Happy 2023!
As a career coach for nurses, it’s important for me to ask you questions that get you to think beyond bedside nursing. My ethos is, “Nurses belong in the boardroom!” Why? Because nursing isn’t confined to the walls of hospitals or clinics! While I know many of you are focused on health and physical fitness goals, I want to challenge you to also focus on goals that will change your life professionally and guide your career trajectory. I’d never fault any nurse for wanting to remain in direct patient care. I have fond memories from my days working at the bedside, which solidified my reasons for becoming a nurse. Despite this, however, once the bad days started to overshadow the good ones, I knew I had to make my exit. I transitioned into corporate nursing eight years ago and, since then, I’ve been dedicated to helping others do the same. The purpose of this blog post isn’t to discuss why you should set goals, but if you haven’t outlined yours for the new year, please check out my LinkedIn live discussion on goal setting from December.
January is a great time to assess the trajectory of your career. By now, you’ve had your year-end performance review. Consider the following: What are the pros and cons of your current role? What skills are you an expert in? What areas do you want to grow in? What do you want to learn? What do you love about nursing? What do you hate? Does your leadership support you and foster an environment that nurtures your growth? If not, what are you doing in your personal time to expand your professional development? Your professional development is not your employer’s responsibility. You have the power to take control and curate the career you desire! It’s easy to sit back and wait for things to happen in your career. Since leaving the bedside, I’ve quadrupled my salary, traveled at my employers’ expense and enjoyed several corporate perks, such as having a company car. None of this would’ve happened if I’d simply LET my career happen. It took investing my professional development, actively engaging with decision-makers, maintaining discipline and executing on strategies to get to this point. It meant traveling down a path that most nurses weren’t willing to. I had no roadmap to follow. Instead, I dug deep, leaned on my determination and learned through “trial and error.” If I had to do it again, I would – only this time, I’d take the LEAP sooner.
I’m not much different than you. A career in corporate nursing isn’t out of your reach. Many companies are looking for your nursing expertise to help make products and services better for health care professionals and patients that use them. However, to obtain a six-figure salary that allows you to work remotely with less stress than working at the bedside, it’s going to take work. That personal grit is not much different than the work you did to ensure you graduated from nursing school and passed the NCLEX. See, what’s needed is already within you! There are days where you may question your path because it’s unfamiliar territory. That’s why you need a coach and community to support you on this endeavor. Lucky for you, I’ve built that within the Leap to Corporate Nursing program.
Where do you go from here? How do you start? First, by answering the assessment questions from above. This journey requires a great deal of self-awareness. To strengthen yourself, you must be willing to identify your weaknesses. Every skill you learn and place on your resume, whether it’s becoming a super user for a new product, joining the committee for a new initiative or serving a new patient population, should demonstrate why your expertise is valued at a minimum of $100K. (Yes, I help my clients earn this and more)! Here is the elephant in the room: Don’t assume because you have multiple years in bedside nursing that all you need to do is show up and a corporate nursing position will come to you. In nursing school, you couldn’t get through tests or clinical rotation without preparation. You had to read, study and apply didactic theory to clinical practice. That alone should serve as a reminder that whatever path you’re on this year, you’re in it to win – and winning doesn’t happen with excuses.
If you’re interested in learning more about corporate nursing, follow me on LinkedIn for insight, best practices and actionable advice to help you jumpstart your career search.
Peace & Blessings,
Lexi Jay