"Whatever You Are, Be a Good One"

Julie Reyes, DNP, RN

In the course of my life, I have worn dozens of hats. Listing the ones that I actually got paid for - dry cleaner...cleaner (?), McDonalds server, preschool teacher, babysitter, oil field office manager, paramedic, administrative assistant, housekeeper, patient care tech, pool nurse, picu nurse, occupational health nurse and manager, clinical nursing instructor, and writer. Whew - that is a lot. I started when I was just a kid in high school and through my years, I have really liked some of my jobs.

Let's talk about transitioning from one role in nursing to another. While I have only worked at one hospital during my nursing career, I have longed for different experiences in other fields of nursing. That is the beauty of nursing - if you get tired or don't like one field, you can go to a new and different field in nursing. I was actually chuckling the other day when I heard someone say, "There's an app...I mean, NURSE - for that!"

My talent? I like to be creative and think up new and better ways to do things...and if it is easier, than let's do it! I am all about improvements having an evidence based best practice background, so I am always trying to find the latest research. I went to school for a million years to become a CPNP-AC, but when it came time to take a job in that area, I had ZERO desire to work in that field. I mean, I sabotaged every interview I went to. Even when I was offered a job, I turned it down, because it just didn't feel right.

I had been working as a PICU nurse for a few years. I had grown very weary of the job. Honestly, it was because I had about 3 months with a lot of deaths - from child abuse to withdrawing life support to suicide. I was just tired of it. I loved the critical thinking I had to do in that position, but, I was just done. When I heard about the Occupational Health department looking for a manager, I jumped all over that. I mean, I applied in a heartbeat! I wrote a "manifesto" of what I would do to create change in the department and to improve the department for the better. When I was called to an interview, I presented my "manifesto" to the team interviewing me, and I landed the job.

Transitioning from a pediatric nurse to an adult Occ Health nurse and manager was like getting caught in a tornado. The expectations for my position were clearly laid out for me. I had never worked with worker's comp, OSHA laws, titers, or employee health records. Understanding the insurance language and writing policies were way out of my grasp. When I started my first week, I felt like I just walked into a conversation and had to try to wrap my brain around what the discussion was all about. Most of the time, I felt like people were talking in another language.

I would say it took about three months to begin to grasp what was happening and begin to make informed, intelligent decisions. I attended workshops, read everything OSHA related, searched the internet, asked a million questions, and took pages and pages of notes. I even made a folder on my desktop called, "How to DO stuff". I updated it daily, because there was so much new information and I didn't want to ask someone to repeat it again (that didn't always work...).

I feel more comfortable in my role now. I have accomplished some very huge changes for the employees at my hospital, and still have goals I want to implement in my 3-5 year plan. I have written an Employee Safety Manual, 6 policies (working on the 7th), and have brought down the cost per hour of injuries on the job through safety education. I have only been in my current position since December 2014, so a little over 7 months. I would say I am doing very well.

Transitioning was not easy. I did some research on "how to" transition to a new job - because I didn't want to fall on my face. I really wanted this job, and I love it. I am still a nurse, but in a whole new field. I would like to share some tips with you on how to transition - so that whatever you do, you can be good at it.

Have your boss list out clear cut expectations

You will always know what he/she expects from you and can adjust your progress and change gears to meet those expectations.

Take notes

For example - you may have to access all sorts of websites for your job and each one of those will require a different user name and password...and of course, every site will require a different type of password. The number and symbol you used for one site will not be accepted for another! Additionally, if you are changing from a floor nurse to say, an ICU nurse or a nurse that uses equipment you are not familiar with - TAKE NOTES! Use your smart phone if there is a demonstration given - video tape it. Learning how to set up an ART line for the first time with pressure bags? Video tape it! Getting to know that CRRT machine and how to set it up? With everything you are learning, you might not remember what line goes where and when. Use today's technology to your advantage!

Get a mentor

I found two who had valuable information in very different aspects of how I can improve our department. Worked like a charm

Be nice and stay positive

That is self-explanatory (works well for self-preservation too)! In fact, in every way, just use Emotional Intelligence!

Find what works for you - set up your routine

I actually tell my students this all of the time. I show them several different ways to do the same thing and then tell them to use what works best for them. For example, how to be organized in caring for more than one patient. I watch them as they try out the different examples and they mold it to fit their needs. Pretty neat!

I found what I liked doing. I have a passion and a drive to be really good at this job. I have a talent for it. I am doing what I love and getting paid to do it. It wasn't easy, but I grew in the process. And I learned so much! If you decide to transition from one field to an entirely new one in nursing, remember, you made it through nursing school....NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!!!