You have often thought about going for a role in leadership, but quite often, something has put you off the idea. Well, now is the time to stop making excuses as leadership is calling, and it is waiting for an answer. Executive leadership positions make change happen, and with your firsthand experience, knowledge, and awareness of nursing, you can land a position that encourages and welcomes change and development.

 

Moving On- What Are Your Options

No matter how long you have been in nursing, it is good to keep your options open. Pushing your career forwards and on to the next level is essential. Staying within the nursing and healthcare sector is beneficial as your knowledge, and hands-on experience can now be used to implement change, growth, and development. Moving on from physical nursing, no matter what your age is perfectly acceptable and respected, and now is the time to utilize your skills and experience to influence and lead others.

 

Knowing You Are Ready For The Next Step- Questions To Ask

Of course, you may not feel totally ready to return to studying and move up the career ladder, and if this is how you currently feel, then here are a few questions you must ask yourself to establish your readiness.

Q1. Do you like the way things are going within the nursing sector? If not, then what could you do differently, and what could you bring to the table.

Q2. Has there been any improvement or positive change implemented throughout your career? Or has there just been talk of change but no real effort or commitment made?

Q3. Are you full of ideas and ways in which you can improve the culture that currently exists within nursing?

Answering these questions will surely show you that you are ready to go for a leadership position. The answers will uncover where your passion lies and where you should look at implementing change when you land that position.

 

Deciding Where You Want To Be And By When

Change is good, and it can happen overnight, but if you plan and implement change, then it will be even better. So, where do you want to be within the next five years. What new role or position of leadership do you see yourself in and why. Establishing where your future lies will provide you with much-needed direction. When you are moving up the career ladder, it can be difficult to stay on track and to realize your goals and ambitions, and this is why it is important to put your goals and aspirations into realistic and achievable timescales.

 

Studying To Increase Your Knowledge And Enhance Your Education And Learning

When progressing up the ladder to a career in leadership, it is important to know that education continues to matter, and it continues to be relevant. Improving your sector knowledge and awareness through one of the online DNP nurse executive programs on offer will ensure that you have the knowledge to implement change at all levels within a new role. Going back to education and learning will allow you to hit a reset button. Of course, you do not want to reset everything you know, but you do want to go back to the start and realize just why you got into nursing.

When you have established the roots and reasoning for your choice then you can push forwards and focus on a brighter future. Enhancing your knowledge and awareness of the healthcare and nursing sector is a truly positive thing as you need to become aware of wider factors that can directly influence and affect nursing. You also need to understand how to communicate effectively with decision-makers to ensure that changes get made at all levels and that they get filtered down to all staff. Studying for an executive position will realign your thinking and refocus your values, but most importantly, it will allow you to see how and where you can make changes and improvements.

 

Working While Studying - Finding The Right Balance

To get into a nursing leadership position, it is important to know that you can study and work at the same time. Ideally, you will do both as you will not want to lose that firsthand knowledge and experience that you are getting from your nursing position. It is that firsthand experience and awareness that will help shape and change the future. Trying to study exclusively without working may sound tempting, but realistically you should be living and experiencing nursing as you study. In the beginning, you might find it hard to balance all your commitments, but over time you will find your natural flow and balance. Your studies and your job must get equal respect and equal time, and when you embrace this, then you will truly embrace and enjoy learning again.

 

Staying Focused - Studying Online

Online learning is fantastic, but at times it can be hard to stay focused, especially if you are feeling tired or even exhausted after a long shift at work. Maintaining focus requires time and energy, which can sometimes be hard to come by. Getting adequate sleep, rest and relaxation are important as if you are not well rested, then you will not be able to focus. Focus is required to ensure that the information you gain from studying is embedded into your memory and not just simply processed. To get the most out of online studying, it is important that you take regular breaks. Of course, studying can be draining both mentally and physically, but you will come to reap the rewards when it comes time to go for that executive leadership position you have been working towards.

When you have finished studying, and you have received your qualification, it is now time to put it to good use. Landing an executive position or role might take time, but do not be deterred and always keep your options open on your route to the top.

Image by Jason Shivers