Final Project- Nursing and Health Care

For my final project I have decided to explore my first choice topic, Nursing/Health care. At the beginning of this course I chose this topic because ever since I was a little kid I wanted to become a nurse. I also hope to pursue this career and study it in college. Obviously I had to choose this topic over my other topic, but they were both fun to read about. I am going to be interviewing two of my friends mothers who work in the nursing/health care field. I am intrigued to see each of their answers given they both work in different parts of the health care sector. I am going to be asking them a total of 18 questions. I also do not plan on asking one question, them answering, and then moving on to the next question. I hope to learn about them as a person and as a professional in each question and take as much time as needed. Below are the 18 questions and sample answers to help guide the process of my interview. The two people I am going to be interviewing are Melissa Dunford and Michelle Taylor. Under the interview questions and sample answers, will be Melissa and Michelle's answers. At the beginning of this project, I planned on interviewing only one of my friends mothers', Michelle, and then reflecting on each of her answers and connecting them to me. Instead I wanted to interview another one of my friends mothers', Melissa, because when I was in the emergency room last year, Melissa took care of me and did an awesome job, so I wish to get to know her personally and professionally. Although I planned on interviewing Melissa this weekend, she however was unable to attend where I was going, since I was out of town. Fortunately, I am able to interview her today. This does not take away my ten hours of physically doing something, instead it adds to the ten hours and I wish to edit my blog and add her responses later, given I feel they can improve and add more to my blog. 

Interview Questions and Sample Answers

Tell us something about yourself.

Sample Answer- I am a highly motivated, energetic and compassionate person, who wants to dedicate his/her whole life to nursing. I am a great communicator and love helping people. My previous credits and experience of 4 years taught me the importance of patient's’ care and developed a sense of responsibility.

Michelle- I am very caring and sensitive. I am a perfectionist and so I strive for positive outcomes. I love talking care of people and helping them through vulnerable situations. 

This connects to me because everyone that meets me, knows I am a sensitive and caring person and I always care about what people think about me. 
Melissa- I have been an RN for 24 years. I have worked in many areas of health care as a nurse, my favorite being critical care and cardiology. I prefer to work in acute care settings, and currently work in an Emergency Department/Trauma Center. I am also a wife and mother and enjoy the flexibility of being a nurse so I can be there for my family.

Why do you want to work in the health care sector.

Sample Answer- I believe that with this profession, I can make a difference, and make people feel better. Seeing so many people in pain and misery motivated me to practice nursing.

Michelle- I have wanted to be a nurse since I was a little girl. I find health care to be so rewarding for myself as well as for my patients. 
Melissa- I chose health care and nursing as a career because of the flexibility and shift work. There is job security and many different opportunities in nursing. I did not want to work 5 days a week. I also enjoy caring and helping others. My mother was an RN as well. 
This connects to me because I've wanted to be a nurse every since I was a little girl also. 

Why did you leave your last job?

Sample Answer- My previous job taught me so many things and developed necessary qualities required to be a proficient nurse. But now, there is no room for growth, and I am looking forward for new challenges to thrive in nursing.

Michelle- I have always worked in the nursing field. I started as a nursing assistant when I was younger and while I was in college. I got my LPN and then my RN after that and have worked in the same facility for the past 31 years in different capacities.
Melissa- I wanted more steady hours. My position was per diem.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Sample Answer- In 5 years, I would like to have profound knowledge of nursing by way of earning a doctoral degree, so that I can serve people with more advanced techniques.

Michelle- I enjoy my job so I will continue to stay in my current position for the next five years at which time I will most likely retire. Then I plan to work part time in home care.
Melissa- I honestly don't know, maybe teaching.

How would you handle a patient that complains about everything?

Sample Answer- the major reason of complaints is their diseases, which makes them unhappy. As a nurse, I would understand their situation, listen and reassure them that the best possible services are given to them.

Michelle- I have been in this situation in the past. I always try to understand where their frustration is coming from and validate it. I reassure them that I understand and try to help them see the positive outcomes of their illness.

This connects to me because when ever one of my friends is having a hard time with something, I always reassure them, and try to help them see the positive outcomes.
Melissa- Well, as an ER nurse I see this quite often. I try to be as positive as possible. I find explaining what the process is and what to expect is very helpful. If a patient doesn't feel well and is in a place where they have little or no control they can act out. As the nurse it is my job to help them feel better, safe, and secure.

