for persons of color.”
If you’re a brand new nurse or a veteran nurse, nursing associations have a lot to offer. Consider joining one and getting involved today.
Denene Brox is a Kansas City-based freelance writer.
Image credit: Stuart Miles / freedigitalimages.net
Nurses nationwide are being treated to many thank yous and appreciative gestures to celebrate National Nurses Week. Each organization is different, and it’s fun to see how nurses’ work is being noticed across the nation.
At Indiana University Health in Indianapolis, nurses are celebrated throughout the month, but this week offers extra activities throughout IU Health’s extensive network. Below is a sampling of some of their activities, but it’s not too late to implement similar activities at your own organization this year or start planing for National Nurses Week 2015!
“It’s a tradition at the IU Health academic health center (Indianapolis-based hospitals) to celebrate National Nurses Week and honor the thousands of nurses in our system who help deliver on the promise of assurance to our patients and families,” says Kelly Sego, of IU Health’s nursing communications.
The roundup of activities includes everything from giving organization leaders the opportunity to really see the work of a nurse to just plain fun things for nurses to do and have.
To recognize the nurses effects on the surrounding communities IU Health serves, nonclinical leaders will get to see nurses’ work first-hand when they shadow them during a usual day. The event gives a real opportunity for those in organizational leadership positions to peek into the often-hectic day of a nurse and to appreciate all a nurse does for the patients and the community on any given shift. And the nurses get a boost themselves – it’s inspiring to see their own tasks through the eyes of someone else.
“Nurses Week is a perfect opportunity to visibly express the deep appreciation and gratitude that we have for the important work that nurses do,” says IU Health Executive Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive Linda Q. Everett, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN. “Nurses put their whole selves on the line every day in the name of patients and families.”
IU Health also offers some fun opportunities for nurses to just reconnect with each other. With Indianapolis being home to the Indy 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (where IU Health has a suite), a Nurses Day at the Track seems appropriate! Up to 40 nurse winners (from a raffle) will get to spend Old National Armed Forces Pole Day at the track. They will get Pit passes to the driver garage as well.
And all the little things, like free water bottles, prize drawings, or even discounts on uniform orders, make nurses feel recognized. In recognition of IU Health’s recent Magnet re-designation, food stations will be spread out all over this week as well – giving all nurses a chance to grab a bite to eat and a hear a thanks from nurse leaders (who are also recognized with their own reception). Individual units will celebrate in their own way. Some, says Sego, will have pot lucks or recognition events to honor nurses in their everyday good works. In addition, luncheons will honor nurses who won awards over the course of the year with senior executive nurses offering their thoughts as guest speakers.
But likely one of the most treasured methods of recognitions are the personalized and hand-written thank-you notes to the nurses from their managers and other organization leaders. Anyone appreciates the recognition of having their hard work noticed.
If you work at IU Health, you will see these celebrations all over, but if not, suggest a few or even incorporate a few ideas into your own work environment if you can.
With this week’s celebration of National Nurses Week, organizations across the country are honoring their nurses and nursing students to thank them for putting their hearts and souls into their profession.
Germielynn Melendez, DNP, MSN, RNC-OB, and a national associate professor of International Studies at Chamberlain College of Nursing, says the importance of saying thank you cannot be understated. Chamberlain campuses nationwide are celebrating nurses with special activities and events this week.
“I know our 13 campuses across the nation are each celebrating in their own way,” she says. “It’s a great way to show their appreciation for us. All of us want recognition as important members of a health care team both at work and in the media,” she says.
At Chamberlain, showing a true appreciation for nurses’ efforts is rewarding for nurses. “They need to hear that, and they need that pat on the back,” she says. “Getting students involved gives them something to look forward to.”
What do nurses want from the week? Even the most energetic nurse can get burned out after back-to-back 12-hour shifts. “A note washes away tiredness sometimes,” says Melendez, and gives nurses a refreshing boost so they remember why they sought out the career in the first place.
Fun events are always welcome on campus, and Melendez says the goofy events help let off steam and bring nurses closer. In the past, students have run relay races through the nursing lab to gather items for prizes. A “name this hospital item” game is a fun way to reinforce learning and celebrate nurses’ precise knowledge. And celebrations involving food are always appreciated and enjoyed, says Melendez, as are special outings.
Being the typical caretakers and givers that make them so good at their jobs, nurses often schedule some kind of community service project to give back to the community where they live and study. “Each campus is different,” says Melendez. “It’s very interesting to see how creative they are.”
“A thank you or someone saying, ‘I’m grateful for what you do’ is all we need or what we want,” says Melendez. “National Nurses Week is something we look forward to every year.”
During National Nurses Week, nurses are honored and thanked for all the different and essential ways they touch lives. From a compassionate hand on a shoulder to life-saving emergency treatment, nurses are at the forefront of the nation’s well being.
But nurses, caretakers of everyone, are notorious for pushing aside their own needs. If they aren’t able to refresh every now and then, they can experience a fast and often personally upsetting burnout.
“A compassionate heart is a gift from the universe and should be honored as a gift,” says Phyllis Quinlan, RN-Bc, PhD, LNC, CEN, CCRN, a career coach with MFW Consultants, and author of The Delicate Balance: A Mindful Approach to Self-Care for Professional and Family Caregivers. “You need to protect it.”
Quinlan who is a presenter in this week’s The Art of Nursing video series event, says caregivers in all positions are particularly vulnerable to compassion fatigue, but it’s something that can be helped. Various programs during National Nurses Week are highlighting all the ways nurses can take care of themselves and encouraging nurses to put themselves at the top of their own priority list.
For nurses, putting themselves first is nearly impossible. “I hear from people when things are becoming a bit unmanageable, and they can sense it happening,” Quinlan says. “Maybe they have tried switching units and that didn’t help.” Such lateral moves, she says, are often a signal that a nurse is looking for a change to get out of whatever funk he or she might be in, but such moves don’t address the root of the problem.
“It’s important for nurses to know this is common among professional caregivers,” Quinlan says. “Nurses are incredibly generous and special souls. There are few on the planet who can mobilize their compassion into action. They need to reconnect with how incredible and special they are.”
One of the best ways for nurses to recognize that they might be approaching burnout is to listen – to themselves and to those who are close to them. “Nurses will go along and think everything is going fine and then people start to say, ‘Is everything okay?’” says Quinlan. “They might start to get hints from their personal or professional inner circle.”
But most nurses brush off concern. “A nurse will say, ‘No, I’m fine. What can I do for you?’” says Quinlan. But if any nurse feels an inner sense that something is just off, he or she must honor that. They can do that by overcoming their reluctance to accept that there might be a problem, says Quinlan, and then accepting help to fix it.
“Your compassionate well can go dry if you don’t replenish it,” says Quinlan. To reconnect with the joy of nursing, you can do several things. Time off is always a good bet. Even if you can’t go on vacation, a day devoted to something you love – whether that’s an afternoon of back-to-back movies or a long bike ride – will give you welcome space, a little freedom, and a new perspective.
Quinlan recommends trying to find time to just be still, despite knowing how very difficult that is for nurses who are always in motion. “You want to find still time for self reflection and introspection,” she says. “It should be quiet and benevolent.” With enough quality quiet time, your resilience will grow stronger.
“Nurses are indispensable, but not indestructible,” says Quinlan. “Be as gentle and as kind with yourself as you would with a patient.”
