Please help! Nursing Informational Interview

NightNurseRN13 · Mar 9, 2014

There are many posts like this on this site and if you were to read them you would see that it's going to be hard to find someone to answer these questions for you as the nurses here believe you should actually be interviewing someone. Also, you have no way of knowing that anyone on here is in fact a nurse.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Mar 10, 2014

Welcome! You can find a nurse to interview face to face. Go to your local senior center, a B/P check day. Red Cross blood drive. School nurses. Your PCP office. A CVS urgent clinic.

Learning to interview a complete stranger is a vital part of the admission process. One that you will repeat over and over again. This is the start of learning this process.

NightNurseRN13 · Mar 10, 2014

I will answer your last question though...

Advice: Take full advantage of every single moment you have in nursing school. Don't shy away from the tough stuff and hope to fly under the radar. Take on the hard patients. Ask a ton of questions. Volunteer to try new skills. Take simulation seriously!!

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Mar 10, 2014

We get these requests a lot, so if there are any other students out there who might get this kind of assignment, listen up:

Part of your faculty's reason for giving you this assignment is to get you to go out there and speak to an RN face to face. A big email blast is not a substitute for shoe leather. AN is not Google.

See, in nursing, you have to learn to speak to a lot of people you would not otherwise encounter; you might find yourself out of your comfort zone. This is part of nursing, a huge part. An anonymous respondent online, well, you don't really know who we are, do you? We could be the truck driving guy living next door for all you know.

So if all you do about learning new things is "Go to the keyboard and hit send," then you are limiting your chances of actual learning a valuable skill you will need all your working life. Also, your faculty will not be impressed by your citation of an anonymous nurse on the internet.

That said: Where will you find a nurse? Think outside the (computer) box.

Local hospital: go to the staff development/inservice education office and ask one of them. They value education and will be happy to chat or to hook you up with someone who is.

Go to the public health department downtown. Ditto.

Go to the local school and ask to speak to a school nurse. Ditto.

Go to a local clinic / physician/NP office. Ditto.

Go to the local jail and ask to speak to the nurse there. Ditto.

Notice all of these say, "Go to..." and not "Email..." Remember that part about meeting new people face to face and comfort zone.

Go!

imadoll1980 · Mar 14, 2014

What do you like most about your job?

I'm a RN in home health. What I love most about my job empowering patients to take care of themselves.

What do you like least about your job?

I hate paperwork. I wish I had my own personal secretary.

What kinds of hours can I expect to work as a nurse?

I think a lot of jobs vary, but mostly 8 hour shifts. I work 0830 to 1630 in home care typically. However, I'm also on-call and have to see patients possibly in the middle of the night after I worked all day.

How hard is it to get a job as a nurse with little or no experience?

When I graduated from nursing school 10 years ago I could have any job I want. Now I'm much more limited with even having experience. I think it has a lot to do with demand. Your best bet is to get your foot in the door with an externship. If you don't it will be difficult to get a job with no experience with home many RNs there are now.

What are the physical and mental demands of the job?

Sometimes I think so hard my head hurts and I even think I burn more calories thinking than running sometimes. I'm constantly thinking. Physically I don't do too much heavy lifting. I do feel bad for the CNAs that do more of that. Majority of home care patients are able to ambulate and position themselves in bed.

What types of work do you do on a daily basis?

On a daily basis I see approximately 6 patients per day. I travel up to 30 miles per patient. I assess and teach patients various things. Today I put in a urinary foley catheter. Yesterday I applied a wound vac. But a lot of what I do is critical thinking and teaching.

Are there any downsides to being a nurse?

The downside of being a nurse is sometimes not feeling like you can help someone. Some patients just don't belong at home. Also, another downside is having noncompliant patients. It is impossible to helps someone lower their blood sugars when they won't take the correct insulin or eat the proper diet.

What aspects of your career are the most challenging?

As above non-compliant patients are the most challenging.

What did you find most challenging about nursing school?

The most challenging part of nursing school was one semester with a not so nice nurse teacher. She made my life hell. But I got thru it and it was easy after that. Don't let anyone scare you.

What is the advancement potential of being a nurse?

There are so many opportunities. I'm in school myself for healthcare management. A BSN is getting to be what you need. However I have a Associate degree in nursing and decided to get my bachelors in health care management. A bachelors and RN degree are desired for moving up.

What personal attributes are essential for success as a nurse?

Honesty and respect

What was the first step you took after you received your degree to get where you are now?

I was a med-surg extern for 1 year and have been a home health RN for 10 years. I have done other jobs here and there, but have always remained where my heart took me.

If you could start over and choose a different career path, would you?

Nursing wasn't my career of choice. I wanted to be a social worker, but couldn't go to a 4 year college at the time. So, I chose nursing for the money to be honest. But, it's not the money that has kept me where I am. It is my love for my patients.

Why or why not?

I would start over and get my 4 year degree in social work. Not because I don't love what I do. But I feel like I cheated myself. I feel like I'm more than a 2 year degree. Also, there is more to it than that. My career path had everything to do with personal situations at the time and not with what I wanted to do.

Do you have any advice for me?

Don't be afraid. And no one knows everything. You just need to know where to look to find it. I used to be so afraid of not being an expert. Really you should be afraid of thinking you know it all. The scary nurse never asks questions and does things without knowing.

imadoll1980 · Mar 14, 2014

And before you all hate on me for answering these questions. I did it because I care. Yes you guys care by pointing her in the right direction. Well, I had the time to answer the questions. And no harm done. Judge me. But I don't judge you. Oh and yes I have posted interview questions. And if I get 0 responses that is ok. This is a way to get a diverse response.

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Mar 14, 2014

How does she know you're a nurse? Not a CNA-wannabe who thinks she knows all there is to know about nursing because she has watched them so much for the last six months at her new job, or a patient family member, or another student, or the proverbial truck driver? She's not going to get a bunch of responses, so she's going to take yours...but how does she know?

And has she fulfilled the unwritten part of the assignment, which is to get out of her comfort zone and speak face to face with a stranger, because she will have to gain that skill in school and this is part of it? You have not been helpful, though you meant well. You have stopped her chance to stretch and grow when she had an assignment that would help her do that. That's not helpful, that's enabling. I respectfully request you to rethink your opinion on this.