It’s Your Career:
Take ChargeCareer Planning
and Development•CONSEILI
N
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RNATIONALDES INFIRMIÈRES•CONSEJO INTERNACIONALDEENFERMERAS•INTERNATIONALCOUNCILOFNURSESINTERNATIONALCOUNCILOFNURSES3, place Jean-MarteauCH-1201 Geneva (Switzerland)Tel. (+41 22) 908 01 00Fax (+41 22) 908 01 01E-mail: icn@icn.chWeb site: http://www.icn.chINTRODUCTION4WHATISCAREERPLANNING6WHYCAREERPLANNING ANDDEVELOPMENTISIMPORTANT7THECAREERPLANNING ANDDEVELOPMENTMODEL9CREATINGYOURCAREERVISION9DEVELOPINGYOURSTRATEGICCAREERPLAN16MARKETINGYOURSELF18CAREERTRAININGHANDBOOKANDGUIDE21REFERENCES223TABLE OFCONTENTS2All rights, including translation into other languages, reserved. No part of
this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form without the express written permission of the
International Council of Nurses. Short excerpts (under 300 words) may be
reproduced without authorization, on condition that the source is
indicated.Copyright © 2001 by ICN - International Council of Nurses,
3, place Jean-Marteau, CH-1201 Geneva (Switzerland)Printing: Imprimerie FornaraISBN 92-95005-25-2IT’S YOUR CAREER: TAKE CHARGECAREER PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENTDeveloped by
Gail J. Donner RN, PhD and
Mary M. Wheeler RN, MEdfor the International Council of NursesPURPOSE5PurposeIt’s Your Career: Take Charge, is directed towards indi-
vidual nurses to help them take charge and be in con-
trol of their careers within the ever-changing world of
health care. This is a training package that provides
nurses with:•An overview of what career planning and develop-
ment is and why it is important.•A five-phase career planning and development model
and activities to guide career development.•A trainer guide for those who want to conduct an It’s
Your Career: Take Charge workshop and offer career
coaching.These guidelines highlight the key dimensions of
career planning and development and offer guidance
to those who wish to evaluate the present and shape
their future.4INTRODUCTIONHealth care in the world is changing and the world of
health care is changing, creating new roles, new work
settings and new colleagues for nurses. Changes in nurs-
ing and in the health care system have also created
environments in which nurses must become career
resilient and self-directed. Nurses must take control of
their careers and futures in their quest for self-determina-
tion as professionals. Career-resilience is about flexibility
and adaptability, something nurses understand. Career-
resilience conforms to the many definitions of nursing
professional practice that include autonomy, self-direc-
tion, and continuous learning.Nurses require support in their practice and in their pro-
fessional development, now more than ever. Career
planning and development is an integral part of devel-
oping as a professional wherever one lives and works.
Nurses have dreams, goals, and ideas about their
futures. They need a process to guide them in achieving
their maximum potential. How can I plan my career?
How can I remain employable? What are the opportu-
nities today and what will they be in the future? and,
Who can help me? are the current questions. Nurses
must integrate the process of career planning and devel-
opment into their ongoing professional and personal
development.INTRODUCTION7The skills required to engage in career planning and
development are those same skills nurses already use in
their daily practice, as part of problem solving and the
nursing process. Just as they assess, plan, and develop
care plans with and for their patients, so too must they
learn to assess, plan and develop career plans for them-
selves. The skills are the same. The focus or target is
however different. Thus, career planning is not a one-
time event, but rather is a process that becomes part of
the repertoire of skills and experiences and enables the
nurse to develop as a professional and achieve personal
objectives.WHY CAREER PLANNING AND
DEVELOPMENT IS IMPORTANTThe tremendous changes that have marked nursing
over the last half of the 20th century have brought sig-
nificant challenges and opportunity. Cycles of boom
and bust, high unemployment and shortages of work-
ers have been common. Change has been the norm.
