April 24, 2025 • 16 mins
This podcast was #1 one of the top 10 podcast episodes of 2024. I am bringing it back as a replay for your enjoyment as I work on new episodes for 2025.
How do I find my nursing niche? How do I advance my career as a nurse? Have you asked these questions before?
There are so many career paths for nurses that we get stuck. It's a good problem and a bad problem to have. It's good because it gives us options. It's bad, because we have so many options that we stay stuck because we don’t know what to choose or are afraid to make a wrong choice.
Stick around in this episode. I address these questions and more.
Want to continue the conversation? Send me a text right here.
Ready to take the next step in your nursing career with confidence?
The Nursing Growth Starter Guide gives you proven strategies to move past uncertainty and advance with clarity.
Grab your free guide today! Click Here
Join me for a **1:1 Nurse Career Clarity Coaching Call**—a 1:1 coaching session where we’ll get you unstuck and find clarity to make the next move in your career.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:03):
Are you feeling stuck in yourcurrent clinical environment?
Do you want to make a change inyour nursing career, but not
sure what to do next?
Exhausted, burnt out, and maybeeven ready for different
leadership.
I'm Bonnie Meadows aboard.
Certified clinical nursespecialist, influential leader,
career coach, and wellbeingcoach, being in the nursing and
(00:25):
healthcare profession since2004, I have felt stuck and
unsure about what was next forme.
I wanted to be fulfilled in mypurpose, to have a voice at the
table.
And to be a resource for others.
I kept telling myself I wantedmore, but didn't have the
direction I needed until I foundclarity and career growth
(00:47):
strategies for experiencednurses like me.
In this podcast, you will find.
Simple tactical steps that allowyou to gain the clarity you need
solutions for how to grow evenwithout supportive leadership
and guidelines for settingboundaries at work so that you
can grow purposefully in yourcareer as a nurse with a
(01:09):
graduate degree who makes a hugeimpact in the profession.
So get ready to trade yourscrubs for yoga pants, pop in
those earbuds and let's chat.
Hello, everyone.
We are back to talk about yourunique nursing career.
Four steps to determine yournursing career path.
(01:30):
You know, really charting outyour career can be sometimes
nerve wrecking.
Especially when you thought itwould go one way and it just
doesn't seem like it's workingout to be that way.
You may have come into nursingthinking, I'm going to do this
thing.
And then you get into nursing.
(01:51):
You're like, I don't want to dothat thing.
So then what else am I going todo?
Or you get to that thing andyou're like, this ain't it.
So what next?
And if you're anything like me,like you really want a
guarantee, but you know,everything in life is not a
guarantee.
I thought about this the otherday, and I thought to myself...
(02:11):
finding the right nursing careerpath is like finding a husband.
You've got to go through a fewdecent jobs, bad jobs, sometimes
good jobs before you really findthe right one.
The one that's right for you.
The spouse that's right for you.
(02:32):
That's kind of what it's like.
So most nursing career paths arechosen for various reasons when
we start out or even once we getin it.
What will make me the mostmoney?
What job is the easiest?
Popularity of the role.
Like everybody is going to dothat.
In my time, it was, everybody'sgoing to be a CRNA.
(02:56):
That wasn't my calling.
It wasn't what I desired to do,but the majority of the people.
So it was either CRNs or nursepractitioner.
The people look happy.
You're like,"Well, I want to dowhat they're doing because they
look like they're happy in whatthey're doing." Or it has a
certain prestige to it.
The title looks good.
Those are all reasons why peoplesometimes choose a certain
(03:19):
career path.
And it might not necessarily bethey feel called to it, but it
just is one of those reasons.
But there's only one unique pathfor you.
I didn't say one specific jobfor you, for there are all types
of jobs out there that could bein your career path.
But there's only one uniquecareer path for you.
(03:42):
So in this episode, you're goingto learn four steps that you can
take to determine your uniquecareer path.
The best nursing career path foryou.
When I was a student, a nursingstudent, I worked as a nurse aid
in a hospital.
It's not the current hospitalsystem that I work for.
