Specialty Training and Opportunities
You may be perfectly satisfied with the level of education you have and the niche you have found. Just keep your eyes, ears, and mind open to new opportunities. Aside from lengthy degree programs, you may find that you want to specialize in an area that the facility is willing to train you for. Internships and other training opportunities can be terrific ways to further your lifelong learning process at the moment and can offer you a chance to move into another area or to gain more knowledge and skills for the area you presently work in.
Let your supervisor and staff educators know what your goals are and enlist their help in obtaining the training necessary to meet the requirements. In addition, you may want to focus your own continuing education units toward your goals as well.
Broaden your horizons and learn more about how the health care industry works. How does your institution get paid? What are the obstacles it faces in reimbursement? How does insurance work? What's the difference between an HMO and a PPO? What is Medicare? What happens if an ethical dilemma presents itself? Who keeps tabs on the physicians? Who are your administrators, and what do they do?
Most of all, don't over specialize yourself so that you are pigeonholed the rest of your career. For instance, some nurses love ICU and intend to stay there for their entire careers. However, the stress and the constant adrenalin rush that this type of environment can produce can take a personal toll both physically and emotionally.
Some nurses are highly skilled technical clinicians, but sometimes they can't come down from the intensity to a slower paced environment. One area they often have trouble with is in teaching patients to be independent and self-reliant. ICU nurses do so much for their patients who are usually very dependent during their stay in these units that they don't know how to let go and teach the patient to take care of himself. If you choose the ICU, just be sure to keep your options open by exploring other areas, for instance, with your continuing education courses.
On the other hand, generalists tend to feel inadequately prepared to take on a highly technical or specialized role. Take advantage of training opportunities that your employer offers. Even if you don't like the new role, at least you proved to yourself that you can make a move. Don't get pigeonholed as a generalist either. Keep your options open.
