There is a shortage of nurses in the US and around the world. It’s not just that fewer people are choosing to become nurses, but also the fact that there is more of a need for nurses – because there are more patients. This has made the shortage even worse than it already was.
Therefore, it’s important to encourage people who are interested in potentially becoming nurses to take the next step, just as it’s important to inspire those who might not have considered the idea before to think about it more in depth. With that in mind, here are some of the ways that nurses can inspire potential future nurses as much as possible.
Share Your Experiences
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One of the best ways you can inspire others to become nurses is to share your experiences of being a nurse. Tell your stories about the patients you meet, the people you work with, the excitement, the fun times, and the job satisfaction. As well as this, however, you should also tell people about the bad points – be entirely honest so they can gain a full picture of what nursing is really like.
By sharing your experiences about how you have found nursing to be actively working as a nurse, and by answering any questions fully and truthfully, you can give people the picture of nursing they would never get through research alone.
Talk About Specific Facts
As well as giving potential new nurses a good overview of what the job entails, make sure you talk about specific facts as well. Let them know what salary to expect, for example, and what hours they will need to work. Talk to them about career growth and development, mentioning that they can boost their careers through taking fascinating courses, such as the adult gerontology nurse practitioner program, when they have enough experience. You can also mention how there is a lot of choice in nursing. They don’t have to work in a hospital if they don’t want to, but could work in a prison, school, or private clinic, for example.
The idea is to be as specific as possible, so they definitely have all the facts they need to make a decision.
Don’t Forget The Rewards
Most jobs are rewarding in their own ways, even if it’s only a little. Nursing is rewarding almost all of the time, and no matter what you actually do in your shift, you’ll always be able to help someone and often many different people.
Make sure you talk about the rewards that a career in nursing can offer. When it comes to job satisfaction, nursing ranks very highly. It’s true the job is tiring, hard, requires a lot of learning, and is physically demanding (not to mention emotionally and mentally), but the rewards are amazing. They include:
- Saving lives
- Being highly respected
- Being needed
- Giving patients a voice
- Making a difference
Remember What Inspires You
One thing that’s always important to talk about when you want to inspire other people to become nurses is to remember what inspires you. Use that as the basis for everything you want to discuss, as when you talk about it, you’ll find there is passion and dedication behind you.
If you can’t remember what inspired or inspires you, don’t worry. Just take some time to think back to when you started and what you wanted at the time. If you find this shows that you’ve gone off track in your nursing career, it’s never too late to get back on course.
