Innovative Nurse Job Seekers Go For the Gusto

There are plenty of tried and true ways to advance your career as a nurse and healthcare professional: you can have a powerful resume, well-written cover letters, and a strong LinkedIn profile and consistent networking strategy. However, sometimes you want to take it to the next level, and here are two ways you could consider doing just that.

Nurses on YouTube

Have you ever thought of starting your own YouTube channel? Some of you might think that a YouTube channel is only for those of us nurses who are nurse entrepreneurs, business owners, or educators. Actually, any of you might consider starting a channel for various reasons, including but not limited to:

• Sharing your expertise with the world
• Doing something really fun
• Practicing your public speaking skills
• Learning videography, editing, and production
• Demonstrating your expertise, skills, and knowledge to prospective employers
• Positioning yourself as a thought leader and expert
• Testing your ability to express what you know as a nurse

Brian Perry, a brilliant and forward thinking nurse, recently launched Nursing Now in response to hearing the challenge that I issued to nurses on episode 71 of The Nurse Keith Show. Nursing Now is currently comprised of a Facebook page and  a YouTube channel, and I greatly look forward to how Brian grows the project over time.

Here's Brian's first video:



Congratulations, Brian; you're an inspiration to other nurses who want to showcase their knowledge!

So nurses, how could this video and the subsequent series impact Brian's career? Could he leverage his teaching skills in the interest of a promotion? Could he use the video series as part of an out-of-the-box resume to apply for a position as a nurse educator? There are countless ways for Brian to make incredible use of this new avenue for reaching various audiences. 

Nurse Podcasters

Nurse podcasters are yet another breed of out-of-the-box nursing thinkers. As many of you know, Kevin Ross and I started RNFM Radio with our colleague Anna Morrison back in 2011, and there are many excellent nurse podcasters out there to date. From Elizabeth Scala and Sean Dent to Kevin Ross' Innovative Nurse Show and Jamie Davis and The ProMed Network, we have much to choose from. Even my little show gets some attention on the digital airwaves, and for that I'm very grateful.

If you want to do something different and get between the ears of patients, colleagues, potential collaborators, employers, recruiters, or other thought leaders, a podcast is a platform that those individuals can access from any device; indeed, they can even take you with them while they work out, walk the dog, drive, or do the laundry. A podcast is a potentially powerful platform that can get you in touch with anyone in the world.

Innovate, Nurses!

Nurses, no one says that you have to do everything the way everyone else does. If there's a potential employer you want to impress, or a hiring manager you need to reach out to in a memorable way, the tried and true resume, cover letter, and follow up email may or may not work.

Not everyone is comfortable going out on a limb, putting themselves out there, and risking being vulnerable doing something innovative or different; however, if you're a risk-taker and want to give it a go, there's not much to lose and a lot more to gain.

If you need advice from me on taking such a bold step, please reach out; meanwhile, please visit the sites mentioned above, check out what people like Brian Perry are doing, and plot your own idiosyncratic course towards more success and fulfillment as a nurse and healthcare professional.

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Keith Carlson, RN, BSN, NC-BC, is the Board Certified Nurse Coach behind NurseKeith.com and the well-known blog, Digital Doorway.

Keith is co-host of RNFMRadio.com, a wildly popular nursing podcast; he also hosts The Nurse Keith Show, his own podcast focused on career advice and inspiration for nurses. Keith is also the resident nursing career expert at Nurse.com.

A widely published nurse writer, Keith is the author of "Savvy Networking For Nurses: Getting Connected and Staying Connected in the 21st Century." He has also contributed chapters to a number of books related to the nursing profession, and currently writes for MultiViews News Service, LPNtoBSNOnline.com, StaffGarden, and Working Nurse Magazine.

Mr. Carlson brings a plethora of experience as a nurse thought leader, online nurse personality, holistic career coach, writer, and well-known successful nurse entrepreneur. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with his lovely and talented wife, Mary Rives.