Why do I want to become a second career nurse? Nursing school is a commitment so you need to ensure that you are doing it for the right reasons. Think about what is motivating you to make the change. Is it the demand for nurses, the flexibility, the variety of job opportunities or a drive to help others?

Do I have what it takes & the support to make it through nursing school? Find out and understand what the requirements of the nursing program are and make sure that you have a strong support system to get you through an accelerated nursing program. There are many study options to choose from. Good luck!

The post Is Nursing as a Second Career the Right Choice for You? appeared first on Advanced Care.

A profile photo is an essential part of your profile as it’s the first impression that a profile viewer will get of you. Research shows that profiles with photos attract 14 times more views. Make sure that your photo looks professional.

Add a background image which can make your profile stand out. You can find free ready-made background images online.

The headline is found right below your name and is the first thing that a profile visitor is likely to read. The headline doesn’t have to be just your job title. You can use it to list your nursing specialty. You can also use keywords to make it easier for recruiters & others to find you in a search. Examples of keywords are ’emergency’, ‘home care’ or ‘Nurse Manager’.

The post LinkedIn Profile Tips for Nurses appeared first on Advanced Care.

Firstly, use a professional resume template. You can find many of these templates online.

As you are likely to have less job experience, you can also include:

• Any relevant awards or honors received. For example, an educational award or an award received during your clinical rotations.
• Volunteer, summer jobs and work experience in the healthcare field that are relevant to the job.
• Any nursing affiliations you have.

When listing your clinical rotations or senior preceptorship, you should include as many relevant details to the job you are applying to. For example, you could include the type of patients that you worked with.

Finally, being bilingual in a second language is a sought-after skill and should be included.

The post Resume Tips for New Graduate Nurses appeared first on Advanced Care.

Why did I choose nursing? Think about what brings you the most fulfillment in your work and choose a specialty that will help you achieve that.

Which setting suits my personality best? Think about whether you thrive in fast-paced, constantly changing environments, such as an Emergency Room. Or whether you prefer something with a slower, calmer pace with opportunities to build long-term relationships with your patients such as home health.

Which population do I prefer to work with? Think about the population that you would most like to provide care for. Do you prefer working with children, adults or the elderly.

Also, research typical salary to make sure that it is aligned with your expectations, certifications you will need and the educational pre-requisites.

The post Questions to ask Yourself when Choosing a Nursing Specialty appeared first on Advanced Care.

Be prepared by running a trial video call with a friend. Test the video and sound to make sure it is clear. Check the internet speed and Wi-Fi connection to ensure the call doesn’t disconnect during the interview.

Practice looking at the camera while you are talking instead of looking at the interviewer on the screen. This virtual eye contact will make a better impression.

Choose a location in your house that is tidy and well-lit and be aware of the background as it­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ will be seen by the interviewer.

Dress professionally in the same way as you would for a face-to-face interview.

Be on time. Make sure to enter the room at least five minutes before the start of the interview.

Good luck!

The post Tips for Making a Great Impression at a Virtual Job Interview appeared first on Advanced Care.

Firstly, look at the job description/job advertisement and ensure that the cover letter highlights in a clear and concise way, how your nursing qualifications, experience, skills and personality match the job requirements.

Show your enthusiasm for this particular nursing job and employer by explaining why you chose to apply for this job and facility.

Finally, while reading it over, ask yourself: Does this cover letter sell yourself as the best candidate for the job?

The post Tips for Writing an Email Cover Letter for a Nursing Job appeared first on Advanced Care.

• Communication skills are essential. Nurse managers need to be able to convey information clearly and concisely.
• Decision making and leadership skills. Nurse managers are looked up to by their team to lead and be decisive. In addition, they should act as a role model to their team.
• Team-working and team building. A nurse manager needs to work well within a team and at the same time, to build a team by encouraging collaboration and managing conflict.
• Coping effectively with change. With constant changes happening in the healthcare industry, and especially during the current pandemic, a nurse manager needs to embrace change and to adapt to it.

The post Skills Every Nurse Manager Needs appeared first on Advanced Care.

Passion – A nurse who is passionate and enthusiastic about the nursing profession, and about caring for their patients, performs better and can inspire passion in others.

Flexibility – Nursing and the entire healthcare industry is a changing and developing field so the willingness to be able to adapt to change is very important. This can include openness to learning new systems or new ways of working.

Positive attitude – A nurse who can maintain a positive attitude and can uplift those around them can help to decrease stress in the work environment. A positive attitude can lead to higher job performance and an increase in patient satisfaction.

The post Qualities that Hiring Managers Look for in Nursing Candidates appeared first on Advanced Care.

To answer these questions, consider using the STAR method.

S – Situation – Describe the situation. Think of one specific situation and be as specific as possible about the details.

T – Task – What goal were you working towards? What were you aiming to accomplish? For example, to calm the patient down.

A – Action – Describe the action that you took. Be as specific as possible and focus on what you did by using “I” statements. For example, “I communicated with and listened to the patient.”

R – Result – Explain the outcome and anything that you learned from the situation. Would there be anything that you would do differently next time?

The post How to Answer Nursing Behavioral Interview Questions appeared first on Advanced Care.

Lifelong learning opens more career opportunities for nurses. For example, you may consider studying for a skills certificate, for example, in nurse leadership or for a Master’s Degree in Nursing. These qualifications will improve your chances of promotion & career advancement and increase your earning potential.

There are many online learning options available, giving you the flexibility to study in your own time. Online learning also allows you to study, despite social distancing measures and closures of learning institutions due to COVID-19.

In addition, best practices in healthcare are always developing. There is always more to learn, so nurses need to develop their knowledge & skills to ensure that they are delivering the best possible care to their patients.

The post Why Lifelong Learning is Important in Nursing appeared first on Advanced Care.