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Career Development: Every Individual You Hire For A Leadership Role Should Have The Capability To Grow Into Your Role
Career Development: Every Individual You Hire For A Leadership Role Should Have The Capability To Grow Into Your Role
11
Career Development
Every individual you hire for a leadership role
should have the capability to grow into your role.
Carolyn Hope Smeltzer
245
Career development is the planning and implementation of career plans and can be
viewed as a critical life process involving both the individual and the employer.
McPeck (2001) states, Career plans are about where you are today and, more
importantly, where youre going tomorrow (p. 11). Thus, career planning is about
exploration, opportunities, and change.
Career development is accomplished through assessment of oneself and ones
work environment, job analysis, education, training, job search and acquisition, and
work experience. Before the 1970s, organizations did little to help employees plan
and develop their careers. Since that time, however, the impact of career development programs has been documented as a positive force in successful businesses.
Career planning provides individuals with a choice in career outcome rather than
leaving it to chance.
There is now an interest in career development by organizations and recognition
of a managers responsibility for assisting subordinates with career development.
McPeck (2001) states that the nursing shortage calls us to prepare nurses to step
into entry-level practice, but there is also a moral and ethical calling to prepare each
person to the best of his or her ability. This means sending RNs into practice with
career plans that at the very least include a commitment to further their education
through mentors, professional organizations, and employers. It also means career
plans developed with an awareness that graduate schools hold open their arms for
nurses who want to teach, gather research data, or construct interventions to deliver
health services (McPeck, 2001, p. 12). Creation of career ladders and educational
leave programs by organizations can also lead to nurse empowerment.
Avoids obsolescence and builds new skills. Due to the rapid changes in the
healthcare industry, especially in the areas of consumer demands and technology, employees may find that their skills have become obsolete. A successful career development program begins to retrain employees proactively,
providing them with the necessary skills to remain current in their field and
therefore valuable to the organization. Retraining also provides employees
with an opportunity to survive downsizing.
Career development
strategies to retain
nurses in todays scarce
market are essential.
Johnstone (2003) found that the main reason nursemanagers left their jobs was
to seek career development elsewhere. Although no longer able to provide workers
with jobs for life, organizations can offer skills to enable workers to thrive in chaos.
Tuttas (2002) says that career development strategies to retain nurses in todays
scarce market are essential. Some of the most basic career development programs,
such as financial planning and general equivalency diploma (GED) programs can
be the most rewarding programs for the staff.
CAREER STAGES
Before managers can plan a successful career development program, they need to
understand the normal career stages of individuals, because people require different
types of development in different stages of their careers
McNeese-Smith (2000) suggests there are three different job stages among
nurses: entry, master, and disengagement. Entry is the process of involvement, skill
development, and increasing congruity between an individuals self-conception and
his or her role in the job. Group membership follows a period of training, orientation, and supervision. If the employee is socialized appropriately, he or she begins
to become an insider.
Mastery begins with the new member having advanced beginner skills, possessing some job esteem, and moving toward seniority, expertise, and high esteem.
This is a time of accomplishment, challenge, and a sense of purpose, and the individual often achieves a high enough level of expertise to be a role model to others.
However, as the member gains experience and skills, his or her ideal concept of the
position begins to decrease.
The last stage, disengagement, commences if the congruency and relationship
between self-identity and job identity begins to decline. The focus of identity shifts
to something else and the job no longer provides growth and a relevant sense of
identity. Thus, the employee may become bored and indifferent to the job. Friends
leave or are promoted, the system changes, and the future suggests increasing frustration as the employee can become confined at a level where performance and
behavior steadily decline.
In McNeese-Smiths (2000) survey of 412 nurses in three hospitals, 13% identified
themselves as being in the entry stage, with their average time on the job of 1.6 years.
Sixty-two percent identified themselves as in the mastery stage, with an average of
7.2 years on the job, although the percentage of nurses in mastery was highest
between two and three years on the job (83%) and tended to decrease with increased
time on the job until reaching a low of 40% after 25 to 30 years on the job.
Career Management
(Organizational)
Integrate individual employee needs with
organizational needs.
Establish, design, communicate, and
implement career paths.
Disseminate career information.
Post and communicate all job openings.
Assess employees career needs.
Provide work experience for development.
