5 things you need to give up to get a nursing job

Head Nurse Status… if You’re Lucky

You may have been the president of your fraternity. You may have been a fearless leader amongst your admiring friends. You may have been many things. You may even have exemplary leadership qualities. That still doesn’t mean that you’re going to walk off the graduation stage and take your rightful place as the head of your nursing staff. If you are smart, resourceful, and a quick learner, then you may indeed someday grow into that leadership position. You will not, however, be starting out in charge. In fact you will be much, much closer to the opposite of in charge. You’ll have to empty bedpans, work the 2am shift, work through tedious paperwork, and basically pay your dues as a new nurse along with many other unsavory things as you start off in your first year of full-time employment.

The Good News:

This isn’t forever. Remember when you were a new nursing student on rotation and everyone else had so much more experience and clout than you? The same thing will happen here. After a year or two you will be a pro and you’ll be able to watch from your lofty perch as the new kid on the block replaces you as the resident newbie. This doesn’t mean that you’ll go from entry-level to head nurse anytime soon, but it does mean that you can see the career ladder ahead of you and will have already gleaned an understanding on how to ascend that ladder.

Article by Adam Starr

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