Questions to Ask Before Starting a Career in Nursing

If you are thinking about starting a career in the field of nursing, it is important that you are absolutely sure that you want to dedicate your life to such a career. While nursing is an incredibly rewarding and fulfilling career, not everyone is cut out for the profession as it is exceptionally demanding. Before you even step into a classroom for a nursing program, you should carefully take the time to think about what type of the person you are and whether you are mentally, physically, and emotionally ready to become a nurse.

Why do you want to be a nurse?

The most important question to ask before starting a career in nursing is: Why do I want to get into the profession? If you have dreamt of becoming a nurse since childhood, that's a good start, however you should have more reasons than just that alone. Before you make your decision, you should do some research into the requirements and tasks of the profession as nursing is not your typical day job. It is a profession that requires an enormous amount of dedication and devotion so be sure that you know exactly what you will be getting into.

Do you have the ability to handle high stress?

While many people don't realize it, nursing is a high stress job. They are by and large the hardest working people in the hospital and are often under paid for the amount of hours, dedication, and labor that they put into their daily work. In a typical hospital or health care center, nurses are expected to work long hours ranging anywhere from 8 to 16 hours each day and are on their feet for the majority of that time. A Nurse is typically assigned six to eight patients to their care, which means that there will always be a patient in need something. Patients will often have trouble sleeping, pain, anxiety, or some other ailment that the nurse is responsible to address. In order to become a successful nurse, it is important that you are sure that you can handle the stress of both the physical and emotional demands that the job can place upon you.

How are you at managing time and organization?
You often hear the phrase time management thrown around a lot, but do you have the capability to manage your time efficiently? Nursing is a profession that demands excellent time management as there is very little down time on any given shift. Whether you're preparing charts for doctors and patients, answering questions related to a patient's health or a host of other things, there is rarely a dull moment during the work day. It is also crucial that a nurse be highly organized. You will be required to take detailed notes for later reference, acquire dosage levels, look up a patient's history, and find out other critical information at the drop of a hat. If you able to work under a high degree of organization, you will not be able to perform your best and your patient's life may suffer as a result.

Are you confident enough to be a nurse?

If you plan on becoming a nurse, you should also plan on frequently playing the role of the scapegoat. Patients, doctors, and relatives of patients will definitely voice frustration and be extremely demanding. While they may not hold any ill will against you, having a loved one in the hospital or being in severe pain can get the best out of people and they will often take their frustration and anger out on you. If you are a nurse in the earlier part of your career you may experience some problems with the doctors you work with as you might not have the experience or tenure as they would like. When you do have a problem with a doctor, patient, or patient's relatives, which is likely, it is important that you consider it as just another part of the job. If you are emotionally unstable or tend to take things too personally, you may not have the personality to be a nurse.

Do you have a sense of humor?

While you don't need to be a comedian to be a nurse, a sense of humor definitely helps. Also, approaching each new day with a smile and some hope will make all the difference to your coworkers and your patients. Remember, attitude is a major part of the healing process. If you were sick, would you want a grumpy nurse?

Becoming a nurse is a big decision so be sure to do plenty of research and self exploration to see if you have what it takes to be successful. While it is true that nurses are in high demand making it one of the few recession-proof careers out there, it is an incredibly demanding job. Not everyone can be a nurse and if you aren't one of those special people, you will dread going to work every day.

3rd Degree Tears: Frequently Asked Questions

With around 9% of women experiencing a third degree tear during childbirth, the number of those affected is relatively low. Even so, if you were unfortunate enough to have sustained a third degree tear, it is likely you will have some questions that need answering. This article compiles a list of frequently asked questions regarding third degree tears to help you through this difficult time.

What Is A 3rd Degree Tear?

A third degree tear is an injury sustained during a vaginal delivery, and involves a tear to the perineum that extends to the anal sphincter complex. Third degrees tears can themselves differ in severity, and are classified as follows:-

3rd degree Injury involving the anal sphincter complex.

3a Less than 50% of external anal sphincter torn.

3b More than 50% of external sphincter torn.

3c Internal anal sphincter torn.

How Is A 3rd Degree Tear Treated?

If a third degree tear does occur during childbirth, medical staff should detect the injury either during or after childbirth. All mothers who have given birth vaginally must now have a genital examination after birth to ensure any problems are diagnosed as soon as possible. This, therefore, means that no third degree tears should go untreated.

Once a third degree tear is confirmed a mother should quickly undergo repair. This should be in a well-lit theatre, where a surgeon (not a midwife) should suture the wound together. Post-operatively treatment should continue with:-

* Antibiotics - to prevent infection;

* Laxatives - to help bowel movements;

* Pain relief medication.

In addition to medication, a mother can help a third degree tear heal by maintaining good hygiene, drinking plenty of fluids, eating healthily, and regularly performing pelvic floor exercises.

Can Spotting Happen After A 3rd Degree Tear?

Bleeding after giving birth, known as 'lochia', will be experienced by women after any form of delivery. It usually last for around three weeks, although some may continue to bleed lightly for up to six weeks. After this there is the possibility that spotting will happen. However, if this spotting becomes heavier or continues for an extended amount of time, medical advice should be sought. It is possible that the stitches begin to bleed, and if this is the case immediate attention is necessary as the risk of infection will be increased.

