Four Career Mistakes Nurses Often Make

Here are four common mistakes that nurses often make:

1.Burnout. Nurses often feel that they have to be superhuman. This misconception can result in job fatigue or nursing burnout. To protect the longevity of your career, learn to say “NO”! This is especially true when the task is something that you do not feel comfortable with or when you are physically and/or mentally exhausted.


2.Changing specialties too often. A competitive curriculum vitae will demonstrate commitment to one nursing specialty, which can be very important to employers. Furthermore, some specialties have different philosophies and it can be difficult to absorb these varying perspectives.


3.Choosing the wrong specialty. It can be tempting to change specialties often when you have chosen one that does not fulfill you. For example, some nurses go into Critical Care Nursing or Labor and Delivery and later realize that they disagree with the scope of practice. While in nursing school, it is a good idea to work as a Patient Care Assistant of a unit that interests you. This will give you a vision of what the practice and philosophy is like.


4.Forgetting to keep a journal to build your portfolio. When it is time for annual evaluations or when you are seeking a promotion, you have to market yourself. A competitive portfolio ensures that you capture your accomplishments and career progression. Document each nursing certification, each shared governance committee, and each award that separates you from your competition. Additionally, developing professional relationships is an important aspect of your career. These relationships can give you professional insight and feedback, and they can be the link to opportunities of interest.

These are only a few strategies to help you get the most out of your nursing career, but adhering to them or developing your own is crucial. We need fueled zest to be sure that we are in this profession for a very long time.

ianurse, You are welcome..I found this article short but to the point and hope it helps.. Teresa