These changes have created an environment in which
individuals must take control of their careers. Nurses
can no longer depend on others to define their future
for them. Continuous career planning is a strategy that
can offer the means to respond to short and long-term
changes in the profession, in health care, and in the
workplace, whether that be a large institution, commu-
nity agency or a small business.The career planning and development process helps
nurses answer the following four questions:•Where have I been?•Where am I now?•Where would I like to go?•How will I get there?WHYCAREERPLANNING ANDDEVELOPMENTISIMPORTANTWHAT IS CAREER PLANNING?Career planning is “a continuous process of self-assess-
ment and goal setting”1. It helps nurses adapt tochange in their own development, in the profession
and in the environment in which they live and practice.
Careers need attention and nurturing. They are, “life
expressions of how a person wants to be-in-the-
world”2. As people move through their careers, theirskills develop, their needs change, and their goals and
plans evolve. Nurses’ careers generally can be
described as passing through five stages:•Learning, which takes place within the basic edu-
cational programme and in additional learning,
e.g. with specialisation.•Entry, when newly graduated nurses select their
first employment in nursing.•Commitment, when nurses identify their likes and
dislikes in terms of clinical area, geography,
work life etc.•Consolidation, when nurses become comfortable
with their chosen career path and with their rela-
tionship between the personal and the professional.•Withdrawal, when nurses prepare for retirement.3These stages reflect movement through a career, not
merely movement through jobs. In each stage, one
may have more than one job or position. Career plan-
ning can play a crucial role at every stage of a nurse’s
career. It is something that students, beginning practi-
tioners, and experienced professionals can use to
enrich their current role or to assist them in changing
roles. As nurses review their professional goals, train-
ing needs and job opportunities throughout their
careers, they may pass through most of the stages
more than once.WHATISCAREERPLANNING?69THE CAREER PLANNING AND
DEVELOPMENT MODELCareer development is a repetitive and continuous
rather than a linear process. It requires individuals to
understand their work and life environment, assess
their strengths and limitations, validate that assess-
ment, articulate their personal career vision, develop a
realistic plan for the future, and then market themselves
to achieve career goals.The five phases of the career planning and develop-
ment model are:•Scanning your environment.•Completing your self-assessment and reality.•Creating your career vision.•Developing your strategic career plan.•Marketing yourself.4Scanning Your EnvironmentScanning your environment is taking stock of the world
in which you live. It involves understanding current
realities in the health care system and the work envi-
ronment as well as the future trends at the global,
national, and local levels in society, health care, and
nursing. Through the scanning process you become
better informed, learn to see the world through differ-
ing perspectives, and are able to identify career
opportunities, both current and future.When asked to think about the word “environment”,
you should imagine both a close-up picture of the
health care setting, and a wide-angle shot of the exter-
nal area surrounding you. To understand how current
trends and future developments in health care might
affect your career, you must also think about the
broader environmental context as well.THECAREERPLANNING ANDDEVELOPMENTMODEL8The process is really the development of a life skill,
one that nurses can apply in their workplaces, and in
their personal life. It is an individual responsibility, a
life long activity, and a necessary skill in a changing
world of work and health care. When one engages in
the process, a sense of enjoyment, pride, and energy
is also realised.WHYCAREERPLANNING ANDDEVELOPMENTISIMPORTANT•What health/social issues seem to be worldwide
phenomena?•What are the nursing issues that seem to be glob-
al in their scope?•What are the health and social trends in your
country?•What are the issues affecting nurses in your
country?•What are some of the important social and
health issues in your local area?•What are the important nursing issues in your
local area?•Where are the gaps between patient/consumer
needs and services provided?Completing Your Self-Assessment and Reality CheckCompleting your self-assessment and reality check
enables you to identify values, experiences, knowl-
edge, strengths, and limitations. These should be -
linked those with your environmental scan to help cre-
ate your career vision and identify the directions for
your future. As you begin self-assessment, you will
focus on yourself and so that you can recognise, your
attributes, what you have to offer. Completing your
