Chanita Foushee is a registered nurse who works per diem in a hospital setting. Her typical day involves obtaining reports from the previous shift, assigning patients, checking orders and supplies, making rounds, providing direct patient care like assessments and medications, documenting in charts, and giving report to the next shift. She finds the work rewarding when she can help patients, but also finds it challenging dealing with stress and lack of management support during busy times. Foushee obtained her nursing degrees and has over 10 years of clinical experience, now also doing health informatics research.

1. Chanita Foushee, R.N.
1. What do you do in your job?
• As a Registered Nurse in a hospital setting, I function in a multitude of
areas. I provided care to patients across the lifespan from newborn to
adulthood. That care of patients includes assessing their needs physically,
emotionally, mentally, spiritually, socially, and economically. I am also an
integral part of a multidisciplinary team that provide continuity of care to
all patients which include physicians, assistants, social services, and other
ancillary staff. I am also responsible for patient teaching and discharge
planning. As an experienced nurse, I oversee the unit in a Charge Nurses
role, assign patients to other staff and assure that the unit is functioning
in a safe and efficient manner. I also lead and participate in in-services
to keep myself and other staff up to date on current healthcare issues.
2. What is a typical day for the position?
• A typical day as a nurse in a hospital setting includes first and foremost,
preparing myself mentally and spiritually to handle whatever I may
encounter throughout my shift in a professional, safe, and compassionate
manner because the hospital setting is a face-paced environment. I
obtain report on all patients on the unit from the off-going shift as well as
unit-based issues. After obtaining report, I assign patients to staff, as well
as myself, based on the level of experience of the nurse and patient
acuity, prepare the list of patient’s for discharge in the morning for the
physicians, and check both adult/newborn/child cold carts for proper
supplies and to make sure the cart is up to date. I then check all of my
patient’s charts for prior and current orders, lab or diagnostic results, and
other pertinent patient history so that I will be well prepared as best I
can to take care of my patient’s needs and so that I can address any
issues or concerns I may have with the physician. I also make sure that
all supplies, medications, and tests are ordered/available before I make
rounds on my patients. Prior to me making individual and focused rounds
on my patients, I check in with each one of them to introduce myself to
make sure they are alive and well and without any discomfort or needs at
that particular moment and I then notify them that I am the Charge
Nurse for the shift and that I will return shortly after making rounds on
the other units. After making rounds on the other units and speaking with
the other Charge Nurses, I have a better idea of how to plan the rest of
the shift as far as patient admissions, scheduled/unscheduled surgeries,
and other surgical procedures, staff assignment and responsibilities, etc.
I am then able to focus on my patients by performing assessments,
administering medications as needed, providing extensive hands-on and
one on one teaching and demonstrations and answering any questions or

2. concerns that the patient may have, all which takes place thought the
entire shift. In between patients, I am able to write nurses notes in the
patient’s chart covering all aspects of the patient’s plan of care. I am also
required to insert intravenous catheters for infusions, draw blood for
laboratory tests, insert other types of catheters, recovery post-operative
patients, provide respiratory care as needed, and so on. By the end of my
shift, all patient’s should be comfortable and without any concern until
report is given to the on-coming shift in which continuity of
care continues.
3. What hours do you work?
• I am currently considered a Per Diem (as needed) employee. I worked as
a full-time employee up until about 4 years ago. I have another full-time
career using my nursing knowledge in the research setting. I usually work
either a 4-hour, 8-hour, or 12-hour shift on weekends.
4. What school subjects are important for this job?
• The most important school subjects for this job are math, sciences
(microbiology, chemistry, biology, etc.), pathophysiology,
psychology/psychiatry, research, social studies, human development,
anatomy and physiology, nutrition, statistics, health assessment, nursing
across the lifespan, information technology/health informatics,
pharmacology/complementary and alternative medicine, management
and leadership, case management, nursing theory, public/community
health, cultural studies, and occupational and environmental health.
5. How and when did you decide to enter this job?
• I was interested in the healthcare field in high school and decided to
enroll into college immediately to earn my nursing degrees. I have always
been interested in the science of nursing and providing respectful
and compassionate care.
6. What are the most rewarding aspects of the position? What are the
most challenging components of the position?
• The most rewarding aspect of this position is knowing that I am able to
put my extensive knowledge and training to use to help another person in
a multitude of situations. It is also awarding, in my opinion, to constantly
learn about new and updated developments in the field of nursing,
medicine, and healthcare as a whole. The most challenging components
of my position can sometimes be the amount of stress that I am
constantly under as one nurse taking care of multiple patient’s needs all
at one time. I think another challenging component of my position is not
always having the management team provide support when the tough
times roll around with staff shortages and increases in patient numbers.
It would be nice to hear a thank you or nice job once in a while, but in
this field, it is few and far between so you just learn to praise yourself
and know that you have done your job to the best of your abilities.

3. 7. Did you have a career plan that you followed?
• Yes, I did have a career plan that I followed. I obtained my Associates of
Science degree in Nursing first, began working as a Registered Nurse
immediately, and then went back to college to obtain my Bachelor’s of
Science degree in Nursing and hopefully my Masters degree sometime in
the future. I have over 10 years of clinical experience and have branched
out into health informatics and technology research for the past 4 years
writing cancer clinical trials, using my health expertise.
8. What major changes have happened in your career area since you
have been working?
• Nursing have gotten away from the team work and collaboration
approach which is the foundation from which nursing comes from and the
clinical setting has seen the downside of this mistake over the years.
Also, a lot of these type of healthcare settings are trying to be successful
by relying on the business aspect only and not taking into account how
important including health management is to running a healthcare
institution. Not only do the staff suffer from this, but so do the patient’s
as well.
9. Would you change anything about your job?
• Yes, I would like to see more cohesiveness and mutual respect amongst
staff (including CEO’s, physicians, nurses, technicians, etc.) like back
when I first began my career as a nurse as well as more nursing
leadership.
10. Did school prepare you adequately for your work?
• I have to admit that my educational training equipped me with the
knowledge and tools that I needed to enter the nursing field and continue
to build on my expertise.
11. How do you coordinate your family/home/job responsibilities?
• This is a tough question because it is always difficult to balance life
responsibilities. Thanks to the support of God, family, friends, and
coworkers, they help you through. I think that balancing these
responsibilities is individualized. What works for one person may not work
for the other. Basically, I prioritized my life and those priorities changed
as I saw fit. There were times when one responsibility would be more
important than the other at that moment in time, in which I had to deal
with, and then I would bring those responsibilities back to a more equal
state.
12. What personal characteristics are important in your job?
• Those would include trustworthiness, professional, outgoing, caring and
compassionate, adaptable, a quick thinker, organized and detailed
oriented, observant, able to multitask, open-minded, culturally sensitive,
assertive, positive, ambitious, willing to learn at all times, patient, a
leader, and a great communicator.