You may have heard a lot of nurses are leaving their profession right now. If you have paid attention to anything over the last 18 months, then you probably have an idea that things have been rough for everyone in medical land. There are estimates out there claiming as much as 1/3 of the medical field is leaving or making plans to do so. I am here to tell you why nurses will make amazing tech hires. Especially a specific nurse: me. (If you do not promote yourself, who will? Right?)
Nurses are smart. Like really smart.
Many suffer under the illusion that nurses give people pills and empty bedpans all day. That is but a portion of what we do. During our training, nurses learn everything from microbiology and anatomy to statistics and pathophysiology. We live in a world where drinking from the firehose is the norm; endless chapters of reading, hours of lectures, and a grading scale where 92% is a B. Our field is based upon evidence and science, so change is the only true constant. We are in a constant state of learning and growth. Critical thinking is engrained into everything we do. If we can navigate questions that ask us which of the provided correct answers is most correct, we can learn your stack, too. Promise.
We solve problems and adapt.
My current nursing specialty is travel nursing. This means I drop into a hospital and, with minimal training, go straight to work. This week that meant arriving on a new floor, with new coworkers I have never met, doctors I do not know, and a charting software I have not touched in two years. I was handed keys and a phone, given handoff information about my patients, and set loose. And that was just my Wednesday.
Nursing is controlled chaos and a constant state of assessing problems, analyzing possible solutions, implementing the best option, and evaluating the effectiveness of the results. Over and over with every patient, every shift, and at a rapid-fire pace. If you cannot make sound decisions quickly, you will not survive, let alone thrive. We are the people you want in your foxhole if you need a quick and workable solution to a complex problem.
We are the consummate team players.
Resuscitation efforts (Code Blue) are different from what you see on television. Nurses know what we each excel at, and roles are assigned. We all know what part we must play to give our patient the best chance of surviving the episode. We know how to take directions from leadership and how to step up and provide that leadership if it is absent. We know all too well that the team can accomplish so much more together than any of us can as individuals. We are ready to bring that discipline and energy to your work teams.
Bonus: you know that lead engineer on your team who everyone struggles with just a little bit? The brilliant one who just rubs people the wrong way sometimes? Nurses know exactly how to work with that person. In our world they are usually a genius surgeon with the personality of a bull in a China shop. We wrote the book on getting the best from that person to the benefit of our patients. We can do it for your team and your customers, too.
We are documentation masters.
Nursing literally has a standard of practice stating, "If you did not document it, it never happened." Imagine if your development team could harness a little of that magic? We are experts at working and keeping a record of that work as we go along. We realize it is essential to being able to look back and know what has happened with a patient or procedure along the way. It is a key ingredient in ensuring the continuity of excellent patient care (or the maintainability of a code base!). We are also skilled at sifting through the documentation of others to determine what happened, why, and how. Think about how much value this could add to your workflow!
We are customer service specialists.
Nurses are the first face of customer service for the hospital. We have so much practice in actively listening to concerns, apologizing for things that are completely out of our control in a genuine way, and working with people who are sick, scared, and in pain to guide them to an acceptable solution. If I can approach a person who has not eaten in twelve hours to tell them their surgery is being delayed (again!) and find a way to help them feel heard and end up content with the wait, I can absolutely handle your customers with finesse.
A big part of our toolbox in customer service situations is the ability to explain complex, specialized material in a way that the average person can understand the information and how it applies to them. I promise I could explain right versus left sided heart failure to you in a way that would make sense and help you understand why it is important to follow the guidelines and take your medications. Now, apply that skill to the customer who is good at selling their widget but needs a help understanding why your software tool will help them sell more widgets, faster, and for more profit. See?
So, there you have it, five solid reasons why nurses will make amazing tech employees. If you are looking for critical thinking, adaptability, a fast learner, teamwork, awesome documentation skills, and the ability to listen to, teach, and effectively communicate with people from every walk of life I have a surprise for you--- you are looking for a nurse. Especially this one: me.