Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash.
At the beginning of 2021 Paulina Parga, a former theatre nurse from Chile, transitioned into a new career in health tech with the Customer Success Team at MEG. Below, she outlines why she decided to take the leap and how healthcare workers interested in a career change should approach it.
Tell us about your healthcare background
I used to work in a hospital in Santiago, Chile as a PACU (Post Anaesthesia Care Unit) and theatre nurse. It was a very hectic job, stressful and it was difficult to have a normal life due to the crazy shifts. I love traveling and I decided to take a break from nursing and I found myself in Ireland. I wasn’t in a rush to go back to nursing and this job opportunity landed at my feet.
What were your roles and responsibilities in the hospital?
This is a tricky one, because I didn’t only perform the duties of a normal nurse, such as installing intravenous lines, taking blood samples and minding patients. At the theatre we had to check that everything was operating correctly, ready and secure for the patients during the whole surgery process.
My role often included the responsibilities of a manager, being in charge of staff, solving any problems that might come up in the theatre, and on good days I had the power of overseeing the schedule of surgical procedures, coordinating the surgeries and staff. Not to mention, being ready for any medical emergencies or a sudden organ transplant arrival!
Why did you decide you wanted a career change?
I felt it was high time for a break from the hospital. I was looking for a better work-life balance and to prioritise spending more time with my loved ones and avoiding having to work all hours of the day as well as doing night, weekend and bank holiday shifts.
What challenges did you face switching industries?
Maybe I will sound a little bit old fashioned, but at the beginning I was a little overwhelmed by all the different apps and digital platforms I needed to download for work. At the hospital I only used my email and some medical software.
Another challenge was having ‘digital’ colleagues, I only met them in person a few months after I started working. The funny thing was that it was pretty much the same. The downside of the online meeting platforms is that you can’t tell how tall a person is - I was very disappointed to realise that I was one of the shortest!
What were your hopes for a new role in IT?
My hopes were to have a job where I could have flexible working hours, more time to travel and the flexibility to work from any location. I was looking to work in a modern dynamic company with modern lifestyles.
Are there similarities between your previous career as a nurse and MEG?
I’m still dealing with doctors and nurses on a daily basis - that hasn’t changed! Every day is different too, you don’t know how the working day will be until it is all done and dusted.
Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash.
Have you found any differences between nursing and working in healthcare information technology?
My bosses are not nurses anymore! I was also used to interacting with a great number of people, easily more than 50 people a day (including patients, nurses, doctors and other staff). Now I spend more time on a chair behind a desk. Before I was on my feet all day and without any effort I could cover 10 km in a shift! But it doesn’t stop me from going for ‘walkies’ with my dog before work and going for runs in the evening.
How did MEG support your transition into this field?
From the very beginning, I felt very welcomed, all the MEG staff had a lot of patience with me. I really appreciated that, since the job was completely different from what I was used to and I might have asked the same question twice (or more)!
Are there any relevant transferable skills that helped this process?
I can say that my nursing background was excellent for learning different soft skills (communication, troubleshooting and management, to name but a few) and has helped me considerably in my new role.
Do you have to be ‘techy’ to be successful in this career?
More than being “super techy” you need to be willing to embrace your millennial side a little, after all we are all pretty techy somehow.
What have you learned since starting at MEG?
In my last job at the hospital I was another front line worker following the guidelines of the hospital and trying my best to deliver good quality and adequate attention to my patients. Now at MEG, it is the other side of the coin, helping quality management and infection prevention and control leaders setting up audit forms and helping them with that process. In short, I learned that by listening to and understanding our customers’ requirements and adapting digital audits to their needs, we can offer more value to them.
What would you say to someone ‘on the fence’ about a career in tech customer support?
If you’re curious about working at MEG, I encourage you to check out our Careers page!
Paulina Parga
MEG Customer Success Team (Latin America)