Registered Nurse 

How did you get your current job?
Worked in a department down the hall, that worked closely with this department.

What was the application process?
Paper application

Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes, I had 2 interviews. One with my direct boss, and one with her and her direct boss. I was mostly told what the job responsibilities would be, and what was expected of me. I was actually asked very few questions about myself, as I had worked on the floor for 2 1/2 years and was known by them, to some degree.

If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
I was asked how I would deal with stressful situations, the amount of call, how I worked with others. What my strengths and weaknesses are.

Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes, I feel like I was able to be trained moderately well with most situations that could arise. I felt relatively comfortable with the cath lab and the people I was working with. The other reason, you are always on a team, so you never have to go it alone. There are always at least 2 other people to bounce ideas off of.

Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
Yes, I had six months of on the job training. I was trained in our prep/holding room, how to circulate in a cath lab–included the equipment used, and set up of patient. I was also trained on how to operate our labs X-ray equipment and how to monitor/record the patient record.

Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes, I feel nursing school and college prepared me for my job. I learned basic nursing skills in nursing school, that I could further enrich once I was in the real world.

If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
Yes, it wasn’t called an internship, but the clinical work I did prepared me for my job.

If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
I would recommend obtaining a nursing license. I also would recommend working on a floor, to get a degree of nursing skills, before attempting to work in a cath lab.

What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
Passion to help people, extremely good clinical skills, quick to adapt, quick to react, accepts criticism–constructive or otherwise, slow to anger, quick to laugh

Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
yes, I think it would be impossible without education and a lot of training

What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Give it time. You don’t get good at it overnight. There is ALWAYS more to learn, and sometimes you learn it from the last person you would expect.