But I worked night shift.
(04:04):
I actually, loved night shift.
So, I worked this one night.
It was on a surgical unit.
I believe there was like threenurses working on that night.
And one of the nurses said tome,"You're in nursing school?
I would never tell another nurseto be a nurse.
I would not.
You should quit right now.
You don't want to do this." AndI thought to myself,"Well, if
(04:25):
she's telling me this then whyis she still here?
Like, why hasn't she moved on?"That's that bitterness that I
talk about.
Like, you're not helping theprofession at all when you're
telling the nursing student thatthey're making a bad decision.
That just doesn't help.
If she believed that then whyhadn't she left?
Like, you're working in it andyou're telling me that this is
(04:45):
not a good decision.
She obviously had not found thebest career path in general for
her.
And I pray today that she has.
Obviously she had not.
Every person can find the careerpath that fills their cup, gives
them joy and makes an impact inthe patient's life.
(05:06):
It's not perfect, but you canfind what you need.
What's best for you.
And it kind of overshadows allof those other things, depending
on what's going on.
But it overshadows all of thoseother things that cause you to
want to leave the nursingprofession altogether.
70% of nurses feel nursing isstill a great career, but only
(05:28):
12% are happy with where theyare.
And this survey was taken in2021.
No one should ever have to feellike they're settling for a
nursing career they don't like.
If you're in the settling momentof,"Well, I guess this is where
I'll be", and there's nothinghindering you from moving
forward and moving on tosomething different, really take
(05:52):
a listen to these four stepsbecause you need to really
figure out what your career pathis.
You need to see that light atthe end of the tunnel, you need
to have something worth movingforward to, something that just
fills your cup as a nurse.
And I'm not saying it's allroses.
I'm not saying that every day isgoing to be a great day, but
(06:12):
overall you should have moregood days than bad days, and
there shouldn't be this darkcloud, but it should be,"I see
the light in what I do and whatI can do in my career".
So let's take a look at one ofthe first things that you should
do when you're trying todetermine your unique career
path.
Consider your interests.
(06:33):
Are you doing something thatyou're not really interested in,
but you're interested insomething else?
If you're in the hospital butyou really like working in the
community, then you might wantto consider a career path
working in the community.
Working in public health.
Working for the American RedCross.
Things like that.
You should ask to shadow peoplein those areas.
(06:56):
It's okay to come to grips with,"I'm not going to be working in
the hospital." Just because youmay think working in the
hospital might have a prestigeabout it, maybe you should
consider working in thecommunity or you may be holding
yourself back saying,"Oh, Well,I would love to do that, but
they don't make a whole lot ofmoney." Because we will say that
to ourselves.
You might want to reevaluatethat because you never know what
(07:19):
they're doing out there in thecommunity and how their salary
is set up.
You don't really know that untilyou ask.
And you never know, you might beset up with the perfect job that
meets your salary needs.
So ask to shadow people, do ajob search and compare your
current skills with what isrequired in an area that you're
(07:40):
interested in.
And start making moves to worktowards building out a career
path just based on yourinterests.
Determine your career goals.
If you've identified what you'reinterested in.
Now you need to figure out whatare your career goals?
Are your career goals to workupward in the same company that
you're in or in someone'scompany?
(08:02):
Or is it to work outward?
You'll hear me talk about thisphrase of work upward versus
working outward because it wassomething that I had to come to
terms with, of my career path isgoing to be working outward and
not necessarily working upward.
Because my values didn't matchwith upward, they changed.
(08:22):
My values at one point in timematched my lifestyle of working
upward.
They no longer match mylifestyle and what I desire.
So I have to work outward.
I don't mind working outward,because I've found that my joy
is in working outward and itactually helps me in my regular
day job.
It actually brings me joy towork outward.
(08:43):
Outward meaning in professionalorganizations and in advocacy.
Those things fill my cup andremind me of why I do what I do
inward in the job that I go toeveryday.
So determine your career goals.
A lot of times you can get helpin determining your career goals
by either finding yourself amentor either in your current
(09:06):
area or in an area where you'retaking interest.
