How To Deal With Career Progression Problems

“Don’t give up… there are so many opportunities in nursing that you just have to keep your head up and keep applying.”

As nurses, career progression is seen as an inevitable part of the job to some; however, it isn’t always easy. Experienced nurse Rachel talks frankly about the setbacks and successes of her career development in nursing, and explores what nurses of all levels can do to further their own progression and bounce back from disappointments.

I am a Registered Nurse with almost 10 years of experience. I have worked in several different areas of nursing including haematology, hospice, and care of the elderly.

At the beginning of my career as a Newly Qualified Nurse, I was mainly concentrating on getting my clinical skills up to scratch and developing my knowledge of the area I was working in. However, as time went on and I grew in confidence, I really wanted to develop both personally and professionally by going up the ladder.

My First Opportunity For Career Progression

I had been working in the hospice for about 4 years when I went for a Band 6 Ward Sister post. I felt the interview went well and got really encouraging feedback on my presentation, however I was up against another nurse who had done the job previously, stepped down and then went for it again, so naturally she scored higher than me and got the job.

This is something I’ve heard of happening a lot in various sectors of the NHS. I feel that a lot of managers would prefer a candidate who is older rather than taking a chance on a younger and possibly more enthusiastic one- even if the older candidate left the job due to stress or not coping with it. They may say all the right things at interview but are they really the best person to take on the role?

Receiving Feedback

An opportunity to go on secondment as a Band 6 Community Nurse with the hospice then came up and I went for it. Again, I wasn’t successful, but this time the feedback was that the Band 7 nurse felt I wouldn’t be as good a fit for the team as the nurse they had given it to. I was told later by another Band 7 nurse that she felt it was to do with the fact that I would challenge bad practice when the other nurse wouldn’t and therefore, they went with the “safer” option.

I felt this was very unfair and rather odd feedback, but I let it go. Ironically, I was seconded to the team anyway during a difficult pregnancy. I really flourished with the role and fit in very well with the team, however at the time it wouldn’t haven’t worked with my health concerns, and I feel that these things happen for a reason. Interestingly the other nurse asked to leave the secondment early.

Maternity Leave

The same Band 6 Ward Sister post came up a few months afterwards on the ward but, again, the timing wasn’t right as I was about to go off on maternity leave, so I missed that opportunity.

When I came back from maternity leave, I was still longing to progress into a more senior role, but the team was very cemented by then and it didn’t look like there would be any vacancies anytime soon. I put some feelers out on job board websites and was contacted by a local nursing home who were wanting to recruit a nurse in charge for the 35 bedded unit. I made a difficult decision to leave the hospice after 5 happy years.

Working At A Nursing Home

The nursing home was undergoing a period of change, having lost their previous manager, and were short staffed so I was thrown in at the deep end. However, the owner and management team were very supportive and when a new manager was appointed, the home began to flourish despite the challenges of Covid.

I was able to go on study days, take on a more senior role with auditing, training staff in how to give better palliative care, and help implement a new software system.

Don’t give up… there are so many opportunities in nursing that you just have to keep your head up and keep applying.

Did Wanting More Children Result In Unfair Treatment?

More staff were being recruited thanks to the much higher pay scale in the private sector and so the owner and manager decided to internally advertise for a Clinical Lead Nurse. I was one of two nurses to go for the role. I spent a lot of time preparing for the interview and felt really good about how I performed. It was so close that the panel asked both of us to write a scenario on how we would deal with a CQC inspection within the home.

Again, I did a lot of prep work and reached out to a friend who was a CQC inspector for some tips! Frustratingly, I wasn’t successful. This was despite being 3 years more qualified than the other nurse and I felt very deflated. I learnt many months later after I had left the home that a big part of the reason I hadn’t got the job was because I was very open about wanting more children, whereas the other nurse was finished having children and several years older.

Again, this seemed very unfair but it was something I had heard of happening time and time again in the public and private sector (although obviously not said directly).

Plans For The Future

My family and I decided to move back to Northern Ireland and I have decided to try and get back into the NHS when I go back to work after this maternity leave. For now, I’m working with an agency picking up shifts in local hospitals and care homes and keeping up my CPD.

I am still aiming for a Band 6 position but ultimately, I want to be happy in my work and enjoy nursing for the vocational job that it is. I have always loved being a nurse and won’t let a few more setbacks ruin that.

Top Tips For Career Progression

So, what did I do after each disappointment and what have I learnt in my experience so far?

My top tips for career progression are:

1. Always ask for feedback whether you have been successful at interview or not. You may discover things you didn’t realise you were missing. For example, there were some scenario questions where I didn’t score highly enough because of a key detail or phrase that I left out. I made sure to write it down and use it next time.

2. Keep up your CPD and do extra courses. I’ve been able to use examples of some study days that I’ve done in my own time which has helped me in interviews and expanded my knowledge on certain aspects of clinical practice. Potential employers like to see initiative and that you’re willing to put in the work.

3. Keep up to date with the latest developments in nursing, whether that’s on safe staffing levels or new research.

4. Preparation is key for interviews. Use the people around you for tips and advice, especially people who are already doing a similar job and read the job descriptions thoroughly. I always highlight key points and then make notes on how I think I fit the criteria. Knowing your CV off by heart is helpful so you can really sell your strong points.

5. Don’t give up. Disappointment in not getting a job you really wanted and worked for is hard, but there are so many opportunities in nursing that you just have to keep your head up and keep applying. The job that’s right for you (and me!) will come along.

Thank you for reading, we hope this has been helpful no matter what stage of career progression you are at!