Informational Interview

I interviewed Brian Heckel, a Registered Nurse in the Neuro Shock Trauma ICU at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center. The interview went as follows:

Q:HOW DID THIS TYPE OF WORK INTEREST YOU AND HOW DID YOU GET STARTED?

A: The things that got me involved in nursing are not the things that keep me in nursing. My mom went to nursing school and never finished, that was probably a psychological reason for me to go into nursing. I enjoyed science classes and the interaction with individuals that nursing provides. Also liked the financial stability of nursing. I had a peer that went into nursing, and I thought “if he can do it, then I can do it”.

One of the most humbling experiences and transitional ones of my career was getting my CNA (Certified Nurse Assistant) and being able to serve people on a fundamental level. The physical labor and emotional difficulty of the job was an extreme opportunity for growth.

I stay in the job because I need the challenge and working with life/death situations helps me stay focused on my purpose in life and better strengthen relationships in my family.

I started at Doxy Hatch as a CNA and LPN. Then started as an RN at FHP (hospital). They sold the hospital and I went to work at Salt Lake Regional. After a few years there, my family and I moved to Provo, where I began working for the Intensive Care Unit at the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center.

Q: WHAT PART OF THE JOB DO YOU FIND MOST SATISFYING?

The quality of the people that I work with. Helping people feeds my psychological and emotional needs.

Q: WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF YOUR JOB?

It takes a great deal of patience on my part with changes in regulations and management. These changes add more to your workload. They also add levels of bureaucracy and lots of paperwork.

Q: ARE THERE OTHER THINGS THAT YOU ARE EXPECTED TO DO OUTSIDE OF WORK HOURS?

No, and that’s a benefit of this career. You leave work at work, in the sense that you aren’t taking physical work home with you, however, psychologically/emotionally you take work home. When you get home, you still have to be there for your family emotionally, regardless of the day you had.

Q: HOW HAS YOUR JOB AFFECTED YOUR LIFESTYLE?

As a man supporting a family, you have to work overtime to make enough. But the flexibility of the schedule pays off. In the summertime, I can take a month off, because of paid time off and the way my schedule works out.

Q: WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE FOR SOMEONE GOING INTO THIS FIELD?

So many people drop out of the program because they don’t realize how difficult it is emotionally and psychologically. Not everyone is cut out for it. Don’t go into it blindly. With all of the changes in “healthcare reform”, the healthcare industry is undergoing some big changes. Do your research! Know what you’re getting yourself into before you commit.

Q: HOW IMPORTANT ARE GRADES/GPA IN THIS FIELD?

Nursing schools are very competitive. You have to get a certain GPA to get in, and then maintain that GPA to stay in the program. Once you’re working in the field, no one really looks at what your GPA was. People do judge you by the school that you went to, both fairly and unfairly. Once you “graduate”, you still have to pass boards (the NCLEX) in order to obtain licenser.

You still have to have continue to work in the field to keep up your license. If you continually work in the field, you will never have to pass “boards” again. But you do have to take classes or attend courses to fulfill continuing education credits. The requirements are manageable, they are not over-burdening.

Q:WHAT IS THE AVERAGE LENGTH OF TIME FOR AN EMPLOYEE TO STAY IN THE JOB YOU HOLD?

I think that people to stay in the nursing career for an average of five years. He thinks a lot of people get into it, but don’t stay in it. Lots of people use nursing as a stepping stone because it is a requirement for careers such as Nurse Practitioner, or a Nurse Anesthetist.

CONCLUSION:

Interviewing Brian was very helpful because although I have a lot of experience in the medical field, and even in intensive care, there were aspects of being an acute care nurse that I was not aware of. I didn’t realize that the career-life of nurses was so short. I would still like to research that to know if it was true. I prepared for the interview by reading articles and finding questions to use. The interview was actually a lot longer than 20 minutes. In the future I would practice giving questions and bring a recording device so that recording the answers would not be distracting. I feel like it was a good way to get inside information about careers I’m interested in. I will continue to use interviewing in my career quest.