Where you've taken note of yourinterest.
And also another thing that youcan do is find a career coach.
Yes, I am a career coach andthat is what I do.
I help people to determine theircareer path.
A lot of times people will cometo me and they will say,"I
(09:28):
really want to do somethingdifferent." And then I take them
through steps of how to figureout what that different is.
Because a lot of times we justdon't know.
We just see what's in front ofus and we're like,"I don't want
to do that.
And I don't want to do that."And because I work with bedside
nurses a lot, usually theconversation is, I don't want to
be a nurse practitioner.
(09:49):
I don't want to be a CRNA.
I don't want to be a nursemanager.
What else can I do?" And thenI'd take them through various
questions, conversations.
Sometimes my conversations arewith nurses who already have a
Master's Degree they're NursePractitioners.
They may be educators, or eithersome of my friends who have
Doctorate degrees, and they'rejust trying to figure out how to
(10:11):
expand their horizon, what theirnext career paths should be.
Because sometimes you get towhere you think the end of your
career path is and you're like,"Okay, well now I'm here now.
What?
Now what?
I got the BSN.
Now what?
I have the Master's degree.
Now what?
I have the Doctorate degree.
Now what?" And there's more toit than that.
(10:31):
There's more that you can do.
Number three.
Use Maslow's hierarchy of needsto determine your career path.
Identify what's important to youin that.
And the first thing is fiscal.
What are your salary needs?
You got to eat.
You got to sleep.
What are your family needs?
(10:52):
What kind of family support doyou have in order to chart the
career path that is before you?
And sometimes you don'tnecessarily have to push your
interests out of the way inorder to take a career path that
may be a little bit easier.
You just might have to go alittle bit slower in making a
decision regarding your careerpath.
(11:13):
So don't count something outjust because what's going on
right now.
As they say, don't make apermanent decision in a
temporary situation.
However you need to considerwhat is best for you.
What will meet your needs?
The top is self-actualization.
And self-actualization is thatthought process of what's going
(11:34):
to fill my cup?
What brings me joy?
All of those things.
And that's when all of the otherneeds of Maslow's pyramid are
met.
Now, you didn't think I wasgoing to bring out the
psychology, but Maslow'shierarchy of needs, it makes
some sense.
That's just the nerd in methough.
Lastly, you want to developself-awareness.
(11:55):
And I talk about self-awarenessin my framework.
And heads up, I do have a groupcoaching program that is coming
out very soon.
This is my first time talkingabout it on the podcast.
However, in my group coachingprogram, it is all about how to
develop your career path.
(12:15):
And one of the things that Ireally dig into is helping
people to develop self-awareness.
And if you've heard any of myprevious podcasts, you'll hear
me talk about self-awareness andhow it includes building your
confidence and developing yourprofessional brand.
It's identifying your corevalues.
It's figuring out what yourstrengths and weaknesses are in
(12:37):
order for you to really get agrasp of, this is what I need to
include in my career path.
It will bring so much clarity towhere you want to go and even
where you are right now.
And help you to come up with aplan for what's next.
So it's really important todevelop self-awareness when
you're wanting to map out yournursing career path.
(12:59):
If you're at a place whereyou're like,"I don't want to
just hop to another job.
I'm tired of just job hopping toreally figure out what I want to
do." Sometimes job hopping isnecessary.
Sometimes you haven't taken amoment to really reflect and
develop a self- awareness aboutwhat you want to do.
What will feel your cup?
(13:19):
What brings me joy?
Doing these four things: identifying what you're (13:22):
undefined
interested in, determining yourcareer goals or your end game,
using Maslow's hierarchy ofneeds to determine what's
important to you, and developingself-awareness will help you in
determining your nursing careerpaths.
I hope you enjoy today'sepisode.
(13:44):
If so, would you take 30 secondsand share it with another nurse
who may be unsure of where to gonext in their career or maybe
need some career clarity?
Also, please leave a quickreview for the show on Apple
Podcast.