self-assessment and reality check will allow you to give
honest, accurate answers to the two questions, “Who
am I?” and “How do others see me?”To complete a self-assessment you need to allow time
and concentration to look inward, take stock, and to
develop a personal and professional profile. A self-
assessment requires considerable reflection, the ability
to ask yourself some hard questions, and the determi-
nation to validate your responses with others. Once
completed, your self-assessment will allow you to pro-
mote your skills and talents and to understand where
to improve or add to your skills. With an accurate pic-
ture of yourself, you can investigate the full spectrum of
available and potential opportunities and decide
which options are right for you.THECAREERPLANNING ANDDEVELOPMENTMODEL1110We observe, learn about, and assess the world
around us through reading, talking with others, and
continuing our education. Through exposing ourselves
not only to nursing and health care information and
ideas, but also from other disciplines and ideologies,
we broaden our understanding of daily realities.You must have a solid understanding of the environ-
ment before you can decide how to use your skills and
experience in the most beneficial way, for you and for
society. Scanning is the easiest and most productive
way to place yourself as an observer, rather than a
player. You can see beyond your immediate circum-
stances to grasp what is possible, to think about things
in new ways, and to open yourself to opportunities.The process of scanning is generic, although the
specifics of the scan will vary. There are cultural, politi-
cal, and social differences among countries, and it is
through attention to those characteristics that a scan is
completed.Throughout our careers, each of us must scan continu-
ously, and in a variety of ways. Sources of information
for the scan include professional and popular journals,
news media, the Internet, observations, friends and col-
leagues, and everyday experiences. Reading, talking,
and listening, all part of the repertoire of nursing skills,
are the means to make sense of the information we col-
lect. Once collected, the information must be organised
into global, national, and local categories.Think of the scan as a work in progress, something to
be continuously updated to reflect the changing envi-
ronment. Scanning is not a task to be completed at
some regular, or irregular time, but rather an integral
part of everyday professional and personal life, identi-
fying the global, national, and local trends and issues
in society, health care, and nursing. Here are some
questions to help you complete an environmental scan:THECAREERPLANNING ANDDEVELOPMENTMODEL13•What kind of environment brings out the best in
you?•What do you like to do outside of the work-
place?•What energises or motivates you?As you finish your self-assessment, you should be able
to identify your strengths, limitations and significant
accomplishments. Accomplishments are the highlights
of your performance in your role. They reflect those
times in which you achieved a personal or profession-
al best. The following questions will help you.•In the past 3 to 5 years, what have been your
most significant accomplishments at work and
outside of work?•Can you describe those times in your personal or
professional life where you made a difference?Once you have completed your self-assessment and
answered the question “Who Am I?” you must validate
it by doing a reality check.“How do others see me?” is the complementary and
critical second question you must ask yourself. A reali-
ty check is accomplished by seeking feedback regard-
ing your strengths and limitations from people with
whom you live and work. It expands your view of your-
self by reflection on others’ perspectives. A reality
check is essential to deepening your level of self-
awareness and facilitating your growth. To complete
your reality check ask yourself the following questions:•What feedback have I received about my achieve-
ments from colleagues, friends, and family?•What did they identify as my strengths and
limitations?•What three adjectives would they use to describe
me, both in and outside my workplace and why?•How did my assessment of accomplishments com-
pare with others’ assessments?THECAREERPLANNING ANDDEVELOPMENTMODEL12“Who Am I?”
How would you describe yourself? Answering this
question involves much more than describing what you
do or what your job title is. Work is just one part of
our lives, though many people describe themselves
only in relation to the work they do. As you move
through your self-assessment, keep the whole you in
mind. Remember that you are a complex human
being, the sum of past and current experiences.Who we are includes our beliefs, values, knowledge
and skills, and our interests. Beliefs are the way we
view ourselves and the world around us. Values are
the principles or standards that drive our decisions,
actions, behaviours, and relations. They are the ideals
that guide and give meaning to our lives and work.
