Upskilling and Promotions

Even if you just received your nurse credentials yesterday, there is still plenty of education and training ahead of you. Staying up-to-date as a healthcare professional is an ongoing endeavor; if you rest on your laurels, your career will stagnate. That’s why upskilling is so important for nursing professionals, both to stay relevant in one’s current position and to take on new roles with added responsibilities in the future.

As a nursing professional, you’ll probably want to move up in your organization eventually, either via promotion or by pursuing an advanced certification. Opportunities to update and add to your skill set can help you along this trajectory.

What Is Upskilling?

The term upskilling refers to the process of learning and developing new skills with the goal of advancing your career. This is hardly a new concept, but employers have taken a more proactive approach to ensuring their workforce is current on the latest technologies, methods, and capabilities that will keep them competitive. Tech and digital upskilling examples in a care facility might include learning new software programs or mastering new diagnostic equipment.

Since the healthcare field changes constantly, nurses require a great deal of ongoing skills training (in addition to continuing requirements) just to keep up. For instance, you may already have completed 30 hours of continuing education just to maintain your license, but still want to take on additional responsibilities within your department. Your facility or residence has the incentive to keep you, so they may pay for additional coursework that helps you develop additional skills.

Other times, upskilling will involve everyone in a given department or even the entire staff. And it’s not always about technology or technical aspects of the job. For instance, a nursing home may require all of its residents to complete a cultural competence course in order to better serve their diverse population of residents.

Upskilling, Promotions, and Your Nursing Career

If you want to thrive in your nursing career, you’ll want to seek out an employer that values upskilling. In fact, facilities and residences that want to retain top talent typically invest in these types of programs. Not only will adding to your skill set improve your chances of being promoted, but you’ll also be better prepared for your next role and the rest of your career. The articles in this section will help you leverage these upskilling opportunities and better position yourself for a long and rewarding career.