What are the most important resources for career development in nursing?

The power of education is undervalued in its impact for improving outcomes for patients. Education elevates best practices for everyone. Sharing research, recommendations and guidelines ensures safer practices with application of the most current evidence and safety measures necessary to safeguard patients. As a researcher, clinician and educator, I see the impact of initiatives like Vessel Health and Preservation for improving success with intravenous access, reducing catheter associated infections and elevating throughput measures that speed patient healing and discharge from services. The most recent Infusion Nurses Society Standards of Practice 2024 recommend a blended mastery learning approach using competency-based training.

Online courses are great, if what is being taught/learned is in the 20% of topics/skillsets that create 80% of the practical usefulness for the nurse. It's not a good use of time to take courses outside the critical 20%. As a student, before taking any course, ask if it falls into your personal critical 20%.

Plain and simple, get yourself out there and find out what you want out of your career. Listen to podcasts, read blogs, take an online course in your favorite area. Study for a certification. Find your professional niche and start with your top 3 interests. Dig into what is available and attainable to you right now, that meets your goals. It can be as simple as adding a few professional groups to follow on Linked In or buying a certification study prep book; Dig deeper and sign up for a conference or find a mentor locally or online. Developing yourself professionally is an ongoing process, so when you do find that niche- always keep digging and exploring.

There are many online courses available in which you can learn new skills and read new content. Some of the online courses are self-paced can allow you to review the content at your own convenience which can be very helpful.

One thing I've found helpful with online courses as a nurse is the opportunity it creates to refresh knowledge and expand scope of practice. The fact that its accessible from anywhere makes it advantageous to growing and improving in the nursing profession

Professional networks are great for building relationships, both professionally and personally, especially when meeting in person. I'd recommend taking a little time to polish your networking skills to get the most out of your networks.

Professional networks and organizations can provide information that is relevant to a specific topic. This can be helpful to review information that is a particular interest to you.

Professional networks is probably one of the best ways to develop in the nursery profession. The relationship brings the opportunity to network with nurses of different specialties and expertise. It provides the platform for learning and improving.

I have found professional networks and organizations to be key to my own professional development. Those groups allow you to find mentors and others that perhaps have taken the path you are on before. They also typically have information on courses and certifications that may benefit you, or could be resources for the future. For me ANA, MNA, NCCHC and ACA have been key to my professional success and growth. I am also fortunate that my company supports their staff in this also and offers mentoring and courses, so the company itself is a quasi-professional network in a way.

Mentorship is crucial to a well-balanced nursing career. A good mentor helps you navigate your unit, education, and future goals. They can help cut through your limiting beliefs and back you up when you see something that needs to change. A good mentorship program should be implemented and enrollment encouraged by your facility.

Mentorship in nursing is crucial for personal and professional growth, offering tailored guidance, sharing valuable experiences, and facilitating career navigation. Mentors provide support, foster skill development, and help identify opportunities. Nurses can find mentors by engaging with professional nursing organizations, participating in mentorship programs offered by their employers, or by approaching experienced colleagues they admire. Additionally, attending industry conferences or workshops can be an effective way to connect with potential mentors. Seeking out a mentor who aligns with your professional goals and values can greatly enhance your career trajectory in nursing.

Mentors are invaluable for expanding your network and ensuring that you have a wider lens on the current pulse of each profession. Often, we remain hyper-focused on a unidirectional path or area of specialization, but this can narrow perspectives and limit viewpoints. Mentors can provide you with information based on their unique knowledge and share any pertinent insights they receive from their network, increasing career opportunities, learning and growth. It is important to hear about wins from social networking platforms, but individual meetings or touch points with a mentor can be impactful for sharing hurdles and challenges that foster resilience, expand expertise, and deepen understanding for navigating same circles and groups.

The importance of mentors and coaches in development of nursing profession cannot be overemphasized. These set of people help the very young nurses to develop variety of capacities and skills, and help guide them so they can equally thrive in the nursing profession

I fully agree with this. Mentors are a vital part of shaping and molding a passionate nurse. Mentors offer advice not published in a textbook, they impart knowledge from real experiences based on their years of expertise in the field. I agree with them helping in developing skills and introducing you to new opportunities and contact but, furthermore allowing you a safe space to use said skills to identify your specific leadership style and future field of expertise.

