Oncology nursing can be especially tough if you don’t have the right team, a strong sense of integrity, and all the dedication in the world to bring health back to those in need. Enlightening stuff her my friends. I’m interviewing people in healthcare for a few posts to make sure I have a better understanding of some aspects of their daily life. Enjoy!
Healthcare Interviewee Profile
1) What is your official job / position title?
Registered Nurse (RN)
2) What is your direct supervisor’s official job / position title?
Nurse Manager
3) How many years have you been practicing as an RN or worked in Healthcare?
3
4) What are your specialties / areas of practice?
Oncology/Palliative Care
5) What is your highest level of formal education?
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
Interviewee Responses
01) Describe what an RN does on a daily basis and for what ultimate purpose.
What an RN does on a regular basis, for me, is to help patients and assist the doctors at the hospital. We do this to save lives and to make the patients feel at ease with the care they are receiving.
02) Think back to a memorable time you interacted with another RN and share the story, please.
At my job , we always have regular staff meetings. This was, of course, one of those times where myself and another RN had to get together and discuss the transport of a terminally ill patient to another facility because of the family. The doctors told us that they could not be moved safely because they were in the end stages. The other RN and I had to figure out how to suggest to the family that the patient needs to stay where they were or else it could be a sudden death.
03) Describe what you feel is the most fun part of being an RN?
To me, the most fun part of being an Rn is helping put a smile on my patients faces. No matter the age or situation, I can always make the day a little brighter which makes it a little less stressful for them.
04) Describe what you feel is the most stressful part of being an RN?
The most stressful part is handling the families of the patients who have been just diagnosed. I understand that it is hard for everyone, but the families get so angry and get so defensive that they are sometimes just unbearable.
05) Describe what you feel is the most rewarding part of being an RN?
The most rewarding part of being an RN is, to me, just getting a thank you! That brings me happiness to know that my work has been recognized!
06) Teamwork is very important for all hospital staff. What can RNs do to improve teamwork in smaller teams and overall?
COMMUNICATION!! I cannot stress that enough. In order to make things run more smoothly, there needs to be lots of it!!
07) Without integrity, patients and overall hospital quality declines. What can RNs do to maintain or increase integrity?
Tell the patients the truth. Not just what they want to hear. More and more we see that hospitals would rather make money than make themselves honest. Doctors I see at times beat around the bush. I feel that the more honest you are with the patient, the better the relationship you will have with your patient.
08) Staying on top of healthcare industry growth is very important. How can RNs achieve this through continued education and other means?
The RN’s can go to as many cross training seminars as possible. We have cross training at our hospital just in case of an emergency. A lot of nurses strongly recommend it because it is good to have extra training under your belt. You never know when you will be pulled elsewhere.
09) What do you think it would take to make an RN want to quit, whether or not they actually do?
I think it would take a lack of respect. I know that a lot of nurses that come to work at our hospital from other places say how they left because they were being treated unfairly and were being worked like dogs.
10) What about the healthcare industry, as it relates to nursing, do you think needs the most improvement?
I think the scheduling and staffing needs improvement. You cannot be an RN with a huge patient to nurse ratio. That tires a person out and makes them not want to come to work. Staff your facility with a safe number to work with. You will see a much happier staff and sometimes happier patients.
11) If you owned a hospital, then what would you do to help RNs be more effective overall?
I would offer more incentives. I respect nurses everywhere and the jobs that they do. I think it is only fair for them to be rewarded in some way. whether it is extra time off, a higher pay for working over, etc. I feel they need to have more recognition in the hospital setting.
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I’ve been told one of the most useful tools for building strong teams, improving communication, and strengthening coworker bonds is the Bird Personality Test. I’ve noticed this is especially true for the healthcare industry. It warms my heart to think a tool I offer is helping wonderful healers do their good work. Please consider using the tool with your team, too.