I have to interview a nurse for my English 111 class. Please help me out.

cwhitebn · Sep 4, 2010

Hi, I just recently started my job at a local hospital in a small city and I work between two surgical units: General surgery (abdomical and vascular surgery) and Orthopaedic surgery (musculoskeletal surgery). Hope I can help with the questions.

1. One of the best days starts out with a full unit with all staff onboard (not working short) and all beds full of patients so I don't have to worry about getting a new admission at any time. The day isn't too hectic but busy enough to keep you on your toes. No one dies, family members only visit during visiting hours so that I can get my work done, great coworkers. At the end of the day I get to go home when my shift ends and not have to stay behind.

2. The least enjoyable part about my job is having to put up with other people slack or not being able to spend time with my patients as I'd like to because of visitors, patients coming and going for tests, etc. It's hard for people outside of a healthcare environment to understand what it's like for nurses, but we're quite busy and family members really irritate nurses at times especially when they are rude and just in the way. I've been in emergency situations where a room was full of family members and there were people sitting on the floor and would not get up to let the nursing staff through...this is unaccepable.

3. From when I started until now, I was really surprised by the responsibility that you have. You don't really realize just how responsible you are for the wellfare of other people's lives.

4. In nursing school you weren't taught about management and the politics of work. That is something you learn very quickly on the job. Management does not always support you and there are lots of politics, good and bad.

5. I would recommend nursing as a care of anyone looking for a good solid job in a field where they can expand and grow anywhere. You can take this job and carry it anywhere in the world! We're in need of more nurses!

6. Someone who is a people person, who can deal well with conflicts and stress from all angles. Someone who is kind, caring, compassionate would be good for the job. Most importantly, someone who is intelligent and responsible, dependable. Someone who is brave to say they can accept responsibility for someone's life and ensure that they are competent to provide safe care for that person. Someone who has (or can develop) and "backbone"...meaning be able to stand up for yourself and your patient when others won't.

7. Someone who wouldn't be good for the job is a person with a type A personality who doesn't handle change or stress very well. The healthcare environement as well as the patient are always changing. Someone who is quiet and not assertive. Someone who doesn't care about others....basically you have to be willing to break your back to save others' backs.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any more questions :)

Chris

regularRN · Sep 4, 2010

* Describe your best day or most exciting day doing your job?

Everyday is exciting - no two are the same. But I think the best - although most nerve wracking - was the first day I worked as a qualified RN.

* What do you like most (or least) about your job?

I really enjoy interacting with patients and family (most of the time!) and I love my colleagues - they are a great group of RNs and CNAs to work with, as well as all the therapists etc. I dislike the way nursing has become a service industry complete with customer satisfaction surveys and scores, and all the bureaucracy. I also dislike how the enormous amount of charting we are mandated to do takes away time from direct patient care.

* What surprised you most about your job from the time you started until now?

I began my career as a qualified RN in 1987. What surprises me the most are the enormous medical, pharmacological and technical advances over the years. However, at the end of the day, good old fashioned nursing care as practiced since Florence's time - i.e., spending time and talking to patients, helping them get washed up, assisting with ambulation and bathroom calls, helping with feeding, changing bed linen, repositioning, etc. - makes the biggest positive influence on a pt's hospital experience, and I am surprised managers are not cognizant of this.

* What did you learn on the job that wasn't taught in school or training?

When I qualified it was common knowledge that "nursing school" didn't end at graduation. It is impossible to state how much I've learned since - no one can ever know everything, and every shift should be a learning opportunity, even for seasoned RNs.

* Why would you recommend this career to someone else -- or why wouldn't you?

I wrestle often with this question. It's a great job with good pay and great career opportunities. On the other hand, it's very stressful; emotionally and physically tiring, and there is a lack of autonomy unless one is an advanced practitioner. Not often much support from higher up. Money definitely drives health care.

* What kinds of people do best at this type of work?

This is a difficult question, because I have encountered so many different personalities. Obviously one would hope for a genuinely caring and compassionate nature, but this is not always the case. Some are motivated by money, and as long as it's not obvious to the pt's, this approach works. On the whole, I think the best RNs are empathetic and leave their egos at the door (if they have one). RNs have to be very sharp, quick to respond in emergencies, be good at prioritizing, spend 8 to 12 hours running around without much sustenance or opportunity for bathroom breaks, and finish their shift on time. Actually, I think the variety of different RN personalities contributes to an overall balance on any given floor, and I think the pt's appreciate RN idiosyncrasies, instead of corporate clones. People with good listening skills.

* What types of people wouldn't consider this a good career fit?

Hmm... one definitely has to be prepared to work hard and perform tasks that you would really rather not do. Huge egos are probably not appropriate.

ahancock5 · Sep 5, 2010

Thank you so much! I couldn't find anyone local that would take the time to do the interview.