Registered Nurse
(Female, Age 37) from Winston Salem, NC
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 37 who works as a Registered Nurse in Winston Salem, NC. 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 | Registered Nurse |
|---|---|
| Salary | $75,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | Winston Salem, NC |
| Years Experience | 8 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.
Large teaching hospital, nationally recognized with over 900 patient beds
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
Charge nurse in adult Intensive Care Unit, work with surgical patients, administer medicines
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
4 weeks vacation, sick time accrues each year, HMO health insurance, retirement plan, uniform allowance, employee health clinic
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
well compensated
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
Of course we work together on a daily basis. If it were not for co-workers then each nurse would be in bad shape. I like knowing that if my patient is not doing well that I can just have another nurse who is willing to come assist me.
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.
I work in a hospital. There is nothing I dislike. I only wish our unit was larger.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 2
Benefits: 5
Hours: 8
Co-Workers: 3
Supervisors: 4
Job Title: 6
Level of Responsibility: 7
The Actual Work: 1
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 | Arrived at work at 6:45 AM-Had 1 very critically ill patient who had been in a car accident last night. Received report from off going nurse. Started to assess patient (listen to hear, lungs, etc). |
| 8am to 9am | Family in unit to visit with patient. Myself and the doctor informed the family the patient has a low blood pressure and we are working to keep it up. Gave emotional support to family. |
| 9am to 10am | Gave medicines, hung blood to transfuse due to bleeding from internal organ, patient going to operating room due to internal bleeding,had several nurses at my patient’s bedside due to patient with very low blood pressure and heart rate, CPR started on patient, doctors decide to take patient to operating room at 9:55 AM for emergency surgery |
| 10am to 11am | Whew! I catch up on charting in electronic medical record on computer then take a break |
| 11am to 12pm | Patient still in operating room, assist other nurses with giving medicines to their patients |
| 12pm to 1pm | Gone to lunch for 1 hour |
| 1pm to 2pm | Patient still in operating room, Call to operating room to check on patient status, Assist another nurse with a complex wound dressing change on her patient |
| 2pm to 3pm | Patient back from operating room at 2:15, Had spleen removed and cut in the liver repaired, Re-assess patient after hooked back up to monitors, Took report from OR nurse regarding operation and recovery |
| 3pm to 4pm | Continue to assess patient, give medicines, check dressing on patient’s abdomen for bleeding or swelling |
| 4pm to 5pm | Patient’s family at bedside, gave them update on condition, patient more stable and on not as many medicines since surgery, gave emotional support to family |
| 5pm to 6pm | Spoke with doctor about patient’s current improved condition,gave more medicines, started new iv line to administer more fluids |
| 6pm to 7pm | Continue to assess patient, prepare for shift change at 6:45 PM. It has been a busy day!! |
| 7pm to 8pm | AHHH..at home at 7:30 and relaxing! |
| 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?
Internet
What was the application process?
All
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes, I had to interview with a nurse recruiter from human resources. Then a few days later I interviewed with the nurse manager. I also talked with a group of the ICU nurses to get a feel of their daily job life.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
It’s been 8 years, I do not remember them.
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes, my employer trained me for 3 months with a seasoned nurse.Also, there is always ongoing educational opportunities.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
I went to college for 3 years and obtained an Associate’s degree in nursing. I then trained on a medical unit for another 12 weeks when I got my first nursing job.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
College gave me the basics for becoming a nurse. I always tell people that you really learn all the “guts” of the career of hursing byu being hands on and “in the field”. There’s nothing like your first code blue.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
I did not have an internship.
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
You must go to college and have at least an Associate’s degree in nursing.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
You must be caring, patient, able to hold composure, like to keep up with ongoing education. Being a nurse is more than just caring, you must be smart and have to keep with ever changing policies and patients.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
at least associate’s degree
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Listen to the nurses who are training you, they know what they are doing! Also, be open minded and be open to frequent changes and a fast pace.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Yes, I love my current job. I love working in the critical care setting. The area is fast paced and I am an “adrenaline junkie” who thrives on crises. I enjoy my co-workers and supervisors and I receive great compensation and benefits.
What are your current career goals?
I plan to stay in my current position. I may go back to school to receive my Bachelor’s degree in nursing in the near future.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
I love my career choice. If you are looking for a career that is needed and will not go away with the economic downturn, then choose nursing. It is a very rewarding and fulfilling career.
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | Registered Nurse | 3 years | 55000 | Assistant Director of Nursing-interview, hire, and train nursing department employees, conduct nurse evaluations, conduct monthly staff training |
| Prior Job 2 | Registered Nurse | 1 year | 52000 | Staff nurse on Labor & Delivery unit-assist laboring and birthing mothers, assist doctor in delivery of babies |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:n/a
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3.2 | Forsyth Technical Community College | Associate’s Applied Science-Nursing |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
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