When Samantha Marsh began looking for a new challenge beyond nursing, she never expected her skills would lead her to a successful career as a Senior Information Security Officer.
Sam swapped her scrubs for cyber security and discovered that the problem-solving and communication skills she developed in healthcare translated perfectly to cyber security.
“Now I problem-solve technology instead of people,” said Sam.
“Information security isn’t a recipe that you apply to everything. You must adapt to the situation.”
In cyber security, Sam works with business areas across Metro South Health to find practical solutions to complex information security problems.
“There’s creativity, variety and puzzles to solve, just like in nursing,” she said.
“In both roles, I operate with frameworks and protocols to assess, manage and improve risks.”
Sam’s path to cyber security was full of twists and turns. Using a mix of self-teaching, community events and formal education, she broke into the ever-evolving cyber security space.
“The industry is expanding and people from a clinical background often have highly valuable transferrable skills,” she said.
“Understanding the healthcare system and person-centred care help me apply complex risk management to assets and manage competing stakeholder needs.”
Cyber security is going through a skills shortage, and the industry is looking to diversify with cross-sector skill sets to bridge the gap. This valuable talent can often be found in the healthcare sector.
Recently, Sam presented on her career journey at PyCon, a national conference for professionals using the Python coding language.
“If you’re not sure about your career, you can try other things,” she said.
“Your clinical skills are transferrable in more ways than you expect.”