There are few careers more rewarding than nursing. The hours may be long and the work may be hard, but the sense of accomplishment and reward that is gained when working the service of our fellow human beings is often palpable. It’s this very pure and sincere desire to dedicate our lives to helping others that drives people in their droves to the medical industry and the world of nursing in particular. But after working in this rewarding job for a few years, many nurses find themselves stagnating. They may feel under stimulated, overworked or under appreciated while also not being afforded the opportunities for professional development or career progression that they were promised. In this climate, an estimated 33% of nurses leave the profession within their first 3 years.
If the harsh conditions, culture of stagnation and perpetually sore feet are slowly pushing you out of the profession you love, it’s likely that some changes are in order. Fortunately, there are more opportunities for nurse entrepreneurs to bring their skills, talent and imagination to the free market in the digital age. Read on to see if this could be the shot in the arm that your career needs…
What does a nurse entrepreneur do?
Quite simply, everything that you currently do as a nurse. You’ll still care for patients and work within your chosen specialism (unless you have the skills and knowledge to establish yourself in a new one). You might want to specialize in the care of children or senior citizen assistance. You may wish to deal exclusively with oncology patients or trauma patients. If you’re sick of the sight of patients you could even administer care to your patients in the comfort of their own homes. Of course you’ll also have to cover the administrative and business side of your enterprise, too. You’ll need to keep track of patient records (more on that later) while also ensuring that your business maintains a steady stream of work and revenue.
What are the benefits?
You’ll get to cherry pick all the best things about the job and eliminate the parts you hate. Aside from choosing your specialism you’ll also get to decide your own hours and who you work with. You’ll be able to work around your personal and family commitments and be forever free of the unpredictable nightmare that is shift work.
Sounds great, what do I need?
The equipment you need will depend entirely on your specialism and its likely that a business startup loan will assist you in covering the costs of what you need. You will also need to ensure that you meet HIPAA compliance standards when handling patient data. Fortunately, there are a range of bespoke healthcare security packages designed to help small medical businesses just like yours. Of course, if overheads are an issue you can even monetize your knowledge and your talent in your spare time by being a nurse blogger.
When you choose to monetize your talent and go into business for yourself, there’s no telling where it might take you. You could establish your own agency, become a consultant or even get into public speaking!
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