Staff Nurse
(Female, Age 33) from LaPlace, LA
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 33 who works as a Staff Nurse in LaPlace, LA. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | Staff Nurse |
|---|---|
| Salary | $70,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | 36 |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | LaPlace, LA |
| Years Experience | 2 years |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
Rurual Hospital with 100 beds, for profit hospital. Approximately 500 employees
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
Registered Nurse in Labor & Delivery Unit. Total care of preterm and laboring patients. Charge Nurse, Night supervisor or Womans’ Services Unit.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
2 weeks vacation, 401K, Partially paid health insurance, accure sick time hours each pay period
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
under
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
yes.like. I work with a team of nurses each night. Can be a good or bad thing depending on the nurse your working with.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 1
Benefits: 3
Hours: 4
Co-Workers: 2
Supervisors: 5
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 6
The Actual Work: 2
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
| 5am to 6am | |
| 6am to 7am | |
| 7am to 8am | I work the night shift. At 7 p.m. I come into work change into scrubs and get report on the patients that are on the unit or ones that are scheduled to arrive. The offgoing nurse gives me report. I then begin to get organized for the night. I’m in charge so I also have to see what else is happening on the unit. |
| 8am to 9am | I assess the patient that is already here. Instruct her on the plan of care, get anything she needs. I check on the other areas of the unit and see if they need anything. I then prepare the birthing room for a patient that should arrive at 10 p.m. for and induction of labor. |
| 9am to 10am | I prepare my chart for the incoming patient. Sign my name, and do as much paper work as I can before the patient arrives. I stock the operating room and the other patient rooms on the unit. |
| 10am to 11am | The patient arrives a little late. I settle her in, start and IV, draw lab work and complete paperwork. I attach her to the fetal monitor so that I can observe the fetus’s heart rate and if she is having contractions. Based on this I will make a decision wether or not it is safe to begin the induction process with medication. |
| 11am to 12pm | The induction process has begun. I again observe the other patient that I am taking care of. I try to attempt to keep up with charting what is going on with these patients. I have to chart every hour on one patient and every 30 minutes on the other. |
| 12pm to 1pm | Another patient comes in with complaints that she is in labor. I attach her to the fetal monitor, monitor her vital signs and perform an exam to see if she is dialated and in labor. This process takes about 30 – 40 minutes. After I have evaluated her I call the physican who is taking care of all patients that come in tonight. |
| 1pm to 2pm | After forming a plan of care with the physician, I informed him of my assessment finding. I explain to the patient that we will monitor her for one hour and perform aother exam and if there is not change she will be sent home. I chart all of this on the patients legal record. I again recheck on the other patients that are one the unit. |
| 2pm to 3pm | I give the induction patient more medication based on my assessment of the fetal heartrate and contraction pattern. I then reevaluate the patient who thought she is in labor. There is no change in her status. I give her discharge instructions. Clean the room. Finish up all paperwork on her. |
| 3pm to 4pm | I reassess all patients. Take a break for lunch while I’m still watching the fetal monitor for each patient. Monitoring fetal heart rate and contractions. While I eat I try to catch up on charting for all my patients. |
| 4pm to 5pm | I prepare the operating room for a c-section that is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. I also prepare the room that the patient will be in. I do as much paperwork on the c-section patient as I possibly can. I check on the postpartum and nursery areas making sure they are having no problems. |
| 5pm to 6pm | I give the induction patient more medication and reassess her status. I reassess the other patient. I catch up on charting on each patient. The scheduled c-section arrives at 5:30 a.m. I prepare her for surgery, start an IV, place her on the fetal monitor, do paperwork and draw labs. While all this is going on I still have to evaluate the fetal monitors of the other patients. There is a computer system with monitors in each patient room where I can see what is going on with the fetal heart rate and contractions in each patient room. |
| 6pm to 7pm | At 6:30 a.m. Anesthesia arrives. I assist the patient and the anestheisiologist with epidural placement for the c-section patient. I am still watching the monitor for the other rooms while this is going on. At 7 a.m. the morning nurse arrives, I give her report on the unit. |
| 7pm to 8pm | The morning nurses takes over for me at 7:00 a.m. I then find a quiet area away from everyone else and chart what has occured with each patient. This is a legal record of all happening, it is the patients medical record. By 8:30 a.m. I’ve completed my charting. Now I have to complete the charge nurse duties of calculating observation hours, deliveries, midnight census and any other occurances. I walk out the door at 8:45 a.m. I have to return again at 7:00 p.m. |
| 8pm to 9pm | |
| 9pm to 10pm | |
| 10pm to 11pm | |
| 11pm to 12am |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
referral
What was the application process?
electronic application
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
yes. one interview conducted by woman’s services nurse manager.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
Hours, job expectations, career advancement opportunities
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
yes
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
4 year college degree. BS in nursing.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
yes
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
yes. during last semester of nursing school, had clincial rotation only in labor & delivery area.
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Get a 4 year college degree with a BS in nursing
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
Patience with people, critical thinking skills, organization skills, common sense.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Be organized and double check everything you do. Be nice to coworkers. listen to advice of senior nurses.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
yes. I plan to stay in the Labor& Delivery area
What are your current career goals?
Masters in Nursing, possible Nurse Educator
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
I love being a nurse. It can sometimes be grueling but in the end it is worth it.
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | Staff RN | 5 | 55000 | Staff RN at University Hospital (State Hospital) in Labor & Delivery |
| Prior Job 2 | Staff RN | 9 months | 45000 | Staff RN on Medicine Unit |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:3.7
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3 | Southeastern Louisiana University | Nursing, BS Nursing |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
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