Planning: Phase 2

In planning for patient care you often formulate goals and outcomes. In career planning it is helpful to outline a strategy and action plan. Establish short-term goals and tasks. For example, "I will research and contact 10 hospitals in the next 30 days." Conducting research is an essential part of the planning process. The recommendation is to select only three to five jobs or areas to investigate at a time so you don't get overwhelmed. There are three key areas to research when making a career or job change: the job qualifications and competencies needed, the setting or work environment, and the organization or hospital system.

Start by identifying the areas of nursing you are interested in; for example, if you selected critical care, you could use the Internet to contact the Association for Critical-Care Nurses. Look up books, periodicals or nursing journals that are pertinent. Read past articles from NurseWeek and other publications. Create a plan for contacting RNs you know in the areas of nursing you want to investigate further. Find out the best organizations to work for. Use local libraries, schools of nursing, medical libraries and nonprofit career centers for obtaining information. Reference librarians can also be helpful in locating all types of resources and periodicals.

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