Can I Have Another Vaginal Delivery After A 3rd Degree Tear?

There is no straightforward answer to this question, as each case varies. It is quite common for women to have another vaginal delivery after having had a third degree tear, particularly if the wound has healed well.

Even so, an obstetrician should be consulted before another vaginal delivery is considered. It may be that a caesarean section is more advisable, and will almost certainly be the case if symptoms and complications of a previous third degree tear are still present.

Does A 3rd Degree Tear Amount To Medical Negligence?

A third degree tear in itself does not amount to medical negligence, as it is unfortunately a natural risk of vaginal delivery. It can be difficult for medical staff to predict when a third degree tear is going to happen, but the likelihood is generally considered to increase if:-

* It is a first vaginal birth;

* The baby is larger than average (over 8 pounds 13 ounces);

* Labour is induced or assisted (eg. forceps delivery);

* There is a long second stage of labour;

* The baby's shoulder gets stuck behind the mother's pubic bone.

Where grounds for medical negligence claims often arise, however, is if a third degree tear fails to be detected or is poorly repaired. Both these incidents can cause serious complications for the mother, including anal incontinence, extreme pain and infection.

If you have suffered a third degree tear that was not diagnosed, misdiagnosed, or treated at a sub-standard level of care, you should seek legal advice. You may be able to make a medical negligence claim and get compensation for you suffering.

Copyright (c) 2011 Julie Glynn

Prepare for the 7 Most Asked Teacher Interview Questions

Every experienced teacher knows that they are bound to get hit with some strange interview questions. But are you ready for the top 7 questions that most teaching interviewers use? You spent years preparing to be a teacher so why not invest 10 more minutes to create an interview advantage that will get you the job?

Question #1: Tell me a little bit about yourself.

What to Avoid: Giving too much personal detail about yourself, your hobbies, or talking too long.

They ask this to get an overview of you and how you meet their requirements. It's also used as disqualification question for those who share personal details that have no relevance to the teaching position. Keep your responses focused on how you meet their needs.

Before you write out your answer to this question, start by identifying what they most want in a new teacher from their job posting. What are the key words they use? Make sure those words make it into the summary of yourself when they ask. Don't take this question lightly.

What to Say Instead: Give succinct but relevant answer. "I'd say I'm an experienced educator who loves working in a highly collaborative teaching environment and has been very successful turning around students that others give up on."

Question #2: How would you describe a successful principal?

What to Avoid: Complaining or disparaging former principals.

They ask this question because it's a subtle way of asking about what you value and often leads to follow on questions about your relationship with past principals.

What to Say Instead: Highlight the values that you honestly have about a good principle but that also align with what you know about their values. "The best principals I've worked with balance a concern for teacher development while holding them accountable to high standards."

Question #3: What is your classroom management plan?

What to Avoid: Not having an answer or not having one that aligns with how they run their school.

This is a standard question that most teachers I work with are prepared for, but if you aren't or don't know how they approach classroom management, this could be a problem question for you. Do your homework and find out their culture, values, and how they approach classroom management.

What Say Instead: Give an honest answer about your classroom management plan but tailor it their values and approach to classroom management.

Question #4: Tell me about the most stressful situation you had in your career and how did you handle it?

What to Avoid: Complaining or creating a pity party.

Teaching can be stressful and what they really want to know is, are you a stress risk? Administrators point to teachers who can't manage relationships as one of the biggest risks and not being able to deal with stress as the second.

What to Say Instead: Identify a highly-stressful situation that involves a difficult interpersonal relationship. Be honest about how difficult it was but how you got a result you are proud of.

Question #5: How would you deal with an angry parent?

What to Avoid: Looking either too aggressive or too passive.

Parent relationships are among the most difficult to manage as a teacher. They ask this question to get a feel for your style in dealing with parents. If you sound like you come on too strong or too soft, you'll lose the position.

What to Say Instead: Talk about how you keep a good balance between respecting the parents and the student, and being clear about the problems, issues, and facts surrounding them. That way show that you hit the sweet spot they are looking for.

Question #6: What are some ways you measure a teacher's effectiveness?

What to Avoid: Claiming that teacher effectiveness can't be measured or the other extreme that it's all about standardized scores.

While volumes have been written about teacher evaluation approaches, come to the interview ready to speak to all the things that you should look at in evaluating teacher performance.

What to Say Instead: The best answers are those that show a balance of measures that don't emphasize one thing at the expense of others.

Question #7: Why should we hire you?

What to Avoid: A weak answer that sounds humble but doesn't sell your talents.

This question is asked in most interviews yet as a hiring manager, I'm surprised that few seem to have though through this question in a way that really sells the teacher candidate's strengths as they relate to our needs. Don't be shy! This is your time to sell. If you don't, someone else will and get your job.

What To Say Instead: Write out a summary of your strengths and experience as they relate to what they most value. Practice saying it. Remember that part of the response is clearly and strongly selling your talents, but the other side is making sure what you bring to the teaching position is exactly what they need. Do your homework and tailor your "why should we hire you" summary to their needs and how you avoid the risks they are most concerned about.