Nursing student needing to interview a nurse

[Kellyann543]

Ok I know this isn't the best way to do this but I'm desperate. The nurse I had scheduled to interview today just cancelled on me. I have to interview a nurse and write a report for my class and it is due Monday August 17th. I would really appreciate someone helping me out here. Here are the questions that i need in the interview

1. What are your credentials, educational background, position, number of years of nursing experience, and the type of facility in which you have worked at?

2. What do you see as the positive and negative aspects of being a nurse?

3. What do you see as the positive and negative aspects of nursing as a career?

4. What advice would you give a new graduate for getting a job in nursing and for keeping that job?

5.What do you see as the characteristics of a nurse who is a true professional?

Please help! I really have no one else to go to.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

Today is Friday. Call a local hospital, ask for the nurse educator or HR person for nursing. Ask that person how you can best reach one of their nurses; offer to take him or her out for coffee before or after their shift. Offer to meet that person while they are AT work, on their lunch break; offer to buy them lunch. You will get nurses.

Call a medical practice. Ask to speak with a nurse who might be willing to be interviewed for a school assignment. Make the same offer as above. You will get nurses.

You have plenty of time to get ahold of someone for this assignment. You are correct in that the internet is really NOT the way to go about this. Someone typing in responses to a posted question that may or may not be completely bogus is not an interview, it's an exercise in internet message board activity. Aside from that, any credentials anyone writes on an anonymous forum cannot be verified and frankly there are more imposters here than you'd care to imagine.

Good luck.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

In addition to what RNsRWe said, there is much more to be gained by sitting down with someone face to face. When I had to interview a nurse educator for an assignment, we ended up going all over the place. Not only did I walk out with the information I needed for the assignment, I walked out with a greater understanding of the trials and joys of transitioning from a staff nurse position into an educator position. Had I not talked to her face to face, I may never have been able to gain that additional insight.

There is a wealth of opportunities out there in addition to hospitals/nursing homes: your local public health department, school nurse who is likely already setting up the school's health office and may be able to spare a few minutes, what about your school's alumni association- could they put you in contact with a recent graduate who could help you out?

[JBudd, MSN]

My face to face interviews led to mentors and future employment....