Kylee Gore

Interview Project: Part 2

Communication 1010-005
10/04/15
Interview Analysis Memo
DATE: September 30, 2015
TO: Professor David Gagon
FROM: Kylee Gore
SUBJECT: Interview Analysis Memo, COMM 1010-005
I had the chance to interview a Registered Nurse at Valeo Home Health and Hospice. Valeo is the
place that took care of my grandfather before his passing on Hospice, so I approached his nurse
asking if I could interview her.
I have been interested in entering the nursing program once I am done with my generals, which
is why I chose to interview a nurse. During the interview, I found that my interviewee has been a
nurse for the past twenty-one years, which intrigued me because I felt like I would be able to find
out a lot of information from just this one person. I proceeded with the interview to understand
more about the medical field and her career as a nurse. After speaking with her, I am even more
interested in going into the nursing program and want to pursue a career similar to hers.
This memo summarizes the advice I retrieved and analyzes what I learned from conducting the
interview.
Summary of Lessons Learned
Getting Started in the Medical Field:
I learned that the medical field can be an extremely hard field to get into right away. While
pursing education, it is common to be on a waiting list, but if you have the passion and
determination for it, it is easy to wait for. The recommended amount of education to become a
nurse is a Bachelors degree. Although some places accept an Associates degree, a Bachelors
degree doesnt require you to go back for anymore additional schooling after being hired
somewhere. Plus, having a degree, almost guarantees the chances of you getting hired over
someone who has less experience and education. Most people know that an education is required
for most careers, especially in the medical field, therefore many are choosing to go back to
school to either get an education, further their education, or even to gain newer skills in their
study. Many nurses say they are glad they got their Bachelors degree as opposed to just getting
their associates degree because they feel more prepared. A lot of the time, nurses dont feel 100%
prepared for what they will be doing. The majority of the job is being able to sense and adapt
quickly to crucial situations. There is a lot of pressure on nurses in this case.

I learned after speaking with Brenda, as well as some other nurses that it would be wiser to
attend SLCCs nursing program because compared to Stevens-Henager or Provo College,
SLCCs program isnt set at such a fast place, therefore can gather and learn information easier
and is far less expensive. These programs are much more expensive because of how quickly you
can finish them. This may seem worth it to some people, but the majority of nursing I have met
and spoke to say they would rather have stayed at a smaller community college, such as SLCC.
Brenda shared that the reason she went into the medical field was because of the nurse that
helped with the delivery of her baby. She realized how big of a difference a single nurse can
make when in the care of someone else, which inspired her to become a nurse. After having her
baby, she went to school, but was put on a waiting list. A nursing degree usually takes about four
years to achieve, so if I pursue this career as a nurse I will have roughly invest at least $9,000$10,000. Overall, Brenda strongly believes that becoming a nurse pays off because it is
incredible the amount of money nurses are being paid now a days with just a Bachelors degree,
instead of a Masters degree. Not only does it pay off in money, but according to Brenda, it is one
of the most rewarding careers a person can have!
An Average Day:
Brenda spoke mainly about her passion to help others, and how this job had her fully invested
and committed before she even knew it. She said at times, she does work too much for her own
good, but she knew going into this career that that is what it was going to take. She switched
from working in a hospital for fifteen years, to working in Home Health and Hospice Care for
the last six years. She states that she has been so grateful for the change because now she has a
closer relationship with her patients, and that has had a huge impact on her because she can now
see how big of an impact she also has on her patients.
Brenda states that the key to becoming a successful nurse is being able to take a step back and
consider each patients background and what they really need. She strongly believes, everyone
comes from a different place and has a different story, which means they will need different
techniques in order to take care of them. Brenda makes a big effort to always find a way to relate
to her patients and make them feel at ease, and not alone. Empathy and being considerate is also
another key. That way you can understand the patients pain to a point and put yourself in their
shoes.
Brendas working schedule is Monday through Friday, but is on call most weekends. She usually
works from 6 to 5, but ends up working later at home to do all her charting on each patient she
seen that day. Working in a Home Health and Hospice facility allows her schedule to be more
flexible though. She is able to set her hours each day according to the number of patients she has,
and if she can see them all in one day, that allows her to work some days at home. Like in most
jobs, she is allowed vacation time throughout the year, as long as plans are made well in advance
and as long as she gets her patients covered by another nurse. Her boss and the company she
works for would give her the flexibility to be with her family if they needed her for an

