Alyssa
One of my biggest pieces of advice to Decker students is to take advantage of networking opportunities. Networking seems very intimidating and scary to most people, but having these conversations foster connections that can help students as they go into their professional lives. I highly recommend getting comfortable with networking, building relationships with alumni and recruiters, and developing professionally while still a student. You never know who you will meet and if your paths will cross down the road!
This year, the Division of Advising and Academic Excellence hosted a virtual Decker Networking Night on April 19 using Remo. 8 Decker alumni were in attendance: Shantay Carter ‘00, Jae Chung ‘18, Evan Donin ‘19, Tiffany Folks ‘04, Ashley Haugstatter ‘15, Jenny Kirschenbaum ‘13, Katherine Lewin ‘10, and Lauren Weiss-Siegel ‘84. Shantay, Ashley, and Jenny kicked off the night by sharing some networking tips and after that, students were able to stop by the virtual alumni tables to have conversations and make connections.
I had a really great time during this event! I’ve been attending Decker networking events since I was a sophomore, and each time gets easier. At this event in particular, I spoke with Jenny, Ashley, and Tiffany. I happened to be connected with each of these alumni on LinkedIn already, so I was somewhat familiar with their backgrounds.
In my conversation with Jenny, I was able to learn more about the hospitals in New York City and what makes each unique, as this is the area where I plan to work in the future. She talked about her roles since graduating from nursing school - she currently works as a transplant coordinator at New York Presbyterian. My conversation with her really highlighted how many directions there are to go in nursing with a bachelor’s degree.
I had previously met Ashley at another networking event and I also follow her nursing Instagram page (@thenursementor) for nursing school inspiration. We were able to catch up and talk about her path in pediatric nursing, leadership, and mentorship. I really admire her career path specifically and what kind of person she is, so I was excited to get to talk to her again! I feel like her path is one that I would definitely like to follow in terms of working as a pediatric nurse, mentoring nursing students in their professional journey, and her emphasis on gratitude, mindfulness, and mental health. I hope that I can keep this connection going forward into my career since I really look up to her!
Lastly, I stopped by Tiffany’s room. Tiffany is currently a Nurse Practitioner at Boston Children’s Hospital. I stopped in the room as Tiffany was discussing her career at NYU Langone and how she moved forward with graduate school through NYU’s nursing school while working. For background information, this past summer, I had an externship at NYU Langone Medical Center in Manhattan in the Pediatric ICU. I had brought up how I had an externship in the PICU this past summer and she told me that she actually used to be the nurse manager of that unit for many years! We were able to discuss my experience in the externship, my plans for going forward in my career, and we actually had so many mutual connections. In fact, I brought up the preceptor I had this summer, and Tiffany told me that she hired her! We will be keeping in contact, which is so exciting. This interaction was a great example of how you never know who you will meet and how your paths will cross.
Networking is something that you can really do anywhere, and just remembering that everyone is a potential connection is something to keep in the back of your mind.
Here are my networking tips!
To ease anxiety about networking, remember that these are PEOPLE and they just want to have conversations! When you approach networking as a casual conversation rather than something that’s super intimidating, it gets easier. Incorporate your accomplishments and your nursing school experiences in the conversation. Alumni wouldn’t come to these events if they weren’t interested in getting to know students and help them as they develop professionally!
Make a LinkedIn and get contact information with these connections. If you have a really great conversation with someone: Always. Follow. Up. Make yourself memorable by keeping in contact! I’m a big LinkedIn girl and I use it to keep in contact with my connections and post updates about my experiences as a nursing student.
Ask about them and their path. I remember during my first networking event, I was so beyond nervous and asked Sara Wozniak in a panic “What do I even say to these people?” She told me to ask “How did you get to where you are?” I’ve never forgotten that and have taken that advice forward with me into both networking situations and casual conversations when I’m meeting someone for the first time. Not one nursing path is identical to another, so I think that learning how and why someone chose their path is very interesting and inspiring. Something about networking that is super important is that you have so much to learn from other people who have lived these experiences, so approach it with an open mind and positive attitude.
Ask for advice. They have been in a nursing student’s shoes, and know the struggles that come with nursing school. Decker has a great, successful cohorts of nurses, so they definitely have tips and tricks to help you succeed in school.
Take advantage of the opportunities to network with alumni or recruiters in your time at Decker! Worst case scenario, you just had a conversation with a stranger, but best case scenario, it could be a connection that could help you land your dream job! Be yourself, and don’t be afraid to ask questions, as building these relationships can only help you going forward. It gets easier with practice.
Wishing everyone the most networking success!
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