Nursing is one those professions that is known for the countless career options that it affords. It is likely the single most attractive reasons to enter the profession. You can ask any nurse why they first became interested in Nursing, and you will likely get multiple different answers.
Beyond its specialties, there are advanced practices and so many extensions of the traditional bedside nursing role.
However, the grass isn't always greener from one Nursing role to the next. Have you considered the work that actually goes into getting this "greener" grass ? Lets talk for a moment about how in Nursing we feed into this grass is greener mentality a lot. WE discussed this very concept during my latest Nursing Road Maps Webinar training. Oftentimes when we are fed up with our current position we are so ready to make a change, that we take any change that comes our way. The perception is that the grass must be greener over there, because this isn't it.
So let's get a little more technical here, let's really analyze and discuss what goes into getting into this green grass.
Consider the watering schedule; Do you need a sprinkler system ? How many failed DIY projects and trips to the home improvement store ?
At this point, I'm unsure if this was just a good analogy that I concocted on my own, or because I've been watching my husband as he has been nurturing our grass. He has recently taken an interest into quality lawn care, and he has shown me and our neighbors the real labor that goes into it. Now, let's apply this to our Nursing careers shall we...
The whole idea behind Nurse Road Maps is to share our nursing journeys as they are now. So that nurses can be the nosey neighbor that has a healthy amount of competition, ask for advice and tips, and then implement what they've learned to get their grass green too. In doing this we inadvertently help other nurses in our community land nursing jobs that we are truly aligned with.
Now lets get our Nurse lawns together. Here are a few tips for you to consider, and watch me show off some of what I learned by watching my husband get our grass greener.
Curb appeal
Curb appeal will get you every time just like that shiny object syndrome. That's when we are so intrigued with the next new opportunity, that we are totally disregarding the actual work that goes into this new opportunity. The house looks nice on the outside, but a complete gut job inside. This is the equivalent of a Nurse wanting to work at the newest hospital opening or a new patient unit. Only to get into the position and its complete chaos and poorly managed. The nurse wanted the newness, but didn't quite get a full understanding of what that actually came with.
Weeding
This is an ongoing super annoying process that occurs regularly. Weeds are pretty much any unwanted growth that sprouts up in your garden/grass. I relate this in nursing to the many road blocks that continue to pop up in life, that is unexpected and can potentially derail our career plans. In Nursing specifically this could be anything from a bad shift, to ummm I don't know, a Global Pandemic. Being able to pull these weeds from the root, and not allowing it to take over your lawn is a skill, process, and not for the faint of heart.
Watering
Your grass requires regular watering depending on where you live obviously, but it's unavoidable for it to flourish. I relate this in Nursing to our CEU's, best practice trainings, and specialty certifications. Regardless of what type of Nursing you do, at minimum CEU's are needed for our licensure. However Nurses who stand out among the pack go above and beyond the bare minimum, and tend to have flourishing credentials to back up their experience.
Be sure to water your grass nurse friends.
Professional Help
Most homeowners hire a lawn expert to help them get started or for regular maintenance. This professional help may be on a schedule of weekly, bi monthly, or even yearly support. Hiring professional help allows us to skip a bit of the trial and error part. Consider this with your nursing career too. Hire someone who is an expert in their field, to give you a head start to avoid the burnout and hassle.
If you are looking for some Nursing career coaching make sure you enroll in my new program. The grass isn't always greener but sometimes it is. Let me help you get your Nurse lawn together.
Do take care Nurse Friends
Nurse Megs
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