As a young nurse in my 20s, I never thought that the Advanced Practice leadership journey would be for me, not anything that I would be interested in or honestly, even good at. After 6 months as a new Registered Nurse, I was asked to become a fill-in charge nurse. I was scared and insecure that I wouldn't make the right decisions that needed to be made for the team, for proper and safe staffing, and for patients. But I tried and it worked out pretty well.

Interviewing, team dynamics, and patient interactions are all impacted by Advanced Practice Provider (APP- APRN and physician assistants) nonverbal Communication skills. By becoming more aware of your body language, you can make small changes that lead to more positive interactions with others.

Take care of yourself, avoid APP job stress, and find satisfaction to improve the care you give patients. Healthcare professionals are susceptible to feeling overworked and emotionally drained. As an Advanced Practice Provider (APP), you've likely experienced challenging patient-to-nurse ratios, exhausting 12+ hour shifts, and being overwhelmed by the needs of critically ill patients. Left unresolved, physical and emotional stress can lead to lower job performance and decreased job satisfaction. Do you feel like you've given all you have?

You may have heard the phrase "Begin with the end in mind." When it comes to your job search, do you have a clear vision of your ideal position? If you aren't sure, an APRN or PA job search self-assessment can be an invaluable tool for identifying your work values. It can be as simple as asking yourself a series of questions that pertain to your career, personal life, desired location, and goals.

Advanced Practice Providers (APPs, including APRNs and PAs) have difficult, yet rewarding jobs, and deserve to be paid well for their work. The more you know about the salary structure, the better your ability to discuss alternatives. The cost of turnover for an employer is 2.5x the cost of compensation, so it is worthwhile for employers to pay APPs well. To ask for incentive pay, APRNs and PAs need to start by gathering information.

As an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) or Physician Assistant (PA), you work hard. You have a job where you can have a positive impact on the lives of others, and are paid well for it. But to get the most out of your career you have to learn how to create a vision for your life! A vision for a meaningful life is built on core values and principles. Setting a vision for your life now can lead to long term satisfaction. It is what will allow you to look back in 1, 5, 10 years and beyond, and understand how you lived and why a life lived through good and bad times, successes and failures, in a meaningful way, without regrets.