I have been a nurse for 30 years and have worked in various areas of nursing: Oncology, Gyn-Oncology, Home Health, TeleHealth, Legal Nurse Consulting, Teaching, and Endoscopy. During nursing school and as a new nurse I thought that I could only work in a hospital as a floor nurse or in a nursing home. As I gained experience and began to grow, I found that there were many other areas that needed to be explored. Nursing is a constantly changing field and in order to grow, you must move and spread your wings. You should never stop learning. Nursing is a rewarding career and if you always remember why you became a nurse (other than for the money), it will help the bad days appear better. If you ever get to the point that you feel stagnate, don’t give up, GET MOVING!! Some ways to help you grow is to go back to school and advance your education, change your specialty, and gain new knowledge and experience.
Too many times nurses are quick to give up after a few years in practice, but with anything that you want to perfect it takes time, commitment, and patience. There is no rule that states that you have to stay in a certain area for years. Oftentimes, nurses stay in the same area and they become frustrated and burned out. This can have an untoward effect on the care that is delivered to patients and affects the morale of the nurse and the unit. These are the nurses that are angry and complain, but they are afraid to change. Often these are the same nurses that are selected to be preceptors for new nurses. This is not a healthy environment for the new nurse, because this can cause them to question if they want to stay in the nursing field.
So as nurses, we need to explore other options to work, without giving up on the career we worked so hard for. One positive change that needs to be implemented in nursing school is for instructors to inform students that there are multiple fields available to them. There are several non-traditional areas to choose, such as doctors’ offices, walk-in clinics, school clinics, insurance companies, and you can even work with attorneys, where they rely on you for your health care background.
If I had never realized that I could work in other areas, without giving up nursing, I probably would not have been a nurse as long as I have. Even at this point in my career, I am still seeking and searching for new learning opportunities. I want to expand my knowledge and experience, and I would encourage other nurses to remember to spread your wings so that you can grow.
She has had a passion and hobby for photography for 35 years and is an avid traveler. Her photos contain a diverse perspective of landscapes, architecture and wildlife. She captures images to draw the viewer into the photo.
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