Thank you for attending our Virtual Panel and Workshop! In this post and some future ones, we will answer more of your questions with help from members of our network. Up first is nurse practitioner Vicky Diaz.
Below are questions and answers about the healthcare industry from Vicky Diaz, MSN FNP:
Q: How important is networking to get your foot in the door in the healthcare industry?
A: I feel that networking is very important. I have actually found most of my jobs through people that I know. I'm a board member for the California Association Nurse Practitioner SB chapter and I encourage nurse practitioner students who are about to graduate to come to our events. During our monthly meetings we often announce job openings. The best way to get the foot in the door of a new job is to know somebody who works there. The more a person sees you, the better they know you and the more likely it is that you will be considered for a job.
Q: How does medical training/education look different right now due to COVID?
A: I'm a preceptor for nurse practitioner students. However, due to COVID my boss decided that I could not take any students due to distancing and decreasing the traffic in our practice. We are also required to wear PPE and for a while it was difficult to get N95 Masks for our staff, so having a student was out of the question. I feel that [due to COVID] student nurse practitioners are struggling to get placement for their training since there are only a few places that allow students. I have had to turn down several students in order to protect my patients (since I work with elderly population). Therefore, my advice would be for anyone who is a student to try to get an internship or a lower paying job in the company where they want to eventually work. It is OK to start as a janitor or the dishwasher at the company if this will lead to other opportunities.
Q: What are your top tips for students who are figuring out if they want to enter the medical field?
A: I highly recommend young adults to consider going into the medical field since it offers job security. However, don't do it if you hate working with people or hate blood. The best way to know if you would like working in the medical field is to do volunteer work at a clinic or hospital. This way you can get used to being around sick people. It is important to acquire skills on how to help others in need and learn to be compassionate and caring. I started working as a caregiver.
Q: Why did you choose to enter the medical field, and what did your decision process look like?
A: I decided to go into the medical field after my sister found me a summer job being a caregiver for a lady who was dying of cancer. It felt good to help somebody and get paid for it. It did not feel like a job.
Since I had no money for college, I started at SBCC. I do feel that many city colleges offer vocational degrees that are in demand. Getting my registered nurse degree from SBCC led to more opportunities and I was able to find a job right away. Also being able to work allow me to pursue my dream without having too many student loans.