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Bold in Understanding Your Need for Change
A clear understanding of your needs provides a foundation for action
Dr. Kristi Campoe
April 12, 2024
Welcome to The Bold Brief—
You are a member of this community of top-notch expert nurses and healthcare professionals who aspire to be “bold” in career and life. We want to be bold in our life’s purpose, and bold in life and career choices to live with authenticity, balance, and meaningful challenges.
So, bold in Understanding the Need for Change
Understanding Your Need for Change
You've spent countless hours caring for patients, often sacrificing your own needs and well-being. Now, it's time to focus on yourself—on finding a career that aligns with your passions, offers more flexibility, and enhances your personal happiness. Whether it's healthcare consulting, medical writing, device or pharmaceutical education, or a brand new field away from healthcare, there's a world of opportunities where your nursing education and skills are highly valued.
The Evidence to Understand Your Need for Change 1
Nurses leave the hospital bedside because:
Challenging work environment
Emotional distress
Disappointment about nursing reality, and
Culture of hierarchy and discrimination.
What the Evidence Means for Your Work and Life
Evaluate your work environment
Understand your sources of distress in work and life
Explore your professional identity in relationship to your purpose
Examine your values and beliefs
“Being ready for change is the first step of change.”
A Step-by-Step Guide Fulfill Your Need for Change
Step 1: Evaluate Your Current Work Environment
Assess your current job and its alignment with your personal and professional goals. Identify factors contributing to stress and dissatisfaction. This might involve looking at workload, work-life balance, emotional impacts, and the cultural environment.
Step 2: Understand Your Sources of Distress in Work and Life
Identify and document specific sources of stress and dissatisfaction in your current role. Consider aspects like long hours, emotional toll, lack of recognition, or feeling undervalued. Reflect on how these elements affect your personal life and overall well-being. This understanding is crucial for identifying what needs to change for you to feel fulfilled and happy.
Step 3: Reflect on Professional Identity
Think about your identity beyond your current job title. What are the core aspects of your professional self that you value most? Is it your ability to care, your skill in problem-solving, or your role as an educator? Understanding this will help you later to identify roles that satisfy not just the practical side of changing careers but also the personal fulfillment aspect.
Read more about professional nursing identity 2
Step 4: Reflect on Personal Values and Beliefs
Take time to deeply consider what values are most important to you. These might include integrity, compassion, stability, innovation, or community. List these values and evaluate how well your current career aligns with them. This reflection will guide your decisions and help prioritize changes that honor these values.
Try this Free Values Test 3
Step 5: Take Action Now
Start implementing these steps this week!
Begin by evaluating your work environment and identifying one major source of distress this week. Reflect on your top three personal values and write a brief description of your professional identity as you see it now. Join us in our community discussions where we share insights and support each other in aligning our careers with our deepest values and identities.
As you move forward with your plans for a bold career and life change, take these steps and reflections seriously. They are the foundation upon which you can build a happier, more satisfying professional and personal life. Each step is designed to ensure that the changes you make are deeply rooted in your personal truth and professional aspirations.
Why This Approach Works
Targets Root Causes of Unhappiness: By understanding specific sources of distress, you can make targeted changes that have a significant impact on your happiness and job satisfaction.
Ensures Future Alignment with Core Values: Reflecting on and aligning with your personal values leads to greater fulfillment and helps prevent future discontent.
Clarifies Professional Aspirations: Understanding your professional identity beyond your current role allows you to seek positions that truly reflect your skills and passions, making your work more rewarding.
Conclusion
This approach will guide you through a thoughtful examination of your current situations and aspirations, setting a strong foundation for making profound and satisfying career and life changes.
As we start this journey together, remember that each step you take is part of a larger transition toward a more satisfying career and life.
We are here to support you with insights, advice, and stories of those who have successfully made this transition.
Remember, the bold career and life that you desire is not just a dream—it's within your reach. Let's make it a reality together.
P.S. If you want to learn from me on a daily basis, come connect with me on LinkedIn or in my Facebook Community.
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