Developing Your Career

Designed to help nurses with their choice of career, this book discusses the nature of and need for career planning and development, and examines specific aspects of this development such as writing, research, reading, job applications and preparing a curriculum vitae.

The major function of pre-registration training programmes for nurses is to produce able and safe clinicians, but these programmes also focus on the development of a career beyond registration. This book is intended to contribute to the consideration of this area, and assist teaching staff to make the subject an integral part of students' professional awareness. The book contains general chapters which discuss the nature of, and need for, career planning and development and other chapters are included which examine specific aspects of career development such as writing, research, reading, job applications and preparing a curriculum vitae. All the chapters are designed as starting points from which to develop these particular components of successful career development. In addition the range of topics covered is not exhaustive, they are presented as examples of the kinds of issues that might be considered. The content is intended to be relevant to those who are presently undergoing initial training and to be of value to qualified staff who are considering means of structuring their career development; either in the context of a post-registration course or as part of on-going independent study. The term "nurse" is used throughout the text in a general way which is intended to include all those who have a nursing background or training, and who are currently working in an area which requires the use of nursing knowledge and skill.