It brings me so much joy and somuch encouragement to know this
podcast is helping you now goget the career you want and not
(14:08):
the one you settle for.
And I'll meet you back here nextThursday for another episode.
See you soon.
Are you feeling stuck in yourcurrent clinical environment?
Do you want to make a change inyour nursing career, but not
sure what to do next?
Exhausted, burnt out, and maybeeven ready for different
leadership.
I'm Bonnie Meadows aboard.
Certified clinical nursespecialist, influential leader,
career coach, and wellbeingcoach, being in the nursing and
(00:25):
healthcare profession since2004, I have felt stuck and
unsure about what was next forme.
I wanted to be fulfilled in mypurpose, to have a voice at the
table.
And to be a resource for others.
I kept telling myself I wantedmore, but didn't have the
direction I needed until I foundclarity and career growth
(00:47):
strategies for experiencednurses like me.
In this podcast, you will find.
Simple tactical steps that allowyou to gain the clarity you need
solutions for how to grow evenwithout supportive leadership
and guidelines for settingboundaries at work so that you
can grow purposefully in yourcareer as a nurse with a
(01:09):
graduate degree who makes a hugeimpact in the profession.
So get ready to trade yourscrubs for yoga pants, pop in
those earbuds and let's chat.
Hello, everyone.
We are back to talk about yourunique nursing career.
Four steps to determine yournursing career path.
(01:30):
You know, really charting outyour career can be sometimes
nerve wrecking.
Especially when you thought itwould go one way and it just
doesn't seem like it's workingout to be that way.
You may have come into nursingthinking, I'm going to do this
thing.
And then you get into nursing.
(01:51):
You're like, I don't want to dothat thing.
So then what else am I going todo?
Or you get to that thing andyou're like, this ain't it.
So what next?
And if you're anything like me,like you really want a
guarantee, but you know,everything in life is not a
guarantee.
I thought about this the otherday, and I thought to myself...
(02:11):
finding the right nursing careerpath is like finding a husband.
You've got to go through a fewdecent jobs, bad jobs, sometimes
good jobs before you really findthe right one.
The one that's right for you.
The spouse that's right for you.
(02:32):
That's kind of what it's like.
So most nursing career paths arechosen for various reasons when
we start out or even once we getin it.
What will make me the mostmoney?
What job is the easiest?
Popularity of the role.
Like everybody is going to dothat.
In my time, it was, everybody'sgoing to be a CRNA.
(02:56):
That wasn't my calling.
It wasn't what I desired to do,but the majority of the people.
So it was either CRNs or nursepractitioner.
The people look happy.
You're like,"Well, I want to dowhat they're doing because they
look like they're happy in whatthey're doing." Or it has a
certain prestige to it.
The title looks good.
Those are all reasons why peoplesometimes choose a certain
(03:19):
career path.
And it might not necessarily bethey feel called to it, but it
just is one of those reasons.
But there's only one unique pathfor you.
I didn't say one specific jobfor you, for there are all types
of jobs out there that could bein your career path.
But there's only one uniquecareer path for you.
(03:42):
So in this episode, you're goingto learn four steps that you can
take to determine your uniquecareer path.
The best nursing career path foryou.
When I was a student, a nursingstudent, I worked as a nurse aid
in a hospital.
It's not the current hospitalsystem that I work for.
But I worked night shift.
(04:04):
I actually, loved night shift.
So, I worked this one night.
It was on a surgical unit.
I believe there was like threenurses working on that night.
And one of the nurses said tome,"You're in nursing school?
I would never tell another nurseto be a nurse.
I would not.
You should quit right now.
You don't want to do this." AndI thought to myself,"Well, if
(04:25):
she's telling me this then whyis she still here?
Like, why hasn't she moved on?"That's that bitterness that I
talk about.
Like, you're not helping theprofession at all when you're
telling the nursing student thatthey're making a bad decision.
That just doesn't help.
If she believed that then whyhadn't she left?
Like, you're working in it andyou're telling me that this is
(04:45):
not a good decision.
She obviously had not found thebest career path in general for
her.
And I pray today that she has.