Conferences and workshops can be valuable. Nurses can learn new skills while meeting and working and networking with others who are enhancing their careers. If I could wish a single workshop for all nurses, it is systems-thinking and nurse-led systems-based problem-solving/systems improvement. The vast majority of problems faced by nurses every day are systems problems. Unless you fix the systems in which you deliver care, you can't solve the problems. As a nurse manager or leader, this skillset is the most powerful in leading and managing your teams, and the least known/understood in healthcare.

Conferences and workshops are a great time to meet other amazing professionals. It is a time to be able to take part in a large amount of educational materials in a short amount of time.

Every nurse should have a plan to incorporate career development into their schedule. I would recommend registering for at least one conference that supports maintaining of any licensure and board certifications. Then register for events that align with work specializations and any passion for learning. This is a terrific way to stay current on Evidence-based practice knowledge for credentials, while expanding learning and innovation. Mentors can provide insight on different conferences they find beneficial and may provide opportunities for networking and introductions. Last but not least, expand your comfort zone and broaden your reach by participating in conferences and workshops to strengthen the profession.

Conferences and workshops are in that wat of career development especially when they come to meet your need of knowledge. We are most of time challenged by certain situation where no one in your surrounding can help as almost everybody has the same way of doing procedures due to house's policy. Workshops and conferences come across with new way of resolve the gap of knowledge needed. Especially while demonstrated in the easy way, in the new way, it inspiring us the most to take the opportunity to learn more and develop as a solution to our daily difficulty.

The role of strong benefits packages 52% of nurses consider healthcare benefits crucial for job satisfaction.Comment: Enhancing nurse well-being involves providing tailored benefits, Evolving expectations about financial offeringsData: Over 80% of nurses report increased financial concern due to the pandemic.Comment: Employers should offer financial wellness programs to alleviate stress and promote stability among nursing staff. Employee Education:Only 38% of nurses feel their employers fully understand their benefit needs. Comment: Improving nurse well-being requires clear resources to help them understand and maximize benefits. These insights can guide employers in implementing targeted strategies to enhance nurse well-being effectively.

Having a well-written and strategic resume is a great place to start. It should describe who you are and what you bring to the table. If you're not great with words, hire someone who understands the nursing industry to create a resume for you.

Your resume should provide more than a historical footprint of where you have worked. It should also showcase your subject matter expertise and how you have grown throughout your career. A portfolio is especially helpful in academia to show varied course teaching and program development. Clinical providers and leaders can utilize a portfolio to share knowledge expansion to different practice areas, including certifications and leadership. A professional resume or CV is important. I would suggest that you craft and structure your own, to showcase your creativity and writing capability. It is ok to hire a professional that can share your vision and understand how you tell your story.

Yes, enhance your portfolios and resumes best you can. However, advancing your career is going come much more out of who you know than what you know.

In my experience many nursing skills for direct patient care are developed and honed over time. It’s important to read about the procedures planned for your patients so that the nurse knows what to expect. Lived experiences are a great way to develop a mental model for an approach to patient care.

Nurses, equipped with a unique blend of compassionate care & extensive medical knowledge, are increasingly embracing entrepreneurship. They are establishing businesses, providing freelance services, generating income while making significant contributions to the field. Their entrepreneurial ventures span a spectrum, from telehealth consulting, medical writing, and health coaching to establishing mobile clinics or offering specialized home healthcare services. This entrepreneurial spirit not only enhances financial independence for nurses but also infuses fresh perspectives into the healthcare sector, fostering innovation & paving the way for nurses to play a pivotal role as both caregivers and contributors to the broader business ecosystem

Keep a spirit of inquiry. Asking questions and find a mentor who can help you build the skills you need to pursue additional education or a next level role are essential for continuous career development in nursing.

Nursing is a rewarding and challenging profession. That, nursing duties are particularly directed to bedside care, research, education and management, mainly focusing on treating of diseases, alleviating of illnesses and promoting health for individuals, families and communities. In all spheres of the nursing profession, skills and knowledge are of vital importance in the practice. And thus, nurses are obligated to acquire skills and knowledge from clinical practice and learning bodies respectively. That’s mentorship, coaching, stimulation, continuing education and training.

In spite the fact that we have followed the complete curriculum at the university, the knowledge still general on the profession. A nurse will developpe skills if working for a certain time in the very same service, having deep knowledge of the service, materials, most regular patient's cases and the way of the treatment, procedures to be taken. All this will give a strong flair to the nurse to solve all kind of situation in the service and developpe the skill of nursing care accordingly more than other nurses new in the service.