What is the most difficult part about being a nurse/being in the health care department?

Sample Answer- According to me, the most intricate part of being a nurse is having a patient, who suffers from an incapacitating disease, which is incurable.

Michelle- The most difficult part of being a nurse for me is not being able to fix everything. I am good at gaining my patients trust and it hurts me when they trust me and I cannot always give them the outcome they hope for.
Melissa- I find the most difficult part in the ED is time management. There is never enough time to do all you would like too for a patient. Our doors never close, we don't turn away anyone who seeks medical care, therefore there is always someone waiting, something else to do. You have to become very good at delegating tasks, and prioritizing pt needs.

Discuss your biggest strengths and weaknesses.

Sample Answer-  I have outstanding leadership qualities and interpersonal skills, which help me to coordinate well with my colleagues. I do not quit easily, until the work is done in a proper manner; it’s my major weakness.

Michelle- My biggest strengths are that I am caring and compassionate. I am also a good communicator. I feel communication is the key to having a trusting relationship between myself and my patients as well as with their families. I am also a strong patient advocate. My weaknesses are that I am a perfectionist and I have a hard time when the goal or outcome I have set does not work out the way I planned.
Melissa-My biggest strength is my experience. I pushed myself from the very beginning of my career to volunteer for patient and situations where I was challenged. I learn by doing. So I did just that. I now have the ability to care for any patient in any setting effectively.
This connects to me because I feel like I connect with her weakness of having a hard time when the goal or outcome is not what she planned, because when ever something that happens in my life ends up not how I planned I get really upset.

What measures have you taken to upgrade your knowledge.

Sample Answer-  I enrolled myself in an advanced course for improving my managerial skills and also attended various seminars for enhancing interpersonal skills.

Michelle- I attend several CEU programs annually. I am certified in gerontology which is the field I specialize it at the present time. I also just graduated from a managerial skills program offered to state employees.
Melissa- In order to be efficient and knowledgeable I am certified in Basic Cardiac Life Support, Advanced Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support, and Trauma Nurse Core Curriculum.

What motivates you to work in the nursing/health care field?

Sample Answer- Critical situations and tough patients motivate me. In my last job, I was confronted with a patient, who was not handled by a number of nurses, later I took charge of him and solved his problem by understanding his situation. I really love to overcome challenges.

Michelle- I have a need to take care of people. I love helping people both in the nursing field as well as outside of the health care field. I get a great sense of satisfaction when I can help people get well physically or emotionally. I especially like working with difficult/angry patients. I seem to have a way of getting through to them and getting them to trust me.
Melissa- My motivation for working in nursing is the principle of giving and helping someone who is in need. I have and still do work with amazing, smart, and selfless professionals who inspire and teach me something every shift. It may not always be easy, but it is challenging and rewarding at the same time. 

What is your greatest failure?

Sample Answer- In my first job, I made a mistake in the patient’s chart. Fortunately, my supervisor noticed it. Since then, I always double- check my charts.

Michelle- I think my greatest failure of some opportunities my nursing career when I was younger.
Melissa- My greatest failure would have to be communication. It has taken me years to improve my ability to communicate effectively and not take things personally.

When do you feel most satisfied in your job?

Sample Answer-   I really enjoy caring people and helping them in coping up with their illness. I love to work with children.

Michelle- I think I feel most satisfied when my patients and their families thank me for taking such good care of them and for being so supportive. It really warms my heart.
Melissa- I feel most satisfied when myself and coworkers are able to work effectively as a team and care for a patient with good outcomes.

Have you ever done any volunteer work? If so, what was it like?

Sample Answer- Before I started my career, I volunteered at a local hospital. It made me realize how much I wanted to become someone in this type of field and I learned a tremendous amount of useful information.

Michelle- I worked as a candy striper and volunteer at our local hospital during summers while in high school.

Can you give me an example of a time you were a leader?

Sample Answer- Sometimes other nurses and doctors on my oncology floor, ask me questions that they do not know, but I do, and I feel like a leader because I was helping them with something they did not know.

Michelle- I was a nurse manager on a medical unit/ a rehab unit/ and then on a long term care unit prior to my present administrative role.

