The passage of the Affordable Care Act means more than 32 million Americans will gain access to additional preventative health care services, and registered nurses will play an important role in this health care expansion. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the demand for registered nurses is expected to grow by 26 percent through 2020. In addition to an increased emphasis on preventative care, technological advancements in health care and the increased demand for health care services for the aging Baby Boomer generation will fuel growth in the nursing field. Besides putting additional strains on the health care system, the aging of the Baby Boomer generation means that a large segment of the nursing population is also reaching retirement age. Employers need to recruit younger nurses to replace those who are about to retire and provide opportunities for retiring nurses to pass on their knowledge and experience to the next generation of nursing professionals. Nurse practitioner programs across the country have been challenged to meet the need for more nursing professionals and to empower the next generation of nurses with the 21st century skills needed to provide care in today's changing health care arena. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, nursing schools had to turn away more than 67,000 qualified prospective students in 2010 due to shortages in teaching faculty, classroom space, and clinical sites. The increased demand for nursing faculty means that more nurses are needed in the education realm. Experienced nurses who can combine clinical expertise with a passion for teaching are needed to mentor the next generation of nurses. As a nurse educator, these nurses will prepare the future nursing workforce for the ever-changing health care environment. In addition to designing and implementing degree programs that lead to certification, they will provide the continuing education programs that are needed to update working nurses as new technology and medical advances become available. The next generation of nurses will require increased education in nursing informatics. Although many nursing schools use educational technology, the National League for Nursing reports that schools need to focus more on practice technology. Too few nursing students are being prepared to work in a health care environment that is increasingly reliant on sophisticated technology. No nurse of the future can afford to enter the workforce unconnected to medical information technology. Despite the increased demand for nursing professionals, studies have found that fewer than half of high school-age students are considering careers in science or health care. Students say this is because they don't understand what these careers entail or they feel too intimidated by the difficulty of the subject matter. Nursing schools and high schools need to work together to provide prospective nursing students with details about the nursing profession. Some nursing schools have initiated creative approaches to attract young students to careers in nursing. The University of Washington School of Nursing is one of a growing number of colleges and universities that hosts a summer Nurse Camp. The free week-long day camp is geared toward increasing interest in nursing careers among minority and low-income high school students. The Mayo Clinic and other health care organizations also offer Nurse Camps, including camps for elementary and middle school students. Because of the high demand for new nurses, there are many types of financial aid available for nursing students. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing provides a directory of financial aid resources on its website. Another good source for financial aid information is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which recognizes the critical shortage of health care professionals and offers scholarships, low-cost loans, and loan repayment programs for nursing education. This article was written by Social Media Outreach Coordinator Erica Moss, on behalf of CAREEREALISM-Approved Partner, 2tor — an education technology company.Next generation nurses image from Bigstock
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
BigstockMake a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
- How did I learn about this job?
- How did I apply for the job?
- Did I earn an interview?
- What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
BigstockAre you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
Let's start with resumes!
Every resume should be tailored to the position in order for it to stand out to recruiters and hiring managers. It may seem like a lot of work, but it's actually less work than submitting the same resume over and over again and never hearing back.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
BigstockYour job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
- Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
- Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
- Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.