Ready to leave clinical nursing for your next big thing? Make sure these 7 common mistakes aren’t holding you back!
This post was first published on my Medium blog—follow me there for the most up-to-date entries!
If you’re serious about making a nursing career change, you can’t afford to let the mistakes that sabotage your career pivot keep you stuck.
It’s not just about experience. It’s about visibility, voice, and how clearly others can see your value.
Too many qualified nurses get overlooked — not because they aren’t capable, but because they’re unknowingly undermining themselves in small but significant ways.
Here are the seven most lethal mistakes that sabotage your career pivot — and how to avoid each one.
1. Thinking your resume is enough
Resumes are useful, but they can’t carry the full weight of your career pivot.
In clinical roles, a strong resume might have been all you needed. But in less traditional roles — ones where creativity, leadership, or innovation matter more — a resume is just one tool. If someone Googles you and finds only a static PDF on a job site, they’re missing who you really are.
This is one of the classic mistakes that sabotage your career pivot: assuming the resume speaks for itself.
You need to complement your resume with something more dynamic. That might include a strong LinkedIn presence, a sample project, or a short blog post that shows how you think. You want people to see your potential — not just your past job titles.
And if your resume still lists duties instead of outcomes — or includes every job you’ve had since nursing school — it’s time for a reset. Focus on what supports your future direction.
2. Using job boards as your main strategy
It feels productive to scroll job listings and hit “apply.” But most of the roles you’re best suited for — the ones with flexibility, creativity, or collaboration — don’t show up on job boards. They live in networks, conversations, and informal connections.
If your only strategy is scanning listings and uploading resumes, you’re playing a weak hand, and making one of the mistakes that sabotage your career pivot.
Instead, get visible in the spaces where those opportunities start. That could mean commenting on LinkedIn posts from professionals in your target field, attending a virtual event, or sending a direct message to someone whose work intrigues you. Let people know you’re looking — and ready.
And remember, people refer people they trust — not just people with perfect resumes. Visibility builds trust.
3. Leaving your LinkedIn profile half-baked
Having a LinkedIn profile is not the same as using it well. A half-finished or out-of-date profile signals that you’re not serious about your transition, one of the mistakes that sabotage your career pivot.
If your headline still says “Registered Nurse,” your About section is blank, and your last activity was two years ago, you’re not giving people much to work with.
Update it with intention:
- Use a headline that signals the direction you’re heading. (e.g., “Future-focused nurse educator” or “Health writer and clinical trainer”)
- Write a first-person About section that explains who you are and where you’re going.
- Choose a banner image that reflects your interests or values.
Your profile should feel current and intentional — not like a leftover from a past career phase.
And activity matters. Even simple actions — liking, commenting, reposting — signal that you’re active and engaged.
Worried this will take forever to overhaul? It doesn’t have to. Here are my 50 tips on how to boost your visibility on LinkedIn (without spending your whole weekend doing it).
4. Being too generic
If your profile or resume is filled with phrases like “team player” or “strong communication skills,” you’re not saying anything that sets you apart.
Generic language makes it hard for someone to understand what makes you unique. It feels safe, but it’s also forgettable. Weak language is one of the mistakes that sabotage your career pivot.
Instead, get specific. Talk about the kinds of people you help, the challenges you love solving, or the part of your clinical work that felt most meaningful — and how that ties to your future goals.
Here’s a simple example:
“I help new parents feel confident navigating feeding decisions, whether that’s breastfeeding, bottle feeding, or both.”
That tells a story. It leaves an impression. It opens a conversation.
When people remember your words, they’re more likely to remember you.
5. Misunderstanding transferable skills
Most nurses have incredible transferable skills — but many don’t know how to explain them.
Instead of showing relevance, they list tasks:
“Monitored vital signs and administered medications.”
That might make sense in a hospital, but not in a health tech startup or coaching practice.
Now look at this version:
“Coordinated care and communicated with multiple providers to keep high-acuity patients stable — experience I now use to manage complex projects and guide teams under pressure.”
This version shows relevance beyond the bedside. It connects the dots.
Here’s another:
Less effective:
“Worked with patients and families to educate on discharge planning.”
More effective:
“Developed patient education tools to simplify complex care instructions — skills I now use to design training programs for clinical teams.”
If you want someone to recognize your value outside the hospital, don’t just list what you did. Explain why it matters.
And be prepared to translate your language. What’s intuitive to you as a nurse might be invisible to someone outside healthcare. Give them the bridge.
6. Talking like a resume instead of a person
There’s a difference between being professional and being unreadable.
This is one of the mistakes that sabotage your career pivot: when your language is packed with buzzwords and passive phrases, it’s hard for anyone to connect with what you’re saying.
“Executed multidisciplinary coordination to ensure continuity of care across service lines.”
No one talks like that — and no one wants to read it.
Try this instead:
“I’m passionate about closing gaps in care. I help teams work together so patients don’t fall through the cracks.”
The second version is still professional, but it’s also relatable.
If you want people to trust you, talk like someone they’d want to talk to.
And yes, that includes saying “I” in your summary. It’s not unprofessional. It’s personal — and it’s far more engaging.
7. Waiting until you feel “ready”
This is the mistake that sabotages your career pivot that stops even the most capable nurses from moving forward.
You wait to post. You wait to connect. You wait to apply. You wait to speak up — because you think you need just one more credential or just a little more clarity.
But clarity doesn’t usually come from waiting. It comes from taking action, even before you feel totally sure.
Write the post. Update your profile. Reach out to that person. You don’t have to be perfect to be ready.
Each step you take reveals the next one.
And action builds confidence far faster than thinking does.
Avoid the mistakes that sabotage your career pivot
If you’re serious about a career pivot, take a hard look at which of these mistakes might be holding you back. They’re fixable — but only if you see them.
You don’t need to have it all figured out. But you do need to stop making the mistakes that sabotage your career pivot.
Start with one fix. One sentence. One profile update.
And if you’re not sure where to begin — or you want someone to look it over — book a discovery call or send me a DM on LinkedIn. I’ll help you figure out what’s next.
This post was first published on my Medium blog—follow me there for the most up-to-date entries!