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Nurses are notorious for caring for others well and themselves poorly. Too often, nurses focus so much of their energy into patient care that they miss opportunities to strengthen their own professional success and well-being.

Build a career care plan to ensure that you spend many rewarding and productive years in the health care field.

1. Take your vital signs.

• Do you feel able to balance work and personal life?
• Do you feel you are fairly compensated for the work you do?
• Do you feel satisfaction in the work you do?
• Do you feel you have reasonable job security?
• Do you feel like part of a team?
• Can you envision yourself doing the same work ten years from now?

2. Build healthy habits.

We know that good health in old age is largely a result of healthy habits in youth. We advise patients to develop healthy habits in diet and exercise to ensure that their future selves will have the best possible chance of good health. Do the same for your career. Look ahead to where you want to be, and build the healthy career habits that will get you there.

• Explore opportunities.

Take workshops and attend seminars to keep abreast of opportunities and changes in the field.

• Network.

Join professional associations to share knowledge and experience with others in your field. Learn about the pros and cons of other positions in the health care field.

• Know your options.

Know the requirements for other positions in your field. Even if you are very satisfied in your current position, find out more about at least one position that has more responsibility and autonomy and at least one position that allows for more flexibility in scheduling.

3. Have career insurance.

In “Factors Associated with Work Satisfaction of Registered Nurses”, a study published by Robert Woods Johnson, 77% of the respondents indicated that they were satisfied in their current jobs with their current hours. However, even healthy people have medical insurance. Having contingency measures in place prepares you for changes in the economy, life circumstances, or even just a shifting attitude toward your job over time.

• Prepare for advancement Qualify yourself of more advanced positions by working toward a Masters in Nursing.

• Prepare for a Change in Focus Many nurses shift the focus of their health care careers to administration. While you may not envision yourself making such a change at this exact moment, lay the groundwork now. Pursuing a healthcare administration degree or a Masters in Healthcare Administration will prepare you for a wide range of positions within the health care field.

Be as firm with yourself as you would be with a patient. Force yourself to take the steps that will keep your career healthy and energized.

Jessica writes about a wide variety of topics. She especially enjoys writing about education. You can learn more about Healthcare Administration Degree at www.universities.com

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 11th, 2011 at 8:15 am and is filed under Career, Job Search, Networking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.