I’ve loved business ever since I was a kid. Growing up I had a neighborhood friend whose dad sold Amway products. We used to play “business” where we’d pretend to be business owners with the packaged products, buying and selling them as if they were ours. A few years down the line, when I was in middle school, I opened up a lemonade stand and was subsequently featured in the local newspaper. 

If you’re a new NP entrepreneur, chances are you will encounter a few bumps while starting your business. This isn’t something to be fearful of, as challenges in business are all part of the journey. However, each setback does provide room for growth, and oftentimes you can turn something you perceive as a negative into a positive experience. Having started several businesses myself, I’ve written several articles about entrepreneurship and starting a business. In this article I’ll be sharing an additional three tips for those of you who are new to the business world.

Mentorship has always been, and continues to be, a large part of my success as a nurse practitioner.

Finding a mentor is an important aspect to your success as a nurse practitioner, especially as a new graduate. You’ve entered into a brand new career and it’s important to have a mentor in your corner guiding and cheering you on.

Do you remember what is was like to be a brand new nurse practitioner? You just graduated from NP school, passed your boards, and you finally accepted that long awaited job offer. I imagine that you were both thrilled and scared at the same time. Excited to no longer have to attend long lectures coupled with hours of studying. But also fearful about no longer having your preceptor to consult with, and now your patients were ultimately under your care.

If you’re anything like me and love business, you also know that starting a business poses quite a few challenges. As both a nurse practitioner and business owner, I know from experience the many highs and lows which comes while trying to get a business off the ground.

Recently I've been getting a lot of emails about the job market. I hear you, you're frustrated trying to find a job that you'll enjoy, but not having much luck getting hired. If you haven't yet read last week's email, I encourage you to check it out as it offers many great tips on finding a job.

Recently I've seen numerous posts within NP groups and on social media about the "over saturation" of the NP market. Many people are having a hard time finding work, and some have been looking since they graduated almost a year ago! I'm sure this must be very discouraging, but for me, I haven't found getting hired to be an issue. If anything, I've found an abundance of NP positions available. So I'm sharing what I've learned from the market and have compiled several tips to help you if you're in search of a job.

In today's post I wanted to highlight for you the endless opportunities you will have once you become a nurse practitioner. Now, you may have become a nurse practitioner because you love being in the clinical setting while helping others. This is the reason why I got into nursing as I love helping people and enjoy being with my patients. Nonetheless I also enjoy variety in my work, and sometimes daily clinic life can become monotonous.

This post if for those of you who are not yet nurse practitioners. Perhaps you're considering the profession, or are already in the application process. Regardless of where you are, it's important to have a well-rounded application to better ensure acceptance into a program.