Nurses are often referred to as the backbone of health care. They represent the largest group of health care workers in the United States. There are many different reasons why people choose to become a nurse, making the wide-ranging profession one of the most attractive and gratifying careers in today’s society.
Read about why Sydney, an RN working in the CTU at Aspirus Wausau Hospital, decided to become an #AspirusNurse.
Why did you become a nurse?
I became a nurse because I have always had the drive to make people's days better. I'm a bit of a jokester, and I love to make people laugh and joke around. However, no one is going to pay me for making jokes all day. So when I was in high school, I took a medical terminology course and got hooked right away.The human body is so fascinating, and it made sense and came easily to me for the most part. My family is also a big reason for why I decided to become a nurse, as my aunt passed away from cancer and my grandfather had COPD. These diseases are obviously very prevalent in our society, and I wanted to do my part to help people with health problems and help them achieve a better quality of life. And laughter is the best medicine, so it all worked out pretty well.
What type of training/past experiences did you have before starting here?
I've worked in a lot of customer service jobs in high school and early on in college, and have worked at assisted livings as well as long-term care prior to my employment at Aspirus. My proudest training experience is when I worked at a long-term care facility in Eau Claire with palliative care patients, giving them and their families care and guidance as they neared the end of life. It was a truly rewarding experience and it has made me more comfortable with difficult topics, such as death and dying, with my patients.
Did you encounter any major challenges during your training?
My self-confidence first starting out wasn't the best. I had had a few challenging experiences with patients that made me feel as though I wasn't good enough to be a nurse. As the saying goes, you are your own worst critic. Just going day-by-day, and learning new things each day, whether it was when I was a student, a CNA, a monitor technician, or as a new nurse, has helped tremendously. Rough days happen. Being realistic about how I can improve the care I give has made me happy to know that I am constantly working to better myself and the outcomes of my patients.
What do you do now as a nurse? What department do you work in? Daily routine?
I currently work in the Cardiac Telemetry Unit caring for critically ill patients with acute and chronic cardiac and respiratory illnesses. Many of the patients I care for have had surgeries such as bypasses, lobectomies, or valve replacements. There are also many patients with new diagnoses of heart failure, COPD, arrhythmias, etc. that need to be evaluated and treated. We also do tons of education about our patient's diagnoses and what treatments they are receiving, and how to manage their illnesses once they are discharged. It is a very busy, fast-paced environment, but I love it.
What is your favorite part of being a nurse?
Since I'm a new nurse, one of my favorite parts is still learning about the body and how disease processes and treatments can affect patient outcomes. I learn so many new things every day. Of course, my patients are wonderful as well. Learning about my patients, their lives, and how I can help them to better manage their health for when they go home makes me feel incredibly proud.
What brought you to Aspirus?
I'm originally from Medford, and when I moved back home Aspirus Medford was really the only place in healthcare that I wanted to work for. Aspirus has always had a reputation for taking great care of their patients, and I wanted to be a part of that. After a little while, I wanted work in critical care, and I transferred over to CTU at Aspirus Wausau.
Have you used any programs such as the Nurse Residency Program in your training? If so, how did it help you?
I'm currently going through the Nurse Residency program. It has helped me tremendously because, although I was a CNA on CTU for several years prior to becoming a nurse, I was very unaware of ways to solve certain problems or to do certain things once I was in this role. Nurse residency has taught me that there is always support if you need it, and it has made me feel like I'm not alone in this crazy transition into my new role.
Do you have any advice for someone wanting to become a nurse?
Being a nurse is an incredibly exhausting, mentally challenging, but extremely rewarding profession. If you want to become a nurse, don't let any fear you have of failure slow you down. It's not easy to be a nurse, caring for sick patients all day - if it was, everyone would do it! You will feel frustrated and scared in the beginning, and that's okay. You will have rough days, but you will also have amazing ones. Just keep your head up, and fake it till you make it. Confidence is key.
Visit aspirus.org/careers or contact Julie Riemer at Julie.Riemer@aspirus.org for more information about becoming an Aspirus nurse.