Written By: Darby Faubion, RN, BSN, MBA
Setting career goals is important for anyone who wants to advance their career and improve their professional skills. SMART goals provide a clear roadmap for helping you stay focused and motivated. As a new nurse, you may wonder, "What are the best SMART short-term goals that new grad nurses can set for themselves?”
In this article, we will discuss practical and achievable goals that can make a significant impact on your career trajectory. As you continue reading, you will learn about the 10 best examples of smart short-term nursing career goals that new grad nurses can set for themselves + tips to achieve them. By setting goals like the ones featured in this article, you can accomplish great strides in nursing and be on your way to a successful nursing career!
What are the Best Smart Short-Term Goals That New Grad Nurses Can Set for Themselves?
(The following are the 10 best examples of smart short-term nursing career goals that new grad nurses can set for themselves + tips to achieve them.)
SMART GOAL #1: Develop Strong Communication Skills
About the Goal:
Good communication skills are essential for all nurses, and the earlier in your career you learn to effectively communicate, the better! Nurses of all education and experience levels must communicate with patients, families, and team members. Effective communication helps promote better nurse-patient and interdisciplinary relationships, reduces the risk of errors, and improves patient and organizational outcomes, which is why I believe it is one of the most important SMART short-term nursing career goals for nurses.
Tips to Achieve:
Anyone who knows me knows I never seem to meet a stranger. I can strike up a conversation with anyone and never think twice about it, but that was not always the case. There was a time when I was so shy and self-conscious that I would have preferred to slink into a dark corner than have to initiate a conversation with someone else, especially a stranger. Developing strong communication skills takes time, which is why it is one of the first classes you take in nursing school and why it is important to set goals for developing strong communication skills.
To help develop strong communication skills, focus on active listening to help understand your patient’s concerns and build trust. Use therapeutic communication techniques, such as validation, open-ended questions, and empathy. Also, seek and incorporate feedback from more experienced nurses and supervisors to help identify any areas of your communication that need improvement.
SMART GOAL #2: Improve Time Management Skills
About the Goal:
Knowing how to manage time well is crucial in nursing. Effective time management helps avoid unnecessary delays in patient care, which improves patient care and reduces patient and staff stress. Demonstrating good time management skills is a way to showcase your strengths and can enhance your professional reputation, opening doors for leadership roles and career advancement opportunities.
When I worked at a long-term care facility, we offered a workshop on time management skills and designed an award program for nurses who met goals related to effective time management. A few things I found in reviewing data following the workshop were that nurses who implemented the time management strategies showed increased productivity and that there was a reduction in errors in patient care.
Tips to Achieve:
As a nurse, there will be days when you feel like there is more work to do than you have time to do! Learning to manage time well will make your life so much easier! Some strategies you can implement to help improve your time management skills include prioritizing tasks, delegating tasks when appropriate, creating a routine, and limiting distractions. You can also utilize apps and tools that allow you to set reminders. Instead of multitasking, which can increase the likelihood of errors and reduce efficiency, focus on one job or task at a time.
SMART GOAL #3: Develop Enhanced Clinical Skills
About the Goal:
As a nurse educator, I cannot stress enough how important it is for all nurses to develop enhanced clinical skills. It is not only a SMART short-term nursing career goal, but should be a long-term goal, as well, as nurses should build upon clinical skills continually. Enhancing your clinicals skills will help build your confidence and help you provide high-quality patient care.
Tips to Achieve:
A few effective strategies to help enhance your clinical skills include seeking mentorship from experienced nurses and participating in a nurse residency program. With technology at our fingertips, it is easy to utilize online resources, where you can access online platforms with videos, courses, and tutorials on clinical skills. Also, take every opportunity that presents itself to learn about and perform new tasks.
SMART GOAL #4: Obtain a Specialty Certification
About the Goal:
Another excellent idea for a SMART short-term nursing career goal is to get certified! There are so many specialty certifications to choose from that there is sure to be something that sparks your interest! For example, the American Nurses Credentialing Center offers certifications, including Cardiac Vascular Nursing Certification, Pain Management Nursing Certification, Gerontological Nursing Certification, and Nursing Case Management Certification.
Tips to Achieve:
To achieve this goal, begin by thinking about the things that are most important to you. What interests you most about nursing and patient care? Once you identify your interests, you can choose a specialty certification that aligns with them.
If you have a special interest in a specific patient population or a certain type of care, choosing a specialty will be pretty easy. For instance, if you enjoy working with elderly patients, becoming certified in Gerontological Nursing is an excellent option. Keep in mind that you can earn as many certifications as you like. I suggest starting with something you truly enjoy and want to learn more about. As you gain more experience, your interests may change, and then you can go back and get another certification (or more).
SMART GOAL #5: Develop Leadership Skills
About the Goal:
All nurses should set goals to develop leadership skills, even if they do not want a job in management. Strong leadership skills help guide best practices, which improve patient and organizational outcomes.
Tips to Achieve:
The first step in developing leadership skills is to find experienced nurses who can support and guide you and provide honest feedback. Consider enrolling in courses or workshops focused on nursing management and leadership. Joining professional networks and attending conferences is also a great idea, as you will have opportunities to network, stay informed about best practices, and learn from nurse leaders.
SMART GOAL #6: Demonstrate Cultural Competence
About the Goal:
Cultural competence is essential to providing quality, patient-centered care. Cultural competence helps enhance communication, builds trust, reduces health disparities, and creates harmony in the workplace. Additionally, when nurses demonstrate cultural competence, it helps address and reduce health disparities and contributes to positive patient outcomes.