Give support and encouragement.
Develop new personnel policies as necessary.
Provide training and education.
The percentage of
nurses who reported
disengagement increased
from a low of 4% in the
first six months to a
high of 60% after 25 to
30 years on the job.
their talent. A leadership role requires that managers look beyond their
immediate unit or department and consider the needs of the entire organization. Leaders recognize and share talent.
Development of personnel policies. An active career development program
often results in the recognition that certain personnel policies and procedures
are impeding the success of the program. When this occurs, the organization
should reexamine these policies and make necessary changes.
Provision of education and training. The impact of education and training
on career development and retention of subordinate staff was discussed previously. The need for organizations to provide for the development of leaders
and managers is presented later in this chapter.
LONG-TERM COACHING
Short-term coaching is a means to develop and motivate employees. It should be a
spontaneous part of the experienced managers repertoire. Long-term coaching, on the
other hand, is a planned management action that occurs over the duration of employment. Savage (2001) suggests that it is, in essence, an organizational intervention
focused at the individual level; that is, it is an intervention to help employees deal
with their responses to organizational concerns or needs.
Because this form of coaching may cover a long period of time, it is frequently
neglected unless the manager uses a systematic scheduling plan for coaching conferences and a form for documentation. Although long-term documentation has
been used successfully to track an employees deficiencies, documenting long-term
coaching for career development has been less successful. Because employees and
managers move frequently within an organization, the lack of record-keeping
regarding employees career needs has deterred nursing career development. In the
present climate of organizational restructuring and downsizing, a managers staff is
even more in need of career coaching, and documentation of the career coaching
takes on an even more important role.
Long-term coaching is a major step in building an effective team and an excellent
strategy to increase productivity and retention. In fact, a survey of 100 executives from
Fortune 1000 companies revealed a 53% increase in organizational productivity, a 61%
rise in managerial job satisfaction, and a 39% increase in the managerial retention rate
as a result of executive coaching (Manchester Inc., 2000).
Long-term coaching has some of the same attributes of a mentoring relationship but is less intense and is not limited to one or a few subordinates. In fact, team
coaching (coaching as a group) is possible, but it is generally focused on a specific
event or situation facing executive teams (Savage, 2001).
TRANSFERS
A transfer may be defined as a reassignment to another job within the organization.
In a strict business sense, a transfer usually implies similar pay, status, and responsibility. Because of the variety of positions available for nurses in any healthcare
organization, coupled with the lack of sufficient higher-level positions available,
two additional terms have come into use. A lateral transfer describes one staff person moving to another unit, to a position with a similar scope of responsibilities,
within the same organization. A downward transfer occurs when someone takes a
position within the organization that is below his or her previous level. This frequently happens in health care. An example is when a charge nurse decides to learn
another nursing specialty. For example, the nurse may step down from a charge
position on a medical-surgical unit to a staff position in labor and delivery. It may
be in a nurses interest to consider a downward transfer because it often increases
the chances of long-term career success. For example, a nurses long-term career
goal might be to hold a position in cardiac rehabilitation. The nurse determines
that most of the cardiac rehabilitation staff are hired out of the hospitals critical
care unit (CCU). Although this nurse has had previous experience in a cardiac care
unit, he or she has not held that position in this organization. The nurse requests a
downward transfer from an evening charge position on a surgical unit to day-shift
staff nurse in the CCU. This transfer will provide the nurse with current experience
in CCU and more exposure to the manager of the cardiac rehabilitation unit. In
this example, a downward transfer increases the likelihood that the nurses long-term
goal will be realized.
Downward transfers also should be considered when nurses are experiencing
periods of stress or role overload. Self-aware nurses often request such transfers. In
some circumstances, the manager may need to intervene and use a downward
transfer to alleviate temporarily a nurses overwhelming stress.
Another type of transfer may accommodate employees in the later stages of
their career. Managers often assist valuable employees who desire a reduced role in
their careers to locate a position that will use their talents and still allow them a
degree of status. These accommodating transfers generally allow someone to receive a
similar salary but with a reduction in energy expenditure. For example, a long-time
employee might be given a position as ombudsman to use his or her expertise and
knowledge of the organization and at the same time assume a status position that is
less physically demanding.
