What is it really like to develop a career in the nursing field?
The Honors Mentorship program was introduced to me by councilor at school. Right away I was intrigued, because I was on the fence of what I was wanting to study in college. I decided to apply for this program purely to learn more about the day to day life of a pediatric nurse. This is what drove my essential question; what is it really like to develop a career in the nursing field? I was curious as to what a pediatric nurse does every day, as well as how difficult the schooling process was for them. Overall I learned this and so much more throughout my internship. My essential question was thoroughly answered and I couldn't be happier with the answer.
Prior to experiencing life as in intern at a pediatrics office I knew that being nurse would be a tough, but rewarding job. I also knew that it would be somewhat of a sucre job that pays well enough to be financially stable; in todays world health care is a widely needed necessity, thus providing hundreds of eligible job opportunities for me.In addition to these points, I was aware that there were many different variations of positions in the nursing world. I could become an RN or registered nurse, a nurse practitioner, or many other things. All in all I knew that becoming a nurse would be a hard journey, but an extremely rewarding one that would pay off in the long run.
After starting my internship and doing quite a bit of research about the nursing career I learned so much more than I ever thought I could about this career. The first source I stumbled across what an article written by Anne Kotzer. “Perceived Nursing Work Environment of Acute Care Pediatric Nurses.” is all about the day to day life of working in a hospital as a nurse and how coworkers interact with each other. Nurses spend a substantial amount of time at their job, so your coworkers tend to become a second family so I think it is vital to get along with who you work with. The article states “People go out of their way to help a new employee feel comfortable;” (pg.328); this encouraged me and I felt like this was reasonable statement based on what I have seen at One Family Pediatrics. furthermore, the second article I found was “The Theory of the Art of Nursing and the Practice of Human Care Quality.” which focuses mainly on the emotional aspect of nursing, which is one of the most prominent reasons I choose this career for my self. The main lesson in this article is all about three main concepts to focus on in nursing.The article states “The theory of the art of nursing includes three concepts—respect, responsibility, and empathy” (pg.7) I myself strongly believes in using the respect, responsibility, and empathy when talking and caring for patients; if you are not a caring, organized person nursing is probably not the career for you. overall throughout my internship, and deep research I learned more that I ever could have imagined about my future career.
Experience and knowledge from nurse Julie
1. When did you decide that nursing was the career for you?“I was 16 years old and my brother had to get his appendix removed. After watching all he went through I decided I wanted to become a nurse.
I have a similar response to Julie for this question, my grandfather was hospitalized for heart problems a few years ago and wasn’t given the best care he could have been given. After watching what he went through I decided to become a nurse.
2. Is/ was there a person in your life that inspired you to make this decision?“I would say my brother and his experience was my inspiration.”
Also, similar to Julies response my grandfather and his experience in a hospital inspired me.
3. Have you ever regretted your choice?“Not once have I ever regretted my career choice.”
Julies response to this question is admirable in my opinion. She works with sick children and scared parents on a daily basis which must be challenging at times, but she truly has great ethics and a caring heart.
4. Was the required education challenging for you?“Yes, the education process was probably the most challenging thing about being a nurse.”
The education process is the thing that makes me the most nervous about becoming a nurse, so even though Julies response didn’t reassure me she did give me some great advice about school.
5. Was it hard for you to find a job after graduation?“No, I actually was offered a job before I graduated.”
This was not shocking to me, nurses are one of the most needed people in the medical field so it did not surprise me when she said she had no trouble finding a job.
6. About how many interviews did you go on?“I only went on one interview.”
Julie only going on one interview may seem a little shocking to some people, but if you knew Julie and the one family pediatrics team it would make perfect sense.
7. What was the most memorable patient / day of work for you?“There is a little girl who is five years old, she’s been our patient for a while now and has really needed some help. She is in foster care because both her mom and dad are in prison. The team at one family pediatrics has been the one stable thing in her life, and we try to support her and care for her in any way we can. We provide her with things like school supplies and basic necessities; my heart really goes out to her.”
This story really warmed my heart. I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting this little girl, but I hope to be able to. The ladies working at one family are truly kind individuals who genuinely care about the little ones they see.
8. What’s the most challenging aspect of your job?“I would say dealing with the parents of the patients we see is the most challenging aspect of my job.”
After observing at one family for a little while I completely understand this response. Some of the parents can be a little hard to handle during visits.
9. If you did not become a nurse what other career path do you think you would have chosen?“It sounds like a weird choice, but I probably would have made a career in organizing offices and people’s homes if I didn’t become a nurse.”
Knowing Julie this was a reasonable response, she is always organizing supplies and making sure everything is stocked around the office.
10. What’s one piece of advice you would tell someone looking to become a nurse?“Study hard and be diligent, school was really tough for me but in the end it paid off.”
This may seem like generic advise to some people, but knowing that Julie wasn’t perfect in school and struggled a little calmed my nerves to some degree.
I have a similar response to Julie for this question, my grandfather was hospitalized for heart problems a few years ago and wasn’t given the best care he could have been given. After watching what he went through I decided to become a nurse.
2. Is/ was there a person in your life that inspired you to make this decision?“I would say my brother and his experience was my inspiration.”
Also, similar to Julies response my grandfather and his experience in a hospital inspired me.
3. Have you ever regretted your choice?“Not once have I ever regretted my career choice.”
Julies response to this question is admirable in my opinion. She works with sick children and scared parents on a daily basis which must be challenging at times, but she truly has great ethics and a caring heart.
4. Was the required education challenging for you?“Yes, the education process was probably the most challenging thing about being a nurse.”
The education process is the thing that makes me the most nervous about becoming a nurse, so even though Julies response didn’t reassure me she did give me some great advice about school.
5. Was it hard for you to find a job after graduation?“No, I actually was offered a job before I graduated.”
This was not shocking to me, nurses are one of the most needed people in the medical field so it did not surprise me when she said she had no trouble finding a job.
6. About how many interviews did you go on?“I only went on one interview.”
Julie only going on one interview may seem a little shocking to some people, but if you knew Julie and the one family pediatrics team it would make perfect sense.
7. What was the most memorable patient / day of work for you?“There is a little girl who is five years old, she’s been our patient for a while now and has really needed some help. She is in foster care because both her mom and dad are in prison. The team at one family pediatrics has been the one stable thing in her life, and we try to support her and care for her in any way we can. We provide her with things like school supplies and basic necessities; my heart really goes out to her.”
This story really warmed my heart. I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting this little girl, but I hope to be able to. The ladies working at one family are truly kind individuals who genuinely care about the little ones they see.
8. What’s the most challenging aspect of your job?“I would say dealing with the parents of the patients we see is the most challenging aspect of my job.”
After observing at one family for a little while I completely understand this response. Some of the parents can be a little hard to handle during visits.
9. If you did not become a nurse what other career path do you think you would have chosen?“It sounds like a weird choice, but I probably would have made a career in organizing offices and people’s homes if I didn’t become a nurse.”
Knowing Julie this was a reasonable response, she is always organizing supplies and making sure everything is stocked around the office.
10. What’s one piece of advice you would tell someone looking to become a nurse?“Study hard and be diligent, school was really tough for me but in the end it paid off.”
This may seem like generic advise to some people, but knowing that Julie wasn’t perfect in school and struggled a little calmed my nerves to some degree.