Career Change from Administration to Nursing

[Mollexter]

I graduated 3 years ago with a degree in Healthcare Administration. I have spent time working as a nursing home administrator and as a director of patient satisfaction at a hospital. During my short career, I have been constantly frustrated with my lack of ability to actually help people. My current role revolves around HCAHPS and patient satisfaction and it breaks my heart to not actually be able to provide the care that I talk about. I am strongly considering an accelerated BSN program. I still need to get CNA certified and take all of the pre-requisites. Does anyone have any suggestions for me? Although I do not have direct patient care experience, would my administrative experiences help me find a job post graduation? Thank you!

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Hmm - if your primary goal is to make a difference in HCAHPS, you will be leaping from the frying pan to the broiler. Patient sat surveys - all varieties that I have seen - slam nurses for "hotel" factors over which nurses have no control. For instance, 'response to call light' times ... just imagine how awful it is to try to meet unrealistic expectations when you have 7 other patients to care for. We already have evidence that high HCAHPS scores have nothing to do with the quality of clinical services that are provided.

If your motivation for becoming a nurse is "making patients happy", you will be doomed to disappointment. As a new grad nurse, you will only be eligible for entry level positions so I doubt whether your previous experience will make a difference - in fact it may be off-putting to a nurse manager who is likely to be resentful of the (non-nurse) admins who slam him for poor HCAHPS scores.

[Mollexter]

Hmm - if your primary goal is to make a difference in HCAHPS, you will be leaping from the frying pan to the broiler. Patient sat surveys - all varieties that I have seen - slam nurses for "hotel" factors over which nurses have no control. For instance, 'response to call light' times ... just imagine how awful it is to try to meet unrealistic expectations when you have 7 other patients to care for. We already have evidence that high HCAHPS scores have nothing to do with the quality of clinical services that are provided.

If your motivation for becoming a nurse is "making patients happy", you will be doomed to disappointment. As a new grad nurse, you will only be eligible for entry level positions so I doubt whether your previous experience will make a difference - in fact it may be off-putting to a nurse manager who is likely to be resentful of the (non-nurse) admins who slam him for poor HCAHPS scores.

My goal is not to impact HCAHPS scores. That's just what I happen to do now and i do not like it. This experience had allowed me to spend a lot of time with nurses and realize that I really want to actually care for people. When I walk into a patient room and they tell me they're in pain, it breaks my heart to not be able to help them. I have spent so much time around nurses and other clinical staff that I know I have a realistic view of the job I know it is tough physically, mentally, and emotionally. I have a good relationship with the managers at the hospital I work for now because I have a realistic view of patient care. Would these experiences really not help me get a job? I think about being a nurse every day and I just want to be able to actually take care of people. I would still have one year of school to get prerequisites and the accelerated bsn program, if I get in. What else could I do to improve my prospects?

[emma34]

I'm not a nurse but I just figured I would charm in with my two cents. I have had similar work experiences to you in administration and am also considering nursing. Personally, I think there are pros and cons to both, but I do believe that your administration experience would help in you terms of getting a job and finding your niche. For instance, if we after 5 years of bedside nursing you get tired of it and want to try a more administrative role, it would be easier for you since you have such a breadth of experience. I think having administrative experience too will help you be realistic about the downfalls of nursing...plus paperwork and is a big part of nursing and you will be a pro at that too. Again, i'm not a nurse but that's sort of what I think...