Inappropriate Transfers
One deterrent to successful career development is the inappropriate transfer. One
method managers use to solve unit personnel problems is to transfer problem
employees to another unsuspecting department. Such transfers are harmful in
many ways. They contribute to decreased productivity, are demotivating for all
employees, and are especially destructive for the employee who is transferred.
This is not to say that employees who do not fit in one department will not do
well in a different environment. It is not uncommon for an employee to struggle in one
department but improve his or her performance in a new department or unit. Before
such transfers, however, both the manager and the employee must speak candidly with
each other regarding the employees capabilities and the managers expectations. All
types of transfers should be individually evaluated for appropriateness.
PROMOTIONS
Promotions are reassignments to a position of higher rank. It is normal for promotions to include a pay raise. Most promotions include increased status, title
changes, more authority, and greater responsibility. Because of the importance
American society places on promotions, certain guidelines must accompany
promotion selection to ensure that the process is fair and equitable. When position openings occur, they are often posted and filled hastily with little thought of
long-term organizational or employee goals. This frequently results in negative
personnel outcomes. To avoid this, the following elements should be determined
in advance:
Recruitment from without or within. There are obvious advantages and
disadvantages to recruiting for promotions from within the organization.
Recruiting from within, also called succession management, is less expensive
and can help to develop employees to fill higher-level positions as they
become vacant. It can also serve as a powerful motivation and recognition
tool. There are advantages to recruiting from outside the organization, however. When promotions are filled with people outside the organization, it
allows the organization to seek people with new ideas. This prevents the
stagnation that often occurs when all promotions are filled from within.
Regardless of what the organization decides, the policy should be consistently
followed and communicated to all employees. Some companies recruit from
within first and recruit from outside the organization only if they are unable
to find qualified people from among their own employees.
Establishment of promotion and selection criteria. Employees should
know in advance what the criteria for promotion are and what selection
method is to be used. Some organizations use an interview panel as a selection method to promote all employees beyond the level of charge nurse.
Decisions regarding the selection method and promotion criteria should be
justified with rationale. Additionally, employees need to know what place
seniority will have in the selection criteria.
Identification of a pool of candidates. When promotions are planned, as
in succession management, there will always be an adequate pool of candidates identified and prepared to seek higher-level positions. A word of
caution must be given regarding the zeal with which managers urge subordinates to seek promotions. The leaders role is to identify and prepare such
a pool. It is not the managers role to urge the employee to seek a position
in a manner that would lead the employee to think that he or she was
guaranteed the job or to unduly influence him or her in the decision to
seek such a job. When employees actively seek promotions, they are making a commitment to do well in the new position. When they are pushed
into such positions, the commitment to expend the energy to do the job
well may be lacking. For many reasons, the employee may not feel ready,
either due to personal commitments or because he or she feels inadequately
educated or experienced.
Handling rejected candidates. All promotion candidates who are rejected
must be notified before the selected candidate. This is common courtesy.
Candidates must be told of their nonselection in a manner that is not
demotivating. They should be thanked for taking the effort to apply and,
when appropriate, be encouraged to apply for future position openings.
FILL IN THE
MISSING INFORMATION
Where I am
Phase 1:
Defining
Phase 2:
Structuring
Where I
want to be
Needs identified
Needs assessed
Gaps identified
Goals formulated
Phase 3:
Implementing
Phase 4:
Validating
Activities monitored
Assessments made
of activities
Activities evaluated
RSUM PREPARATION
In addition to career mapping and self-assessment, the professional nurse is
responsible for developing strategies that assist in realizing career goals. Such
strategies include presenting a positive image by using good interviewing skills and
a well-prepared rsum.
The Rsum
The rsum is an important screening tool used by employers for selection of applicants. Often rsums are attached to the application, but they serve a somewhat
different purpose. The application is designed by the employer and serves the needs
of the organization, whereas the applicant creates the rsum. Assessing ones own
values, skills, and interests is an essential part of the rsum preparation process.
Rsums should concentarte on what applicants like to do and what they do well.
When examining rsums, the selector must remember that applicants use the
device to summarize their education and experience in the best possible light.
Managers must look beyond the neat and well-prepared rsum and examine critical issues, such as length of time the applicant was employed in other positions and
what positions were held. Developing as clear a picture of the recently graduated
nurse with little work experience is more difficult.
