ISM- MENTOR INTERVIEW ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS

Student Name: Period: 7

Irene DeLaCruz
Printed Name of Person Interviewed:
Angelica Cruz
Role of Individual:
__X__Mentor
Place/Name of Business:
Clear Lake Regional Hospital
Business Address:
500 W Medical Center Blvd.
Phone Number:
(281)- 332-2511
Date of Interview:
11/8/17

Type of Interview: __X__ In Person

1. For someone working in your field, please describe the fantasies versus realities of the job.
(fantasy vs. reality)

A fantasy of being a nurse is thinking your shift is going to go smooth with everyone doing their
jobs but the reality is you sometimes having to do others work because were not fully staffed. You have
to answer phones, open doors, change sheets and work with your patients all at what seems to be the
same time.

2. What is your current educational level? What continuing education and training are required?
(educational level and requirements)

I only have an Associates Degree in which I acquired at San Jacinto College. In order to be a
pediatric nurse you have to complete 20 hours of continued education every 2 years and obtain your
Pediatric Advanced Life Support certificate. A nurse should also have to take required classes per
hospitals policy.

3. Please describe the typical day to day activities of someone working in your field.
(day-to-day activities)

On a typical morning we do shift reports, check orders with the night R.N., assess patients, and
do charting. Throughout the day we administer medications, admit and discharge patients as well as start
IVs and do lab draws. Our activities also depend on our patients and their specific guidelines

Revised Fall 2017

4. How secure are you in your current position? What do you think is the future of your field?
(job security)

I do not feel very secure because I only have my Associates degree and many places expect a
Bachelors Degree. They cannot force me to leave and go to school but they can kind of push me to the
end until the point where I quit. In the future I think they will begin mainly hiring nurse with their
Bachelors Degree since they do have a higher education, or even maybe make it a requirement as a
nurse.

5. What is a typical (average or lowest to highest) salary of someone working in your field?
(salary)
Now the pay depends on how much experience the nurse has so the more experience the higher
the pay. I wouldnt know how much new nurses get paid because I dont like to ask but I would say the
average salary is around $65,000 per year.

6. What potential for growth is there in your field?

(growth potential)
As a pediatric nurse you can escalade to a charge nurse, an assistant nurse manager and even an
overall manager. Personally, since I only have my Associates I wouldnt be able to, but I also wouldnt
want to because of all of the paper work.

***Questions 7-10 will be created by the ISM student.

7. Is there ever times during your job where you feel sympathetic for the patient?

I always feel sympathetic towards my patients, especially in cases of sexual and physical abuse.
We dont really see that here but at Memorial Herman it was very common. In those cases I always
wanted to adopt the children and take them home. I would call my husband and tell him that there was a
cute child and he would ask me if I was crazy.

8. What ways do you try and calm yourself down when overwhelmed with patients?

The stress is different at this hospital as opposed to Memorial Herman because of the severity of
the patients at Memorial Herman. At Memorial Herman I only had maybe 3 patients but the severity of
their sickness was high. Here I have around 6 patients but with less severe issues such as the flu or an
appendicitis. I guess you could say I really dont get overwhelmed with patients, but sometimes I will
just take a break and eat a snack.

Revised Fall 2017

 Irene DeLaCruz
7th Period

9. What do you do when a patient refuses care from you?

Many patients dont refuse care, most of the times its the family or parents. All we can do is
document it and notify the physician. If it is an important antibiotic or medication we notify the charge
nurse, basically escalade the care. A case manager can also come and ask the parents why they are
refusing the medication or care and explain the importance of it.

10. Do you have any advice for someone who wants to pursue a career in this field?

Through nursing school it is very time consuming. You have to be dedicated 100% to be a
nurse. Be prepared to dedicate a lot of time and heart. I would advise to not work while going to school
as it will just create a lot of stress but I guess you could say it depends on the person and the amount of
stress they can take. Also I would say to always have a study budy, it really helped me a lot in school
because I would ask her to explain something if I didnt understand and vice versa.

Interview Summary
What information from this interview will you select for your page typed,
bulleted list of research informationto be used in your presentation?
Create a bulleted summary list on the next page.

Revised Fall 2017

 Irene DeLaCruz
7th Period

Getting your Bachelors will probably be the best choice opposed to an Associates as it gives
you more opportunities to nursing positions due to the level of education
Becoming a nurse can be very stressful and you need to be prepared for anything and everything
Make sure youre 100% focused and dedicated during nursing school
Realize that being a nurse isnt like what it is made to be on the media
Work can become stressful
Studying is VERY important
Time management is very essential
Being able to communicate with others is also something someone wanting to be a nurse needs
to acquire
Be open to learn things from your mistakes
Make sure you document EVERY thing you do
Sometimes patients or their families can be rude but make sure not to take it to heart
Take your job seriously as it is very important that you leave a good reputation for you and your
work place
There are many opportunities to grow in the field of nursing
Liking children is a must to be a pediatric nurse
You will not always like or get along with patients or coworkers but it is a part of your job to
work with them anyways
Sometimes you will have slow days and other times you might be extremely busy
Be prepared to see anything and not be grossed out
Expect the unexpected
Times can become stressful while becoming a pediatric nurse and while actually being a nurse
but if you really enjoy what youre doing it shouldnt really bother you

Revised Fall 2017