In order to learn more about the nursing profession, I interviewed a current nurse who is about to graduate from the master’s program as a nurse practitioner. I asked her a variety of questions about how she chose her grad school and what advice she has for current nursing students. There are many differing opinions on whether it is better to get experience as a bedside nurse before grad school, or whether it is better to go straight to grad school. While the nurse that I interviewed went straight to graduate school, she said that she did see the benefit of gaining experience at the bedside before taking on grad school. I also asked her about choosing a specialty for graduate school. She said that she really learned what she was interested in throughout undergraduate clinicals. She said to be open to changing your interest based on what rotation really sparks your interest. Other advice that she had for me was to embrace all learning opportunities in clinicals, and never say no if a nurse asks if you want to try a skill. Lastly, she said to use my undergraduate career to become excited about the nursing profession. It truly is a great career path that has so many opportunities and options.

Throughout my first year at Ohio State, I have spent time volunteering at a variety of organizations. For example, some of my service hours came from one-day volunteering opportunities, such as community commitment, Buckeyethon, and working at the Hot Chocolate 5K. For community commitment, I volunteered at a local organization called Cat Colony, where I helped clean and organize the shelter while learning about the ways the organization was benefiting the community. Through Buckeyes for Ronald McDonald House Charities, I volunteered at the Hot Chocolate 5K in November, where I helped set up for the race and hand people hot chocolate and gift bags after the race. It was amazing to see how many people came out to volunteer and run for a great cause on such a cold day! For Buckeyethon, I raised money throughout the year then participated in the dance marathon benefiting Nationwide Children’s hospital. The dance marathon was both fun and rewarding as I got to meet the families impacted by childhood cancer and see the ways Buckeyethon has helped them.

Some of my service hours also came from organizations that receive help from OSU students throughout the year. Through NSPIRE (nursing students promoting initiatives to reinforce equality) I volunteered at Saint Sophia’s clinic. This clinic, located at a local church, provides a place for the less fortunate in the area to come, eat, and get a brief check-up with nursing students consisting of blood pressure and glucose checks and foot washing. Not only was I introduced to skills, such as taking blood pressure, that will be vital to my career, but I also had the opportunity to meet and interact with people experiencing homelessness in the area. Through Buckeyes for Ronald McDonald House Charities, I volunteered two Sunday mornings and helped make breakfast for the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House. It was amazing to see the house and the ways it has helped families while having a chance to volunteer my time.

My favorite and most memorable service experience this year was the service I did through Sporties for Shorties at Linden rec center. Each week I would go to the center for an hour and assist with the preschool gym class. Throughout my time there I had the chance to get to know many of the children and play with them as they participated in the various activities. The kids were so sweet and always excited to see me! It was such a rewarding experience and spending time at the preschool became the highlight of my week.

For my upperclassman interview I spoke with Mary Chudy, a sophomore in the nursing program at Ohio State. I asked her questions about her sophomore year along with her plans for the future. I found the interview very helpful because she gave me an idea of what my classes will be like next year and the major differences between freshman and sophomore year. Hearing about her career plans also gave me something to think about. I want to look further into my options for post-graduation and look into what I can be doing now to be better prepared for my future. This interview not only provide useful information for the coming years, but also made me look forward to becoming a nursing student!

Nursing Interview Questions

• What has been the hardest part of adjusting to the nursing program?

The hardest part of adjusting has been learning to change the way you think. A nurse’s brain is trained to think quite differently, as well as trained to think about many different things at once. This change has been the hardest part, especially because everything you start learning from day 1 you will need to know for the NCLEX, not only the final at the end of the semester! So the way I study has changed quite a bit too.

• What is the biggest difference between your first and second years at OSU?

My first year had lots of maybes. Although I found myself with many interests and lots of energy to pursue those interest, I quickly realized I couldn’t be involved in nearly as many things as I was in high school—so a lot of freshman year was spent with me exploring different organizations, while also focusing a lot of my time in making sure I did well in the nursing prerequisites along with my Spanish courses.

• What are your long-term plans with nursing? Are you thinking about grad school?

For two summers in high school, I worked as a nursing intern at the Cleveland Clinic’s main inpatient and outpatient psychiatric hospital and quickly found myself extremely interested in psych. With that in mind, I plan to graduate with my BSN, work for a few years, then go back to school and become a psychiatric nurse practitioner.

• Are you doing anything now to prepare for your career?

Right now, I am continually trying to keep myself in the loop of the newest psych research, as well as keeping in touch with my mentor from my time at the Cleveland Clinic. I am now also the secretary of the Buckeye Student Nurses Association on campus and have gotten many opportunities for being published and connecting and networking with other schools and states through that organization.

• What advice do you have for someone beginning the nursing program?

I would say to be mindful of how much you choose to have on you plate! The nursing curriculum is designed to be intense, so it’s important to stick to the activities you are passionate about and spend a good amount of time with the material. I would also encourage asking a lot of questions!! The clinical instructors love inquisitive students and being able to get the full picture on a condition/disease pathology directly from them will help you learn the material better. Finally, I’d say to definitely never forget about self-care! It’s so easy to get caught up in homework and deadlines, but remember to always take care of yourself first.

[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.

Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc .
Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]