Rsums are important as a career-planning tool. They also are used for promotion decisions; therefore, maintaining an accurate and current rsum becomes a
career-planning necessity for the professional nurse.
Various acceptable styles and formats of rsums exist. However, because the
rsum represents professionalism and is often used by recruiters as a summary of
the applicants qualifications, it must be professionally prepared, make an impression, and quickly capture the readers attention. The following are guidelines for
rsum preparation:
The rsum should be typed in a format that is easy to read.
The rsum should maximize strong points and minimize weakness.
The style should reflect good grammar, correct punctuation, proper sentence
structure, and simple, direct language.
The content of the rsum should consist of educational history; work experience; personal characteristics; membership in professional organizations; community involvement; awards, honors, and publications; professional objectives; health
status; and license information. A sample rsum is shown in Display 11.5.
Maintaining a professional portfolio avoids lost opportunities to save documents. It allows the nurse to always have readily available documentation when
pursuing a promotion, considering a new position in a new agency, or when applying for another position in the present employment.
MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT
Management development is a planned system of training and developing people so
they acquire the skills, insights, and attitudes needed to manage people and their
work effectively within the organization. Management development is often
referred to as succession planning.
With the flattening of organizational hierarchies and a rise in nursemanagers
responsibilities, it is vital to ensure that future nursemanagers have the competencies
to succeed. Kleinman (2003) states, The new healthcare leadership must possess
synthesized competence that includes clinical health services and the management of
these services from a business perspective (p. 455).
Management development programs, as a part of career development, must be
supported by top-level administration. The program also must be planned and
systematically implemented. The program must include a means of developing
appropriate attitudes through social learning theory and adequate management
theoretical content.
Support for management development programs by the organization should
occur in two ways. First, top-level management must do more than bear the cost of
management development classes. They must create an organizational structure
that allows managers to apply their new knowledge. Therefore, for such programs
to be effective, the organization must be willing to practice a management style
that incorporates sound management principles.
Secondly, training outcomes will be improved if nursing executives are active in
planning and developing the program. Whenever possible, nursing administrators
should teach some of the classes and, at the very least, make sure that the program
supports top-management philosophy.
Just as nurses are required to be certified in critical care before they accept a position
in a critical care unit, so too should nurses be required to take part in a management
development program before their appointment to a management position.
Potential managers should be identified and groomed early. The first step in this
process would be an appraisal of the present management team and an analysis of
possible future needs. The second step would be the establishment of a training and
development program. This would require decisions such as the following: How
often should the formal management course be offered? Should outside educators
be involved, or should in-house staff teach it? Who should be involved in teaching
the didactic portion? Should there be two levels of classes, one for first-level and
one for middle-level managers? Should the management development courses
be open to all, or should people be recommended by someone from management? In addition to formal course content, what other methods should be used
Key Concepts
There are many outcomes of a career development program that justify its
implementation.
Career job sequencing should assist the manager in career management.
Career development programs consist of a set of personal responsibilities
called career planning and a set of management responsibilities called career
management.
Employees often need to be encouraged to make more formalized longterm career plans.
Designing career paths is an important part of organizational career
management.
Managers should plan specific interventions that promote growth and
development in each of their subordinates.
The transfer, when used appropriately, may be an effective way to provide
career development.
Policies regarding promotion should be in writing and communicated to all
employees.
Recruitment from within has been shown to have a positive effect on
employee satisfaction.
Recruitment from outside the organization allows for new ideas and
prevents stagnation.
To be successful, management development must be planned and supported
by top-level management. This type of planned program is called succession
management.
If appropriate management attitudes and insight are goals of a management
development program, social learning techniques need to be part of the
teaching strategies used.
Long-term coaching is a planned intervention on the part of the manager
that results in the professional growth and development of subordinates.
Web Links
American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
http://www.nursingworld.org/ancc/
Provides a general overview of the ANCC as well as the more than 30 specialty and
advanced practice areas of specialty certification/recertification offered.
Benner, J. (2000). How to Navigate Specialty Certification
http://www.springnet.com/certification/top.htm
Lists WEB sites and test locations/schedules for specialty certification examinations in
nursing.
Career Mosaics Health Opps
http://www.healthopps.com
Includes a healthcare jobs list, employer profiles and rsum postings.
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