Transcript of BMSA Presents: Career Catalyst Episode 1: BMSc to RN/Flight Attendant
Interviewer (I): Hello and welcome to Career Catalyst: BMSA’s Pathways in Science where we interview past Medical Sciences students in various Science-related careers. My name is Angela and today I am joined by Adrianne. So Adrianne, could you tell me a bit about yourself and about which module you were in and something else interesting about you?
Adrianne (A): Hi, I graduated from the Medical Sciences program in 2018 and when I first started out in my third year, I chose a double major in Microbiology and Immunology and Physiology because those were my favourite courses from second year. I ended up switching just to an Honour’s Specialization in IMS for my fourth year though. Currently, I'm working as an RN and also a flight attendant.
I: Okay, that’s really interesting. So when you first came to Western, did you have a career in mind and what was it?
A: When I first applied for the program, I think like most other students who go into Med Sci, we kind of expect to go into a professional program or a graduate program. I think most of us leaned toward becoming like a physician, and that’s definitely what I started off wanting to do. But after my second year, I realized that that probably wasn't what I wanted to do. The trajectory kind of changed throughout as I finished the program and started working.
I: Right, I think that's the same story that many BMSc grads share and once they graduate or throughout their studies, something happens which causes them to change their mind about their career. So for you, were there any key experiences or mentors during your BMSc studies that guided you towards your current career?
A: I think how I knew that I didn't want to be a physician necessarily was after second year, I think a lot of people start to study and prepare for the MCAT going into their third year and I never really felt that drive. To me, that meant that I didn't really want to do it. I just didn't have that passion and interest I guess that everyone else did around me. When I was in my first year, I know most people take Psychology as their elective, I actually took Sociology instead so I was a little bit different that way. One of the biggest mentors or one of the people that influenced me the most was actually one of my TAs in that course. I think through that she kind of exposed me to social determinants and how our environment influences our lives and I found that a lot more interesting than just looking at pathology and everything at the cellular level and at the disease level. And that drew me more towards social determinants of health.
I: Right, so it was like that turning point where you realize that you would rather be focused more on the social aspect of health care rather than the completely Science-based outcomes, for example, research, is that right?
A: Yeah and that's why I ultimately ended up choosing nursing. There's a lot more you can do I think with social determinants out in the community. I tried a few research positions while I was doing my undergrad, like most Med Sci students do I think, and I realized that it just wasn't for me.
I: So during your undergrad, you mentioned you pursued some research positions. So were there any additional qualifications or skills you pursued after your BMSc to help in your career development?
A: I did research positions during the summer, but nothing really stuck. Like I said, I wasn't super interested in anything, especially wet labs; they really weren't my thing. If anything, I did a lot of clinical labs; then I realized I enjoyed talking to people. So when I finished schooling, I ended up actually applying to be a flight attendant, which was totally random. I just wanted to see what else was out in the world. And after a year of that, I applied for nursing school and I got my RN license 2 years after that.
I: Okay, that sounds like a good way to kind of transition into your nursing career through, possibly not the traditional way, but also it's a really interesting way to transition. So I also wanted to ask, what do you enjoy the most about your nursing job and what don't you enjoy?
A: I really love the direct patient care. I love talking to people. I think that's what the clinical research kind of taught me was I enjoyed interviewing people and figuring out what their specific problems were and addressing them directly. I didn't really love being in the lab or anything like that so direct patient care is definitely my favourite. I also like that you kind of see every aspect of the person's life. So I work in community care and that's more like going to people's homes and doing their health care at the bedside in the environment that they're comfortable with. And through that, you can kind of see the living environment that person lives in. I also work at a primary care clinic at a school so I talk to a lot of students, usually adolescents. It's interesting building that relationship with them sort of at a younger age so that they're comfortable addressing their healthcare needs as they grow.
I: That’s really cool. So how did you find out your passion for community care in the very beginning?
A: It definitely stemmed from taking courses in the Social Sciences I think – just getting that more holistic picture of everything. Then, as I went through nursing school, again those courses definitely drew my attention more. Even in my fourth year doing IMS, our disease of focus that year was diabetes and I really enjoyed our guest speakers who talked about how diet and stress and all that stuff can influence health outcomes in the future.
I: It’s good to hear that being part of the BMSc program was also one of the ways that got you interested in your career in the first place. Could you tell me a bit about what a day in your career looks like?