Knowledge and skills are the abilities and behaviours
we use to produce results, and interests are the activi-
ties in which we like to spend most of our time and
from which we gain pleasure. Consider the following
questions:Values:•What is important to me in my work and in my
personal life?•Who or what do I need to consider in my life at
this time?•What are my priorities—self, family, community
or other?•What knowledge and skills have I developed,
personally and professionally?•What are my strengths?•What are my limitations?•What knowledge and skills require further devel-
opment?Interests:•What have you liked about your past and current
job(s)?•What haven’t you liked?THECAREERPLANNING ANDDEVELOPMENTMODEL15questions that will guide you in this process. “Where
would I like to go?” functions like a warm-up or brain-
storming session. Open thinking is at work here; no
answer is wrong. “What is my ideal vision for my
work?” provides more focus as you begin to create
your new or updated career vision.As you moved through this process, you may come to
the point where you say to yourself, “I want to (fill in
your own response), but I can’t because I’m too old, or I
don’t know how to go about applying for the position, or
I’m not good enough.” Many nurses do not believe that
they can do what they really want to do in their careers.
Self-limiting beliefs block us and our progress. Although
the environment can impose barriers to our progress,
what we believe about ourselves and what could be pos-
sible are powerful determinants of our behaviour.When you start, your vision doesn’t have to be too
realistic; that comes later in the process when you set
your career goals. Don’t worry about your vision
being too big, too vague, or seemingly impossible. It
should be grand, inspiring, and if it is an important
dream, it may be a little scary. Ask yourself the follow-
ing questions:•What do I want? What am I seeking?•What does my ideal day look like? What am I
doing, where am I doing it, and who is there
with me?•Is someone currently doing the kind of work I’d like
to do? Describe the characteristics of that work.•What are the self-limiting beliefs that could pre-
vent me from doing what I really want to do?•What are the environmental constraints that I must
consider before I can do what I really want to do?THECAREERPLANNING ANDDEVELOPMENTMODEL14Creating Your Career VisionOnce you determine a realistic and comprehensive
picture of your own values, beliefs, knowledge, and
skills, and have looked at those in the context of the
real world scan you have completed, you are ready to
think about your career possibilities. Because the
vision of your potential future is grounded in your scan
and self-assessment, it is focused on what is possible
and realistic for you, both in the short and the longer
term. Your career vision is the link between who you
are and what you can become.Having a career vision is perhaps the most forceful
motivator for reaffirming our current situation or for
making a change. Creating a career vision answers
the question, “What do I want?” If you do not have
some idea of where you want to go, you will most like-
ly simply react to events as they occur rather than
choose a direction in which to go and be able to antic-
ipate or take advantage of an opportunity when it
occurs.Many nurses have never considered that they could
have a part to play in designing their career futures.
Some may have to free themselves from a career path
that others have expected of them before they can
begin to formulate their own career vision. Others will
see that they have more choices than they had ever
considered. These changes require a shift in orienta-
tion. You must move from being the observer about
what others think you should be doing with your
career to becoming an active participant in the pic-
ture, a goal setter, a doer.Wouldn’t it be great to design your work the way you
want it? You may be able to do that, but first you need
to create a vision for your work. It may be a more
comprehensive version of what you are already doing,
or it may be very different. There are two generalTHECAREERPLANNING ANDDEVELOPMENTMODEL17ing, on doing it all, and on doing it right. Career goals
should be realistic -- I can do it; desirable -- I want to do
it; and motivating -- I will work to make it happen.Specify the Action Steps Once you’ve determined your
goals, use specific action steps to break them down into
discrete and concrete activities. Action steps complete
the sentence, “In order to achieve this goal, I will…”Identify Resources The process of developing a plan
requires you to think about who and what will help
you implement it. Making a thoughtful inventory of
your available and potential resources is the first step
in implementing the action steps associated with each
of your goals.Establish Timelines Successful career plans benefit from
the rigour of specific timelines. Often, we hesitate to
establish target dates for fear of not being able to meet
them; yet, we all have examples of plans where dead-
lines have helped us to accomplish the identified tasks.Identify the Indicators of Success How will you know
that your plan is working? As you design your own
plan, think about what success will look like for you.
