Being a Nurse is one of the best career decisions that a person can make because it is extremely rewarding. On the same hand, it is easy to either lose your identity independent of your role as a nurse or not even build one at all. One of my personal goals is not just to be known as Nicole "the nurse", but rather Nicole the nurse who is a clinical expert in the field of cardiac health, community health, and nursepreneurship ( no that is not a real word, LOL) and this requires me to build a personal brand that establishes me as a nurse outside of my traditional 9-5 or my 7-7 job ( y'all know we are use to those long 12 hour shifts LOL).
Here are 5 ways to build your personal brand as a nurse:
1. Become A Expert In Your Field- If you are passionate about a certain area of healthcare ( politics, heart health, community, pediatrics, business, etc.) become the expert in that field by learning all you can learn from courses, conferences, other industry experts, books and so on. You need to know as much as possible about that field.
2. Build A Effective On-Line Presence- Love it or hate it the digital word is taking over! Social media is here to stay and is one of the best tools to use to help you to build a strong personal brand if used effectively and strategically. Also building a website or blog that brings value to the healthcare market place is paramount and a completed game-changer when building a personal brand as a nurse.
3. Promote Yourself- You have something to share with the world and it is time that let the world know it. Attend networking events, community events, conferences, etc. and share your expertise with anyone who is willing to listen. Start seeking out events where you can also go an share your expertise with people as a speaker or panelist.
4. Build A Community- A part of building a strong brand is establishing your self as a thought-leader and having people who are influenced by it. This can be done by building a community of people who looks forward to hearing your expertise. So you can do this via a Linkedin group, a Facebook group, or by creating a mailing list of people you share valuable content with on a consistent basis.
5. Be Reputable- There are so many people who have built brands but the key to building and sustaining a brand is being reputable. Be authentic to who you are and DOMINATE in YOUR gift zone!
Living Purposefully,
Nicole Thomas, MSN, RN, CCM