1. This world is filled with people who are fighting against illness, pain, diseases, and death; and these people rely on medical caregivers to ease their pain, provide them with comfort, and nurse them back to health. This world needs nurses. I interviewed two Registered Nurses (RNs) and gathered their individual descriptions that apply to their professions. They walked me through the steps of what a day on the job is like for them. They broadened my views on what a nursing career pertains to and explained to me the responsibilities that are associated with being a nurse. <br />I began my interviewing process by approaching Marianne Gulbronson; she is a RN at Erie West Hospice and Palliative Care. She worked as an aide in a nursing home in high school, and then went on to Monroe County Community College where she graduated with her associate’s degree in registered nursing. She is currently a Case Manager at Hospice, where her responsibilities include looking over cases of the patients she is assigned to and oversees the patients care until they pass away. She does weekly assessments with her patients, takes care of their pain management, and works with the patients families. Marianne works with patients who live in nursing homes as well as patients who have chosen to reside in their own homes until their journey in life comes to an end. She said one of the most incredible experiences in her line of work is the relationships she forms with her patients. She says her goal at Hospice is to teach her patients how to live with change, live with courage, and live with comfort. Her patients however have taught her a few things in return. A patient Marianne says she will never forget was an elderly woman who taught her that just because you’re alive, doesn’t mean you’re living. She wanted Marianne to understand what the important things are in life, things that need to be cherished, and warned her to never waste the little amount of time depicted in life holding a grudge on someone dear to the heart. Marianne took the elderly woman’s strong words to heart, and said how those words have made an impact on mending her broken relationship with her teenage daughter. <br />Hospice and palliative care is given by a team of people knowledgeable in end-of-life care. There goals are to keep the patient comfortable, keep the patient safe, help the patient to have self-determined life closure, and to help the family to experience effective grieving. Hospices mission statement expresses that every voice is heard, and every voice is valued. Each patient is assigned a group of Hospice team members that will assist in their care, consisting of a nurse, team leader, physician, social worker/counselor, home health aide, chaplain, and a certified volunteer. Hospice is a profit/nonprofit organization that serve the terminally ill. <br />Shifting directions; next I interviewed Lyndsy Brennon. Lyndsy graduated from University of Michigan with her bachelor’s degree in registered nursing and is now a RN at the University of Michigan Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where she works with children from ages 0-18. She says working in the ICU is a very fast paced job. It’s all about organization. She said the first thing she does when she goes into work is gets organized right away because it’s easy to fall behind. She specified that working in the ICU is hectic and nonetheless a controlled panic setting. She is responsible for doing full assessments and medication checks on patients; making sure the patient is stabilized and comfortable. She checks their medications to insure that everything is hooked up accurately and working proficiently. If something is hooked up incorrectly it is her job to fix it. She is responsible for doing IV insertions as well. Lyndsy loves the excitement that goes along with working in the ICU and says she was destined to do this job.<br />Lyndsy acknowledged that the most challenging measure of working in pediatric ICU is dealing with the children’s domineering parents. She explained how the patient’s parents are continuously getting in the way with their stubborn and demanding attitudes. Lyndsy shared a story with me about this time when she was still in school, going through orientation in surgical ICU. There was a young boy around the age of 16 who was on full life support. He had been in the ICU for a few months now and Lyndsy talked to the boy as if he could hear her. She would say “I’m going to move your hand now, but don’t worry I won’t hurt you” and things like “you look nice today”. The boy’s Mother approached Lyndsy and thanked her for the way she treated her son. The mom ended up pulling the plug, but wanted Lyndsy to know how much her kindness meant to her. Lyndsy said it was the most incredible heart felt feeling she’d ever experienced. At that moment Lyndsy knew nursing was the right career for her. <br />The University of Michigan Hospital is a public profit organization, and their purpose is to save every life in jeopardy. They provide free clinic services and resource articles. They receive funding sources such as government grants and private donations. <br />Hospice and Pediatric ICU are two exceptionally different areas of nursing. Hospice RNs typically work five days a week for eight hour shifts, whereas a RN working in the ICU normally works three twelve hour shifts a week. The ICU is a quick pace, subtle to change environment whereas Hospice has a restful, daily routine environment, experiencing little change. Hospice is a place for the terminally ill to die comfortably and are not intended to receive means of resuscitation; whereas the ICU is where people go when they are in critical condition and need quick resuscitation, and the medical staff does everything and anything they can to save as many lives as possible. Another major difference is that nurses in the ICU work with a patient a few times and then may never see them again whereas nurses at Hospice work with the same patients every day until their patient is deceased. <br />Although both nursing positions discussed above differentiate on many levels they also share some common qualities. One of the many great perks of being a nurse is that they are able to change positions. An ICU nurse does not have to work in the ICU their entire life; they can switch positions and work at Hospice or a doctor’s office. The choices are unlimited. Regardless of the nursing position a registered nurse applies for has no effect on the amount of schooling and hard work it takes to become a nurse. Both Marianne and Lyndsy would agree that nursing school was a major challenge. They both implied that there were many moments when they doubted their success. They fought past their struggles and achieved their goal, and love every minute of their established nursing careers. <br />After interviewing these two professionals in the nursing field and rendering on their given perspectives I look at nursing from a higher standpoint. I was unaware of so many amazing aspects involved in nursing. These women have shared heart-warming stories with me from their own personal experiences working on the job. They taught me about the different environments in different work settings, and that every day is a challenge. Talking with professionals about their careers has motivated me to stride harder towards my goal of becoming a registered nurse. These women have shown me how strong of an impact they can have on a person’s life and how remarkable it is. I hope to someday be in their shoes and experience miracles, and help people in need. Although the road to accomplishing my goal is a heavy haul I know it is worth the struggle. <br />