Preparing a Strategic Career Plan

Graduation and certification are the beginning of your career as an NP. Whether you are looking for that dream job or you have decided to open your own practice as an independent NP, you need a plan to get there. Before the Web and social media, job hunting was relatively simple. Job hunters perused the classifieds, made cold calls, and many times just showed up with a resume in hand. There has been a dramatic change in the last decade in how people find and get jobs, and NPs are no exception. For those seeking employment now, there is a wealth of resources available from mega employment websites to specialty blogs. Finding a job as an NP may not be a big challenge, but landing the position that you have passionately prepared for and pursued is going to take some work. A well-crafted cover letter and resume may be necessary items, but it may not be enough to get you exactly where you want to be. With so many opportunities and career trajectories available to NP’s today, you need to focus and get serious about what you want to do and where you want to do it.

Directions

In this Assignment, you will develop your own strategic career plan for starting your new career as an NP. There are many steps that need to be accomplished. Use the following guidelines to design your career plan. You do not need to include references. This is a plan that you may layout how you wish. Be creative, and really think about what you desire as a nurse practitioner. As everyone will have different goals, there are no right or wrong answers in this plan.

It is time to take inventory and ask yourself some questions. What is your career vision? Be specific and honest. Where do you want to work? What are your short term and long term goals (give timeline)? What are the most important things you are looking for? Discuss your desires for salary, vacation, sick leave, CME allowance, medical benefits, retirement, etc. Perhaps you have a niche such as managing chronic diseases in patients over 65 years old.
Next, describe your ideal work situation. Is it a rural clinic or a major trauma center? Who is your target patient population? Do you have a passion for a particular population or specialty? What schedule do you want? What are the priorities in your career right now? Where do you see your career in five years?
How do you plan on researching opportunities (whether looking for employment or an independent practice site)? List several methods such as job fairs, the Web, and medical employment agencies.
Networking is essential for todays healthcare provider. Discuss your networking ideas. What Internet resources might you use to network and connect with other healthcare providers?
How will you prepare for the interview? What specific steps will you take?
Imagine you are starting your own practice. What population will it serve? How will you market your practice? What personnel will you need to hire? How will you obtain funding? Will you be open extended hours to meet the needs of working patients? Will you be the sole provider, or will you hire other providers?