What creates job satisfaction? What factors encourage employees to stay in the same workplace for years? Why are humans so hesitant about change culture, but ultimately seek different opportunities?
A unique proposition statement is a fancy word for catchphrase in the voiceover industry. While building my voiceover business, having a logo and UPS are important in the development of my brand and marketing. My UPS is “the cure for the common read.” Within that phrase, I was able to combine my two passions of nursing and acting into one. It also reveals my unique qualities that I can provide for voiceovers. Having a medical background helps me see medical narration from a nursing point of view, rather than studying how to communicate large words.
I realized that identifying what makes you stand out is also important in a professional nursing career. Because no one nurse is the same and there are so many things you can do with RN at the end of your name, it is important to develop your own nursing identity to help guide a successful nursing career. Dr. Sarah Gray with Sigma International speaks highly of this and details the importance of a professional brand with a mission and vision as necessary definitions to guide each nurse’s professional journey.
It is direction, mentorship, and openness to opportunities that encourage nurses to stay in the profession and at a certain facility. The facility must encourage professional growth and provide access to resources that promote successful career advancement.
Before starting nursing school, I told myself that I wanted to work in the ER. I quickly realized that the culture was not right for me, and I worked Med-Surg as a bedside nurse for nearly 5 years. Eventually, I noticed that I did not have as much compassion as I once did, and bedside skills were seeming kind of monotonous, so I began to think about how I wanted to further my nursing career. I connected with Dr. Sarah Gray who helped me to develop my own nursing mission and vision. It was then that I was able to identify what I loved most about nursing and combined those with my strengths to decide where I want to see myself in the next few years. Ultimately, I decided that that was not as a bedside nurse. I have a passion for leadership, mentorship, and nursing education. I was able to step into (and help create) my current position at the same facility as the first Nurse Retentionist- a creative position that focuses on nursing advocacy, empowerment, and professional career planning.
Without first recognizing what my nursing identity is, I would have done more trial and error positions to figure out where I would fit in the nursing profession. Change forces us out of our comfort zones, however positive change motivates lifelong learning.
My personal mission and vision:
Mission: As a voice for medicine and nursing professionals, I will lead others to think creatively in order to foster healthy relationships, a healthy self, and a healthy work environment.
Vision: Health care professionals will engage in meaningful work and have a passionate voice in the workplace.
Until next shift,
Shania