Nursing Career

Published on 17 August 2024 at 11:10

      One highly popular women in STEM occupations is nursing. To become a nurse one must take college prep classes during Highschool to gain a better understanding of what the program is about. Also, it would allow one to have a head start in completing the prerequisites necessary to get into a nursing program. In addition, for highschoolers it is important to conduct research on what type of nursing school you would like to attend. Keep in mind, different nursing school’s may have different prerequisites. 

      There also varying types of pre-licensure nursing programs. This includes an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), Bachelor of Science Nursing (BSN), Entry Level Masters Program (ELM), and more depending on your state or country. An Associate degree takes two to three years while a Bachelor degree takes four to complete. Earning a Bachelor’s degree may make it easier to get a higher paying or exclusive job position. After deciding which type of nursing program you are interested in, do your research and find a nursing college that caters toward you. In many states you have to obtain a Registered Nurse License to officially start working. To do this you will undergo a criminal background review, educational requirement check, and have to pass the national licensing examination. To get an RN License you must fill out an application online to your state/country checking system weeks before graduation. 

       It is important to keep in mind that education for nursing is continuous since there are many scientific advanced being made yearly. Most states require continuous education, which includes clinical topics and nursing laws and ethics, for a nursing license to be renewed. In addition, nurses have varying work hours, it is typically for nurses to work a few days a week but have long hours each day. Their schedule is more flexible, a nurse could work a day or night shift since their help is needed 24/7.  When becoming a nurse, there are many challenges one can go through, whether it be money or the work ethic a nurse needs to have. It is also important to take care of one's physical and mental health as this occupation can cause stress or pain from the physical exercise needed to care for patients. To get a better idea on what this career entails we have an informational interview of a professional nurse below. 

     

Interview  

Q: What is your name and how long have you been working as a registered nurse?

A: My full name is Satwinder Sidhu and I have been doing nursing for a good 24 years.

 

Q: What were some challenges you went through when trying to become a nurse?

A: When I went to the nursing school it was far from my home. So it was difficult to get used to the separation from my home life and family. Everything is so new there are so many new people and not as much privacy when it comes to sharing bathrooms. Also the food was different from home. At my nursing school I could only do one vacation a year so I could only visit home once. During nursing school it can get tiring because for me I had to do four hours of school then eight hours of clinicals during the same day. Whatever subject we study, like its fundamentals of nurses or anything, we experience working on the floors. So it was tough to get adjusted to the new environment. 

 

Q: How did you overcome those challenges?

A: Then, it is just after time you just need to make a habit. The first year was hard but you have to see everyone is going through the same thing. Busy with classes and friends takes your mind off of things. It was my goal to get good grades studying. So it is kind of like you get tired from working and you have to pay attention to timing like when you have to study. It was just like your mind gets busy so you don’t worry so much about home or other things. 

 

Q: What is the nursing work environment like?

A: The present working environment has had a lot of changes from the past since I have been in the field for 20 plus years. I think that it is really challenging now because we are always short of staff which makes it way harder to get your tasks done on time. Companies ask you to do so much but there are less helping hands, I wish we had more helping hands so we can do more clinical work. Number two, I think there is a lot of paperwork and we should be providing more care to the bedside patients who are really sick. I think we don’t have time to educate the patient via the bedside to make them feel comforted but we spend more time on the computer which I don’t like. Before it was different, but now it seems like hospitals are more like a business focused on profit rather than the well being of patients. But you know, there are always really good days and bad days. Sometimes you may feel like you want to quit and that the patients and work environment is too stressful and other times you may feel like today was amazing I can't wait to come back to work again. So it always depends. 

 

Q: What are some exciting things about being a nurse?

A: Number one which is when I am at the bedside I feel really blessed when I save somebody’s life and I teach sometimes, you know, their medications and they feel like they can trust you. Building relationships with my patients is rewarding. And saving lives I feel like I get to help someone the same time I get paid. It is just a blessing to help others and also make a living off of this career. 

 

Q: What are the differences between the night shift and day shift?

A: It varies with everybody for some people they can work nights and it also depends on their home schedule. I think that no of it is easy, it is the same. But only some people cannot do the night because night is a different challenge. It is hard to be awake at 12 hour shifts and work with the patients. Another challenge is that you have less resources, during day time you have directory, physical therapy, the OT, and the PT. Basically you have more helping hands. At night time you have less resources to help you out. Number two is that some people can work at night, it varies on your own schedule. But the challenge is that it is harder to wake up at night and there are less resources. It is tiring, it is more tiring because your system is not used to being awake at night like your endocrine system. It makes you feel nauseous and just gets hard on your body. 

 

Q: Do you have any advice to members of Girls Get STEM on how to become a nurse?

A: I think nursing is not for money. Some people go for it just for that but I think that it has to be a passion number one. Number two, before you are listening to people talking about it you need to actually see how it is. Like it is important to start with healthcare, connect with them and volunteer at hospitals to see the real picture. You can also join organizations like school clubs or online programs that have volunteer opportunities. It is not easy, nursing is hard. Again, it has to be passion, so just put your eyes and ears on it, volunteer for organizations and see if you can do it. 


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