At 5 foot tall with hair the color of flames she was an easy choice for this interview article. Her name is Marie S. and she is a Registered Nurse in Wichita Kansas.
Marie S. went to college and Nursing School in Wichita Kansas and holds an Associates in Applied Science in Nursing from Butler County Community College. She has worked over four years at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita Kansas, and now specializes in Psych Nursing while working a Via Christies Good Shepherd campus at their Behavioral Health facility. She put herself through nursing school as a single mother raising twin girls.
We non-nurses rarely think of nurses until we need one and then they are often considered angels of mercy or nurse Rachetts from the Jack Nicholson movie One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest.
I have often wondered about nursing and what it must be like to have that life 24 hrs a day 7 days a week 365 days per year.
I don’t want to know everything about nursing but knowing a little could only be beneficial because odds are one day I will depend on one. If I can understand them than we can communicate better and my life may depend on it.
After briefly explaining my idea to Marie I got her e-mail address and sent off my questions. This is what I sent and what I received.
I have decided to write a series of brief articles regarding different professions. I would like to e-mail you 10 questions and have you send me 10 answers. Please try to keep the answers short and to the point and use laymen’s terms. I also ask that you not try to sell your profession or skills to the reader, please try to be brutally honest and brief in all of your answers.
1. How long have you been an RN ?
Almost 9 years.
2. Have you ever felt that your Job places you in Danger ?
Yes, infection and physical injury are big possibilities
3. What is you favorite thing about being an RN?
Variety in my day while at the same time enough structure to keep my sanity.
Meeting different people from different cultures and socioeconomic levels.
Helping others.
I’m in a caring profession.
The pay is good.
I have a skill that is in demand.
4. What is your least favorite thing about being an RN?
Poop and vomit—-seriously.
5.Would you say that overall Nurses are under compensated and if so what do you think the average salary for an RN in the state of Kansas should be?
I feel that nurses are adequately compensated (although many would argue that fact- this is MY opinion)
6. Have you ever witnessed Malpractice while on the job ?
Not to the point of it being life threatening
7.Do you think you will always be a nurse or will you eventually choose another field, and if so what would it be?
I want to one day be a business owner and want to be actively involved with my business but have the freedom to travel and still continue my nursing on some level.
8.In your Job is it more difficult to deal with the patients or the family of the patients and why?
FAMILY—–They can take a lot of my time. I don’t have a problem using the family for a resource to better care for my patient or educate the family on how to best meet the needs of the pt (if they will be a caretaker after dismissal). But too many family members waste your time by wanting to “pump you for info ” that they could get from speaking with the patient themselves or the Dr. Or they will try to “scold you” for not doing what they think is best for their loved one. They often fail to realize that the RN is the professional (We went to school for this!!!!)Example: wondering why you are not getting the pt up and walking them to the bathroom when for medical reasons that is not safe
9. Is there one type of nursing that you couldn’t or wouldn’t do and if so what and why?
I would never do emergency nursing as I have to have the puzzle pieces slowly get put into place, rather than needing the puzzle pieces to be together in 10 seconds and 2 pieces weren’t even in the box. I do remain calm in intense situations but I don’t think quickly enough to be a “safe” ER Nurse.
10.Do you worry about AIDS while working ?
No. I practice as though every one is a potential carrier.
I want to thank Marie S. for her contributions to this article and to AC
