Stagnation

[Q.]

This thread is an off-shoot of the Portfolio thread; see that for more info.

The topic here is I'm feeling stagnated in my career and I don't know what to do.

My clinical skills and passion lie in OB/GYN. My other passion and skill is in education and program management. In enrolled in school for my MSN so I can teach things related to OB.

I've been in an educator role for over a year, but this current role has me abandoning my OB skills/interest to be more of a generalist if not heavy on the med/surg areas. I've been concerned about how this looks on my resume - my even further lack of OB specialization in what I do for quite some time - even talked to my boss about it a while ago. She suggested I contact the OB educator and offer to do "projects" for her. What that has led me to is basically validating nurses on OB competencies. :stone Not quite what I had in mind. I'm still a member of AWHONN (the OB professional org) and try to keep up on the trends, but its very difficult when I'm a full time student and trying to also read up on chest tubes, MRIs, etc.

I'm feeling too much like a "jack of all trades" because I span across the hospital (minus OB, basically) and it's not how I want to be known. I actually have very little practical knowledge in any other area besides OB.

I'm doing my graduate research on prenatal education to even further my relevance in the field, but it doesn't seem to help.

This is all stemming from not getting the job I interviewed for as a regional supervisor for the prenatal education programs at a local hospital. I am really disappointed over this and feel it could be due to either my perceived age (again!) or my lack of focus over the past couple years.

Along the same lines is I seem to get called for interviews on alot of challenging positions, but don't seem to secure the position. What am I doing wrong? I'm feeling stagnated. I feel like I have a career goal and no one else is letting me fulfil it no matter what I do.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I don't think your situation is as bad as you seem to think it is, Susy. You are actually in the process of building a strong resume. It's just that it takes time to get all the experience and education that a person needs to get the kinds of jobs that you want -- and you need to be a little more patient and not expect it to come all at once. Remember, after spending 5 years getting my PhD, I had to go back to my old job as a neonatal CNS for 4 years before getting the job I really wanted. Sometimes, it takes more time than we would like.

You are still in the middle of your Master's program, but haven't finished it yet. After you graduate, you will have that credential that you don't have now -- and that will add to your qualifications. That might help you get some of those jobs that you are not getting now.

You worry about losing your clinical OB skills -- and yet you ARE maintaining your contact with the specialty through your Master's thesis project and your validation of OB compentencies project. How much more do you want? If you want to maintain that "leading edge" technical expertise that you had as a staff nurse, then you need to go back to staff nursing. No project manager, administrator, or educator maintains that same level of technical proficiency. Losing a little of some of your clinical edge is the price that must be paid for leaving the bedside and taking a different type of nursing role. Perhaps it is time for you to re-evaluate what you really want. If you are not going to be happy letting go of your "staff nurse technical expertise," then maybe you won't be happy in a "project manager" or "educator" type of role. Such roles require that you spend a lot of time away from the bedside -- and perhaps you are not ready for all that entails.

The higher "up the ladder" you go, the more you need to be able to think globally and have a "generalist" perspective. It sounds as if your current job is giving you experiences that can teach you that. In the long run, those lessons will be valuable to you. Your previous OB experience taught you valuable bedside care skills. Your current job is teaching you another set of valuable skills. You are keeping current in the OB field through your schoolwork, etc.

Piece by piece, you build your repertoire of skills ... each experience building upon the previous ones. It's what they add up to when combined that counts. You can't expect to be doing "it all" at any given moment in time. It's not realistic to expect to be (1) a staff nurse maintaining that technical/clinical edge (2) a graduate student (3) a manager (4) an educator. Each of these roles has a different focus and you need to choose which focus is your priority at any given time.

I'm sorry I've been kind'a rambling here ... but I think you get my point. You need to choose where to put your focus now, what your priorities are for this year. Accomplish those and then move on to the next. You seem to be trying to focus on it all simultaneously. If I were you, I would say to myself, "I'm going to focus on finishing my MSN and getting experience as an educator now. When I graduate, I'll seek a job that combines my education and OB experience. If one comes along before I graduate, terrific. But if not, I will get the most of what my current situation has to offer and use that experience to help me get the job of my dreams later, after I graduate. After I graduate, I'll be able to invest more in my job search and/or finding projects to work on in my current job that will help me get where I want to go."

One step at a time, Susy ... one step at a time. Hang in there. You seem to be doing fine. You've just had a disappointment. Use it to step back and stimulate some reflection on where your priorities are for the rest of the year. Re-group and then get back on that horse.

Take care,

llg

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

Susy, I think you're in quite an enviable spot, especially for someone so young.......and it's going to get nothing but better! :) You're getting more education, and you're learning more and more about nursing in general every day.......how can that possibly be a waste?

Really, it's OK to be a little unfocused once in a while.....if you're like most people who start their careers relatively early in life, you're going to go through times like this, and probably more than once. Relax, keep learning, and try to enjoy this time of change.....good things usually happen when you "let go, and let God".

Wishing you well, as always. :)

[Q.]

. You seem to be trying to focus on it all simultaneously.

After reading your post and doing some reflection, I discovered that to be true. I am focusing on all of it at once. And after further looking inward, thought that was what successful people did. Or so it seemed. Doesn't it?

[Q.]

Wishing you well, as always. :)

Thanks, Marla. :)

[llg, PhD, RN]

After reading your post and doing some reflection, I discovered that to be true. I am focusing on all of it at once. And after further looking inward, thought that was what successful people did. Or so it seemed. Doesn't it?

It seems that way from the outside sometimes. But I think that is true for only a few people who happen to get lucky and find themselves in the right place at the right time ... and happen to have the talent and energy to make the most of their good luck. Most people build their success one stepping stone at a time. Careers are made (built) by getting a strong combination of education and experience -- learning from each as you go -- keeping an eye looking forward, but also making the most of where you are at the moment.

Over time, your skills grow deeper and broader, your credentials lengthen, and your opportunities grow as well. As long as you are learning and contributing to your employer's mission, then you are not really stagnating.

Perhaps it would help to think of your career as a journey. Sometimes you go fast: sometimes you go slow: sometimes you take the expressway: sometimes you take the scenic route: sometimes you take a detour: sometimes you have to stop for gas (and food and a pit stop).

Enjoy the journey! :-) Don't just focus on "getting there" wherever "there" may be for you. Once you're "there" you will find yourself at loose ends, asking yourself "Is this all there is?" You'll need to set more goals and start a new journey to give your life a sense of purpose again. It's the journey we really need, not the destination.

Have a nice trip,

llg (someone who is "there" by most standards and has been through most of what the journey has to offer, good and bad)

[lady_jezebel]

Work prn as a bedside OB nurse in order to keep up with your skills. Even 2 shifts per month may help you feel more satisfied.