As our children have grown, they have “tried on” careers by spending a day or more with someone working in that field. What exactly are they learning from these experiences? Experience-based networking is valuable in pretty much any career you choose, but even more so in healthcare and health-related industries. With hands-on experience, you learn quickly from professionals who know what they are doing, and that kind of learning sticks with you much more than any textbook reading or YouTube video. So, what are the benefits of this kind of education? From collaboration to shadowing for quality learning, here are some examples.
Problem-Solving and Teamwork
Taking part in external events allows you to showcase your capabilities and skills in scenarios that don’t usually apply. As such, connecting with recruiters, colleagues, and higher-ups can potentially change your career trajectory as you demonstrate how versatile you are. Take something as logistically challenging as the Burning Man festival. Rather than a traditional networking event, this requires strong team coordination and fast problem-solving skills.
Collaborative Resolution
In any healthcare setting, you will need to work with others, even if you don’t enjoy it. Actively helping through experience-based situations, in a collaborative way, will connect you with the right people who can assist and guide you if they have more experience. However, you can also become the one who helps and assists those around you by working with them to the best of your abilities, forming a symbiotic relationship where everyone benefits from each other’s skills.
Experience-Based Networking within Industries
Networking is critical in most industries, including healthcare. After relocating your family and developing a career in the industry, practical care, or even research, you need to understand that these paths require regular consultation, meetings, and discussion with others. In fact, around 90% of physicians use communication and collaboration platforms every day. However, you can also network locally at peer events to establish professional trust and gain insights.
Shadowing for Experience
One of the most common methods of experience-based learning is shadowing, which is used from custodial roles to consultant level and beyond. Shadowing peers in different departments allows you to gain insight into the everyday problems, pressures, and solutions of a specific role and is the kind of experience that can never come across in a book. This is a valuable method in healthcare situations where a hands-on approach is needed, such as nursing.
Learning to Deal with Pressure
You only have to switch on the news for stories about the pressures healthcare workers are under every other day. From private clinics in the US to the UK’s NHS, it is evident that healthcare is a high-pressure career, and not everyone is cut out for it. However, you can learn to stay calm under pressure in specific situations by gaining some real-world and hands-on experience that challenges your personal skills but also facilitates getting used to something.
Summary
Problem-solving and teamwork are two of the most fundamental benefits of experience-based networking within the healthcare sector. However, you can also gain insights into different roles through collaboration and meetings. Of course, hands-on experience is also valuable in healthcare, not least for allowing you to gain the skills needed to stay calm under pressure.