I Coach Nurses

Should I Stay or Should I Go? 7 Questions to Consider Before Leaving the Bedside.

Guest Post by LeaRae Keyes, Founder of the www.Nurse-Entrepreneur-Network.com

There are more and more nurses leaving bedside nursing and starting their own businesses. Have you wondered if this is something you should be considering? This isn’t necessarily the answer for every nurse. Before you make this decision, think about the questions that follow:

• Do you absolutely love what you do, but not the environment?

The people and systems that make up your work environment can make a huge impact on your satisfaction with bedside nursing. If you love what you do but find the environment challenging, hire a coach to help you.

• Are you a natural leader?

Have you heard the quote from Mahatma Gahdhi: “You must be the change you want to see in the world?”  Be the leader who initiates the change within your environment. Not sure what change to make? Read the book “Fish: A Proven Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results”.

• What can you start right where you are?

If you don’t want to take the risk of being an entrepreneur then be an intrapreneur. According to Wikipedia an employee Intrapreneurs are “those engaged in a special project within a larger firm, are encouraged to behave as entrepreneurs, even though they have the resources, capabilities and security of the larger firm to draw upon.”

• Do you have a hungry market?

Are you aware of a hungry target market that is just waiting for a new product or service to be created? Do you know how to create exactly the product or service they are seeking? Don’t make any assumptions on this one. Be certain! Test the market to be sure you go this right. If these factors are all aligned then the setting is right for you to become an entrepreneur.

• Is there a gap that is so obvious to you but no one else?

Similar to the questions above. Do you see a gap that needs to be filled and one else has seen it or no one else quite knows how to fill it? Do you have the perfect solution to fill this gap? If this is the situation then you are likely destined to be an entrepreneur.

• Do you see an improvement for a product or service that would make it exponentially more effective?

Would a small tweet in a product or service result in a huge difference in how it could be used or how well it would work? If you see an improvement test your idea to be sure that it would work and that it is much better. You will also want to test to be sure that your target market will buy. There are many improvements on the mouse trap but these improvements do not sell. If your idea is sellable then you are on your path to become an inventor.

• Do you find that you can’t sleep at night for all the ideas that run through your head?

Do you have so many ideas for improving things or systems that they keep you awake at night? If this sounds like you will likely find yourself being an inventor soon as it will be the only way you will ever get some decent sleep.

After you have answered the questions above, you should be closer to deciding if you should stay or if you should leave. You may have some research to do or some coaching you need. However, you will be that much closer to knowing if it is time for you to leave the bedside.

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LeaRae Keyes, RN, BSN, PHN, CCM is the founder and Executive Director of the www.Nurse-Entrepreneur-Network.com. As the Executive Director of this site she provides a vast library of resources for starting and building a nurse entrepreneur business. LeaRae Keyes won a national sales award within her first six months of working in sales by applying the nursing process to sales. She was an intrapreneur (an entrepreneur within a company, starting new divisions) at several companies before venturing out on her own. LeaRae Keyes has owned her own case management and life care planning business since 1998. From her nursing, sales, and marketing background LeaRae Keyes is able to provide valuable, practical, implementable information on the Nurse Entrepreneur Network website.