5 Steps to a Rewarding Health Career

by Alex A. Kecskes

If you want your career in health care to be rewarding, you need to be proactive and take certain steps to keep yourself employable and promotable. Here are 5 things you should do to achieve those goals:

1. Update Your Resume Often. You should review your resume every six months and update it once a year, even if yours is a secure position with a clear advancement track. In these days of downsizing and mergers, you never know who your boss will be or where you'll be assigned. Your resume should reflect your ability to do the job your boss is doing. The opportunity to move up may someday just fall in your lap and your resume should be ready. Remember, luck is when preparation meets opportunity.

2. Network Constantly. Exploring and touching base with contacts in and out of your immediate sphere are proven ways to keep your career from stagnating. Join and use social and professional Internet networks. Connect and participate in medical blogs. Contribute articles to medical sites. Keep your ear to the ground for any opportunities that may come up.

3. Join Professional Healthcare Associations. It's a great way to stay up to speed on the latest trends and developments in your field or subfield. If you're a nurse, join the American Nurses Association and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Professional associations can provide information, support and vast networking opportunities.

4. Befriend a Skilled Healthcare Recruiter. Experienced medical recruiters can be a valuable asset. Get to know one or two by their first name. And let them know what you're doing and where you want to take your career. Recruiters know when jobs open up before they hit the grapevine or career page advertisements. Remember, you don't have to change jobs, but the steady stream of information and job openings can give you a leg up when you're ready to advance.

6. Find a Mentor. Connect with a successful healthcare professional, someone who has more experience than you or is one or two rungs up the ladder from you. A mentor can show you the valuable two Ps (procedures and politics) if you're just starting out. Or they can give you a clear view of the terrain if you're considering moving up.

For a guide to healthcare advancement, check out Managing Your Career in the Health Care Industry by Shelly Field.

For more information on health careers, visit http://www.healthcarejobsiteblog.com/