I once worked at a university where we had a wide diversity of patients. One day, I was working in the pediatric unit and a patient whose mother primarily spoke Spanish was admitted to our services. The mother was clearly anxious, which added to the child’s anxiety. We were able to utilize a professional interpreter on staff to help translate for the mother and child. This small act of cultural awareness and competence made a huge difference in the way the mother and child responded to us, which made caring for the child easier, leading to a good outcome.
Tips to Achieve:
There are several strategies you can implement to help achieve cultural competence. For example, participate in workshops and training focused on cultural competence, volunteer in culturally diverse communities or healthcare settings that serve a culturally diverse patient population, and always approach patient care with a willingness to learn and an open mind.
SMART GOAL #7: Attend a Nursing Conference/Convention
About the Goal:
Nursing conventions and conferences offer several benefits to nurses. I have been a nurse for more than 25 years, and I still attend conferences. Attending nursing conventions and conferences offers networking and professional development opportunities, inspires, and motivates nurses, and offers access to the latest innovations and research in healthcare.
Tips to Achieve:
You can find out about upcoming nursing conferences and conventions through several sources. Many healthcare employers post information on bulletin boards or send internal communications. Also, if your organization has a professional development department, you can typically find information about conferences and conventions there. Follow professional nursing organizations on social platforms, like LinkedIn for updates. Publications like the Nursing Times and professional organization websites also have information about conferences and conventions.
SMART GOAL #8: Volunteer to Mentor New Nurses
About the Goal:
No matter how much experience you have as a nurse, there is always something you can contribute to your team. When I work with new and experienced nurses alike, I like to stress the importance of mentoring others. I believe becoming a mentor is a SMART short-term nursing goal because it is something you can begin doing now and, with experience, broaden the reach of who you mentor and on what level.
Tips to Achieve:
To become a good mentor, you must first be willing to learn and be mentored by others. Build a strong foundation of clinical experience, which will give you valuable insights that you can use when guiding others. Establish rapport with mentees based on trust and mutual respect, offer emotional support as new nurses learn to navigate the challenges of a nursing career, and stay informed about the latest developments in patient care and nursing education.
SMART GOAL #9: Enhance Assessment Skills
About the Goal:
I remember being in nursing school (many years ago), and my instructor telling our class that our ability to assess patients could mean the difference in life and death. At the time, I wasn’t sure if she was serious or if she was simply trying to make us work harder to learn assessment skills. A long time has passed since I was in nursing school, and I have discovered that my instructor was right. As a nurse, you will spend more face-to-face time with patients than anyone, including their doctors. That is why enhancing assessment skills should be one of the main SMART short-term nursing career goals on your list!
Tips to Achieve:
Developing enhanced assessment skills should be an ongoing process for all nurses. Some strategies for improving your assessment skills include engaging in activities that promote critical thinking, such as reflective practice and case studies and enrolling in continuing education courses and workshops focused on physical assessment. If your employer offers educational opportunities, especially simulation training, this is an excellent way to enhance assessment skills in a safe, controlled environment.
As not only a nurse but also a healthcare educator, I want to encourage you not to get discouraged when it comes to learning and developing assessment skills. The more you do something, the more comfortable you become and the better your skills. Take every opportunity you can to be involved in patient care and learn new things, and you will accomplish this goal!
SMART GOAL #10: Participate in Professional Development Opportunities
About the Goal:
All nurses should be proactive about being involved with professional development opportunities, but it is especially important as a SMART short-term nursing career goal for new grad nurses. Participating in professional development opportunities helps you stay current on changing research, technology, and practices in healthcare. It also helps you refine current skills and develop new ones.
Tips to Achieve:
There are several ways to participate in professional development opportunities. Many healthcare facilities and institutions offer skills labs, leadership training, and seminars for employees, which makes it easy to get involved without missing time from work. Participating in mentorship programs can help you develop leadership skills and support the growth of your peers. Also, I recommend joining professional organizations, like the Association for Nursing Professional Development and the American Nurses Association, which offer access to networking opportunities, educational resources, and professional development events.
My Final Thoughts
Once you graduate from nursing school and begin your career, it is important to set goals that promote your professional growth and development. SMART goals are objective goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. You may have wondered, “What are the best SMART short-term goals that new grad nurses can set for themselves?”
In this article, you learned about the 10 best examples of SMART short-term nursing career goals that new grad nurses can set for themselves + how to achieve them. Setting SMART goals is an excellent way to prioritize important things you want to accomplish. By following these simple tips, you can improve essential nursing skills and set yourself on a path of success in nursing!
List Of Sources Used For This Article
1.“Understanding Communication in Nursing (with Example, Importance, & How to Improve)” (nursingprocess.org)
2.American Nurses Credentialing Center
3.“What Is Cultural Competence in Nursing? (with Examples, Importance, & Barriers)” (nursingprocess.org)
4.“The Best Nursing Conferences to Check Out in 2024” (berxi.com)
Darby Faubion, RN, BSN, MBA
Darby Faubion is a nurse and allied health instructor with over 20 years of clinical experience. Her work history includes clinical experience in pediatrics, mental health, addiction and behavioral disorders, geriatrics, wound management, and communicable disease. Darby has worked in hospitals, long-term care facilities, and home health and hospice agencies. Darby also has experience as a nursing and allied health educator at both community college and university levels. Her love for nursing and nursing education led to her becoming a test-taking strategist and NCLEX prep coach.