Obviously she had not.
Every person can find the careerpath that fills their cup, gives
them joy and makes an impact inthe patient's life.
(05:06):
It's not perfect, but you canfind what you need.
What's best for you.
And it kind of overshadows allof those other things, depending
on what's going on.
But it overshadows all of thoseother things that cause you to
want to leave the nursingprofession altogether.
70% of nurses feel nursing isstill a great career, but only
(05:28):
12% are happy with where theyare.
And this survey was taken in2021.
No one should ever have to feellike they're settling for a
nursing career they don't like.
If you're in the settling momentof,"Well, I guess this is where
I'll be", and there's nothinghindering you from moving
forward and moving on tosomething different, really take
(05:52):
a listen to these four stepsbecause you need to really
figure out what your career pathis.
You need to see that light atthe end of the tunnel, you need
to have something worth movingforward to, something that just
fills your cup as a nurse.
And I'm not saying it's allroses.
I'm not saying that every day isgoing to be a great day, but
(06:12):
overall you should have moregood days than bad days, and
there shouldn't be this darkcloud, but it should be,"I see
the light in what I do and whatI can do in my career".
So let's take a look at one ofthe first things that you should
do when you're trying todetermine your unique career
path.
Consider your interests.
(06:33):
Are you doing something thatyou're not really interested in,
but you're interested insomething else?
If you're in the hospital butyou really like working in the
community, then you might wantto consider a career path
working in the community.
Working in public health.
Working for the American RedCross.
Things like that.
You should ask to shadow peoplein those areas.
(06:56):
It's okay to come to grips with,"I'm not going to be working in
the hospital." Just because youmay think working in the
hospital might have a prestigeabout it, maybe you should
consider working in thecommunity or you may be holding
yourself back saying,"Oh, Well,I would love to do that, but
they don't make a whole lot ofmoney." Because we will say that
to ourselves.
You might want to reevaluatethat because you never know what
(07:19):
they're doing out there in thecommunity and how their salary
is set up.
You don't really know that untilyou ask.
And you never know, you might beset up with the perfect job that
meets your salary needs.
So ask to shadow people, do ajob search and compare your
current skills with what isrequired in an area that you're
(07:40):
interested in.
And start making moves to worktowards building out a career
path just based on yourinterests.
Determine your career goals.
If you've identified what you'reinterested in.
Now you need to figure out whatare your career goals?
Are your career goals to workupward in the same company that
you're in or in someone'scompany?
(08:02):
Or is it to work outward?
You'll hear me talk about thisphrase of work upward versus
working outward because it wassomething that I had to come to
terms with, of my career path isgoing to be working outward and
not necessarily working upward.
Because my values didn't matchwith upward, they changed.
(08:22):
My values at one point in timematched my lifestyle of working
upward.
They no longer match mylifestyle and what I desire.
So I have to work outward.
I don't mind working outward,because I've found that my joy
is in working outward and itactually helps me in my regular
day job.
It actually brings me joy towork outward.
(08:43):
Outward meaning in professionalorganizations and in advocacy.
Those things fill my cup andremind me of why I do what I do
inward in the job that I go toeveryday.
So determine your career goals.
A lot of times you can get helpin determining your career goals
by either finding yourself amentor either in your current
(09:06):
area or in an area where you'retaking interest.
Where you've taken note of yourinterest.
And also another thing that youcan do is find a career coach.
Yes, I am a career coach andthat is what I do.
I help people to determine theircareer path.
A lot of times people will cometo me and they will say,"I
(09:28):
really want to do somethingdifferent." And then I take them
through steps of how to figureout what that different is.
Because a lot of times we justdon't know.
We just see what's in front ofus and we're like,"I don't want
to do that.
And I don't want to do that."And because I work with bedside
nurses a lot, usually theconversation is, I don't want to
be a nurse practitioner.
(09:49):
I don't want to be a CRNA.
I don't want to be a nursemanager.
What else can I do?" And thenI'd take them through various
questions, conversations.
Sometimes my conversations arewith nurses who already have a
Master's Degree they're NursePractitioners.