emergency situation. This is one of the many reasons Brenda loves her job and the people she
works with.
A typical day for Brenda starts with opening up a program called Kinnser that works as a task
manager for her company, but also serves as basically her schedule. She analyses the patients she
needs to see that day, what time they need to be seen, and what she is seeing them for. She
prepares for her day by packing her nursing bag. Inside contains all items she will need
throughout the day for each patient. She is required to prep using this bag because since she
works for a company that is Home Health and Hospice, she travels to all of her patients, instead
of them coming to her. She is a RN to approximately twenty patients a week so planning what
they need for what days is a crucial step in her day. Every visit with a patient, she is required to
gather all their vitals, do a full body check, and speak to them about their general health so that
she will be able to chart at the end of her day.
Brenda loves her job because although it can be demanding, it is also so rewarding in the end.
The best part about her job is the fact that she is making a difference and having an impact on
peoples lives and that is what matters most to her. She feels forever grateful to work for a
company that is so considerate and driven to help their employees as much as the employees help
them. Therefore, Brenda feels well taken care of by her company and feels like she will always
have a stable position as a RN there. They pay her a well-earned salary, but the benefits also add
to why she loves her job so much. She is married and has four kids, but is able to fully support
them and be able to come home to them every night at a decent time.
Continuing Education:
Brenda believes she has progressively become a better RN because she is not only motivated,
dedicated, passionate, but has also become so well-rounded. Without having a passion to help
others, there is no way to make it in this field. She knows she has worked hard to be where she is
today, and even her company has recognized that about her. Through hard work and dedication,
she has never stopped striving to continue to learn new things about her job, so that has added to
her success as a RN. After hearing this, I realized I chose just the right person to interview
because of all of her experience and wisdom she has.
Brendas job has no requirements to further her education, but does require her to do one course
each month that reviews over things she must know and remember in her job. The amount of
money she put in for tuition was horrendous at a point in time, but no amount of money will even
compare to what she gets back from her job.
Interview Analysis:
This interview made me recognize all the new career ideas and also taught me a lot about how to
communicate to conduct a successful interview.
Analysis of a Registered Nurse as my Career Choice
From this interview, I realized that I am following the right path to begin into the nursing
program. Working as a Certified Nurse Assistant now is setting me up for great opportunities and

great exposure. After listening to things Brenda said, it has taught me a lot of things I never even
thought to consider or associate with a career in the medical field. Brenda suggested I also speak
to a nurse in a hospital setting now to be able to compare the differences the places play in the
role of the job so that I can see what fits best for me personally.
By following up on Brendas suggestions, I can gather more information on my educational path
as well as find out what would suit my motivations best once getting my career in the medical
field. I truly learned a lot of information from this interview, which helps add to the little
knowledge I already knew from research and working as a Certified Nurse Assistant.
Analysis of my Interviewing Process:
Usually, when it comes to meeting new people, I am a very open and outgoing person and rarely
get nervous. For some reason, once I was put in this setting and was in charge of conducting the
interview, I felt quite intimidated and nervous. I was curious on how this assignment was going
to play out, but was surprised to see that this assignment taught me a lot about my own strengths
and weaknesses when it comes to communicating, therefore, thank you for giving me the chance
to do this interview as an assignment!
For the interview, I just printed off my questions from my part one of the interview and rehearsed
it before going into the interview. This helped me stay organized and keep a good pace
throughout the interview. Also, having the questions there in front of me made me feel more
comfortable when I had something to refer to when I started getting nervous. This helped me
keep better eye contact when asking the questions and helped with having better interaction with
Brenda. Brenda did well at keeping her answers on the topic of the question, but also broadened
her answers, which helped me also gather more information. I didnt refer to my notes as often as
I expected myself to, so when I did, I found myself get lost a few times and take an awkward
pause until I found my spot again. In the future, I think I'll use an outline, as was suggested to
help me stay on track with my interview.
If I ever conduct an interview again, I think it would be better for me to be a little more prepared.
While I was recording the interview, my phone died and I didnt have a notepad and paper to
write down notes. This was distracting to me and stirred me off topic for a moment and took
away from the flow of the conversation. I felt a little awkward with the silence when I was trying
to figure out what to do, but I was extremely lucky that I was interviewing someone as
understanding as Brenda was. At the end of our interview, I felt a little more comfortable and
relieved of how the conversation turned out. I think that although my phone died and I only got
some of my interview recorded, Brenda was very conversational, which made remembering our
conversation easy. Even with rehearsing beforehand, I didnt quite follow what I practiced. The
way the conversation was flowing made it more relaxed and so I didnt need to constantly be
following what I had prepared. At the end, I thanked her for her time and for sharing her
knowledge/ experiences with me, then had her fill out the evaluation sheet for me. All in all, I
found this to be a challenging, but useful assignment that will help me as I decide on a career
path I want to pursue.

Letter of Thanks
3613 S. Country West Drive
Magna, UT 84044
October 2, 2015
Mrs. Brenda Stevens
6076 S. 900 E.
Murray, UT 84123
Dear Brenda, Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to interview you about your
career. The answers you provided during our interview helped me greatly to gather information
and also inspired me to pursue a career as a nurse.
I admire the passion you have for your job and the selflessness you have when treating your
patients. You have definitely inspired me in many ways. From this interview, I was able to see a
whole new perspective. Researching about the career doesnt give it justice, but what you have
spoken to me about has opened my eyes to things I never even considered. For example, I never
realized how different working in a hospital setting vs. Home Health really is. You also opened
my eyes to more areas I can explore as I consider my own future career in nursing.
I appreciate you taking your time to talk with me today. You really helped me for my
communication class. I learned so much about the nursing career and even the preparations
towards getting where you are today. This will definitely help me with my future, thank you
again!

Sincerely,

Kylee Gore