Going Far in Your Nursing Career

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If you want to pursue a career in nursing, you may want to consider how to best make the most of your time. This can involve increasing your knowledge base, improving your people skills, and even allowing yourself the time to take on further training so that you may advance into more senior positions.

Nursing can be an incredibly rewarding career that allows you to help all different kinds of people while still earning a living. You may end up working a number of unsociable hours, but this should not detract you from the good that you will be doing.

Education

As well as your initial training to become a nurse in the first place, there are a number of ways that you can advance your career. You may learn skills within the workplace, especially when working with more senior members of the team, but can also take on additional qualifications that can open up other pathways within your role, leading to more responsibilities as well as higher pay grades. You may set your ultimate goal as a doctorate degree in nursing, allowing you to gain one of the highest qualifications available within your practice, which will enable you to genuinely enhance your skills. This knowledge you gain here will not only aid you in your treatment of patients but could also prove vital when working alongside newer members of the team who may greatly benefit from your high level of skills. 

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Mannerisms

The behavior of a nurse can greatly affect his or her patients. Some people within your care may be vulnerable, facing difficult decisions, or even coming to terms with their own mortality. At times, you may also be required to treat those who have made poor life decisions, so it is imperative that you are able to do so while putting your own opinions aside. Some of the other qualities of a great nurse are the ability to care for anyone in your charge, communicate information in both a compassionate and easy to understand manner, and to have a sense of humor. There may be days where you are challenged, both physically and mentally, so the ability to find some light in difficult times can be crucial.

Good Self-Care

It is an often-known fact that those working in the nursing industry sometimes lack the time for adequate breaks during their working day. This is why taking care of yourself outside of this time can be so important. Looking after your physical and mental health can help you to continue doing your best within the role, and help you avoid becoming physically ill from too much, or suffering from poor mental health as a result of the challenges of your role.

The nursing industry may not be for everyone but, for those who have the drive and passion, this career makes a great deal of difference to the lives of countless individuals. It is often the nurses who spend a great deal of time with the patients, so having the skills, capability, and qualities of a great nurse can help make their time as pleasant as possible. 

Written by
Jeremy Kaplan

A 50-something year old lifestyle, career, and education blogger based in Atlanta, Georgia. Years of experience in the office setting working with others and still loving it year-after-year.

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