Unlock your next career move with transferable skills for nurses. Discover 5 strengths you already have — and how to frame them to land non-clinical roles.
This post was first published on my Medium blog—follow me there for the most up-to-date entries!
If you’re thinking about leaving bedside care, you might wonder what you have to offer outside the hospital. The good news? You already have a wide range of transferable skills for nurses — you just may not yet know how to name or explain them.
You’re not starting over. You’re reframing what you already do well.
Before you can talk about your value to others, you must recognize it yourself. Transferable skills for nurses are the bridge between where you’re at now and where you want to go. Understanding them will help you refine your resume, tell stronger stories in interviews, network more effectively, and open doors you might not have realized were within reach.
What are transferable skills for nurses?
Transferable skills for nurses are abilities you develop in one setting which hold value in many others. They are not just technical tasks — they are real-world survival skills. You’ve built a transferable skill if you’ve:
- managed a critical situation with limited information,
- displayed professional communication with a demanding or condescending physician or boss, or
- adapted to last-minute changes without falling apart.
No matter what field you move into, you will face tough people, tough problems, and tough decisions.
The good news? You’ve already handled them. Now you just need to frame it.
Common transferable skills for nurses
Even without knowing you, I can guess you’ve developed at least 5 transferable skills.
1. Communication
- active listening (an overlooked leadership tool) — a complex skill that takes deliberate practice, sharp attention, and quick adaptation in the moment
- explaining complex concepts in simple terms
- speaking with patients, families, physicians, and other professionals
- clear written documentation (think: charting, reports, care plans)
Real-world example:
Shortly after I wrote my first book in the late 1990s, a former charge nurse congratulated me and said, ‘I always knew you could write.’ When I asked how she knew, she replied, ‘Because your documentation was so good!’ Hmm. That had never occurred to me. Yet, in those days of writing copious narrative notes, clear writing wasn’t just a bonus — it was a skill that set a nurse apart.
Maybe you’ve had a similar experience and didn’t even realize it. If you’ve consistently communicated clearly in your documentation, you already have a highly transferable skill for nurses.
Where this shows up: education, training, marketing, health tech, customer success
2. Critical thinking and decision-making
- rapid assessment in high-stress situations
- clinical judgment based on incomplete data
- prioritizing tasks with competing demands
- anticipating complications and acting proactively
Real-world example:
I was surprised when my boss wrote on my annual performance appraisal: “Marie can anticipate every eventuality.” In healthcare — and in business — seeing around corners is a superpower.
Think about your own experience: Have you ever predicted a problem before it happened? That’s critical thinking in action. That’s a transferable skill for nurses.
Where this shows up: operational tasks, risk management, public health, case review, policy
3. Organization and time management
- managing multiple patients at once
- planning care across shifts
- documenting in real-time
- delegating tasks to other team members
Real-world example:
With rare exceptions, I could finish my shift on time. As a charge nurse, I intuitively knew which tasks could be delegated — and who could handle them best. Good time management is not about doing more. It’s about doing well what matters most.
Few roles or settings have challenged my organizational and time management skills as much as working in labor and delivery. There, I was forced to re-prioritize on a moment-to-moment basis. I imagine it’s the same in an emergency department or any fast-paced unit.
Reflect on your own shifts. How often did you juggle multiple urgent needs without dropping the ball? That’s operational excellence, which is a transferable skill for nurses.
Where this shows up: project coordination, admin roles, remote teams, program management
4. Education and teaching
- patient education
- training new hires or precepting/mentoring
- creating or adapting materials for different learning styles
Real-world example:
One boss wrote on my performance appraisal, “Marie does too much teaching.” I chuckled. Is there even such a thing? (On a mother-baby floor, patient teaching was perhaps my most important role.) Teaching isn’t just for classrooms — it is central to leadership, training, and support roles.
Have you ever stayed late to explain a procedure to a worried family? Mentored a new grad? That’s real-world teaching experience, which is a transferable skill for nurses.
Where this shows up: instructional design, health education, corporate training, advocacy
5. Emotional intelligence
- managing your own stress
- supporting patients and families through trauma
- de-escalating conflict
- building trust quickly
Real-world example:
During my years working straight night shifts, some high-risk antepartum patients would ask the evening nurse to wake them up when I came on duty. They needed to talk through their fears and concerns with someone they trusted. Others asked questions they were too embarrassed to ask in daylight. Emotional intelligence builds safety — and safety builds connection.
Maybe you’ve been that trusted person too, even if no one handed you an award for it. Emotional intelligence isn’t just a soft skill — it’s a leadership strength. (You can get 60 new strategies from the master of emotional intelligence, Travis Bradberry, in The New Emotional Intelligence.)
Where this shows up: coaching, consulting, team leadership
How to identify your own transferable skills for nurses
Even though you’ve probably used all of the above skills, you might not recognize those as marketable skills. That’s normal. Here’s how to start uncovering them:
- Review your last week of work
- Look at job postings outside of nursing
- Use language that crosses industries
Using transferable skills for nurses in your job search
When I interview a nurse for a job, I have no interest in hearing a rehash of her daily tasks. I already know what’s on the typical job description.
What I want to know is this: What do you bring to this job that every other qualified nurse doesn’t? It means highlighting how you think, how you adapt, and how you’ve made a difference, not just what tasks you completed.
Your transferable skills for nurses answer that question — clearly, confidently, and memorably.
Use them everywhere:
- in your resume and cover letter
- in LinkedIn summaries
- during informational interviews
- in response to ‘tell me about yourself’
You’re not making things up — you’re making them visible.
Next step: schedule a discovery call
Not sure where to start?
If you want help spotting your transferable skills for nurses and figuring out how to frame them for your next step, I invite you to schedule a free 20-minute discovery call.
You might be closer than you think — and a conversation could help you see it.
You’ve got this
You don’t need another degree to leave the bedside. You need language. You need framing. You need to recognize the value you already bring.
Transferable skills for nurses aren’t fluff — they’re your bridge to the next chapter.
You’ve already done the work. Now it’s time to tell the story.
I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
This post was first published on my Medium blog—follow me there for the most up-to-date entries!