Never underestimate the importance of networking: an imperative process for career success!
The importance of establishing connections to other powerful, intelligent people is extremely important to having a successful nursing career. Nurses can and will continue to learn the important aspects of career networking for themselves, other nurses, and their patients. Sharing information, whether it is clinical, administrative, educational, or research-based, is extremely important to maintain the current knowledge that is necessary to be successful in the profession. According to Christy (1987), sharing information and opportunities with colleagues has a synergistic effect. In short, we can increase our supply of information and be influential and powerful leaders by sharing that information. Nurses need to become better networkers to build successful careers. This will require breaking out of our zones of comfort and becoming players on the health care stage. Nurses, patients, and the public will all be beneficiaries of their greater involvement in all health care networks in our country!
Parsons
Lynn C
LC
College of Basic and Applied Sciences, School of Nursing, Professor of Nursing, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA. lparsons@mtsu.edu
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002322:Career Mobility; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D011209:Power, Psychological; D011361:Professional Competence / Q000592:standards; D012737:Sex Factors