Q:
What inspired you to become a nurse?
A:
It starts off with my mother. She’s been a nurse for almost 30 years. Growing up as a child with my siblings, I remember the ways that she used to care for us whenever we got hurt or sick, and she always knew what to do.
Q:
What do you love most about being a nurse?
A:
What I love about nursing is the different personalities, different families, different cultures. And of course, they’re coming in a vulnerable state where they’re sick, but you get to be a part of that person’s healing process. You get to know them, you get really close to them, and then you help them. You make them feel better.
Q:
What’s a typical day like for you as an emergency nurse?
A:
I work in an emergency room at a children’s hospital. A typical nursing shift there is a fast-paced 12 hours and starts with receiving report from the nurse from the previous shift and prioritizing what patients or tasks need to be seen or done first. Most common activities are doing assessments, obtaining vital signs, starting IVs, obtaining EKGs, and administering medications.
Q:
Can you tell us about your volunteer work as a nurse?
A:
I’ve participated in volunteer programs that included setting up tables in a community mall and providing health screenings which included obtaining vital signs, providing education about blood pressure management and lifestyle changes.
Q:
How do you innovate as a nurse?
A:
I had a patient that came back to the emergency department and a doctor hadn’t been in yet. The family was very concerned that the patient’s mental status had changed. A few minutes they were talking, and all of sudden they were a little unresponsive and just lethargic. Instead of waiting for the doctor, I went and got the glucometer and just checked the blood sugar, and it was reading low. So that was an emergency. I started a line right away just knowing that the patient will need IV dextrose. That was one of the times where I worked out myself how to solve a situation that a family member brought to my attention.
Q:
How do you balance work and life as a nurse?
A:
Be intentional about how you spend your days off. Join a sports league, book club, yoga, or whatever you enjoy. There’s more to life than work so do what you enjoy while you can.