How do you handle a request you disagree with?

Sample Answer- I go with the flow because it is my job to make sure the patient gets what they need. If I feel the request will not benefit them and only make them worse, I will request a different type of way to go about that certain request.

Michelle- I usually speak directly with the doctor and the rest of our nursing team to see if we can all agree on the best plan for the patient.
Melissa- If there is a patient request that I don't agree with, I will ask my coworkers opinion and ultimately ask the Dr. If the Dr. agrees, then I am covered.

How do you motivate patients?

Sample Answer- By encouraging them into believing they will be okay or they will be getting better.

Michelle- By listening to them carefully, and making them feel like what they say is important, so that you can gain their trust, that you take them seriously because if you establish trust with your patients they will be more accepting and motivated to do the things they need to do to get well.

How do you handle stress?

Sample Answer- If I am very stressed out at work, when I get the chance I will go into the break room take a deep breath and listen to music.

Michelle- I handle stress by taking a break away from the stress, whether it be a patient or a situation, and either go to my office or the cafeteria or outside to get some fresh air for about 10-15 minutes to take a deep breath, then I return to the patient when I feel that I am able to benefit them without adding further stress to their already stressful situation. 
Melissa- I handle stress by plugging along, doing my best, remembering to communicate effectively. Stepping away to regroup is always good. 

This connects to me because the way I relive stress is by getting some fresh air or taking deep breaths. 

How long has it been since you started working in the health care field?

Sample Answer- I started working in the health care field 8 years ago.

Michelle- I started working in the health care field 31 years ago.

Melissa- I have been working in Health care for at least 30 plus years, started babysitting young, then volunteering in a Rehab facility, then working in hospitals in high school and throughout college. 

Where did you go to college/ where did you get your clinical experience?

Sample Answer- I attended Northeastern University in Boston, MA. I graduated in 2002 and had most of my clinical experience done at Mass General.
Michelle- I attended north shore community college, and University of Massachusetts Boston. I graduated in 1991, got my clinical experience from maternity at Salem hospital and several hospitals in the north shore area.
Melissa- I went to college at Worcester State University, my clinical rotations were at UMass Medical, I worked at Newton Wellesley Hospital during school. After graduation I moved to California and got my RN. I lived there and worked for 6 years, then moved back to Boston area.

Michelle Taylor 

Another thing I did for my ten hours was going back to the Melrose-Wakefield hospital and talking to the woman I had previously shadowed last year and catching up with her and talking to her about my future hopes and dreams. Beginning of the school year I  shadowed a nurse in the Melrose-Wakefield hospital. I shadowed a young lady named Kaitlin who was twenty three years old. She recently had graduated from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. For five hours I followed her around meeting different patients, figuring out what was wrong with them, and learning all the ways to go about the situations. I even felt like a nurse given I was wearing scrubs! I had to wear scrubs because I arrived at the hospital not knowing I was not allowed to wear jeans. Within five hours I saw at least 15 patients. Kaitlin said it was their least busiest day they have had in a while. (I could only imagine what a busy day would look like) Between seeing people suffer from strokes, falls, addictions to painkillers, alcoholism, different sicknesses, to someone getting a ring stuck on their finger, made me realize how lucky I am and how much I wanted to help each and every one of them. A reason as to why I am interested in this type of field is because I love helping people and the feeling of helping someone or making them feel better is a feeling that is indescribable. I rarely catch myself remembering how many people are

Melrose-Wakefield Hospital  

suffering from sicknesses and pain and often I feel like I take myself and my life for granted. When I was shadowing I felt like I learned a lot about what it is like to be an emergency room nurse, but most importantly I learned a lot about myself.

Taking a look into each patient

First patient- This patient was an older woman. Her daughters found her confused and struggling a lot at everyday activities she previously knew how to do. They then proceeded to bring her into the emergency room. When she got here, we thought she may have had a stroke, so when then sent her into getting an MRI.