Record your personal indicators to help you evaluate
your plan at those different stages. These indicators
may be external as well as intrinsic.Career plans should be dynamic, responsive to person-
al circumstances, and professionally stimulating. You
should be ready to adjust your plan as aspects of your
self-assessment change, as your continuously updated
environmental scan indicates that significant changes
have occurred around you, or as you move into differ-
ent stages of your career.DEVELOPINGYOURSTRATEGICCAREERPLAN16DEVELOPING YOUR STRATEGIC
CAREER PLANA strategic career plan is a blueprint for action. It
specifically identifies the goals, activities, timelines, and
resources you need to help you achieve your career
vision. This is the part of the process where you start to
put on paper the specific strategies you will use to take
charge of your future. Of course, this is also where the
spiral or repetitive nature of the process is reinforced.
The strategic career plan is always a “work in
progress”, continuously being evaluated and revised.Developing a strategic career plan is critical to taking
control of your own career. Designing it is not some-
thing that someone else can do for you. You must do it
for yourself to ensure that you are continually and sat-
isfactorily progressing towards your personal career
goals. The object is to ensure that you have a plan that
is both uniquely yours and easily converted into
action. It must be derived from your career vision and
should outline specific actions that you can take to
achieve clearly defined goals.The motivation to develop a plan comes from being
genuinely interested in a career rather than being sole-
ly concerned with having regular employment. A
career is a lifelong investment and, as with any invest-
ment, planning pays off.Document your plan—in writing. The exercise of “writ-
ing it down” forces you to include each of the critical
components and makes it easier for you to continually
review, refine, evaluate and re-evaluate both your
goals and your progress. A strategic career plan
includes the identification of goals, action steps,
resources, timelines, and indicators of success.Set Goals A goal is the objective for an endeavour. It
keeps you looking towards the future, focused on finish-DEVELOPINGYOURSTRATEGICCAREERPLAN19groups are based on the principle that few people
have ever accomplished their objectives solely on their
own. Your support group should consist of individuals
who believe in you and want to see you succeed.Finding a mentor. The second step in a self-marketing
strategy should be to acquire a mentor. It is especially
important to have a mentor to guide you as you plan to
transform your dreams into reality. In the nursing world,
mentors generally are experienced nurses who under-
stand the health care environment, have good connec-
tions, and have more access to information than less
experienced, often younger, nurses. These experienced
nurses, who already have made a significant contribu-
tion to nursing, are often interested in sharing their
knowledge and fostering leadership skills in less experi-
enced nurses. But do not restrict yourself to the nursing
community to find a mentor. Your social, community,
and business connections are also excellent resources.Developing Your Communication Skills: Marketing
Yourself on Paper. Creating a targeted resume and
other written communication, for example, business
cards, is an important part of self-marketing. A well-
constructed resume is your best-written promotional
piece. Like you, it is unique. An effective resume will
represent your knowledge, skills and talents in such a
convincing way that the reader can get an immediate
sense of who you are and what you can do for them.Writing for publication is another way in which you
can use communication skills to market yourself. There
are numerous opportunities to highlight your knowl-
edge and potential to diverse audiences. Community
newspapers, professional journals and health care
information pamphlets are but a few of the vehicles
you can use to let others know what you can do.
Review your environmental scan, your self-assessment
and your plan to help you begin to think about the
written self-marketing opportunities you can create.MARKETINGYOURSELF18MARKETING YOURSELFRegardless of whether you have chosen a nursing role as
an employee or have decided to embark on self-employ-
ment, you will need to acquire self-marketing skills. This
involves the ability to package your professional and per-
sonal qualities, attributes and expertise so that you can
effectively communicate, either to your employer or
client, what you have to offer and why you are the best
person for the service that needs to be delivered.Self-marketing is facilitated by establishing a network,
acquiring a mentor, and developing written and verbal
communication skills. Thus, self-marketing entails scan-
ning the environment and “knowing your business.”
Having the ability to articulate who you are, what you
want, and what you can do represents only half the
equation. The other half is the ability to persuade
others that what you have to offer meets the demands
and challenges of the ever-changing environment. Your
strengths, coupled with a commitment and belief in
yourself, make you your own best marketer.Networking. Establishing a network is fundamental to
marketing yourself. The process of networking involves
the development of mutually beneficial relationships
through the exchange of personal and written resources.
