You might be thinking about entering healthcare as a second career but are having lots of doubts, primarily because you feel that the time and energy you invested in your profession might just go to waste. On the contrary, many of the skills and strengths you need in healthcare, particularly in the nursing field, are strengths and skills that you most likely have developed already in your professional career, especially if you worked in a high-pressure office setting or any form of customer service. In healthcare, you will be communicating face-to-face with people on a daily basis --- nurses, doctors, patients, family of patients, and so on. In fact, when you are working, you will probably be getting instructions from someone, relaying  a message, soothing the worries of a patient, explaining circumstances, and so on. To have strong communication skills, you need to be able to speak clearly and listen carefully. It is important that the messages you deliver are accurate and brief, not only orally but also literally --- documentation is part of the job. In most professions, communication skills are also highly valued and developed. Writing memos, speaking and listening in meetings, and understanding nonverbal and verbal cues  are all helpful and transferable to a health career. For professionals with a background in psychology, counseling, teaching, social work, public speaking, customer service, and any job that teaches empathy, they might find that they fit well in a nursing job or a job in healthcare. Having empathy is vital to becoming an effective nurse. Good nurses tend to be empathetic, sympathetic, understand different cultures, respect teamwork, and listen well. For those who worked in customer service such as working as a salesperson, waitstaff, or receptionist, they will find that there are a lot of characteristics that they learned from the job and that they can transfer to working in healthcare. Servers or customer care representatives have to be organized, multitask, and provide satisfaction to customers. All these are things that nurses have to be and do as well. Which of the following can be the best title?
A second career in healthcare Possibilities of being a nurse Transferable skills to use in healthcare How to get a job with your previous