Share Day/Shadowing advice needed

Bunnybop, ASN · Jul 2, 2014

Hi everyone! I was wondering if I could get some advice about Share/Shadow days. I have been on two so far. The first one I had a small list of questions, and the nurse explained everything she did for about two hours. Between seeing patients and telling me about the facility she didn't give me many options to ask questions. I almost felt like I didn't need to because she was answering most of them as we went along. After the 2 hours she very kindly sent me on my way (without saying, it's a hassle having you're here). My friend helped me get my interview, and I found out they had already hired someone. I am glad though they gave me the opportunity to shadow.

My 2^nd Shadow day was for a small hospital about an hour away from my home. I live in Baltimore City so the atmosphere was drastically different. I stayed for 3.5 hours. The Floor Manager told me this would be like a 2^nd interview and she would ask the nurse I shadowed about me. When I got there in the morning, no one knew I was coming and they just tossed me with a nurse on the Observation side of the floor. The facility and nurse had a very relaxed atmosphere and it was a more comfortable experience for me. The nurse was very busy, but chit chatted with everyone in the halls or at the medstation. I had prepared a ton of questions to ask but again, I felt like I never had an opportunity to really ask any questions. The questions I did ask, she never really gave me a clear answer either. I would ask "How do you deal with difficult patients on the floor?" (There was a man making a ruckus in his room who was getting aggressive). She told me something like "we get more difficult (acuity) patients on the other side of the hallway" *blinks*. Right before I left I asked her if she could give me any parting advice, or if there was anything I should be aware of about the facility, she thought about it for a good 60 seconds and told me not really. It was a confusing experience lol.

For the nurses who have had some one shadow them, what kind of questions do you expect them to ask you? And how? I felt like I was slowing her down or interrupting her whenever I tried to ask a question. I am not sure how to make a good impression since this is like a "2^nd Interview". Any advice appreciated!