How do you answer when someone asks you, “What do you do?” Do you ever simply reply, “I am a nurse.” Doesn’t that feel like a skimpy way of describing your profession to someone who isn’t a fellow nurse?
Nurses can learn everything from how to draw blood to how to run a hospital in nursing classes, but there’s one skill nurses don’t learn, says Pamela Smith, EdD, RN, ANP, and a professional coach, leadership consultant and educator with Class Act Consulting and Professional Development, LLC. Self promotion is one topics usually not found in a class and also one of the hardest things for this typically modest group to master, she says.
How can nurses learn the art of articulating what they do without feeling like they are bragging? Smith, author of the just released The Professional Nurse: Market Yourself for Successful Results, says it’s easier than many nurses assume, and it will help their careers and boost their confidence.
“Nurses are very humble and selfless in what they do,” says Smith, and she notes that many people confuse self promotion with grandstanding.
What’s the difference? Self promotion is explaining what you can do and backing up your statements with facts, says Smith. For example, you can help an organization’s emergency department because you spent 10 years as an ER nurse in a big-city teaching hospital with an ER that saw patients from 100 miles or more. Grandstanding is just stating a claim without any backing. For example, just telling people you are the best motivator around or that you give presentations that have participants on their feet without backing it up is grandstanding.
“Self promotion is just evidence-based practice,” says Smith. “You’re not making it up. You’re not embellishing. You can substantiate everything with evidence.”
How can you learn to let others know your best qualities? Start with learning them yourself, says Smith.
One of the best ways to narrow down what you are good at and what you would like is to write down your perfect job, says Smith. “Once you know your perfect job, you’ll know what’s negotiable and what isn’t,” she says. Even think about how you want to dress for work – suit or scrubs? You might find you’re already in your ideal job, and that’s great. But then it’s time to figure out ways you can continue to develop in your job so you don’t stagnate.
After you have your perfect job down, start to look at your own strengths, skills, talents, abilities, weaknesses, and areas for growth, says Smith. This task is understandably hard for many people and particularly so for nurses. If you think this is an impossible challenge, Smith advises assembling an informal advisory board to help. Ask these close colleagues and friends to help you. Others can help you see yourself in a way that you just can’t, says Smith. Their observations may surprise you and help you see your abilities in a new light.
These steps can help get you started so you can figure out what differentiates you as a nurse, says Smith.
“Nurses are awesome,” says Smith, “and they have so much to offer but they are often overlooked or bypassed because they are not equipped to self promote. If you can self promote, it can open up other opportunities.”
Do you ever wonder what it takes to get to the nurse executive level? Does running a hospital or being a chief nursing officer sound like your ideal job?
Getting to a management level is an attainable goal if you know how to get there. No matter where you are in your nursing career, you can always set new goals and start taking steps to achieve new milestones.
1. Set a Goal
“You have to have a goal, know that goal, and be very direct about it,” says Al Rundio, PhD, DNP, RN, APRN, CARN-AP, NEA-BC, DPNAP, FIAAN, and associate dean for post licensure nursing programs at Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions.
Rundio, who started his career as a teenage orderly, says having degrees is crucial to career advancement for any nurse. But it takes both the educational background and the professional experience to really move you forward to management roles. You have to be confident when you come up against barriers and be willing to take chances to get what you want.
2. Get the Education and Experience
Graduating with a bachelor’s degree is an excellent goal, but it won’t launch you into hospital administration. “You have to work your way up and have a track record,” says Rundio. While you’re getting your degrees, gain experience by taking on increasingly challenging administration-based roles in your workplace so you can prove your worth.
Don’t be daunted by the extra degrees often needed for executive roles, says Rundio. “More education just helps,” he says, noting that all his post associate’s degree education was completed part time. “You don’t have to do it full time, but just chip away at it and get it done. Learning is lifelong.”
