Starting a New Career in Nursing – Important Factors You Must Consider

A new career as a nurse can feel exciting, and hopefully it will be exciting too. Being in a position to assist and help others is rewarding, and it is certainly emotionally fulfilling. When it comes to starting a nursing career, you may be looking to move on from a previous career or you may be starting straight off the back of your education. It is important to remember that there is no ideal age to start nursing. Age is simply a number that should not affect your ability as a nursing professional. 

Your Life Experience is Invaluable

You may not think it or even realize it, but your life experience so far will be helpful and useful to your nursing career. Whether you are using your previous work experience within a new role or you are using your experience as a patient – you will find that life experience will help you to become an excellent nursing professional. Learning to take the key elements from your experience, and then piecing them together will help you get the most out of life events and situations.

Getting a Balance in Your Home Life May Be Challenging

The nursing and healthcare sector is not known for its perfect work-life balance and this is certainly something that you must take into account. When you are starting a new career in nursing, you must be prepared to give everything to your role, and to those you work with and for. You will have very high standards to uphold and meet, and if these are not met, it will have an effect on your reputation. Aiming for a balance in your life is crucial, and it is important. However, it should not be one of your top priorities when you are starting out, as it will simply add more pressure onto your already heavy shoulders.

What You Can Offer and Bring to the Role

To succeed in nursing, you need to start thinking about what you can bring and offer to the role. For example, can you bring enthusiasm and passion for care to the role? Can you bring dedication? Or can you add personal experience to the list. Knowing what you can offer and bring to a role is important because it is this that will shape you and your future career.

Choosing an Area of Practice/Specialism

Not all nursing professionals will do the same role or offer the same care. You will often find that those that work within different specialisms will have a variety of roles and responsibilities which you may not have thought about before. For example, accident and emergency nurses will perform different tasks and responsibilities from those who work within senior care. Within nursing, you will quickly see that no role is inferior to the other. When you are choosing an area of practice or specialism, you need to think about what you want to build your career around. For instance, do you want to build your career around caring for sick children, or would you like to have a rewarding role in end-of-life care?

The Education and Programs Required

To get your new career as a nurse off to the right start, you have to be aware of how important and essential your education is. If you already have a degree, you will be able to look at accelerated BSN online programs as you will see that these allow you to complete the program that you need to become a nurse in a short time period. When you are looking at your education and the programs required to become a nursing professional, it is important to look at the providers too. There are lots of providers for nursing programs, but of course, not all of them care about the industry or about you. Finding a provider that wants you to succeed and wants you to make a difference in the lives of others is crucial.

State Licensing and Qualifications

Once you have completed the program that you need for your new nursing role, you will then have to look at getting licensed and certified. The state in which you wish to work may have different licensing requirements that you need to follow and adhere to. Contacting the state where you wish to practice is essential to make sure there are no misunderstandings. The sooner that you can get to grips with what is expected and needed, the sooner you can start targeting your attention.

Getting Valuable Experience

Experience is going to be helpful and essential within your nursing career. Experience will give you the knowledge and awareness that you need to succeed. When you are getting valuable experience, you need to look at a wide variety of healthcare settings and situations (perhaps different to the one that you want to work in). Any type of experience that you can get will help shape you as a nurse and help you establish what your expectations are.

Being Realistic as a Healthcare Professional

When you start a new career in nursing, you have to be careful not to burn out. Trying to do too much and trying to appease everyone while meeting your targets is not realistic. You must always remain realistic as a health professional because if you do not, you will become both disillusioned and overwhelmed by what lies ahead and by what is expected of you.

Forming Bonds and Relationships With Other Professionals

Nursing is a very special career for many and it is a career that thrives on social awareness and inclusion. The bonds and relationships that you form with other professionals will help shape both you and your future. Support groups and groups of those that listen and care will be crucial to you and your career – especially when you are starting out. Sharing your concerns, your doubts, and even your worries and fears with other professionals will help you alleviate any doubt that you may have been harboring.