A: Yeah, for sure! So I have a set roster of clients that I would go and visit. In my particular home care company, we have scheduled shifts where we would go and see them. It's private care, so paid for by the families. Two days a week I would stay with them overnight and then two days a week I would be with them during the day. And I just perform general activities of daily living. So it could be basic things like feeding, changing, bathing, that stuff and then more complex things like medication, gluing dressings, things like that.
I: I see. Are there any challenges that you've encountered while being on the job?
A: I think resources are definitely just a thing that we struggle with in general as nurses, especially in the community, because you really are on your own. So you kind of have to figure out how to pivot when you don't necessarily have all the supplies you need or if it's the first time you're doing a procedure. You kind of just learn to wing it and figure it out on the spot. A lot of the time we're understaffed. A lot of the time we don't have enough supplies but you kind of make do with what you have.
I: Right, so I see that adaptability is a really important skill to have as a nurse. Are there any other qualities that you think are important to have in nursing?
A: I think you have to be really patient-centered because everything is about them and their unique experience of the world. So taking into account their personal preferences, the cultural aspect of it all, and making sure that you're not that you're doing everything for that person. I think there's like ways that the textbook will teach you to do stuff but that's not how it is in real life. There are certain things that people prefer and are more comfortable with and you have to always go according to that.
I: So speaking of how it's different in the real world and perhaps what you learn in nursing school, what really helped you to transition to your career and nursing?
A: I think just exposure to different types of people. So my first job was at St. Michael's Hospital and the patient population that we served was mostly folks who were homeless, folks who use drugs and things like that. There were a lot of people of colour as well and being able to see all these different populations really changes your perspective on how you provide care because they all have different needs and everyone has such a unique experience. Unfortunately, the compliance with health care isn't as great as we like just because of a distrust of the healthcare system. So being able to navigate all of those issues really comes down to the relationship that you build with your patient. So I think that experience is probably what helped the most.
I: Okay, thank you for your answer. So is there something, when you were considering nursing, about this career path that made you choose it instead of another career path?
A: Sociology and Social Sciences were a really big part of the reason why I chose nursing. On the flip side of that, I actually considered social work as well. When I finished my BMSc, I actually applied for both nursing, like an accelerated nursing program, and I applied for a Master's in social work. I ended up shadowing and I chatted with them and I realized that there were not as many avenues available for social workers. It's either usually hospital or pediatrics; those are kind of the two main avenues that people go towards. There's a lot more diversity with what I could do with nursing and that's kind of why I ended up choosing that.
I: It seems like you did a lot of thinking when you were selecting a career path. Did you have anything that you wish you knew before choosing your program and job?
A: You mean like before I had gone into Med Sci?
I: Well I think maybe the listeners would like to know if there's anything you'd like to tell them before choosing nursing, anything that would have been helpful before trying to choose this career.
A: It's a really hard profession. I mean when I say hard I mean like emotionally difficult so I think you have to be quite strong in that regard. It's very rewarding but it's also hard because of half the resources there are. So you just have to have a really strong stomach and be kind of prepared to work a lot for not much. But that's okay because if you are really interested in it, it makes it worth it.
I: So I'm guessing there should be something that drives you during your career on a daily basis that will motivate you to work. For you, is that the patients? Like, do they inspire you to do more on the job?
A: Definitely the patients. You could work for weeks with having like thousands of people yelling at you and saying that you're doing a terrible job. But you'll have that one experience where a patient who, for example, doesn't usually take their medication suddenly takes it from you and you're like “Oh wow like I really did something for this person”, like something changed. Building that relationship and seeing it grow I think is what keeps me going.
I: That’s quite a magical thing. It's kind of like an Aha moment when you see what you're doing for a patient is actually working so that's amazing. Is there some advice that you would like to give to your past self if you could travel back in time?
A: I think I would tell myself that it's okay to not necessarily finish the degree that you start with. Things change as you progress through your undergrad. Your perspective changes and you realize more what your interests are in. For me personally, after my second year, I realized that – I think all of us know that second year Med Sci is hard. I realized afterwards, I was like “I don't have an interest in like most of these courses and that I don't think it's for me”. But I went through it because, for me I was like, this is the degree that like the program I started with so I feel like it's the program that I should graduate in. But had I just maybe pivoted towards an accelerated nursing program at that time, it would have saved me quite a few years of school. It's okay to change your mind I think is the biggest thing.