Effective networking enables you to establish your pres-
ence, to create widespread visibility and exposure, and
to make others aware of your skills, talents, and accom-
plishments. Keep in mind that what is most important is
who knows you. When you meet people, concentrate on
who you are and what you can do for them.Networking is key to keeping “in the know” about
what is going on in nursing and health care. This
allows you to position yourself strategically and main-
tain professional visibility. Once you have established
your network(s) you can target certain individuals and
begin to build and maintain a support group. SupportMARKETINGYOURSELF20Developing Your Communication Skills: Marketing
Yourself in Person. Developing your presentation skills
through professional speaking, presentation and inter-
viewing are the next steps in the self-marketing
process. Each time you meet someone new or have the
chance to speak to a group, you are presented with a
marketing opportunity to accent your positives, take
credit for your accomplishments, and remind others of
what you have to contribute.The interview is another excellent self-marketing oppor-
tunity that you will have many occasions to use over
the course of your career. Interviewing is a powerful
self-marketing tool in which you can ensure that you
have presented yourself in the most positive and
appropriate manner.Developing A Business Image. Marketing is a signifi-
cant component of business survival for self-employed
nurses and for those who are employees. For nurses
who are employees, the business image is one mean
to keep your employer and colleagues aware of your
contribution to the workplace and of your interest in its
future goals and plans. For the self-employed nurse, a
business image includes making and maintaining con-
tact with potential markets. Be aware that a positive
image is built gradually. However, a negative image
develops quickly and is very difficult to reverse.Regardless of whether you are employed or self-
employed, self-marketing entails using all your resources
to present yourself in the strongest, most positive way.
Remember, you are your own foremost resource in shap-
ing your future. Keep your goal in mind. Creating an
effective self-marketing strategy takes time, effort and
patience. Following these strategies will help you realise
your goals. Consider the following questions:•How is your marketing readiness?•Which areas need some attention?•Have you developed a plan to address those
needs?MARKETINGYOURSELF21IT’S YOUR CAREER: TAKE CHARGE -
TRAINING HANDBOOK AND
TRAINER’S GUIDEPublications with more detailed information and exer-
cises to help you in your career planning and develop-
ment have been developed, following the lines present-
ed in these guidelines. They are available from the
ICN Publications Department (see back cover).Some nurses will choose career paths that involve
assisting other nurses to plan and develop their
careers. The Trainer’s Guide will be an excellent
resource for these current and future nurse career
coaches. It provides nurse career coaches with tips to
prepare and effectively deliver an It’s Your Career:
Take Charge workshop and to consult with individual
nurses about their career planning and development
needs. The Trainer’s Guide has five components:•Pre-workshop preparation.•Workshop delivery.•Follow-up: individual career coaching.•Career planning and development resources.•Appendices (including a complete set of
overheads on disk).Career planning is essential for the nurses of today.
These materials will help you as individuals developing
your own career and possibly as future trainers of nurs-
es interested in exploring their career opportunities.ConclusionA career is personal and individual. It is about an indi-
vidual’s values, choices, goals, and plans. Career
planning and development must be an integral part of
nurses’ professional development. It must be situated
within their lives and careers, and not an occasional
act. It’s Your Career: Take Charge provides nurses with
information and activities that they can use to enthusi-
astically shape their careers and futures.TRAININGHANDBOOK ANDTRAINER’SGUIDE22REFERENCES1.Kleinknecht, M. K., & Hefferin, E. A. (1982).
Assisting nurses toward professional growth: A
career development model. Journal of Nursing
Administration, 12(5), 30-36.2.Hudson, F. (1999). Career coaching. Career
Planning and Adult Development Journal, 15(2),
69-86.3.Donner, G. J. (1992). Career development and
mobility issues. In A. Baumgart & J. Larsen (Eds.),
Canadian nursing faces the future (2nded.,pp.345-363). St. Louis, MO: Mosby Year Book.4.Donner, G. J. (1998). Taking control of your
future: The time is now. In G. Donner & M.
Wheeler (Eds.), Taking control of your career and
your future: For nurses by nurses (pp.3-11).
Ottawa: The Canadian Nurses Association.REFERENCES

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