Whether you're looking to be a nurse leader or care for patients at the bedside, the right planning is key to meeting your nursing career goals.
Read "Design Your Ideal Nursing Career," a Nurse.com by OnCourse Learning digital edition, to begin to forge a path to a solid, satisfying career with tips and advice from nurse experts. Take advantage of exclusive articles exploring topics such as searching for the perfect job, resume writing and returning to school.
"Remember, organizations that have a job opening have a problem, a vacancy that represents work not being done," Robert G. Hess Jr., PhD, RN, FAAN, executive vice president and chief clinical executive of healthcare for OnCourse Learning wrote. If you market yourself as a product that represents the solution, you have a better shot at success.
Get invaluable tips
In "Tips on how to change jobs," Eileen P. Williamson, RN, MSN, explores the question of whether nurses should consider switching employers as their next career step. Williamson cites data from the U.S. Department of Labor showing the median number of years wage and salaried workers had been with their current employers was 4.2 years.
"Each job you have during your nursing career is not the sum-total of your work history, but an important building block of what will be your nursing story," Williamson wrote. "We need to give each one our best, then know when it's time to move on."
Readers also will want to check out our job satisfaction survey and learn how their peers are rating their satisfaction levels at their workplaces. The survey looks at important areas such as salary and benefits, morale, and personal and professional growth.
Make a good first impression
Working on your resume? Read insight from a nurse recruiter who details how the right resume can make a great impression on employers. And be prepared once that resume catches employers' eyes with our 5 tips for acing the job nursing interview post. Career expert Donna Cardillo, MA, RN, CSP, offers advice for making a great impression in the job interview. Numerous resources are available for job seekers. In "Get on boards with job hunting," Keith Carlson, BSN, RN, NC-BC, outlines the benefits of niche job sites that are only a click away. When planning a career, being able to live and work somewhere you love is a plus. But what if you want to travel? That opportunity exists for nurses and we examine it in "Find out if travel nursing is right for you." Before embarking on a nurse travel career though, read advice from nurse legal expert Nancy Brent, MS, JD, RN, on the legal ramifications to consider when it comes to travel nursing contracts. The guide also offers helpful information on engaging millennials, conflict management, bioethics and a free CE course on empowerment. Read "Design Your Ideal Nursing Career" today and make your career trajectory work for you! 
