Someone recently said we’re losing RNs when they become nurse practitioners.

That really surprised me.

We need to stop thinking of nursing as one fixed role.

When an RN becomes an NP, they’re not leaving nursing.

They’re growing within it. NPs are still nurses.

They’re still caring for patients, solving problems, and making the system better.

Good leaders don’t see career growth as a loss.

They see it as an opportunity.

If we want a strong, sustainable nursing workforce, we need to support nurses at every stage of their journey.

Whether they stay at the bedside, move into advanced practice, or take on leadership roles.

Let’s stop keeping score, and start lifting each other up.

NON-BEDSIDE JOB SPOTLIGHT

Nurse Educator

Working as a nurse educator in both an acute care hospital and home and community care gave me new perspectives in adult learning.

What I realized is, nurses like to be involved in the way they learn. They will ask more questions when they feel involved, and that the education has a direct impact on the care they will provide.

Keeping things interactive was key to helping them retain the knowledge. Group activities, role playing, and not reading off slides was important.

For online learning, short videos, quizzes, and fill in the blanks helped keep things from getting too boring (yes, e-learning is not going away anytime soon!)

It was interesting to incorporate evidence-based practices and do literature searches to ensure I was providing the most accurate, up to date information possible.

Here’s what I think helped me get the job:

• Focusing on my patient and family teaching skills (they are all adult learners after all, unless you work in peds)

• Showing continuous learning (list off workshops, conferences, and lunch and learns you have attended)

• Researching guidelines, new research and organizational policies in my area of expertise (which was maternal child)

• Highlighting transferable skills (when I interviewed for the home health job, I learned heavily on my experience as a community PSW/CNA during nursing school)

P.S. One of the positions turned remote during the pandemic, which is how I fell into remote nursing!