RN wanting to join consultancy firm

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Hello fellow allnurses,

I am writing to see if anyone here in allnurses seek the job route I am aiming right now. Currently, I am RN with two years experience working with a huge training institution here in Texas. My goal is to join consultancy firm or maybe be a project specialist. But I am really clueless where to start. I haven't met anyone doing or even interested in this kind of job. Do you think an MSN in admin and leadership will help me land a career in consultancy. I know MBA will be helpful but I dont want start MBA until I am in actual consultancy job.

I am loss, does anyone here goes in this route? Any advise is highly appreciated.

Thank you

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Hallo Nomad

Here is a posting from 2014 that could be useful....https://allnurses.com/nursing-career-advice/nurse-thinking-about-930260.html

I'm also interested in nurse consulting and have been doing some research. The poster discusses her route through a PHD/NP program into consulting with one of the top firms. The big firms (McKinsey, Boston Consulting Group, Deloitte etc.) also have details on their websites about what kind of experience they are looking for in candidates. I've heard that these positions pay well but can be very labor intensive (60 hour workweeks with frequent travel) which is something to consider for quality of life. They also value degrees from top universities and good grades.

Do you want to be a healthcare consultant, or a business consultant that happens to work in healthcare- or the financial sector- or business analytics, or in big pharma ? Knowing what kind of consulting you want to go for will help determine the type of graduate degree to go for. An MBA followed by a consulting position with a firm actually could take you out of the healthcare sector. A MSN with healthcare leadership focus is going to keep you in healthcare. As far as going back to grad school, I can tell you it costs alot of time and money so make sure you pick the right program for you.

Talk to as many interesting people as you can about your career goals, including advisors at MBA or MHA programs, or connect with people through professional organizations (like your local Texas Nurse Assn/HIMMS/young professional groups/alumni/business associations), and network. Maybe you can find a mentor who would be willing to help guide you. Talk to people who already have an MBA or a MHA as they will have already been through these programs and can share how they are steering their own careers. Even just looking at people's profiles on linkedin can give you idea of the path they took to consulting.

Also, if you search the job postings for consulting firms that hire nurses- they are often looking for particular skill sets such as case management experience and certification, clinical documentation improvement and coding/reimbursement experience, or health informatics experience with EHR implementation, quality/accreditation, and/or management experience. Perhaps you can find your way into one of these positions in your current health system? Look at firms like The Advisory Board, Navigant, Huron, McKesson, Dell etc and get a feel for what they are looking for in their consulting candidates.

Good luck on your journey!

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Been there - Done that - LOL. In my experience, there are essentially 2 types of "consultant" used in Healthcare organizations - 1) diagnostic & 2) project.

Diagnostic consultants are called in when senior leaders feel that there are issues or problems that need to be solved. These roles require individuals with great deal of practical expertise in the focus areas. They are not appropriate for newbies or generalists, even those with great academic credentials. The process is similar to patient care: Assess the situation, Determine interventions, Create a corrective action plan.... and turn it over to the client. Sometimes, clients will want the consultant to also lead the corrective actions if they don't have appropriate internal resources.

Project consulting - is associated with implementing a specific change; new models of care, new systems, etc. These consultants are usually associated with the vendor of the project/system that has been purchased. They have a specific set of standard "marching orders" to complete. Qualifications for these jobs are really focused on the 'service' that they are associated with - so in many cases, they do not require much practical experience.

The length and outcomes of a consulting engagement are determined by a contractual relationship. Most engagements have very specific measurable outcomes that must be met & very definite timelines for achievement. Therefore, the working environment can be pretty intense. The use of a consultant may be perceived very negatively by incumbent employees - and this presents huge challenges for any consultant. Diagnostic consultants have to be VERY skilled in interpersonal relationships & communication because a collaborative relationship is crucial to their work. Project consultants? Not so much... because the employees are usually blamed for "lack of cooperation" if anything goes awry.

That's my $0.02.

