Every nurse and healthcare professional has the opportunity to define success in their own way. However, how many of us allow our nursing careers to be defined by someone else. How can we seize control of our careers and define success on our own terms? Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash Beyond a Cookie Cutter Career At this time in your life, your definition of success may mean earning your Masters in Nursing by the time you're 35 and your PhD or DNP by the time you're 45. For one of your nurse colleagues, success may mean getting a BSN and finding a job that will pa ..read more

Just the other day, I was drinking a latte (decaf---I'm an unapologetic caffeine lightweight), and I realized that there's a very appropriate metaphor related to nurses, nursing, and a perfectly brewed latte. It may sound silly, but it may be more apt than you imagine at first. So, think about a latte for a moment; its base is espresso, a rich, dense shot of coffee awesomeness that boasts deep flavor and a cultural history worthy of movies, books, and a great number of rabid fans around the world. Poured into and over that (hopefully) perfect shot or two of espresso is a quantity of expertl ..read more

Nurses, when you're sitting in a job interview for a new nursing position, do you feel like you have to constantly be on the defensive? Are you anxious about how to respond to questions that seem to be geared towards creating a crack in the foundation of your career and self-confidence? Do you tremble at the thought of verbal swordplay? Job interviews can feel like you're being grilled and prepared for dinner, and there are tactics that you can employ to counter those cutting questions and turn the conversation in your favor. I'm not saying it's easy, but a calm, cool, and collected interv ..read more

 Job interviews can be a source of stress for both novice and seasoned nurses, and being prepared for some of the most common questions can give you the confidence to ace your next nursing interview.  You obviously can't rehearse for every possible question, but practice boosts your readiness and creates a positive mindset that will increase your comfort level preparing for what's ahead. One frame of reference for any interview question is to ask yourself why you’re being asked this particular question. What is it that they want to know? What’s the question beneath the question ..read more

When the New Year begins in earnest, many of us nurses start to consider what we'd like to accomplish in our personal lives and nursing careers. We can run around like chickens afraid that the sky is falling all around us, or we can set our intentions and plan for an inspired year. Hindsight Can Serve You Hindsight is sometimes said to be 20/20, and I believe that this is actually a very good thing. Looking back on our accomplishments (or lack thereof) in the previous year, we can accumulate a great deal of data when it comes to making prudent choices for the new year. As you assess last ..read more

As the year comes to an end, it's always a good time to pause, reflect, and take stock of the current state of your nursing career. As I've often said in my writing, podcasts, and keynote addresses, you can always choose to allow your career to happen to you, or you can instead take inspired action and make it happen. Which sounds better to you?  Conscious Career Creation Consciously making your nursing career happen involves several key factors:  The will/desire to create a career that's unique to you The discipline to consistently focus on your career's evolution The inspiratio ..read more

Nurse specialists and nurse generalists are both common within the nursing profession and  21st-century healthcare, and both serve important purposes in patient care as well as non-clinical settings. What does it mean to choose to be a specialist or generalist? What are the repercussions for your nursing career? And how can one accomplish both? Photo by wang dongxu on Unsplash.com Nurse Specialists MatterIn both medicine and nursing, generalists and specialists both serve many important purposes. Choosing which one to be can be difficult but it's not out of the question, and s ..read more

There's no doubt about it, nurses; it's the holiday season, and many of us are feeling the pressure in our personal and professional lives. How do the holidays impact you, your mental and emotional health, your spiritual well-being, and your professional responsibilities as a nurse? Working During the Holidays Many of you who are employed by hospitals, home health agencies, hospices, and other organizations are likely working during the holidays, perhaps even on your favorite special day. You may miss special moments with family and friends, even while you do your best to spread cheer amon ..read more

Nursing has a hierarchy of power and experience just like any other profession; in fact, it also has a hierarchy that sometimes feels akin to the laws of survival on the savanna or in the jungle. Have you ever observed that the less experienced and more vulnerable nurses frequently get left on the outside, often falling prey to bullies and "predators"? This is the herd mentality at its worst, and many novice nurses are taken down by bullies and power-hungry colleagues who eat them alive when they're demonstrating the slightest weakness. Protection and Predation Out on the African savanna ..read more

When a nurse needs a career change, the reasons can be myriad and multifaceted. However, when we only reach for the money or for career "advancement", we may miss a golden opportunity for a different kind of personal and professional blossoming to take place. We nurses change the course of our careers based on many factors, one of which may be money or advancement. This is all well and good, but based on my beliefs about the soul work of evolving as a nurse, money and career development are only parts of a much more intricate puzzle. The soul work of nursing is that which lies deep wi ..read more