Communication at work

• State where you are currently employed? Ontario, Canada
  
• How old are you? 40 years old
  
• You describe your ethnicity as: caucasian heterosexual married (only once) with children. How's that!
  
• How long have you worked as an RN? 20 years
  
• How long have you worked at your present place of employment? 13 years
  
• What kind of educational degree(s) do you hold? Mark all that apply.

__X___ Associate degree in nursing (closest equivalent to my 3 yr diploma program that I crunched into 2 years)

• Do you work as a floor nurse? __X___ Not per se
  
• Do you have a particular specialty? __X___ Yes Please specify: charge nurse/long term care/infection control as well as union leader

How did you obtain your specialty?: certificate programs, training, experience

• At what point of your life did you decide to become a nurse? Can you recall a particular instance when you though “I really want to be a nurse?” 19 years old, beginning an apprenticeship in tool and die, when my best friend was hospitalized for an extended period for a difficult surgical removal of a (benign) spinal cord tumor . The nurses were amazing and I had my epiphany...awakening...whatever :)
  
• How would you describe your career goals? What would be the path to achieving them? Content to be a charge nurse; highest position available at my workplace for unionized staff, as I am also the union leader at my workplace as well as for my local.
  
• What does a typical work day look like for you? rotating days of the week (every other weekend) 8 hr shifts 0630-1430 in charge of 2 nursing units, 32 beds each, of geriatric residents of varying care needs. Co-ordination of care, supervision and direction of RPNs and PSWs on my nursing units as well as being the general charge nurse for the entire facility (320 beds) under the direction of a nurse manager and DOC. Also perform all infection control monitoring and outbreak management.
  
• How would you describe the communication at your workplace? Overall good, because I understand respect as a two-way street. I am highly regarded as fair and just with a great sense of humour and truly get along with everyone. I am respected by my subordinates, my peers and my managers, as well as outside agency personel, professionals and physicians, trusted for my skills. In many respect I consider myself lucky, despite my achievements being nobody's but my own.
  
• What is the most satisfying aspect of your interactions at work? I derive a great deal of satisfaction from the knowledge that I am highly regarded by my co-workers, managers, patients and their families. I am often the go-to person to problem solve or to act as a sounding board or to brainstorm creative solutions, by staff and managers.
  
• Could you give an example of one of the best interactions you have had at work? When my work, task or project is recognized as well done; quite often. How about the worse interaction? Rarely.
  
• How do you think at-work interactions and communication experiences would be different if you were a female nurse? For good or bad, truth be told, I don't think I would command the exact level of respect if I were female, but I cannot say for certain. Female co-workers in the same position as myself are as highly regarded and respected, perhaps not so the part time casual staff, as to be expected. I know I did not always feel this way, so it may just be because of my experience.
  
• Can you think of a situation when you felt you were treated differently (positively or negatively) because you are a male in a female-dominated profession? Could you give an example? Physicians, unfortunately for my co-workers, still treat me with a little more respect at times, as more of an equal. Patients and their families initially as well, actually. I am, as a male, however, called upon more frequently as work as a maintenance man, a carpenter, a mechanic, a forklift and stern father figure when necessary :)

StyRN,

Thank you so much for your answers! (hope you don't mind being the lone responder so far :)) I was wondering what do you mean by saying that physicians, patients, and families still treat you with more respect, "as more of an equal?" Can you describe a situation to help me understand?

For everyone else who visits this thread, please consider answering the questions! I'm sorry to be a begger, but at this point (with barely 6 live interviews and just a few electronic responses), I am desperate and truly relying on your kindness, help, and honesty... Thank you, thank you, thank you, insightful and caring responders!

Would love to oblige, but I am still in nursing school. 108 days to go until my pinning ceremony! :w00t:

Thanks, cityhawk! Good luck with the rest of school and with work after that!