3. Focus, Focus, Focus
What’s really available for executive level nurses? Lots, says Rundio. Knowing what you enjoy and what you’re good at will help you set your goal and take the right steps to get there. In Rundio’s case, he initially wanted to be a hospital CEO. As his career allowed more work with administration, he realized how much he enjoyed the problem solving and the chance to improve things for nurses that executive-level roles allowed.
He planned career moves to advance. “I realized to get there I had to have a stepping stone,” he says. When he eventually reached CNO, he thought he was one step closer to the CEO role he wanted. But after 11 years working as a CNO and loving it, Rundio’s goals changed. “I really loved this role,” he says. “I realized I don’t want to be a CEO.” With the CEO responsibilities more outwardly focused and the CNO role more on the daily operations, Rundio said he enjoyed the latter. Changing his goals kept his personal goals and professional career on track.
4. Make It Work for You
When setting your carer goals also consider what parts of nursing you enjoy the most. If you like administration, but don’t want to give up with caring directly for patients, assume clinical roles whenever you can or work them into your administrative role. Rundio continued to practice in a residential center and spent days circulating in the emergency room as a CNO. The clinical work satisfied his desire to work with patients and also boosted his understanding of clinical operations as a CNO.
5. Be Essential
Executive roles are often vulnerable when money gets tight. Rundio advises nurse executives or those thinking of that path to continue with clinical work, getting a nurse practitioner’s license and keeping it current. “Having the NP license as a back up is not a bad thing to have,” he says. Balancing both administrative and clinical roles isn’t easy, but it makes you essential to your organization. “You can do both successfully,” says Rundio. “It’s up to you. It is a fine-tuned balance.”
There’s no straight path to reaching executive roles, and it helps to know what you want so you can take the right steps to get there. Education, experience, and persistence will all pay off.
A recent blog post explained how important informational interviews are when you’re starting your career or considering a career move. Informational interviews let you ask questions of a professional who works in a role that interests you without any of the anxiety a job interview might provoke.
But if it’s not a job interview, can you be a little more casual? Remember, even if you aren’t under a microscope like when you’re interviewing for a specific role, this type of meeting is still crucial. Because you never know where a job offer will come from, you want to dress and act the part of someone your interviewee could consider for a job (or impress them enough so they might recommend you to a colleague).
Being prepared with professional questions is important, but you should also know about the person, their company, and specific field. Do a few Google searches to find out information about their company or organization. Bring along notes and a list of questions to keep the discussion short and focused, but moving along.
Before you launch into your questions, thank your interviewee for taking the time to speak with you. Let them know how you found them, what prompted you to ask them for this interview, and a little about your career goals. If they agreed to meet, they are willing to invest the time in you and are probably flattered that you asked. Keep that good feeling going by conducting a professional and efficient interview.
What are some good questions to ask? Your natural curiosity about the role is a good place to start, but here are a some questions that will get the discussion going.
How did you arrive in the role you are now in?
Was this your original career goal? If not, what made you change?
How did your educational background help you most in this position?
What professional decisions or choices helped your career track the most?
What do you like about your job?
What are your biggest challenges in this role?
What would you advise someone who wants to follow this type of career path?
What did you do that helped you advance the most – internship, volunteer, take or teach classes, get an advanced degree?
Is there anything you would do differently if you could start your career path again?
How do you stay current in the field? Do you read industry publications? Attend conferences that are especially helpful? Belong to any professional groups?
What skills should I focus on mastering if I want to advance to this level?
What changes or trends are ahead for the industry that I should be aware of ?
Do you have any advice for someone looking for a job in the field?
As you wrap up, it’s okay to ask if you can send them a LinkedIn invite and if they would recommend anyone else for you to interview. This helps build up the contacts in your network and brings you even more relevant information.
And never forget the last and most crucial piece of any informational interview – the thank you. Send it by snail mail or email, just make sure you send it.
Don’t be afraid to ask for an informational interview. With some planning, the meeting will give you lots of valuable information, make you more comfortable with formal business discussions, and expand your network.
