[aanimec16]

Hi, I am a 10th grader, and am doing a project on the field I want to study and this is it. The problem is, that I have to do an interview, so if anybody is willing, please help. I need to ask a few questions. eg:
1. What is nursing school like?
2. Job Expectations?
3. What is the pay?
4. On the job pros and cons.
5. anything alse you might like to share

please and thank you.

[AmandaWIRN]

1. What is nursing school like? Nursing school takes a lot of time and discipline. Unlike high school, in college, no one is there to take attendance to make sure you actually go to class- you are responsible for being there on your own- if you skip, you miss valuable information. You'll have to take a lot of science classes before you begin your nursing classes. Nursing classes usually consist of a classroom portion & a clinical portion- where you will actually be working with nurses in hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, etc...

2. Job Expectations? As an ER nurse, I am responsible for assessing my patients, triaging patients that come through the door to determine their acuity level, what treatments need to be started right away, and who can stand to wait. I initiate protocols before the patient is sen by a physician- place an IV, send labs, order CT scans or x-rays if they need them, etc... I am also responsible for coordinating every other aspect of my patient's care- making sure Respiratory therapy, psych, social worker, etc are called when needed,and facilitating the patient's discharge, admission, or transfer to another facility. Being an RN entails a lot of responsibility- after all, we're talking life-or-death situations here!

3. What is the pay? Pay varies greatly based on your state, specialty, shift, whether you want to work in a hospital, clinic, nursing home... You can find he average salary for your area by going to Salary.com Job salaries- Performance reviews- Compensation software

4. On the job pros and cons. PROS: I get to save lives and make a difference, I'm always learning, working in the ER is never boring, as a travel nurse, I get paid more to travel and see the country... CONS: Hard work, being verbally & physically abused by patients in the ER, dealing with poop/pee/puke, etc....

[katyv]

1. I agree with the above response. Nursing school is serious business. Discipline is really the key to success in school. I attending a 2 year program initially. Missing any class could cost missing a key part of the learning process. Nursing school is not a place where one can "slide" by. The science classes were important foundations, whereas the clinical portion was the practical portion.

2. I look at my Nursing career as a profession, not just a job. I go into my day expecting to learn something. Every day can be a challenge, even in the routine. I work in a chronic unit (dialysis) where I see the same patients 3 days a week. Some days everything runs routine, but one some days we get different challenges (i.e. someone has a temp, someone has a significant blood pressure change, someone has a death in the family, etc.)
In my situation, similar to ER, I have to use nearly all of my skills (except Obstetrics). I love that!

3. Pay varies from hospital vs. outpatient clinic, city to city, state to state and region of the country.

4. See answer in #2 for some of it. Cons: sometimes terrible hours, dealing with challenging people in stressful situations (patients/family/staff-nurses/doctors), bodily fluids, hard work, losing a patient that I have know for several years
Pros: constant learning, hard work, meeting all sorts of different people, saving/improving a life, being thanked for saving/improving a life, the life long learning process, the challenges & the satisfaction of a job well done