Interviewing any LPN, RN, BSN :wavey:

TallToombs · Jun 23, 2005

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mommatrauma, RN · Jun 23, 2005

Anyone available can answer these interview questions. I am doing this interview for a school project. All you answers might be used for extra information in a school report on my future career so if you could be as knowledgable as possible. Thank you very much for you time and help.
How long have you been an RN, LPN, BSN?
10 years
How did you become interested in this career?
My mom was a nurse, and I wanted to be just like her. I always wanted to work in an ER.
What is your educational background?
I have an ASN, and my PH-RN
Was your education adequate or were there areas in which you needed additional training?
I think it was mostly adequate for med-surg, it gives you the basics to build upon, but its up to you to learn more while on the job. It also tends to teach you that you rely on the doctors for more than you really do...so really pay attention to what they teach you.
What do you like most about nursing as a career?
The fact that its ever changing, with new medical advances, patient population, and staffing challenges on a daily to weekly basis...and in the end people always need us.
What would you change about the career of nursing if given an opportunity?
How nurses treat each other. I would also like to change the waitress stereotype that our profession has gained.
What skills do you wish you already possessed when you started nursing?
IV insertion
What other jobs have you worked at in this field?
I have worked in mostly acute care...Med-surg, tele, step-down, oncology, ICU, ER(My favorite) and I also did vent-dependant pediatric private duty.
What tasks does a typical workday consist of for you?
Assessments, multiple IV insertions(adult and peds), multiple blood draws(adult and peds), EKGs, NGTs, charting, charting, more charting...care of patients with pretty much any and every medical problem, from CHF to Acute MI to CVA to seizures to sickle cell to common cold to any trauma you can imagine GSW, stabbings, MVC's, auto-ped...we run the gamet being a level 1 Urban trauma center.
What advice would you give someone starting out in nursing?
Be patient with yourself and hungry to learn.
Is there any other information that you believe would be helpful for me to know?
Once again thank you for your time!!

Hope this helps!

Trauma Columnist · Jun 23, 2005

How long have you been an RN, LPN, BSN?

I have been a nurse for 13 years, I was an LPN for 2 years and now I've been an RN for 11 years. I currently have an MSN.

How did you become interested in this career?

Liked the idea of helping people.

What is your educational background?

I have an MSN and am pursuing a clinical nurse specialist certificate.

Was your education adequate or were there areas in which you needed additional training?

My ADN was adequate for bedside nursing. However, to move up the career ladder, you almost must have an advanced degree.

What do you like most about nursing as a career?

Helping people.

What would you change about the career of nursing if given an opportunity?

More money for nursing instrctors

What skills do you wish you already possessed when you started nursing?

Better people skills

What other jobs have you worked at in this field?

Med surg, adult ICU, pre-hospital RN and ER RN which I love

What tasks does a typical warkday consist of for you?

Each day is different as a case manager. I might be helping the homeless or placing someone in a nursing home. Or, I might be doing utilization review.

What advice would you give someone starting out in nursing?

Get some general experience first if possible in order to find your niche.

Is there any other information that you believe would be helpful for me to know?

Have fun. Life is too short not to enjoy what you do.

KJRN79 · Jun 23, 2005

How long have you been an RN, LPN, BSN?

I completed school in May 1979, but our licensing boards were in dispute, so we weren't licensed until December 79. So, what's that, yikes, 25 years?

How did you become interested in this career?

I wanted to be a biology teacher, but my school counsellor steered me away from that, saying there were too many teachers. I tried pre-med, but I didn't want to study that hard.

What is your educational background?

ADN, followed by BSN, now working on Masters in Public Health

Was your education adequate or were there areas in which you needed additional training? I needed a good long orientation. In my opinion, there isn't enough time in an ADN program to teach everything nurses need to know.

What do you like most about nursing as a career?

Helping people. I've had great stability AND the ability to move around and do what I want.

What would you change about the career of nursing if given an opportunity?

I truly think that a bachelors degree should be the entry point into practice.

What skills do you wish you already possessed when you started nursing?

None.

What other jobs have you worked at in this field?

all of my jobs have been in nursing. I've worked on a surgical unit, OB, High RiskOB, Well baby nursery, community health, Visiting nurses (specializing in maternity and peds), and am now the Health Manager of a daycare group. (over 1000 kids)

What tasks does a typical warkday consist of for you?

no such thing as a typical day. Let's see: seeing kids who get hurt or are sick, sending in insurance claims for kids and staff, teaching med classes to teachers (allowed in my state), answering (mostly silly) questions...getting charts together for new kids entering the program... answering more questions.

