Nurse Interview

Introduction
An MSN-prepared nurse educator, Anita (name changed for this paper) is the ideal individual to interview for this project. Anita exemplifies the value of pursuing the MSN, particularly as the degree empowers the individual to pursue careers in research and education as well as in being a nurse practitioner. Furthermore, Anita shows how the trajectory of nurse education is not always a straight line. Nurses often pursue their degrees intermittently, successively developing their skills and applying them in the professional setting. The purpose of this paper is to offer an overview of Anita’s journey from a nursing student to a nurse educator via the MSN path, showing how a nursing student can learn from their mentors.
Overview of Career
Before Anita received her credentials as a nurse educator with an MSN degree, she had worked extensively in healthcare in three different states including Missouri, Colorado, and California. She started in medical records, and then pursued an LPN while living in California, where Anita worked in a hospital for five years. To maximize her leadership potential, Anita began exploring options for personal and career development.
A mentor in her hospital recommended that Anita pursue the MSN degree, with the goal of becoming a healthcare administrator. However, Anita developed a passion for nurse education and used her MSN to clarify her career goals. Anita took coursework in administration and nursing research, but ultimately crafted an independent program of education that focused on how to improve the quality of nurse education. Before she embarked on the MSN program, Anita had to build her credentials and experience first by pursuing the BSN.
As a nurse educator, Anita occasionally misses working directly with patients. She may eventually return to work in healthcare delivery but recognizes that the nursing profession depends on having quality nurse education programs. Therefore, Anita has been dedicated to improving the quality of nurse education. Since she embarked on her MSN program, Anita has developed a long-range plan whereby she can contribute to curriculum development to improve the standards of nurse education around the world.
Graduate Education
Anita received the LPN degree from a small college in Southern California, and reapplied to the same school for her MSN. The MSN program required that Anita pursue her BSN first, entailing commitment of more than four years. The preparatory program was far from redundant; in fact, it was tremendously helpful in filling in the gaps in Anita’s knowledge and experience.
Furthermore, the school allowed Anita to complete the degree program on a part-time basis to allow her to work while she was studying. Flexibility in nurse education programming is something that Anita has since recognized as being critical in helping aspiring nurses to achieve their goals. The MSN program Anita enrolled in included coursework in everything from health care policy to pharmacology, but Anita was able to specialize in nurse education, nursing theory, and nursing administration.
Present Position
Anita currently works as a nurse educator at a local university and also conducts employee training and development as an independent consultant for local hospitals and clinics. These two different but related positions allow Anita to apply what she learned in the MSN program in different contexts.
At the university, Anita works as an adjunct professor. She teaches three days per week, covering four classes per semester. The classes she teaches include introductory courses in the BSN program, and also health care policy and administration. Anita is passionate about promoting evidence-based practice, and incorporates tools in her programs at school as well as at the health care institutions in which she works.
When Anita teaches professional nurses in a training and human resources context, she works with the administrators of healthcare institutions first to plan and strategize. The administrators tell Anita what they need, and what gaps they have in their training program. Then, Anita proposes a course or program for the employees. The course might include upgrades to healthcare technology skills, as well as programs designed to improve employee morale (Schoening, Sittner & Todd, 2006).
Pearls of Wisdom
Anita offered plenty of pearls of wisdom for aspiring nurses, nurse leaders, and nurse educators. The nurse educator serves in a special role, as someone who is intimately familiar with all aspects of the profession (Bastable, 2003). A nurse educator essentially serves in two roles at once: a teacher and a nurse. The combination of these two skills sets is unique, and not all people are suited to the role of being a nurse educator. For those who are drawn to being nurse educators, the role can be incredibly rewarding because of the possibilities inherent in training and preparing the next generation of nurses.
Conclusion
Interviewing Anita was extremely helpful in reminding me of the importance of nurse education in general. I learned about the importance of graduate education in particular. Graduate education is not about learning facts as much as it is about developing greater skills and professional identity (Bremmer, Abuddell, Bennett, et al, 2006). An MSN program helps the aspiring nurse to cultivate a strong sense of purpose in the career, and a personal nursing philosophy that guides practice.
From this interview, I learned also that each person has something unique to offer and contribute. Anita’s perspective is different as a nurse educator. It would be helpful in the future to also interview a nurse practitioner or nurse leader, who can illuminate other aspects of nursing graduate education.





References

Bastable, S.B. (2003). Nurse as Educator. Second Edition. Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett.
Bremmer, M.N., Abuddell, K., Bennett, D.N., et al (2006). The use of human patient simulators. Nurse Educator 31(4): 170-174.
Schoening, A.M., Sittner, B.J. & Todd, M. J. (2006). Simulated clinical experience. Nurse Educator 31(6): 253-258.