You finished your degree, earned your license, and practiced your profession as a nurse. So, what’s next? You may wonder what to do next once you’ve achieved your career goal of being a nurse. This is just the first step. There are many things that you can aim for career-wise. Here are seven long-term professional goals for nurses that you may want to consider.

1. Earn specialty certifications

Do you have a specialty in mind? There are many nursing specialties that you can explore. 

If you enjoy spending time in the operating room, you belong to medical-surgical nursing. For those who like caring for babies, labor and delivery or neonatal nursing are for them. There is also public health and community nursing, psychiatric nursing, family nursing practice, anesthesiology, and more.

To get into a specific nursing specialty, one must have a passion for it and the proper training. Certifications by different nursing organizations and health facilities serve as your ticket to your specialty. You can get certified by undergoing training, special classes, and workshops.

Aside from having the edge over other applicants, certifications would also mean more pay and career opportunities.

2. Have a postgraduate degree

One way for you to move forward and go further into your nursing career is to have a postgraduate degree. On top of your Bachelor's degree in nursing, you can get a Master's degree and even a doctorate.

Postgraduate studies help you climb the career ladder because some opportunities are only handed to those with a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree. Apart from managerial roles, some advanced specialties ask for more than certifications but also an MSN or DNP degree.

Schooling after your Bachelor's will give you advanced and additional knowledge and good training to apply to your future nursing roles in your facility or organization.

3. Learn specialized skills and advanced technologies 

As a nurse, you are expected to be equipped with clinical skills to fulfill your responsibilities and complete your tasks. However, there are highly specialized skills and advanced technologies that not everyone can do.

Among the seven long-term professional goals for nurses that you should consider is learning skills that make you stand out among the rest. These skills may include administering certain medications and treatments, providing critical care, and using gadgets and machines for special cases.

These skills are developed through training and first-hand experience. You can get training when you get certifications or participate in workshops. Experience is gained through actual work in the hospital or any facility you are working in.

4. Hone your non-clinical skills

Clinical skills are essential in being a nurse, but there are also non-clinical skills that you should develop for a holistic approach to nursing.

Communication skills are essential in nursing. Aside from knowing how to give medication or provide first aid, a nurse should also know how to communicate well with the patient, family members, and fellow healthcare professionals. Take communication classes to help you improve if you are not confident. You may also find tutorials and tips online or in self-help books.

Organizational and managerial skills are also relevant and significant in nursing. You need to know how to organize and handle a group of people. These skills are especially important if you aim to land a supervisory or managerial nursing role.

5. Find a mentor and grow together

Behind every successful person is a mentor who provides patience, guidance, and wisdom. If you wish to go far in your nursing career, one of the long-term professional goals for nurses that you should have is to find a mentor.

Your mentor can be a supervisor, educator, leader, or colleague. Mentors are meant to bring out the best in you and teach you good practices that will help you grow as a nurse and an individual.

The key to success and growth is to welcome criticism and have an open mind. Only then can you grow together with your mentor.

6. Participate in advocacies and medical initiatives

Fulfillment does not only come when you achieve something at work or receive bonus pay. The feeling of fulfillment also comes when you help others.

Remember that nursing is all about providing quality care. You should extend that to your patients and the communities that deserve but have little to no access to healthcare.

Join groups that have medical advocacies for the community. Take part in medical missions such as public health activities, community visits for mass checkups, and the like. Trust us when we say you will gain different fulfillment with these advocacies.

7. Practice work-life balance

If nursing is your passion, you are willing to do anything to achieve your career goals. However, remember that your life should not just revolve around your profession. You must also enjoy your personal life.

Spend time with your loved ones, do hobbies outside of nursing, meet up with friends, and have a life outside your healthcare facility's four walls. It is essential to add having a work-life balance to the list of long-term professional goals for nurses.

Just like yin and yang, you should know how to juggle being a nurse and an individual.