Second patient- This patient came in with pain. He said he was on a liquid and soup diet because he thought he was constipated and then he became worried, so he came into the emergency room. (I think this guy had some sort of mental issue)

Third patient- This patient came in with neck and back pain. He had a history of anxiety and bipolar disease. He was all over the place. In the past, he was tested positive for lyme disease and was in the hospital for the previous eight days and then came back to the emergency room two days later complaining of neck and back pain. What was interesting to me was how he did not have a specific spot as to where the pain was it was just his "whole" neck and back. Kaitlin then proceeded to give him some pain medication to ease the pain. However, he refused and wanted to take a stronger kind of pain medication, because the one Kaitlin was going to give him he had before and it "didn't work". Kaitlin and I knew he was seeking pain meds and was most likely addicted. When he asked Kaitlin, "How much are you giving me?" She said, ".5" And he advanced to saying, "Are you freaking kidding me, do you not believe I'm in this much pain! I'm so aggravated and pissed off!" At this point we knew for sure we were dealing with a man who had an addiction to pain medications.

Fourth patient- This patient was an older man who was vomiting and getting bad headaches. The previous night he was drinking. When he came in to the emergency room, he had a blood pressure of 240 over 140. A normal blood pressure would consist of the top number being between 90 and 120 and the bottom number between 60 and 80. 240 over 140 is extremely high.

Fifth patient- This patient was another older woman who came in with a laceration on her forehead with blood dripping down her face, all the way to her hands and down her shirt. When she came to the emergency room, she proceeded to tell us she was walking to her car coming out of Macy's when her leg gave out 10 feet away from her car. She had fallen and face planted onto the cement. There was a bunch of rocks stuck in her cut.

Sixth patient- This patient was a teenage boy who came in with burnt fingers because he had put a paperclip into an electrical outlet.

There were many more patients I had visited with Kaitlin, but these were the top six I had recorded. It was a very interesting, but yet awesome experience. Given I was not allowed to have my phone and that I had to leave it in my car, I was unable to take pictures. But, I was however able to record and write down as much as I could. In fact, I found myself standing, staring off and just imagining that I could be where Kaitlin is in a few years if I try my hardest and follow my dreams-instead of actually writing down everything I was seeing. Stated that I only shadowed Kaitlin for 5 hours, I was unable to find out the final results as to what was wrong with each patient and how each outcome was like. I missed out on that, but I am fortunate and glad enough that I was able to shadow her for the five hours.

The last thing I did for my ten hours was making a prezi. I thought I would add this because I think this prezi benefits me and could benefit other people that have the desire to become a nurse or work in the the health care field, but are not 100% positive the are able to accept what it takes. I found these questions and answers on an online source, and the title of the blog was called "6 Qualities every nurse needs: is nursing right for you?" source: "6 Qualities Every Nurse Needs: Is Nursing Right for You? ." Blog | How to Save on Your College Degree | StraighterLine. N.p., 09 Apr. 2015. Web. 13 Jan. 2017.
Ever since I came across this site, I find myself always thinking of these questions and sometimes I push myself out of my comfort zone each day to get used to these qualities so I can

be ready for my future.

Below is the link to my Prezi.
6 Qualities every nurse needs


Reflection: What I set out to do was to go back to Melrose-Wakefield Hospital and reminisce and learn more about what it takes to become a nurse. Last year I wanted to explore on my own what it is actually like to work around patients that need extra help and comfort. It was truly an incredible time to feel the love and the compassion the nurses in the Melrose-Wakefield hospital had towards their patients. Kaitlin, the woman I shadowed, as said above, went University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and to this day she has inspired me to not only apply to that same exact school for nursing, but other schools for nursing as well. She told me she was a below average student in high school, but set her standards high in college and this is where she ended up. She loved her job and she is someone that I am going to think about when I leave for college, that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

I also set out to interview a few close friends of mine’s parents and get a better understanding of what it is like from their perspective of working in the health care field. I actually learned a lot from this activity. There are a few blogs that I did in the beginning of the year when I was reading about nursing that I want to bring up. I feel these blogs I did really emphasize on what I hope to set out for in the future and was something I was proud of this semester. The first book I read was called, The Shift - Theresa Brown, RN. It was a Tuesday blog so the quote I chose was "An ordinary day shot through with the crystalline illumination of earned success, a gem-like moment." (Brown, 60)

Theresa Brown is an ordinary woman living an ordinary life with her husband and two children. However her life is completely different when she walks into work. Written in first person, she lets us experience and learn what happens in the twelve short hours of a busy hospital oncology department. In those twelve hours, we do not know what to expect. Lives can be lost or lives can be saved. As an RN (registered nurse), Brown will need to document every little thing about a patient whether it be medical histories to different symptoms the patient is having, helping perform diagnostic tests, providing treatment, administering medications, and monitoring patients progress.