Even if you’re in your dream job today, careers do change. Job changes sometimes happen at the most unexpected times – a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity might come along, you might decide to pursue a new interest, you might move, or your organization could downsize.
With all that uncertainty, how can you make your career withstand all the ups and downs it will invariably face? How can you make sure any potential employers hear the best possible report about you?
No one can plan for the unexpected, but you can be prepared.
When you think of your work, think of how you want others to describe you as you move throughout your career – your work habits, your interpersonal skills, your attitude. Keep those attributes in mind when you start each day.
What kind of impression do you want to leave on your colleagues, your supervisors, and your patients?
1. Have a Great Attitude
No, you won’t come into work every day in a good mood. Things happen to make even the most positive person grouchy. But taking a minute before you walk through the doors to mentally shed what’s bothering you can make a huge difference. People won’t remember why you were cranky, but they will remember if you were in a foul mood frequently. You don’t want that to overshadow your good work.
2. Be Professional
Being comfortable in your job is no reason to cut corners. In fact, the longer you’ve been in your job, the more you should pay attention. Why? Because if your organization is looking for leaders, you’re in a great position to move up. Your long-term knowledge of your organization is a benefit if your work history is positive.
3. Extend Courtesies
Colleagues will remember your work habits and your knack for leadership, but your approach will influence how they remember you. If you work as a real team member – giving credit and praise where it’s due – you’ll earn a reputation for fairness.
4. Take Some Heat
Part of being a good team member and employee also means taking the heat when you have to. Did you make an error? Admit it and learn from it. Did your new initiative fall short of it’s goals? Reassess, make improvements, and turn it around into something better. Everyone makes mistakes, so when it happens, own up to it and move on.
5. Bring It On
Don’t wait for others to implement ideas. No matter what your title, your responsibilities, or your ambition, propose at least a few good ideas every year. Can’t think of anything? Look around your workplace – what can be done better? And it doesn’t have to be a nursing task. You can suggest improvements in recycling efforts, internal communications, or even recognizing good work. Getting your ideas out there shows you are always looking for ways to make your organization, and its employees, the best they can be.
How do you want your colleagues to describe you and your work?
Have you ever dreamed of living in another region? Have you often wondered if your location is a career roadblock?
Relocating for your career or for a desired lifestyle change is sometimes the best move for nurses and one that is frequently available to nurses specifically. Nursing skills are needed in all areas and a move can not only bring a career boost, but much needed personal change as well.
Before you start packing, there are a few things you need to consider. “Out of the gate, everyone should know their carrot or their reason for wanting to relocate,” says an account executive for a major healthcare staffing company specializing in the permanent placement of registered nurses staff to vp level. What you must decide, she says, is this: “What is your carrot?”
1. Career Advancement
If you feel like you cannot progress in your job where you are, relocation might be your ticket to more responsibility or a new career path. Standards vary by region, so if you are moving to an area where most nurses have advanced degrees, understand that will be something most employers will expect. But other regions may offer you great opportunities with your current education level or even give you prospects while you earn another degree. Set some short-term and long-term goals so you know where you want your career to take you. Will relocating help you reach those goals?
2. Family
Would you like to live closer to family members or even put a little distance between you and your loved ones? Do you and your spouse dream of retiring to a certain area in 10 to 15 years? Family is a big reason for wanting to move and you can take your career with you, but make sure you consider all the factors. If you have kids, investigate the schools. Check out home or rental prices to see if they are compatible with your expectations and budget. Be sure to look at the big picture when you think of making a move.
3. Economy
What is going on where you live? Is your region booming with nursing jobs or is it impossibly competitive to land a desired position? Some regions of the country are looking for nurses to fill spots and others are so tight that someone has to move or retire before anything opens up. If you want more responsibility or a bigger salary, you might look into other regions. You could find a job that pays better, gets you closer to your ultimate career goal, and is more stable somewhere else.
