Networking is about more than just strengthening your career. The meaningful connections you make as a nurse not only help you grow your skills, they help you feel comfortable and enjoy your work. How can you create a wide network of professional contacts? These networking tips will help you get there.
Networking Tips for Registered Nurses
1. Attend Conferences and Seminars
Conferences offer one of the most pure and effective forms of professional networking. In a single conference, you can meet dozens of peers in different specialties from across the nation. The material covered in the seminars might someday go out of date, but the connections you form will help you throughout your career.
2. Become a Volunteer
There are almost endless ways to volunteer your skills as a nurse, and all of them have an immediate need for help. You don’t even need to travel out of the country to have a meaningful experience as a volunteer; your facility probably already has volunteer programs in place, and multiple organizations provide disaster relief and other services within our borders.
3. Get Your Own Business Cards
If you want to advertise yourself and form rapid connections, follow the lead of other professionals and create a personalized business card. These networking cards will provide you a quick and fool-proof way of exchanging contact information with your peers. Business cards are cheap, so spend some time on an attention-getting design and high-quality materials.
4. Rethink Your Social Media and Online Presence
Modern networking wouldn’t be the same without social media. With over two billion users, Facebook alone can connect you to the bulk of the developed world, and professional networks like LinkedIn provide direct access to the nursing world.
What would people think of you if they only saw your online presence? Nurses need to view social networks as a tool, not a toy. A picture is easy to take out of context, and even public figures regularly see their careers derailed by inappropriate comments they have made online. Should you expect your potential employers to be any more understanding? If you want others to have a high opinion of your professional character, be careful what you post online.
5. Start a Nursing Blog
Conversely, the right type of online presence can help your career. Whether you are highly experienced as a nurse or not, your peers are interested in sharing your journey. A well-crafted blog or social media feed can draw attention to your skills and spark meaningful interchanges with others in your field.
In nursing, connections are everything, and it’s our goal you stay connected no matter what. The Nurse Backpack app is designed to do just that. With its help, you’ll never lose track of an important nursing credential, and you can easily share vital information with others in your network. Find out how the Nurse Backpack app works today!