Through the twelve hours she has four patients. Sheila, Candace, Richard Hampton, and Dorothy. Sheila has a hole in her gut that is leaking bowel contents into her abdomen tearing her intestine due to a blood clot- also called a "perf". Candace is a returning cancer patient who is a huge pain to the RN's, Richard Hampton is a patient with lymphoma who Brown is in charge of making the decision to administer a risky drug called Rituxan that may do more harm than good, and Dorothy who spent six weeks in the hospital due to Leukemia, is finally going home. When Brown found out Dorothy's ANC (absolute neutrophil count) was a 850 and an ANC reliably above a 500 indicates enough of an immune system to go home, Brown described this as "An ordinary day shot through with the crystalline illumination of earned success, a gem- like moment" (Brown, 60). That month and a half was described as accomplished. As an RN the main role is to provide emotional and physical support to patients and their family members during difficult times and to do their best with helping treat a patient and make them better than before. When a cancer patient is able to go home after a long stay in the hospital it may mean the world to not only the patient or their family but to the nurse as well. The feeling of helping someone that is in pain or really needs assistance, hope, and support is a "crystalline illumination of earned success, a gem-like moment".

   It is the best feeling to help others and make them happy again. This connects to myself because I want to be a nurse one day and if as a teenager today loves the feeling of helping my grandma grocery shop because she can't on her own, I can only image how I would feel if I helped someone that was struggling to live, or help someone in immense pain feel better or feel like a new person. Brown also stated, " I wish I had more time to sit and hold every patients hand. To really listen" (Brown, 122). A nurse's job is not only to just help and assist but to bond with the patient and become someone they can trust and feel protected by. I feel like I have a connection with the author because we both have the love for wanting to listen to what others are feeling and help make what they are feeling stronger and better. The value of life is personal. There is no single answer as to why we consider life precious. Everyone in this world has different ways they want to live their life. Some cherish every moment and some could care less. Getting sick or even worse getting cancer could be the scariest but yet the most single-minded thing to overcome. Some cancers and some illnesses are stronger than others and some people are not fortunate or strong enough to overcome it.

When I went back to the Melrose-Wakefield Hospital I learned that, Melrose-Wakefield’s mission is to provide, in a community-based setting, the highest quality health care to communities in Boston's northern suburbs. That their vision will be the system of choice in our region, with demonstrated service to and support from area residents and physicians. Melrose-Wakefield hospital offers a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services including acute medical and surgical services, emergency care, cardiac care, cauterization lab, diabetes management and treatment, day surgery, maternity, a special care nursery, oncology/hematology, and inpatient psychiatric care. They are committed to building and sustaining a strong, vibrant, and healthy community. They pledge to act as a resource and to work with the community during emergencies; improve access to care; identify, monitor, and address the unique health care needs within the community and promote healthier lifestyles for residents through health education.

I think reading about this topic has improved my knowledge tremendously. I enjoyed every minute of reading different books related to nursing/health care and I feel like I have grown from the start of the semester to the end. Although I shadowed in the emergency room before this project was given out, I think it still affected me knowing what I learned then and what I saw compared to what I learned through my books, and going back to the hospital recently to learn even more. I thought it made sense to add into my blog about shadowing because it affect me in a bunch of ways. Personally, I connected in some sort of way to all of the books I read the first quarter compared to the topic and books I read second quarter. There is something about nursing that I can always connect with. Something that I found was challenging in completely my project was just that fact that I wish I could have shadowed again. I tried very hard to see if I could shadow somewhere else, but it is hard given hospitals are very personal and not something easy an individual can drop by and shadow. That was the only challenge. Personally, I do not think getting this project done was a challenge, I enjoyed making the prezi and interviewing a my friends mother. I just wish I could have done more to improve my blog, which is why I wish to add in another interview. In the end, I am thankful that I picked this topic to read about because I feel like I learned a great amount of information that I will hopefully transfer over to college when I study to become a nurse.