Busting the Myth that RNs Cannot Advance in Their Career

To some people, being a registered nurse is the ultimate holy grail. However, the myth and notion that advancing your career after getting your certification is hard has made many shy off. Since some nursing positions will have you work long schedules, endure abuse from psychiatric or uncooperative patients, demand that you be available on call or deploy you to remote areas, ambitious nurses might be forced into thinking they don’t have the time to advance their careers.

This shouldn’t be the case since there is room for improvement and advancement in your career as long as you follow the right path and make the right decisions.

Know Your Options

Evaluating your career options and knowing what options are out there will help you make the right decision. An advanced degree that takes you beyond the bachelor’s will expand your options. Advancing your career by going back to class will give you a chance to mold your career in a specific area and make you visible for promotions.

Nurses with an advanced degree can advance their careers as:

• Advanced nurse practitioners
• Certified registered nurse anesthetics
• Certified nurse specialists
• Nurse attorneys
• Nurse researches
• Certified nurse midwife

You Have to Choose The Right School

With the basis of your career advancement tied to advanced studies, your first step would be choosing a school that will give you proper training and a reputation. A good school should be recognized in your market. Here are some questions to answer before choosing a school to advance your RN career.

• What are the prerequisites to the program you choose?
• How long will you have to study to get credentials?
• How experienced is the faculty and will it give you any field attachment options?
• Does the institution offer any job placement assistance?

There’s More To Advancing Your Career Than Certifications

Growing your career as a registered nurse is all about being exemplary. You need to be reliable and knowledgeable. You need to be a team player who is willing to go that extra mile and get the job done.

If you are working at a health institution, your seniors will only notice you if you are enthusiastic, hardworking and skilled. In most cases, working at a health institution is a great start for beginners who want to get noticed.

Establish a Rapport With Your Patients

Experts believe that the best way to grow your career is by creating a good relationship with your clients - the patients. Staying honest, friendly and maintaining some confidentiality will keep them happy and bring them back to you. The authority of your seniors will always recognize happy customers who cherish your RN and interpersonal skills.

Why Do People Think It is Impossible To Advance Career as a RN

Advancing your career as a registered nurse can be quite the challenge. The difference between staying at the bottom of the chain and making your way to the top lies in your planning. Get a mentor who has successfully walked the path before and have him or her guide you through. An experienced person will save you the pain of making the same mistakes again and stagnating your career progress.

There is so much you have to do to advance your career as a registered nurse. This has fooled many people into believing that it is an impossible myth, something you shouldn’t waste time trying to accomplish. Are they right? No really. All you need is passion, knowledge and the right plan and you will accomplish the seemingly impossible. Get started today by sitting down with our admission counselors at Athena Career Academy.