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Appreciate the response. Im interested staying in healthcare. My stats are not too impressive. My experience are in critical care but willing to switch gear in order to be desirable for consultancy. My plan is to do dual program MSN leadership/ MPH health management/ economics so I can build my credentials. Would you think that will help?

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Been there - Done that - LOL. In my experience, there are essentially 2 types of "consultant" used in Healthcare organizations - 1) diagnostic & 2) project.

Diagnostic consultants are called in when senior leaders feel that there are issues or problems that need to be solved. These roles require individuals with great deal of practical expertise in the focus areas. They are not appropriate for newbies or generalists, even those with great academic credentials. The process is similar to patient care: Assess the situation, Determine interventions, Create a corrective action plan.... and turn it over to the client. Sometimes, clients will want the consultant to also lead the corrective actions if they don't have appropriate internal resources.

Project consulting - is associated with implementing a specific change; new models of care, new systems, etc. These consultants are usually associated with the vendor of the project/system that has been purchased. They have a specific set of standard "marching orders" to complete. Qualifications for these jobs are really focused on the 'service' that they are associated with - so in many cases, they do not require much practical experience.

The length and outcomes of a consulting engagement are determined by a contractual relationship. Most engagements have very specific measurable outcomes that must be met & very definite timelines for achievement. Therefore, the working environment can be pretty intense. The use of a consultant may be perceived very negatively by incumbent employees - and this presents huge challenges for any consultant. Diagnostic consultants have to be VERY skilled in interpersonal relationships & communication because a collaborative relationship is crucial to their work. Project consultants? Not so much... because the employees are usually blamed for "lack of cooperation" if anything goes awry.

That's my $0.02.

Wow. Thank you. Maybe based on my background, I would probably do the Project consulting. As I said my background is critical care. Do you know what experience I need to be desirable? Because I just don't know where to start. All my coworkers doing either NP or CRNA school. So, I really don't know anyone who goes to this route

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Hallo Nomad

Here is a posting from 2014 that could be useful....https://allnurses.com/nursing-career-advice/nurse-thinking-about-930260.html

I'm also interested in nurse consulting and have been doing some research. The poster discusses her route through a PHD/NP program into consulting with one of the top firms. The big firms (McKinsey, Boston Consulting Group, Deloitte etc.) also have details on their websites about what kind of experience they are looking for in candidates. I've heard that these positions pay well but can be very labor intensive (60 hour workweeks with frequent travel) which is something to consider for quality of life. They also value degrees from top universities and good grades.

Do you want to be a healthcare consultant, or a business consultant that happens to work in healthcare- or the financial sector- or business analytics, or in big pharma ? Knowing what kind of consulting you want to go for will help determine the type of graduate degree to go for. An MBA followed by a consulting position with a firm actually could take you out of the healthcare sector. A MSN with healthcare leadership focus is going to keep you in healthcare. As far as going back to grad school, I can tell you it costs alot of time and money so make sure you pick the right program for you.

Talk to as many interesting people as you can about your career goals, including advisors at MBA or MHA programs, or connect with people through professional organizations (like your local Texas Nurse Assn/HIMMS/young professional groups/alumni/business associations), and network. Maybe you can find a mentor who would be willing to help guide you. Talk to people who already have an MBA or a MHA as they will have already been through these programs and can share how they are steering their own careers. Even just looking at people's profiles on linkedin can give you idea of the path they took to consulting.

Also, if you search the job postings for consulting firms that hire nurses- they are often looking for particular skill sets such as case management experience and certification, clinical documentation improvement and coding/reimbursement experience, or health informatics experience with EHR implementation, quality/accreditation, and/or management experience. Perhaps you can find your way into one of these positions in your current health system? Look at firms like The Advisory Board, Navigant, Huron, McKesson, Dell etc and get a feel for what they are looking for in their consulting candidates.

Good luck on your journey!

Yes, you hit every points. Thanks bud. I stumble at this position Implementation Coach - Nursing | Careers | McKinsey & Company. It is from Mckinsey. Whats your thoughts?

If I may ask, what is your background? Are you in consultancy right now?

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