Post-Interview Reflection

I had a great conversation with Ashley and learned more about her job and nursing as a profession. I have been hearing constantly about the stress that the pandemic has brought to hospitals and nursing staff, but hearing from Ashley made it even more real. As I mentioned in the pre-interview reflection, Ashley works as a charge nurse for some of her shifts. She told me that she was apprehensive about taking this new leadership role, but her coworkers boosted her confidence and helped her prepare. She also told me that when she was getting moved to day shifts, the night shift staff said that she would be greatly missed, and they were unsure what they would do without her presence at night. She said that made her realize she was a good leader and that people found comfort in her leading them. 

Ashley explained how this newfound leadership role caused her quite a bit more stress. Tying back into the pandemic and nursing shortages, she never knew what to expect going into a shift as the charge nurse. She had to de-stress before going to work and debrief with coworkers after shifts. As charge she had the responsibility of the floor on her shoulders. Some days there were just not enough people to work and care for the population of patients. There was also the lingering thought that a baby could be born at any time and require the complex care that only a NICU can provide. Through all this stress, Ashley was lucky enough to have people higher up and management she could depend on. She always felt comfortable bringing issues to them and made sure they knew if something was unsafe and needed to be fixed. Ashley has proven that she is aware of her own feelings and knows how to deal with them while also being a strong leader that her team has needed throughout a very challenging time. 

 I already have the upmost respect for Ashley and her career as a NICU nurse, but this conversation has opened my eyes to even more. Ashley is self-aware and knows when to seek help. Her priority is the safety of her patients and her fellow coworkers, and she is a strong advocate for both. She discussed aspects of her job that I never thought about. The unknowns of who will be able to work and how many patients will need to be cared for. The possibility that there won’t be another nurse to come in and cover. Ashley said most of this has been attributed to COVID-19 and the high turnaround rates at her hospital. There are only so many people trained to float to the NICU, and those numbers have dropped significantly with the pandemic. These are stressors that Ashley must work through both physically and mentally.             

I have always tended to be a leader in a group and someday would like to be a leader in nursing. After this interview, I have realized that leadership in nursing has more facets than I previously had thought about. I know it is a ton of work, but there are issues that I didn’t picture before talking with Ashley. I know that I need to find strategies, like Ashley, to deal with my stress and build my confidence. I struggle with believing in myself and over-stressing about situations. It appears Ashley relates to those same things. However, she is persevering and finding ways to cope. Ashley is one of my biggest role models and I know I can go to her with questions and advice. I look forward to starting my career as a nurse, hopefully in a specialty like Ashley. I know it is going to be tough, but in the end it will be worth it. I want to thank Ashley for her time and insight as a leader in nursing!