Happy New Year! Get Advice for 2018 with These NP Career Posts
Did you stay awake to watch the ball drop last night? While I didn’t quite make it until midnight, I did make my way from a nap on the couch into bed around twelve o’clock last night. That counts, right?! After a home cooked Italian feast and a couple glasses of champagne, my chances of staying awake through the wee hours of the morning were pretty much nil. However you celebrated, I hope you had a fantastic New Year. Welcome to 2018!
In true New Year’s fashion, we’re ringing in 2018 here at ThriveAP headquarters by featuring our top blog picks from 2017. My favorite thing to write about on the blog is my career and the advice and lessons I’ve learned over the years. So, today I’ve picked a few top nurse practitioner career posts from the past year for your January 1st reading.
1. Overwhelmed? How I Cope as a Nurse Practitioner
Nurse practitioners at any level of experience can become overwhelmed with their jobs. Increasing patient volumes may challenge even the most efficient NP. Complex clinical cases can be difficult for new grad nurse practitioners to digest. And, starting a new position involving the navigation of different staffing structures and an unfamiliar EHR system can be downright difficult. So, what do you do when your nurse practitioner job becomes overwhelming? Continue reading…
2. Secrets to Choosing an NP Job You Won’t Get Tired Of
When I tell people I work as a nurse practitioner in the emergency department, the reaction is often something along the lines of “I bet that’s exciting!”. While I do love my job, the truth is that working even in the emergency setting does lend itself to a routine. The novelty of the ED wears off, there is a pattern even to the kinds of emergencies an NP can expect to encounter in the department. Nurse practitioners enjoy careers packed with variety and opportunity, but like other professionals are subject to the “more of the same” mentality. So, how do you choose a job you won’t get tired of? Continue reading…
3. 5 Reasons Nurse Practitioners Get Fired (and How to Avoid Them)
Fortunately, most nurse practitioners don’t need to think about getting the ax. Overall, we’re a hard-working, devoted crowd that takes our jobs seriously. But, what if you and your employer don’t see eye-to-eye about your performance? The truth is that as at-will employees we can be fired at any time. If you’re following through on your responsibilities as an NP, this doesn’t usually happen. But, let’s look at the reasons it could – and talk about how to avoid these pitfalls. Continue reading…
4. I Resolved to Leave Work On Time…Here’s How I Made it Happen
I am and always have been an hourly employee as an NP. So, taking my work home with me meant I was on the clock. My various employers have always encouraged providers to complete work during clinic hours in an effort to limit overtime. One day, both at my boss’ prompting and for my own sanity, I decided to make leaving on time happen. Here’s how I did it. Continue reading…
5. 8 Questions to Show Why You’re Unhappy in Your NP Job
OK, I didn’t mean to make it ‘quit your job’ theme week here on the ThriveAP blog. But, somehow multiple posts I’ve worked on recently seemed to center around the topic. Just to clear the air, I am currently satisfied at work. But, there have been plenty of occasions when I’ve called my career as a nurse practitioner into question, or dealt with job specific dissatisfaction-causing issue. Continue reading…
6. Small Mistakes that Cause Big Damage to Your NP Credibility
If you’re an NP, whether fresh out of your graduate program or with years of experience, steer clear of these common mishaps and bad habits to preserve your workplace reputation. Continue reading…
7. How Much Time are You Wasting On Your Phone at Work?
Let’s face it. How many of us can openly admit that when we grab our phones in the morning to check our work emails, we find ourselves mindlessly checking our Facebook notifications instead? And raise your hand if you’ve ever found yourself in sheer panic mode because your phone is nowhere to be found? Whether you want to admit it or not, we are all addicted to our phones and it’s had a resounding affect on our productivity in the workplace. Continue reading…
8. Unexpected Ways to Diversify Your Career Without a DNP
A nurse practitioner recently emailed me asking how to “diversify or advance [herself] professionally and not necessarily by becoming a DNP”. This is a question a lot of us as nurse practitioners are asking. Our time in the clinic or hospital seeing patients becomes routine and we’re ready to mix things up a bit. But, we don’t necessarily want to go back to school. The DNP doesn’t seem like it will necessarily lead to the professional change we’re looking for. Continue reading…
Happy New Year! What career topics do you want to see covered on ThriveAP in 2018?