• E-mail
• Print
• RSS

Tough career decisions: What route to take?

Nurse Leader Weekly, March 3, 2008

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Nurse Leader Weekly!

By Shelley Cohen, RN, BS, CEN

Many nurse managers are faced with daily decisions that require them to prioritize items such as staff, materials, and their time. In the midst of all this constant motion, a point has come for many of us where we must make decisions about our careers.

Have you heard yourself asking these questions?

• Is this the time for me to go back to school to further my education?
• If I do decide to return to school, what major do I focus on?
• Will I be able to balance the challenges of family, work, and school?
• Can I afford to go back to school? Can I afford not to?

Some of you may be in a position where your organization is requiring you to develop a plan to obtain your BSN, MSN, or possibly other degrees. Others are looking at the future and asking questions that frame the next 10 years of their career: Do I want to still be in a nurse leadership role five years from now? Do I want to help the nursing faculty shortage and return to school to be eligible to teach at the college level? Do I want to use my nurse leadership skills in a community based non-profit effort?

These professional and personal decisions are long-term and are directly related to finances and time. With that in mind, they deserve some self processing and research to assure you make the decision that best fits you.

Editor's Note: This excerpt was adapted from the article "Making tough decisions about your career," featured in the Reading Room on HCPro's new online resource center, www.StrategiesForNurseManagers.com!   

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Nurse Leader Weekly!

• Comment
• E-mail to a Colleague
• Print
• RSS
• Archive

Comments