Name: Thomas OwensTitle: Registered NursePlace of Employment: St. Francis Downtown HospitalDate of Interview: 3/12/2015

1. Question: What training or education is required for this type of work?Answer: A minimum of an associates degree from a technical college or a bachelors degree from a four year college in nursing. 2. Question: What personal qualities or abilities are important to being successful?Answer: A nurse needs to be family oriented, patient centered, and patient with their patients. 3. Question: What are the positive/negative aspects of working in this field?Answer: The positive aspects of working in this field are helping others and being able to help people through the grieving process. The biggest negative about working in this field is seeing people die. 4. Question: What part of this job do you find the most challenging?Answer: The most challenging part of being a nurse is remaining patient centered while being pulled in multiple directions. You get demands from family, doctors, and anyone else you come into contact with.5. What are the geographic restrictions in this field? How much are you required to travel?Answer: There are jobs local, a lot of them. So there really arent any geographic restrictions or travel requirements. 6. Question: How many hours do you typically work each week? Do you often work in the evenings or weekends? Can you arrange your own hours?Answer: I work somewhere between 7:00 am to 3:30 pm or 9:00 am to 5:30 pm. In my particular current job we can arrange own hours.7. Question: Is there a demand for people in this occupation?Answer: Yes, always. 8. Question: How would you evaluate the future of this career field? How do you see jobs in this field changing in the future? What areas do you feel promise the most opportunity? The most growth?Answer: I feel there will always be a need for bedside nursing, and that field grows everyday. As far as what I do, which is computer documentation, I feel that a bedside nurse will eventually be able to do all of this on own and my job won't be needed anymore. 9. Question: What special advice would you give a person entering in this field?Answer: Dont stop at the minimum degree; continue on and get your BSN/masters in nursing. It opens up a lot of advancement opportunities. 10. Question: What, if anything, do you wish you had known before you entered this occupation?Answer: The emotional turmoil it can have on your own life. The stress of dealing with sometimes uncooperative families and very sick, often dying, patients is a massive stress on you. 11. Question: How do people find out about job openings in your occupation?Answer: Mostly websites from local hospitals or job listing websites like Monster.12. Question: What areas of knowledge are most important for advancement in this field? What degrees? Certifications?Answer: Associates degree in nursing, basic life support certification (BLS), and a certificate of advanced cardiac life support (ACLS)13. Question: What are some of the rewards of your occupation?Answer: The feeling that what youre doing is worthwhile and that you are helping others is the most rewarding part of being a nurse. I get to go home at the end of the day and really feel like I made a difference. 14. Question: What is your job security within this organization?Answer: My job security is pretty good. I can always transfer to another department within the hospital if I so choose which is a very nice perk. 15. Question: If you were starting out again, would you do anything differently?Answer: No