218 unit 3 | Professional Issues
The National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
at Health Resources and Services Administration
has projected a growing shortage of registered nurs-
es (RNs) over the next 15 years, with a 12% shortage
by 2010 and a 20% shortage by 2015 (http://
bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/nursingshortage/tec
h_report/default.htm).This continued shortage of
RNs will allow you to have many choices and oppor-
tunities as a professional nurse. By now you have
invested considerable time, expense, and emotion
into preparing for your new career. Your educational
preparation, technical and clinical expertise, inter-
personal and management skills, personal interests
and needs, and commitment to the nursing profes-
sion will contribute to meeting your career goals.
Successful nurses view nursing as a lifetime pursuit,
not as an occupational stepping stone.
This chapter deals with the most important
endeavor: finding and keeping your first nursing
position. The chapter begins with planning your
initial search; developing a strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis;
searching for available positions; and researching
organizations. Also included is a section on writing
a résumé and employment-related information
about the interview process and selecting the first
position.
Getting Started
By now at least one person has said to you, “Nurses
will never be out of a job.” This statement is only
one of several career myths. These myths include
the following:
1.“Good workers do not get fired.” They may not
get fired, but many good workers have lost their
positions during restructuring and downsizing.
2.“Well-paying jobs are available without a
college degree.” Even if entrance into a career
path does not require a college education, the
potential for career advancement is minimal
without that degree. In many health-care
agencies, a baccalaureate degree in nursing is
required for an initial management position.
3.“Go to work for a good company, and move up
the career ladder.” This statement assumes that
people move up the career ladder due to
longevity in the organization. In reality, the
responsibility for career advancement rests on
the employee, not the employer.
4.“Find the ‘hot’ industry, and you will always be
in demand.” Nursing is projected to continue to
be one of the “hottest industries” well into the
next decade. A nurse who performs poorly will
never be successful, no matter what the demand.Many students attending college today are adults
with family, work, and personal responsibilities. On
graduating with an associate degree in nursing, you
may still have student loans and continued respon-
sibilities for supporting a family. If this is so, you
may be so focused on job security and a steady
source of income that the idea of career planning
has not even entered your mind. You might even
assume that your goal is just to “get the first job.”
The correct goal is to find a job that fits you,one
that is a good first step on the path to a lifelong
career in nursing. It is also not too early to begin
formal planning of your career. You will most like-
ly work well in excess of 70,000 hours in a lifetime
outside the home. Do you want to spend all this
time devoted to a career that is not fulfilling?SWOT Analysis
Many students assume their first position will be as a
staff nurse on a medical-surgical floor. They see
themselves as “putting in their year” and then moving
on to what they really want to do. However, as the
health-care system continues to evolve and reallocate
resources, this may no longer be the automatic first
step for new graduates. Instead, new graduates
should focus on long-term career goals and the dif-
ferent avenues by which they can be reached.
Many times, your past experiences will be an
asset in presenting your abilities for a particular
position. A SWOT analysis plan, borrowed from
the corporate world, can guide you through your
own internal strengths and weaknesses as well as
external opportunities and threats that may help or
hinder your job search and career planning. The
SWOT analysis is an in-depth look at what will
make you happy in your work. Although you have
already made the decision to pursue nursing, know-
ing your strengths and weaknesses can help you
select the work setting that will be satisfying per-
sonally (Ellis, 1999). Your SWOT analysis may
include the following factors (Pratt, 1994):Strengths
■Relevant work experience
■Advanced education