20 career lessons from celebrities

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Celebrities. We love to hate them. We also love to watch their every move, laugh at their mistakes and scrutinize their decisions.

Like them or not, their celebrity status means not only have they achieved career success, they’ve also got a hell of a lot to lose. And sometimes, whatever actions have helped catapult them to fame or rendered them B-list can provide valuable lessons for the careers of regular nurses like you and me.

Here are 20 career dos and dont’s from celebrities. Yes, some lessons are good, some are bad. And some are just plain ridiculous.

#1: Madonna

Lesson: Reinvent yourself often. Always stay fresh and relevant.

Never one to let things get stale, Madonna has reinvented herself over and over again since she first stepped into the spotlight in the mid 80s.

There was the virgin, the “material girl,” the Evita era, and her disco-fabulous look and sound of 2005. She’s had as many new looks as she has albums and always manages to stay fresh and relevant. Reinvention is so central to her career, she named a tour after it. And 30+ years after her debut, she still manages to be at the forefront of the global music industry.

Elaborate personal transformations may not be realistic (or helpful) for mere mortals. But there’s a lesson to be learned from this pop icon. In order to thrive in a rapidly changing economy, it’s important to stay fresh, keep your skills up to date and be adaptable to new directions in your career. Consider going back to nursing school to up your credentials, or channel your years of experience in a new way and become a nurse educator.

#2: Christian Bale →

For more Career Advice for Nurses pick up the latest issue of Scrubs magazine, available at a retail store near you!