creating your career blueprint

Creating Your Career Blueprint

Kathleen KesslerCarole Stacy MSN, MA, RN

Ready..Aim..Shoot

If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.

Before you create your plan….

• Understand yourself• What do you really like to do?• What do you do really well?• What do you dislike doing?• Talk to nurses in a variety of roles.• Job shadow• Get out of your comfort level, be a little

adventuresome (or may a lot).

Goals Need to be..

• Personal (Your own)

• Practical (Worth the time and effort)

• Possible (You need to think you can do it)

• Pleasurable (Enjoy the process)

Barriers to Achieving Our Goals

• Too many at one time• Unrealistic standards• Negative self talk and

surroundings• Measuring by failures

Goal Categories

• Family• Job• Spiritual• Intellectual• Social• Physical• Financial

CPR

• Categorize your goals

• Prioritize your goals

• Recognize your priorities

Personal SWOT Analysis

• Strengths: What sets you apart from others?• Weaknesses: things you aren’t good at, or

areas where you can improve.• Opportunities: Identify elements you can

build on or take advantage of to improve your chance of success.

• Threats: Things that can derail your success

Define your Career Objectives

• What do you want to accomplish?• Why is this important to you?• Write a Career Mission Statement “ have my DNP by the time I am 40 with my own family practice”Ideally this should be a 5 to 10 year perspective

Set Major Career Goals

• Specific- make sure your goal pertains to one particular outcome

• Measurable- definable end point

• Achievable- you must be reasonably able to accomplish

• Relevant- must relate to what you are trying to accomplish

• Time bound- otherwise you may not ever get it done.

Creating your blueprint

• Conduct a skills audit, what you have, what you need, where you can get what you need.

• Create an action plan for each career goal• How will you accomplish this?• What support do you need?• Where can you get this support?• Find and use mentors!

Create a Career Development Plan

• Do your homework• Be realistic in setting your goals• Make a plan and update it yearly• Don’t over promise yourself• Accept that you may need to go at a slower

pace, one missed goal doesn’t equal failure.

Questions and Comments