Travel nursing is a wonderful career to really explore the United States and the world of healthcare in general. With so many opportunities available in a wide range of specialties, there are endless possibilities to what you can do! Traveling to gain new experience and broaden your horizons personally and professionally is something most people strive for — travel nurses are no different! Yet, you may be searching for some new ways to advance your career in nursing to get the most out of your assignments… This post is for you!
5 Ways to Advance Your Career in Nursing
1. Create a Plan
Whether you’ve just begun your journey as a travel nurse or have been at it for years, it’s important to remember the ways you can keep your career alive and well. Sometimes these things are obvious, and other times it takes a little searching to find the solution. Whatever your goals are, the first step is to make a plan for attaining your vision. If you haven’t done so before or need to refresh your efforts, start by making a five-month plan, a one-year plan, and a five-year plan all rolled into one.
Laying out the things you’d like to achieve in writing is one of the most common ways for professionals to orient their lives. Additionally, you can also include personal goals and how they will fit into your travel nursing career as a whole. Without taking the time to do this, you may have a harder time recognizing opportunities and other ways to advance your career in nursing.
2. Attend Professional Events
Beyond gaining experience throughout your travels, attending conferences and nursing networking events represent more great ways to advance your career in nursing. Not only will you connect with other professionals in the field, but you’ll have access to the latest industry thought-leaders and things to consider for the future. You never know who you might meet and what doors these events can open! One of the great things about travel nursing is that you can take assignments in locations where conferences and similar events are being held to really maximize your career goals.
3. Volunteer to be a Leader
One of the most notable traits healthcare facilities value in travel nurses is their ability to fill the gaps of day to day operations. While you may take a little while to adjust to each new assignment, opting to take on additional responsibilities will not go unnoticed! Not only will you build more skills in the process, but you’ll get to connect with other team members in a positive way.
Going above and beyond to help others in your unit or facility is one of the key ways to advance your career in nursing that you can practice every day! Sure, this isn’t to say you should overextend yourself, but know when you are the person who can make a critical difference.
4. Pursue Continuing Education Courses
Nurses who can hit the road will inevitably learn a lot with each new assignment. Still, pursuing continuing education courses is something that can be achieved while traveling! Considering that assignments can last as long as a few months, you can dedicate time to work toward additional professional certifications. Not only will this help you perform during your current assignment, but it will help you achieve more long-term goals as well.
5. Join National Organizations
In addition to all of the ways to advance your nursing career mentioned above, another good measure is to join national nursing organizations. There are numerous organizations out there, many of which are specific to the specialties found throughout nursing. Joining in allows nurses to access great career resources and the latest updates on their specific, professional focus. For travelers especially, being part of an organization helps for meeting others in the industry! Additionally, you’ll have access to career opportunities that you wouldn’t otherwise.
What ways to advance your career in nursing do you practice? Let us know in the comments below!
