Many people with healthcare careers look for ways to improve their skills and move up the job ladder. Most often, this involves spending a fair amount of time with the same employer and slowly accumulating the skills necessary to advance. However, there are also some techniques travel nurses and other healthcare professionals can use to improve their chances and speed up the process.
Honor your colleagues
According to Nurse Uncut, the way you treat your coworkers is a huge component of how you are perceived as a leader. In fact, the source recommends interacting with your colleagues – especially those who are below you or less tenured – as if they were clients. Advocating for them, offering them incentives and helping them out in a pinch are all effective ways to show them you want them to succeed and perform their jobs well, which is essential for a good leader.
Request meetings
Nothing demonstrates to your superiors that you are a strong leader more than scheduling meetings and informal strategy sessions. As an integral part of good communication, a meeting helps you explore new ideas and provide the best care possible for your patients. According to Forbes, good leaders are always anxious to share ideas and take the initiative to foster dialogue.
Accept responsibility
Part of being a successful leader is claiming ownership of your – and your team's – performance. This is not always easy, as admitting a mistake might seem to make you a weaker leader, but in the long run, admitting slip-ups, expressing regret and, most importantly, learning from your errors will turn you into a strong, flexible and goal-oriented leader.
Offer assistance
Although a leadership role typically involves less hands-on work and more managerial tasks, it is always beneficial to offer an extra set of helping hands when your teammates are in need. This demonstrates to your colleagues that you have the group's best interests in mind, not just your own duties.
Stay organized
Nothing hurts your chances of moving up the healthcare ladder more than missing an appointment or failing to provide treatment at the proper time. Effective leaders are always on top of their responsibilities, which means it is imperative to stay organized. Whether this means keeping a strict written schedule or setting up reminder alerts on your phone is up to you, but improving your organization skills should be one of your top priorities if you wish to advance in your field.