Graduate Nurse Interview

Graduate Nurse Interview

The interview involves a Masters-prepared who serves as the Deputy Director of Nursing. She has held this position for two years now. This interview is conducted with the purpose to show how a Master’s of Science in nursing works to effectively prepare nurses as they aim to assume positions in the administrative field, nursing practices, and education. By getting a master’s degree, a nurse will have increased chances for growth as it will bring opportunities to many cultural possibilities (Boore&Deeny, 2012). The nurse that I am interviewing works at Lenox Hill Hospital. She has impressive qualifications from education to experience and people skills. She knows that education is what enables her to achieve her dreams and for these values her education so much. I am also impressed by her story of how she worked hard and rose from level to level (Boore&Deeny, 2012).

Overview of the masters-prepared nurse’s career

This nurse’s career began after graduating from Keene State College as a medical assistant. She was employed for four years from 1995 – 1998 at a surgical clinic in New York. While working in this clinic, she was in charge of the backroom. Her clinical expertise was helpful to the doctors and hospitals at large as she helped the doctors during surgery and assessed patients. She has been climbing the ranks since then. In 2002, she went back to school for her graduate program of master’s degree in nursing. When I asked her why she became a nurse, she said that she became a nurse so that she could treat people.

Reason for seeking graduate education

The nurse in the interview had several reasons for seeking a higher graduate degree. Among the reasons was so that she could get into the administrative position in the nursing profession. Though most nurses get promoted to higher positions based on experience, education is a compulsory factor when handing out promotions to nurses with the same working experience.

Another reason for getting a graduate degree is for specialization purposes. During the interview, the nurse said that one might be interested in oncology, pediatric care or mental health care. All these specializations can only be achieved after attaining a master’s degree in nursing.

Graduate education increases a nurse’s chances of getting better job offers than a normal nurse. It also increases autonomy at work as the management will spend less on your supervision as this additional degree tells the management that you can make crucial decisions on healthcare.

Description of present position and role

When I asked the nurse about her current position at the current place of work, she said she holds two positions. Then I asked, “how come?” She said she is first and foremost a nurse. That means that she is a regular nurse. However, she also holds an administrative position at the hospital. She is responsible for day-to-day activities of all the nurses. The nurse leader answers to her and any decisions that they cannot make by their own are brought to her. She answers to the Director of Nursing. She holds a meeting once a week with her juniors to discuss the progress of patients and any issue facing the nurses are also brought up here.

Usefulness of graduate education for present role

She is very happy that she underwent the graduate program before becoming an administrative nurse. She claims that without the education she would be facing a lot of challenges in her current role because in her position, she is not just a nurse but she also manages people. She says that people need to be managed in a certain way. One way she mentions is being their role model and helping them where they need help. At her position, she also acts as a link between the nurses and the management.

Pearls of wisdom he/she is willing to share

The nurse had several important points that she was willing to share with me. First, she told me that to get to the administrative positions in health care; I would need first to finish my undergraduate studies and look for work in which I will gain important experience which will be useful for the graduate education.

Conclusion

There are many advantages to a nurse by advancing his or her education to a graduate level. Some are outlined in the interview such as the possibility of climbing to the administration or the management of the healthcare institution. Another reason such as specialization also arises. From the interview, it is clear that to lead other nurses a nurse must have undergone a higher education than the rest of his or her colleagues.

References

Boore, J., &Deeny, P. (2012). Nursing Education. Sage