From Patients to Patience - A Road I'm Proud to have Traveled

From Patients to Patience - A Road I'm Proud to have Traveled

I was recently honored in our local REALTOR® magazine and the cover story read "From Patients to Patience." I thought how clever that was but, it also reminded me that during my previous life, which is what I call Career #1, a whole lot of patience was required then too!

Prior to college, I was offered an athletic scholarship to attend North Carolina State University (NC State) and play basketball for Kay Yow. I very foolishly allowed my high school sweetheart to convince me to stay at a local private college so that we could continue our relationship. So, I gave up my dreams of becoming a veterinarian and ultimately became a Registered Nurse.

I worked as a Registered Nurse in the Trauma Operating Room in a Level 1 trauma facility here, now known as Atrium Health for 15 years. I spear-headed the creation of 'Quality Circles' in my department and absolutely loved exploring my 'management' skills without actually having to 'be' a manager! I felt this position further developed my organizational skills as well. Simultaneously, I continued my education to further specialize in not only trauma & ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) but, oncology and HIV specialties. 

When my trauma room was cleared out and prepped for the next trauma, I would take my pager & pop over to the Recovery Room (PACU) to assist there. (Just saying pager makes me think that someone reading this post may not even know what a pager is/was!) The PACU is where I met one of the hospital's VP's and was selected to be one of six nurses to pioneer a new home care facility.  Little did I know that home care facility would become one of the largest in the Southeast, with many, many nurses, physical therapists and other medical professionals employed there and in several offices!  

Also, little did I know that this new home care facility would completely change my life...

Now, how does my previous career help me in my current career? Oh, let me count the ways!

• I found that my addiction to adrenalin led me to the fast-paced trauma OR! Working in trauma requires a different mindset than floor nursing or other areas of nursing. If I had to sum up trauma nursing in three words, I would say preparation, memory and organization has to be it. Being familiar with the location of every gadget, trinket, hammer, saw, clip, suture, etc. was incredibly important too - memory is key in trauma OR. Lastly, if you are the circulating nurse, you are 'running' the room - you have to have everything for every member of the team (and sometimes it's a very large team) ready for them and ready for the next step for each of them. All three - preparation, memory & organization - contribute significantly to the success of my clients now. I do practice what I preach and I think nursing taught me the importance of each of those 3 characteristics. 
  
  
• Negotiating with patients was a constant...and it taught me a considerable amount of tactics which lead me to successful negotiations for my clients now. The 'bully,' big-business and 'good ole boy' power play negotiators lose out to me every time! It's something that I enjoy very much - I learned to negotiate from children and believe me, we win!  😝 
  
  
• Composure and calm demeanor also help tremendously. You absolutely cannot 'freak' out, no matter what you see, what you hear or what happens in your OR suite. Oh, the things I have seen! Many, many times I cried inside but, no one ever knew it. It doesn't mean you don't care, it just means that you have to hold it together for the team and more importantly, the patient. In real estate, keeping that poker face has served me well in becoming a tough negotiator and staying focused on my clients' needs - with calm and composure!
  
  
• As a circulating nurse in trauma OR, you serve as a project manager - much like real estate, everyone has a job and problem solving is KEY in what we do. I was a preceptor in the OR and my students always learned from me that you must have a "Plan-A, B, C & D" for every case...every single case! In real estate, we all know, Plan-Bs are quite often implemented and if we're wise, we'll have already reviewed that Plan-C with whomever needs to know about the plan! This one also taught me much about working with other members of the team - some require more pushing than others.
  
  
• A Teaching Heart - On yes, this is a biggie in real estate and having worked with RN, CRNA (anesthesia) students & surgical residents - as well as patients - in the Operating Room, teaching is the name of the game in a level I trauma center. There isn't a day - heck, an HOUR - that goes by that you're not teaching someone and that was something that I absolutely love doing so, it was the perfect hospital for me! In real estate, teaching is something that comes naturally to me and is something that I feel I may even 'over-do' in real estate. I have rationalized with myself that I would rather over-teach than under-teach though! 
  
  
• Confidentiality was a major issue when working in the hospital - in fact, those who broke any level of confidence/trust with patients more often than not, lost their jobs. It's serious business as I'm sure you have all signed a HIPPA (privacy act for patients). The same holds true with regards to our real estate clients. 
  
  

• Working with the various department's QC members (Quality Circle) was something that led to improvement in service throughout not only the operating room but, the entire hospital. QC relates to customer service in real estate and having long-term understanding of evaluating, planning, implementing - rinse & repeat, is tremendously important. We ask clients privately to please provide SOMETHING we can improve upon. I don't want 5-stars just because you want to be nice to me, I want to know what you would change if you were me. "What do I need to revise and implement for future clients, including you?" That question has gotten such great suggestions...and new team policies too!

So, did my prior career impact my current career? You bet! I am thankful that I have transitioned from patients to patience with a strong background that allowed a smooth transition and a joyous second career.

A BIG thank you to Jeff Dowler, CRS for hosting this month's "In My Past Life, I..." What an exciting challenge it's been! I've loved reading the posts and think this was a great October/Fall challenge.

© Debe Maxwell | The Maxwell House Group | CharlotteBroker@icloud.com | From Patients to Patience - A Road I'm Proud to have Traveled