What advice would you give someone starting out in nursing?

become a generalist first, until you can figure out what aspect you like the best. the knowledge that you get from med-surg is always going to help.

Is there any other information that you believe would be helpful for me to know?

Remember that medicine is always changing and you should look for opportunities to learn.

live4today, RN · Jun 24, 2005

1) How long have you been an RN, LPN, BSN? I've been an RN eighteen years. (BTW...BSN should be listed under education, not profession as BSN is not a profession...it's an educational degree:) )

2) How did you become interested in this career? A classmate in one of my psych classes coaxed me into applying for the nursing program. Being a doctor was on my list of career choices, but nursing was not.

3) What is your educational background? A.A.S. - Major Nursing & Psychology with a minor in Sociology and Math.

4) Was your education adequate or were there areas in which you needed additional training? My education was EXCELLENT! The college was exceptionally great, and so were my professors/instructors! I lacked in nothing, and felt very confident in passing state boards, and in working as a new grad while awaiting boards.

5) What do you like most about nursing as a career? I enjoy making a difference in people's lives, so seeing patients improve in their health to their own optimal level of wellness is an important and exciting part of why I've stayed in nursing for so many years.

6) What would you change about the career of nursing if given an opportunity? Better staffing ratios, increased pay, better benefits, more flexible scheduling for nurses (four hour shifts, six hour shifts, shared workhours), more autonomy with patient care today, and stricter visiting hours so nurses can do their work more effectively.

7) What skills do you wish you already possessed when you started nursing? Actually, none. I was already a people-person, and was raised to embrace a person based on the condition of their heart, and not in the body they didn't ask to be born in (ie...race, color, ethnic origin, manner of dress, etc..)

8) What other jobs have you worked at in this field? As a new grad, my first job was in general med/surg caring for mostly ortho injured patients. After that, I worked mostly with patients being admitted for surgery. I enjoyed that since at that time, nurses on the unit were responsible for the pre and post op teaching. The patients then were admitted for their workup instead of having all the preop stuff done prior to coming into the hospital. I miss that most of all...the teaching part which I loved! I have worked as a travel nurse in med/surg and telemetry in years past. I've worked in military hospitals with ortho, newborn nursery, neuro, and briefly with surgical intensive care patients. I've been a CNA Clinical Instructor before, worked Home Health, and tried LTC for a brief period of time. I've even been a substitute nurse at a developmentally challenged school for kids. I've loved it all! It's the political jargon and red tape I hate!

9) What tasks does a typical warkday consist of for you? Right now I'm a "free bird" between jobs, but generally when I'm working I'm busy admitting and discharging patients, drawing labs (if the hospital requires their nurses to do so), monitoring telemetry patients, performing patient assessments, documenting and planning my patient's continued nursing care, passing meds, assessing the benefits of those meds (especially pain meds), and so forth. Nurses do a lot! :)

10) What advice would you give someone starting out in nursing? Make sure nursing is something you are going to be passionate about. Don't just enter nursing because it pays more than your average job. If you do not like working up close and personal with people, choose an area of nursing where you do not have to work in such a way, or don't enter nursing at all. If you have inhibitions about caring for all types/kinds of people, get over it. It's not about you, but the patients you will be caring for. This is NOT to say you cannot limit yourself to what procedures you agree to be a part of based on your own ethical, moral, and religious beliefs. I believe in this wholeheartedly that a healthcare worker has the right to refuse to partake in a procedure that goes against their beliefs. Be kind about it, and let someone else do those procedures if it does not interfere with their own beliefs. There is a lot of give and take in nursing. It's stressful more times than not. Do NOT enter nursing thinking that just because you "test well", you'll fly through the program unscraped. You must be patient with yourself knowing that book knowledge is only a part of what is required as a nurse. Application of what you learn is the other side of the coin. Your hands must also work swiftly with the mind. Be open to constructive criticism, and grow a backbone to deal with the not so constructive criticism. You will be dealing with a lot of different personalities as you go through the nursing program, and even more so once you become a nurse. Losing your cool isn't cool. It can destroy you and your passion for nursing. :)

Is there any other information that you believe would be helpful for me to know? Take it slow...pace yourself through the learning process...be open for continued growth even when you have become a nurse...continue your educational training either through continuing education courses and/or more college education excelling in areas that you are passionate about. Don't be afraid to ever move onward when you reach a point of boredom in nursing. Be adventurous, and assert yourself in the ways you want to grow in as a nurse. Do NOT allow HR to steer your career for you! Take control and stay in control of your own nursing career, or anything else in your life for that matter. Good luck to you! :)