10 Questions from a pre nursing student

be objective and patience a virtue

Name (First Name): Tisha
Job Title: RN
Place of Employment (Hospital, Doctors Office, Etc.): county mental health office

Interview questions:


How long have you been a nurse? 4 years
What kind of education or training does your career require? For this job, they required a BSN and 3 years of psych nursing experience.
What led you to choose this career path? I like psychology and wanted a rewarding job in that field, in which I could make a decent living.
Can you give me a brief overview of what you do in a typical day (or week)? TONS of prescription refills; taking telephone calls from patients about meds, conditions, etc; taking calls from other agencies about patients; teaching a wellness class once a week; weekly injection clinic where patients come for long-acting antipsychotic injections; appointments with some patients for med box fills; and tests such as AIMS, MMSE, and stuff like vital signs checks and weight checks.
What do you like most and least about your work? Most: a ton of patient education, advocacy, and interaction. I also have a lot of autonomy in my job. Least: trying to advocate for very ill people who may not always think they need my help, and trying to navigate a very broken system.
What challenges do you face in your work? As I said, the system is in need of revamping to accomodate the challenges faced by our patients. We also face budget cuts, which results in everything from short staffing to poor equipment (but at work, our attitude is we do what we can with what we have and get inventive!). And even though the vast majority of psychiatric patients are more likely to be victims rather than perpetrators of crime, we do work with a number of criminals who make the job...well, interesting.
What do you find most rewarding about your work? I get to make a real difference in the lives of people who are usually 'cast off' by society. And I like the autonomy.
What special skills, abilities, and personal attributes do you need to succeed as a nurse? The ability to think on your feet; be firm but fair; assessment skills are a must; you must be able to see where your patient is coming from. You don't have to like him but you have to treat him.
If you could do it all over again, would you choose the same path for yourself? If not, what would you change? Yep, would do it again in a heartbeat.
What advice would you give someone who is considering this field? Go for it!

How long have you been a nurse? 2 years
What kind of education or training does your career require? At least an ADN, but I have a BSN
What led you to choose this career path? Love of A&P
Can you give me a brief overview of what you do in a typical day (or week)? I work nights on Sat/Sun only so my week is allll ME time. 12 hr shifts.
What do you like most and least about your work? Most - critical care aspect and seeing my patients grow up and go home. Least...short staffing.
What challenges do you face in your work? Short staffing, sometimes unfriendly podmates
What do you find most rewarding about your work? Getting to know the families and kiddos going home or at least improving.
What special skills, abilities, and personal attributes do you need to succeed as a nurse? Flexibility, outgoing personality, ability to advocate for your patients, TIME MGMT
If you could do it all over again, would you choose the same path for yourself? If not, what would you change? Yes although sometimes I wish I had a "normal" job. But I love the flexibility in scheduling.
What advice would you give someone who is considering this field? Don't do it for the money and don't take shortcuts.