How To Identify Your Nursing Career Goals in 2023

Goals are essential to your career satisfaction. They can help keep you on track and headed in
the direction you want to be going in. Without them, you could find yourself dissatisfied along
the way.

The opportunities for nurses in healthcare- for all education levels- are endless. To find your
dream nursing job, you need to identify what your career goals are.

This article will help you understand how to identify your career goals. We’ll go over the benefits
of creating goals for your nursing career. Let’s get started.

What Are Career Goals?

Your nursing career isn’t the only area where you can put in place goals. Every aspect of your
life could benefit from being intentional with your time. The work you put into reaching your
goals is what matters. Setting your intention is one step in the process.

Depending on your personal values, your career goals will differ. Everyone’s career goals will
look different. To best align yourself you should set measurable and specific goals.

Throughout your life and career, you should have goals and visions to guide you toward where
you want to end up. They will change and look different as your career progresses

Creating Career Goals For Your Nursing Career

Every nurse will have different goals for their career. That’s okay. Everyone wants something
different out of life. Don’t forget that you have the power to get where you want to go, no matter
where you are right now.

Don’t worry if you don’t know what you want from your career yet. Start small. “Career goals” is
a subjective term. Begin by deciding what timeframe you want to set your goals for.

Where you live and the opportunities available to you will also play a big role in your career
goals. Nursing is a great option because there are so many different sets and settings where
you can work. And don’t be afraid to get out of the box for this. At the end of the day, you
worked hard for your license. You are the one who gets to decide how you use it.

Benefits Of Identifying Your Career Goals

The benefits of setting career goals for yourself are many. By holding you accountable, they can
assist in keeping you on track. They can motivate you and increase your chances of achieving
what you set out to do.

Someone else may see what you see as a benefit as a negative. What works for you matters
most. Your needs may also change as you progress through your career. This is a crucial
aspect to keep in mind.

It’s your career and you can be flexible. Being open-minded and not being too strict could lead
you down a path you never thought of.

Examples of Career Goals For Nurses

Let’s look at an example now that we’ve talked about why career goals are important.

Nancy is a nursing student who is getting ready to take the NCLEX to become a registered
nurse. Her long-term goal is to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist. Her short-term
goal is to get a new graduate job offer for the ICU within six months of passing the NCLEX.

Since she knows what her long-term goal is, she can better position herself at the start of her
career. In the long run, this level of clarity can save you time. Long-term, you will be able to think
critically about your decisions.

Nancy has set realistic goals for herself and has bound them to a specific time frame. Finding a
new grad position in critical care could be a challenge, but it is definitely possible.

How To Identify Your Career Goals As A Nurse

No matter where you are at or what your career goals are, you control where you end up. Your
license is a powerful tool along the way. Let’s look at the steps to create and achieve your
career goals.

● Identify your time frame
● Set your objectives
● Come up with a strategy
● Commit to achieving your goals

The first step in achieving your goals is to identify the time frame in which you want to achieve
them. This can help you identify why you are setting these goals in the first place.

By identifying the time frame, you can identify the objectives you want to achieve. These will
look different for everyone.

Do you want to work in a specific specialty? Or, will you need to continue your education to
achieve your goals further down the line? When you set objectives, you can critically think
through your strategy to reach them.

Once you have your goals and strategy in place, now it’s time to commit to the plan. Trust the
process and believe in yourself to get you there. These steps will help bring clarity and allow
you to achieve any nursing goal you set for yourself.

Tips to Help You Achieve Your Goals

Create goals that are relevant to your interests. This is your career and you can do whatever
you want with it. If you enjoy working with a particular patient population, then do that.

Network with other healthcare professionals. By working together it is possible to learn and grow
more than you would by yourself. Professional networking is at the heart of a thriving career.

Be kind to yourself along the way. Although you set out specific timelines for yourself, doesn’t
mean you fail if you don’t meet them. There will always be setbacks in life and it’s more
important that you enjoy the ride. If something doesn’t go the way you planned, roll with it. And
trust the process to get you to where you want to go

How America Needs Nurses Can Help

If you’re looking for your next nursing job, join our growing community of nurses from across the
country. Our goal for healthcare is to place every nurse in their best job.

No matter what type of job you’re looking for. Opening and opportunities exist all across the
country. Whether it’s your next travel assignment or your first job in nursing. America Needs
Nurses can help.