Map Out Your Healthcare Career and Upscale Along the Way!
If you’re finishing your physician residency or fellowship or graduating from a nursing or advanced practice provider program, congratulations! This is an exciting time. You have unlimited potential in your career as a healthcare provider.
Of course, you can jump into action with abandon and see where your journey takes you. However, you might consider how your entire career might differ if you set aside an hour now to craft a plan for your future. These 5 steps can help you take a thoughtful and measured approach to embarking on your career. Happy planning!
5 Steps for Strategically Planning Your Healthcare Career
1. Identify your goals
First, consider your overarching goals for your healthcare career. Think about the answers to the following questions:
- Where do you want your career to go?
- Who do you want to become?
- What patient populations do you want to serve?
- What healthcare setting do you want to work in?
- Do you prefer a fast-paced environment or a more laid-back atmosphere?
- Do you want to work in private practice, for a large healthcare system, or in outpatient care?
- Do you want to travel or stay close to home?
- Do you want to work full-time or part-time?
- Are you interested in being a leader within your field?
- Is your focus on finding work-life balance? Paying off med school loans? Retiring early?
- Would you rather stay in patient care or move into leadership?
- Are you into solving challenges, developing advanced techniques, using technology?
- Do you want to teach, mentor, or inspire others?
2. Lay out your path.
Next, with your short- and long-term goals in mind, consider how each step in your career will strategically position you to achieve those goals. In essence, you’ll be making a rough map of your career:
- If you’re unsure about your areas of interest, how can you use initial positions to explore and discover your passions?
- If you are sure about your areas of interest, how can you use each career move to build on the next?
- What type of position makes the most sense as your first career move?
- Where do you want to be in one year, three years, five years, ten years, 20 years and 30 years?
- If you plan to lead, how will you get there?
- If you aim to pay off loans and retire early, how much will you need to earn?
- What specific institutions and organizations should you consider if you are interested in research in a particular field or medical condition?
3. Connect with the right resources.
Once you’ve solidified your goals and sketched out a career map, it’s time to tap into your resources. Make a list of who you can connect with to get your career moving:
- What healthcare organizations and facilities should you pursue?
- Will you search on your own or get help from a recruiter?
- Do you have a mentor?
- Have you joined professional organizations?
- Can you reach out to the career resource center at your alma mater?
- Can you join providers’ social media groups?
- Have you signed up for job boards?
- Are you attending job fairs?
- How can you expand your network?
4. Take the first step.
Now, it’s time to make your first career move:
- Gather your CV, resume, cover letters, references, license information, etc.
- Apply with the facilities you’ve chosen or connect with a recruiter.
- Prepare for interviews.
- Interview for the jobs you’re interested in.
- Choose your position carefully, with your goals and career path in mind.
- Start your new job!
5. Upscale as you go.
Starting your new position is exciting, but you’re not finished yet! To build a truly successful career and reach the goals you set out above, as you know, you must continue to learn and grow:
- How can you continue to improve your performance in your profession?
- Will you want to consider moving up the leadership ladder?
- Do you want to embark on new clinical research opportunities?
- Do you need to strengthen your public speaking and presentation skills?
- Do you want to work at a university and move toward educating others?
- What are your opportunities for professional development and upskilling?
- What CMEs, webinars, conferences, workshops, meetings, etc., will move you toward your goals?
- How can you increase your earning potential and value to an organization?
- Are there any grants, awards, or accolades you want to pursue?
- When you revisit your career map, are there any adjustments you should make?
- Are you continually improving and still on an upward career trajectory?
Completing a program to become a healthcare provider is no small feat! You’ve made it this far, so clearly, you know how to set goals and achieve them. This point in your life marks an opportunity to regroup, reset, and reevaluate your goals and path before moving forward. Taking time to thoughtfully consider your career as you embark on your first position can pay great dividends.
Ready to launch your career? Connect with a Cross Country Search consultant.
