Considering Changing your Specialty
Like many other nurses, you may wish to change your career to a new specialty or setting, after all, what better way to renew your love of nursing than by taking on a new challenge. One that's better suited to your skills and preference at this time in your career. The fact is, nurses make career adjustments all the time as they pursue new and better opportunities and attempt to improve their knowledge and expertise. It could be a matter of moving from intensity of a ICU to delivering general patient care in a skilled nursing facility. Or it could involve shifting to a different facility type.
For travel nurses, there's even more value in working in a new setting. The pandemic has caused a huge rise in the use and recognition of full time travel nurses and this higher profile is likely to inspire many new nurses to start traveling. As the Nursing Licensure Compact continues to expand, the number of nurses traveling to other states for assignments will only continue to grow. And that's all the more reason to consider expanding your specialty or facility experience.
Consider what is your motivation for changing your specialty; it's important to nail down what you're looking for in a career change. Are you seeking a new experience or a chance to work with patients at different stages of the care continuum? Are you feeling burned out in your current role or have you reached a level you cant advance beyond? Maybe you want to move from a big city to a small town. There are a number of possibilities here that may make you want to consider a short term travel assignment. It's a good way to sample a new career path before committing to a huge life change that you may not necessarily be ready for. Consider how the salary of the new specialty affects your personal finances - both now and in future goals. If you're looking to shift to an advanced practice position like a nurse practitioner then you'll want to factor in the time and cost of heading back to school.
If you're seeking to refresh your nursing career, changing your specialty might be a good option. It's important to consider all aspects of this new and exciting decision as you pursue new and better opportunities. Travel nursing is a great way to try new specialties before making a commitment. Apply to be a travel nurse today and see what new specialties you might be interested in!
