Ronan Castronuevo 7th

ISM- MENTOR INTERVIEW ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS

Student Name: Ronan Castronuevo Period: 7th

Printed Name of Person Interviewed: Cherry Abuy

Role of Individual: X__ Mentor

Place/Name of Business: Maindland Medical Center

Business Address: 6801 Emmett F Lowry Expy, Texas City, TX 77591

Phone Number: 409-370-7915

Date of Interview: 11/12/17

Type of Interview: __X__ In Person

1. For someone working in your field, please describe the fantasies versus realities of the job.
(fantasy vs. reality)

I will just give an example for that question. When I get there in the morning, Im always hoping to have
a good day. But that doesnt always happen most of the time, because we have sick and critical patients
and anything can happen to them. So your critical thinking and assessment is very important to save
your day and, of course, to save your patient.

2. What is your current educational level? What continuing education and training are required?
(educational level and requirements)

I have bachelors science in nursing, and for the continuing education you should have the ACLS, the
certification for BLS. If youre working in the ICU, there are certifications you need like: stroke
certification, or trauma, and you also have to be trained to use the equipment, like the balloon pump.

3. Please describe the typical day to day activities of someone working in your field.
(day-to-day activities)

In the ICU, we always have two patients. Its very rare that they will give your three patients. Sometimes
it depends on the activity of your patient. So if you have two patients, it gets so busy, especially during
the day shift. The first thing you do when you get it, is you assess your patient, you make sure theyre
comfortable, you check their vital signs, you give them their medications, and you also check the lab;
and if there is anything that needs to be address to the doctor, right away you have to page the doctor
and wait for their call. And then sometimes the doctor will ask for you to put orders for them, and then if
your patient has procedures that need to be done, like MRI, you have to go with the patient. You have to
always keep an eye on your patient, because this is the ICU, and your patient can deteriorate at any time,

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so you really have to keep an eye on them and make sure everything is ok, just for the safety of your
patient, especially in the ICU.

4. How secure are you in your current position? What do you think is the future of your field?
(job security)

Im pretty secure in my position, as Ive been at Mainland for five years now. And actually there was a
lot that happened to me this past year, like I gave birth, I was in bed rest, I went on maternity leave for
three months. Then I came back to work and injured my knee, so I went away for two more months. But
management and my ICU team are very supportive. I think that as long as youre doing your job and
management knows how hard you work, and you have a very good reputation in your unit, you wont
have any problems. I think that theres a lot of expansion for the future of the medical field. Off the top
of my head, with the aging population there will likely be more elderly patients that require care.

5. What is a typical (average or lowest to highest) salary of someone working in your field?
(salary)

In ICU, it depends on the years of experience that you have. As far as I know for newly turned nurses it
should be around twenty-one or twenty-two (thousands). If youve been there for fifteen years or above,
the rate will be like forty-four (thousands) or so.

6. What potential for growth is there in your field?

(growth potential)

Well if you are nursing, and you are working in the hospital, there is a lot of potential for you. You can
go back to school and become an NP. I think it will take three years to do that, so you dont have to do
bedside anymore, you will work with physicians for the most part. Or you can also become a CRNA, if
you want a higher salary. There is also management and teaching.

***Questions 7-10 will be created by the ISM student.

7. You have previously stated that you have been working in the ICU for the entirety of your
career. What other units would you like to work in and why?

Ive always been in the ICU since the start of my nursing career. But I think I would like to try pediatric
ICU, because I had a preemie baby, who stayed there for twenty-three days. So I saw those preemie
babies, they were so tiny. So for me when you take care of those babies, you will see how small they
initially are and how much they will grow, I think its very rewarding.

8. Can you please recall the most memorable experience in your career? Whether it was with a patient or
another nurse.

I have lots of memorable experiences in my career as a nurse. But I think most recently, I had this
patient, who went through a cardiac catheterization. And after he was discharged, he came back after a

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month and gave me flowers and some cake for the entire unit as well. So to me that was sweet, knowing
that he really appreciated the care given to him.

9. What made you want to be a nurse? Now that you are a nurse, are there any other career that youre
interested in?

I always loved nursing. For me, its a very good job and is very rewarding and, of course, you get good
pay. But mostly its because of the rewarding experience, because youre helping people and making a
difference in the life of the patient but also for the family. And for other careers I think I would like
teaching, probably teaching pre-K, because I love kids.

10. What are the negative aspects of your career?

I think a negative aspect would be the schedule, because you have to work long hours. Its twelve hours
a day, and sometimes you have to take calls. If the census is low, you will be put on call. And, of course,
its a stressful job because sometimes you are really busy.

Interview Summary
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bulleted list of research informationto be used in your presentation?
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Ronan Castronuevo 7th

As an ICU nurse, there are extra certifications, such as stroke certification and trauma.
You also need to be BLS certified once youve obtained your bachelors science in nursing
degree.
You must also be adept at handling the different types of equipment.
In the ICU nurses are typically limited to having two patients a shift.
Once your shift starts: You assess the patient, make sure their comfortable, check vitals, check
labs, and give medications.
Nurses must immediately contact the doctor if there is anything that needs to be addressed to
them.
ICU patients are in the most critical conditions in the hospital.
ICU patients will need constant monitoring, as their condition can deteriorate very quickly.
Like with many jobs, the wages for nurses increase with experience.
Newly certified nurses will often be in the $20,000 range.
Nurses that have worked 15+ years will often be in the $44,000 range.
If you continue your education, you can become an NP, or a CRNA, which are the most common
jobs people go back to school for.
You can also get involved in management and teaching.

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