They may be educators, or eithersome of my friends who have
Doctorate degrees, and they'rejust trying to figure out how to
(10:11):
expand their horizon, what theirnext career paths should be.
Because sometimes you get towhere you think the end of your
career path is and you're like,"Okay, well now I'm here now.
What?
Now what?
I got the BSN.
Now what?
I have the Master's degree.
Now what?
I have the Doctorate degree.
Now what?" And there's more toit than that.
(10:31):
There's more that you can do.
Number three.
Use Maslow's hierarchy of needsto determine your career path.
Identify what's important to youin that.
And the first thing is fiscal.
What are your salary needs?
You got to eat.
You got to sleep.
What are your family needs?
(10:52):
What kind of family support doyou have in order to chart the
career path that is before you?
And sometimes you don'tnecessarily have to push your
interests out of the way inorder to take a career path that
may be a little bit easier.
You just might have to go alittle bit slower in making a
decision regarding your careerpath.
(11:13):
So don't count something outjust because what's going on
right now.
As they say, don't make apermanent decision in a
temporary situation.
However you need to considerwhat is best for you.
What will meet your needs?
The top is self-actualization.
And self-actualization is thatthought process of what's going
(11:34):
to fill my cup?
What brings me joy?
All of those things.
And that's when all of the otherneeds of Maslow's pyramid are
met.
Now, you didn't think I wasgoing to bring out the
psychology, but Maslow'shierarchy of needs, it makes
some sense.
That's just the nerd in methough.
Lastly, you want to developself-awareness.
(11:55):
And I talk about self-awarenessin my framework.
And heads up, I do have a groupcoaching program that is coming
out very soon.
This is my first time talkingabout it on the podcast.
However, in my group coachingprogram, it is all about how to
develop your career path.
(12:15):
And one of the things that Ireally dig into is helping
people to develop self-awareness.
And if you've heard any of myprevious podcasts, you'll hear
me talk about self-awareness andhow it includes building your
confidence and developing yourprofessional brand.
It's identifying your corevalues.
It's figuring out what yourstrengths and weaknesses are in
(12:37):
order for you to really get agrasp of, this is what I need to
include in my career path.
It will bring so much clarity towhere you want to go and even
where you are right now.
And help you to come up with aplan for what's next.
So it's really important todevelop self-awareness when
you're wanting to map out yournursing career path.
(12:59):
If you're at a place whereyou're like,"I don't want to
just hop to another job.
I'm tired of just job hopping toreally figure out what I want to
do." Sometimes job hopping isnecessary.
Sometimes you haven't taken amoment to really reflect and
develop a self- awareness aboutwhat you want to do.
What will feel your cup?
(13:19):
What brings me joy?
Doing these four things: identifying what you're (13:22):
undefined
interested in, determining yourcareer goals or your end game,
using Maslow's hierarchy ofneeds to determine what's
important to you, and developingself-awareness will help you in
determining your nursing careerpaths.
I hope you enjoy today'sepisode.
(13:44):
If so, would you take 30 secondsand share it with another nurse
who may be unsure of where to gonext in their career or maybe
need some career clarity?
Also, please leave a quickreview for the show on Apple
Podcast.
It brings me so much joy and somuch encouragement to know this
podcast is helping you now goget the career you want and not
(14:08):
the one you settle for.
And I'll meet you back here nextThursday for another episode.
See you soon.
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In 1997, actress Kristin Davis’ life was forever changed when she took on the role of Charlotte York in Sex and the City. As we watched Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte navigate relationships in NYC, the show helped push once unacceptable conversation topics out of the shadows and altered the narrative around women and sex. We all saw ourselves in them as they searched for fulfillment in life, sex and friendships. Now, Kristin Davis wants to connect with you, the fans, and share untold stories and all the behind the scenes. Together, with Kristin and special guests, what will begin with Sex and the City will evolve into talks about themes that are still so relevant today. "Are you a Charlotte?" is much more than just rewatching this beloved show, it brings the past and the present together as we talk with heart, humor and of course some optimism.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com