50 Years Old with 22 yrs Experience & Getting DNP - How do I make myself more marketable?

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

Dear Nurse Beth,

I'm 50 and have been a nurse since 1994. My first nursing job took me from staff nurse, interim nurse manager and nurse clinician. Next, I worked in a civilian hospital, then a travel nurse. Worked in home health (which I did not like) before finding my current position in the ambulatory setting. I have been in this position for 10 years. I have my MSN and will begin my DNP in July. I cannot advance with my current employer. I have applied for available leadership positions within my organization but cannot get an interview. I have become more active with national nurse organizations. My concern is getting the DNP and being in the same position. How does this look on a resume? Maybe it is time to look for new job at another organization. I have no recent managerial experience but pursuing educational opportunities. What else can I do to make myself more marketable?

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Dear Wants to Advance,

Congrats on starting your DNP program in July!!

If you cannot advance with your current employer, look elsewhere. You need to land your first management or leadership position soon to kick start your leadership career path. For whatever reason, it is not happening at your current place of employment.

Sometimes you can be pigeon-holed into a certain role when you've been at a facility for some time. Sometimes the organization does not want to train a replacement for you. Sometimes they just don't see your leadership potential and sometimes there is a good old girls” promotion system. It is a good idea to analyze why you were passed over for in-house opportunities. Ask a trusted friend for feedback and how you can be more competitive.

Actively apply for and pursue management positions in other organizations. Having your MSN is very good as many organizations prefer an MSN candidate over a non-MSN candidate.

A tip- I noticed your email address is an aol.com” address. To update your image and make yourself more marketable, change to a firstname.lastname g-mail address as aol.com email addresses appear outdated. Spruce up your resume and prepare for interview questions.

Best,

Nurse Beth

[Ndy-RN]

Love nurse Beth's response always[emoji4]

[llg, PhD, RN]

Don't be afraid of a lateral move. Sometimes, you have to move "over" before you can move "up." I've done that with success a couple of times in my career. Also, sometimes "enhancement" is better than "advancement."

I have a PhD -- but I spent the last 19 years working in a position in which everyone else has an MSN. I'm happy. That's what counts. I get a few perks because of my higher education and that makes staying in my current position worthwhile.

Good luck.