Many nurses view professional development through the traditional lens of climbing the clinical ladder at a facility. In this sense, professional growth is centered around clinical skills. I believe it’s time for nurses to expand their knowledge beyond their clinical skill set! Start identifying other areas where you may need improvement, such as public speaking, handling difficult conversations, managing transitions, influencing organizational change, and acquiring professional etiquette skills (I’m not referring to code switching). For too long, nursing pedagogy has sold advanced degrees and certifications as the epitome of nursing, ignoring the fact that soft skills are also needed. Hospitals and clinics aren’t compensating nurses for learning these skills, which is disheartening. Despite this, the responsibility to learn these skills falls on nurses and not the institutions that employ them. 

Self-proclaimed “economic activist,” Ayesha Selden once stated, “Fault and responsibility don’t always fall on the same shoulders. At some point, ‘What am I going to do about it?’ has to kick in.” From one nurse to another, I’m asking you the same thing. What are you doing to ensure that you’re a well-rounded nursing professional? What decisions will you make today that your future self will thank you for? There’s nothing wrong with investing in books and test preparation for certification exams that will increase your hourly rate or prepare you for graduate school. However, I’m challenging you to extend your viewpoint past clinical decisions. How do you connect with people regardless of their job title to obtain agreement on decisions? How well do you communicate through email? Since a lot of nurses experience severe back injuries, if you were injured at work and couldn’t practice, what would you do? Are you able to translate your expertise to an employer that needs your clinical background?

This year, to celebrate Nurses’ Week, I want to see more nurses proactively managing their careers to ensure success. One way to do this is by investing in professional development and honing your soft skills. There’s a demand for nurses in many areas outside of hospitals and clinics. Many nurses are unaware that these options exist because nursing school and practice is geared toward keeping nurses at the bedside. For the nurses who love working in direct patient care roles, I salute and support you. For the nurses who know other options exist, are you prepared to pursue these non-traditional nursing roles? Do you possess the non-clinical skills needed to succeed? Change is implemented from within, which is why you must create professional goals and actively seek professional development to ensure that your career works for you!  

Comment below and tell me one professional development investment you plan to make in the next 30 days.