I: That's really good advice. So you also mentioned that you are part of the cabin crew as a flight attendant. So how did you decide, like what was the moment where you decided that you wanted to be working on flights?
A: I kind of wanted to expand my soft skills. I was quite shy leaving my fourth year, like graduating from Med Sci. I was still very shy and I didn't really love chatting with people. So I thought it'd be a good challenge to grow my soft skills just in talking to different types of people and also increasing my exposure to different cultures [and] different parts of the world. My mom was a flight attendant, probably some like 30-40 years ago, so I think she was a big inspiration. She would tell me all these stories about all these cool places that she would see and how it was important when you're young to kind of go out and look around. So I did that for a year, [which] was my expectation, but 5 years later I'm still here. So it definitely holds a special place in my heart and it's definitely a different experience if you're not sure what you want to do and you just kind of want to explore a little.
I: So what made you like change your mind or what made you decide to do nursing after doing cabin crew?
A: I think as much as I enjoy that job, I think health care was still my goal; it always had been my goal. I promised myself after a year of that that I would kind of consider pursuing more education. But I think it's helped in both, like the two jobs are different but they also share similarities. Like I've had medical [situations] on board before where I could use my nursing experience.
I: What are some similarities, if you don't mind me asking, between nursing and being a flight attendant?
A: Both of them are very people-focused. You take care of either your patients or the passengers on the plane, address all of their needs. A lot of the time they're both quite underappreciated jobs — that's like a different thing. The schedules are super similar; they're both weird and shift work. There's just a lot of things that make sense when you put them both together. I've only been able to manage both jobs together because they're both weird shift work.
I: I see. You mentioned that I'd like they're both underappreciated jobs. So, like for nursing, what exactly are the drawbacks of pursuing a career in nursing?
A: I don't think – unless you've been a nurse, you've shadowed a nurse, or know a nurse, or you've personally been in the hospital – people have a full understanding of what nurses really do. So a lot of the time, it's not like a drawback per se, but when you go into a patient room and you tell them information, they'll kind of ask for the doctor even though the doctor will provide the same information. It's just the hierarchy is still quite strong there, which is fine. I think it's just people expect that the doctors will kind of do everything for them, but in reality, the most patient-facing person in a hospital is the nurse because they're with the patient 24/7 where as the doctor will kind of just poke their head in maybe once a day, maybe once every couple of days just to check-in.
I: Okay, that makes sense. To any listeners who might be interested in nursing, do you have any advice to help them decide whether this is the career for them?
A: I think if you really want to be a patient-facing person and you really want to be that primary caregiver that nursing is definitely a good fit. You have to be with your patient basically all the time which is kind of nice because you get to really build that relationship with them, which is my favorite part. But you do also need to have a really strong stomach for not only the things that you see, but also how the structure is. The system isn't necessarily built in the best way for you to win but we do what we can. And you'll build great relationships with your coworkers and I think that that makes it all worth it.
I: That's good to hear. What final words do you have to say to BMSc students listening who might be going through confusion about the whole process of choosing a career in nursing?
A: Honestly, to pursue it, you don't have to wait. Like I said before, it’s okay to change your mind and it'll save you a few years too. Of course, the Medical Sciences degree does have its benefits, but if you're looking to go into nursing specifically, you don't need to have that BMSc degree. At the end of the day, kind of just evaluate, are you happy currently in your program or are you interested in other things? And if you're interested in other things, that's okay.
I: Okay, those are really good final words to say. Looking back is there anything you would have done differently during your BMSc studies or early career?
A: I think I would have tried to branch out. I think Med Sci students kind of hang with Med Sci students, which is fine, but it would have been nice to have exposure to other people with other perspectives and to see kind of what other things were out there. I was definitely in a lot of clubs that were focused on more Sciences. I only joined social clubs towards like my fourth year and I think that that made a big difference kind of getting to know different people around the school community and it would have been nice if I had done that earlier I think.
I: Okay that's really great advice that you gave throughout the podcast. Thank you so much for joining us and taking the time to speak about your experience being a nurse. All right so this was BMSA's podcast for Adrianne. Check back on our website and social media platforms for episodes of other career paths of Medical Sciences students. Thank you for listening and we hope this has been helpful!