00:01
Anna was a sophomore
in high school,
and she knew she wanted
to be a doctor.
00:06
Ever since she had spent
endless days and nights
in the hospital when
she became sick.
00:12
She knew she wanted
to be like the people
who helped her become healthy again.
She had a goal.
00:20
Now, how could she prepare
for her desired future?
She knew she was going to have
to earn her undergraduate degree,
go to medical school, complete
her residency and pass her boards.
00:34
But that was all in the future.
00:37
What could she do now,
to prepare for her career?
You might be in a
situation like Anna.
00:45
Perhaps you know where you
want to go in your career.
00:50
Perhaps you don't have a
clear picture only an inkling.
00:54
Perhaps you don't know
where to begin.
00:58
You can begin with a single step.
01:02
One way that you can
hone in your skills,
gain experience,
and increase your understanding
is through volunteering at
your local health care system,
community events,
and health community.
01:15
There are plenty of
opportunities to give back
and increase your experience,
understanding, and network.
01:23
If you are preparing
for a career in healthcare,
service is a critical
part of the job.
01:30
You should consider
volunteer opportunities
to prepare for your career.
01:36
Another way that you can improve is
through internships and externships.
01:42
Highly desirable units
such as labor and delivery,
hire almost exclusively new nurses
that have already engaged
in an internship,
externship, nurse's aide,
or volunteer opportunity
prior to taking boards.
01:58
Through internships
and externships,
you have an opportunity to discover
your comfort with the floor,
build relationships
with other nurses,
and their hiring managers,
and build your experience
for your resume.
02:14
Before you have
the official title of RN,
Consider externships
and internships.
02:23
Another option that you should
consider is assistant positions.
02:28
If you want to be an
excellent nurse one day,
I strongly, adamantly, insistently
encourage you to consider
a nurse assistant position
while you are in school.
02:42
With little exception,
nurses that have nurse assistant
or equivalent experience
prior to boards
have improved empathy, understanding
teamwork, communication,
and overall collaboration
on the unit.
02:58
Time as a clinical nurse assistant
allows students to test units,
gain experience and
knowledge of daily practice.
03:07
Discover if nursing is the
right fit position for them,
and can help prepare and equip
students for nursing school.
03:16
This is a crucial
learning experience
that will impact your
collaboration on the unit,
which can impact
overall patient care.
03:27
In addition to the
patient care benefits,
many times nurse assistants
can receive some type
of tuition assistance
from the health care system
towards earning a nursing degree.
03:40
Sometimes healthcare systems
will also give internship
or externship preference
to nurse assistants that are already
employed in the organization.
03:52
Furthermore,
the cycle time of moving
from a nurse assistant to a nurse
could be a shorter timespan
because you will
not have to complete
the organizational application
process onboarding and orientation.
04:08
If you are already a part
of the healthcare system
as a nurse assistant,
you will simply transfer or promote
to your new position.
04:18
You will already know
the charting system,
organizational policies,
and unit nuances
if you are staying
in the same unit.
04:26
For logistical,
practical, relational,
and experiential reasons,
I highly suggest you look
into nurse assistant positions
as you are preparing
for your career.
04:38
Experience in an assistant
position is a game changer.
04:44
Lastly, be intentional
to build your network
by seeking job
shadow opportunities,
working with a mentor, and finding
opportunities to ask questions
with those in the industry.
04:58
Healthcare is a multi-dimensional,
multi-layered complex
ever changing field.
05:04
You cannot possibly know everything
in healthcare. You never will.
05:10
Begin building your
network of people now.
05:15
Experience through internships
and assistant positions
are really important.
05:20
The knowledge and ideas of best
practices is also critical.
05:25
Attend events.
05:26
Ask your local healthcare system
for job shadowing opportunities.
05:30
Reach out to people
that are in a unit.
05:33
Practice or position that
you are striving for it today
and ask them about their challenges,
the rewarding parts of their day.
05:42
How they would recommend
that you prepare for a
specific field of practice.
05:47
Ask questions and listen intently
to gain specific insight into
and to how you can best
prepare for the future.
05:56
For Anna,
she spent her high school years
volunteering at the local hospital,
studying Latin,
and served in a
local retirement home
to increase her experience
in patient care.
06:09
Later, she continued with
volunteer experience,
networking, internships,
entry level and assistant positions
and setting to set
herself up for success.
06:20
Today, Anna is a doctor,
serving patients in her community.
06:26
Medical school was a
part of her journey.
06:30
In addition, to the hours and
hours of other preparation
that she took to be an
excellent doctor in her field.
06:41
So, here's what I want you to do,
especially if you are not yet
in your ideal career.
06:49
I want you to look around and ask,
Where can I volunteer
to make an impact now?
What internship or
externship opportunities
can I take advantage of now?
Who can I meet with to job shadow
or speak with today?
And what entry level positions
can I take advantage of today
to prepare me for my
dream position tomorrow?