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If graduation is just around the corner, you may be finding yourself wondering what happens next, and what you’ll do in place of the nursing student routine you’ve been living for the past few years. Here are some tips to help you get your new career started in the best way possible.
- After graduation, pass the NCLEX as soon as you can: Get your NCLEX test date scheduled quickly and throw yourself into one last round of studying and reviewing material from nursing school while it’s still fresh. To get in the groove, here are five quick tips to help you prepare for the NCLEX.
- Perfect your resume: Make sure you cover your certifications and education, of course, but also put some time into describing your skillset. Cover skills you’ve learned in your clinicals, like placing IVs, as well as soft skills you’ve developed like communicating with patients or critical thinking. Add in your clinical experiences through your education and any nursing-related volunteering you’ve done. If there’s a particular specialty you’re trying to break into, make sure you highlight any related experience to help yourself stand out.
- Apply to your dream job(s): Maybe you know the exact nursing job you’re looking for. If not, think through your clinical and volunteer experiences, the aspects of your nursing education you’ve most enjoyed, and the type of environment you’d like to be in to help narrow down the jobs that are most likely to fit your needs. Set up a search on Indeed or some other job site to find opportunities as they come up, and try to get your application in quickly when you find a position you’re interested in. Don’t feel like you need to send out dozens of applications, but don’t put all of your hopes in one application, either. When job hunting, it’s definitely best to have options.
Nervous about that job search? Here are 6 tips to jumpstart the hunt for your first nursing job
- Sign up for continuing education credits: Your nursing education doesn’t end with graduation – you’ll need a steady stream of continuing education credits to keep your licensing up to date. One great way to get started is to sign up on com – you’ll find requirements organized by state, and mobile friendly content and assessments to help you earn your continuing education credits easily as you have time. Pro tip: Sign up for your free account with your personal email instead of your student email – you don’t want to lose access after graduation when you finally need it most!
- Celebrate your accomplishments: This is definitely the most important part. Graduating and getting ready to start your new career in nursing is a huge accomplishment. Celebrating may be a bit different during a global pandemic, but take some time to treat yourself and enjoy the company and well-wishes of your friends and family (whether in person or virtually). You deserve it!
Know someone who’s graduating and starting off their nursing career? Here are some gift ideas to help them get going!