DATE: ​February 27, 2020

TO:​ Mr. Haslam

FROM:​ Emmah Baca
SUBJECT:​ Information about Nursing Industry Interview

I interviewed Brooke Smith, who is a charge nurse, to learn more about the medical field. Being

a charge nurse means that she is basically a shift lead as we would call it at my current job. It

means that Ms. Smith is in charge of making sure that everyone has a task to do, preparing the

schedules, and just ensuring that the day goes smoothly. I would love to talk to a regular nurse

to compare the workload between a normal nurse and one like Ms. Smith, who has a lot of extra

responsibilities. However, it was still insightful to see what nursing is like from someone who has

been involved for a long time.

Nursing and her Personal Life

Ms. Smith told me that she knew that she had always wanted to be involved in the medical field.

Growing up, she played sports like soccer and softball, and that she originally wanted to

become a physical therapist. Hearing this was difficult for me to comprehend because it was so

similar to my own story. She started shadowing physical therapists and found out that it was

actually something that she was not passionate about. From there, she figured that she wanted

to be a nurse. After conducting the same research as with the previous job, she concluded that

this was something that she wanted to do for the rest of her life.

She works night shifts, which means that it can sometimes be difficult to spend quality time with

her three children. This was one of my worries entering the interview because I know that

nurses work a lot and had always wondered if this affected familial relationships. Along with this,
my father works graveyard shifts, so I do not see him as much as I wish I did. I wanted to know

if this would be the same theme along different careers or if it was just in the nursing industry.

While this was a concern from me, Ms. Smith quickly quelled my fears. She said that she only

started working these night shifts when her children were teenagers because they were already

becoming more independent. Despite this, they still try to get together a few days during the

month and have a family game night. This assured me that while it might be difficult to balance

a career and a family, it is something that is definitely possible with enough effort.

Satisfaction with Career Choice

I have always been someone who wonders if people are actually happy with their lives or

wonder if they have considered that question in a while. I think career can have a big affect on

their answers, so I made this a big portion in my interview. Ms. Smith said she really did like her

job and the fulfillment that it gave her. To her, it was a good feeling to see people get better and

know that she helped them get there. The knowledge that she obtained from getting a degree

and going to school really pay off on a daily basis. I liked hearing this statement because it

means that all her hard work in school is actually paying off. Personally, I would go to school

and then get a job that has nothing to do with my degree because it just feels like wasted time

and money in my eyes.

While there are good aspects to her job, it is also extremely difficult to be a nurse. On a daily

basis, she deals with so many patients with so many different personalities. Some are happy,

some are mad, some are depressed, and it can be hard to mold to these person’s moods. At
times, Ms. Smith is in a bad mood herself, but she cannot show this to the patient’s. Despite

being upset or sad, she has to come to work, smile, and provide the best care she can for each

patient. She said that this can be draining to act a certain way around specific patients, but it is

worth it to see the patients getting better.

I did learn a lot from asking if Ms. Smith was satisfied with her job, but next time I interview

someone I would not ask so many questions about this. From what I have seen, the majority of

people in the healthcare industry are happy with their jobs and say that it is fulfilling to see these

people get better. I asked similar questions with an occupational therapist and got similar

responses. When I job shadowed an OT, I learned that this was something that I would despise

doing for the rest of my life. I think that this is important to know, but I regret spending so much

time on this topic because it is not a definitive answer for me.

Interview Analysis

I am glad I talked to Ms. Smith about the nursing industry because I received a lot of insightful

information. I know nursing is a difficult career and that it required less education than a doctor,

but that is all that I really knew about it. Having this interview taught me about the

responsibilities of this job and how it is not a fit for everyone. Sometimes people are mean or

need their butt wiped, but it is part of the job description and a necessary evil. Something

surprising I learned from this interview is that it is not a big deal to wipe someone’s butt. The

patient is probably more embarrassed than anyone else that they need their butt wiped. While it

makes sense, it is a concept that I never previously considered. It reminded me that all of these

people are just that - people - and it is necessary to have a lot of empathy in this career.
It was easy to talk to Ms. Smith because she was kind and outgoing. However, I was still

nervous and showed a few of my nervous ticks. At times, I would play with my hair, twist my

bracelet, or shift around with my chair. I think that comfort will be achieved as I am in more

situations like this one, but it is something that I would like to improve on. Another thing I think

that I can improve on is sticking to my questions. I wanted it to flow well and not seem forced,

but this made me go off on tangents frequently. For instance, on my script it said to ask if she

had children and if she did, ask how being a nurse affected her bond with her family. When Ms.

Smith said that she had children, I asked how old her children were and how many she had.

This got us on a side conversation on her family, which is fine, but it is not the purpose of the

interview. Next time I interview someone, I want to stick to the questions better instead of

making it feel like just a conversation. I think my approach was helpful to making sure Ms. Smith

was comfortable and building a relationship with her, but it was not as helpful to learning as

much as possible about the nursing industry.