As a travel nurse, it can be easy to get caught up in fulfilling your daily tasks. While it is important to complete your everyday duties, it can be just as important for you to stop and take a minute to look at your career from a wider perspective. Where do you see yourself in five years? How about 10 years? Is your ultimate goal to rise to an advanced position, or do you hope to develop your success in your current travel nurse job? Whatever your hopes are, make sure you keep these long-term goals in mind so you can ensure you are constantly taking steps toward making your dreams a reality.
Make an annual career plan
When travel nurses have clear long-term goals established, they can begin thinking about how to work toward these objectives. At least once a year, you should take the time to think about how your career has progressed over the past few months, including what steps you have taken toward your career goals. Then, you can start to consider what you can do in the upcoming months to get even closer to your professional ambitions. However, keep in mind that all good things take time. You might not be able to reach your goal in the upcoming year, but what's important is that you never lose sight of your goals and are constantly working toward them, even if you're just taking baby steps.
Remember the resources available to you
Once travel nurses have a clear sense of what they want out of their careers, they should always keep their eyes open for resources that will help them meet their goals. Perhaps the hospital you currently work in is offering training programs that will help you advance your skills, or maybe you feel you've reached a good time in your life to go back to school and earn a master's or doctoral degree.
These are both wonderful opportunities for advancement; however, never underestimate the value of your peers. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation states that mentoring is extremely important in the nursing profession, as it helps nurses increase the quality of care they deliver and become the kind of leaders the healthcare industry needs. Travel nurses in particular may have unique opportunities for mentorship, as they work with a diverse and ever-changing group of professionals throughout their assignments.