LRHS’s DEM club hosted a nurses panel on Tuesday, April 21 in the Media Center. This event welcomed nurses from multiple backgrounds to answer questions from students interested in the medical field.
Six nurses were present at the panel. Each had their own stories and insights to share about a career in nursing. The nurses discussed what made them go into the nursing field and what their daily responsibilities include in a standard shift. The students learned about some of the emotional stressors that come with the job along with the most rewarding aspects of the profession.
Media Center Specialist, Mrs. Kali Spoelstra said, “I felt like [the panel discussion] was very successful. Our students walked away with some great information about the field of nursing, the lifestyle, the pros and cons. It was awesome.”
The students in attendance also learned about what skills are necessary to become a nurse and what schooling is required. All of the nurses stated that nursing school is not an easy task. People underestimate all the work that nurses do because on medical shows like, Greys Anatomy, the doctors are portrayed as doing most of the work in a hospital. In reality, nurses are responsible for giving medication, serving patients, and helping them get to and from places, etc. Being a nurse isn’t always easy, but it is a rewarding field with many options and pathways.
Many of the nurses brought their stethoscope to show to the students what they look like and how they work
One nurse who shared her experiences was Tima Kaba. She is an RN Case Manager and Post-Anesthesia Care Unit RN. She was educated at PCCC and Walden, and has a BSN. She explained that she needed a job to provide for her family, and nursing was one of the best decisions she made.
Another nurse present was Linda Caramanna, who is an Emergency Room RN and an RN Case Manager who holds a BSN. She got into nursing because she saw the way nurses took care of her family members, and she said that, “I wanted to be that person for someone else.”
She also shared that a day in the emergency room is always different and can be overwhelming because there is constant movement and change.
The third nurse at the panel was Kara Delsignore, a Neuro Med Surg RN. She was educated at Ramapo and is an RN and has a BSN. She works nights and says that even though it is difficult to work from 7 pm to 7 am, she enjoys what she does a lot.
Another nurse who was there was Evan Mckiernan. His field is Oncology Clinical Research. He has a lot of nursing certifications like an MSN and he is a Family Nurse Practitioner-Board Certified and Oncology Certified Nurse. He told us the story about how his parents met in a hospital, so he never thought he’d go into the medical field. After studying other things, he realized that he wanted to give nursing a try.
The fifth nurse who presented in the panel was Regina Debenedetto, a nurse who does Lab Processing and Patient Care. Her education is from Ross Education and she is a registered Medical Assistant. She told us that her favorite place to work was in the hospital, because it was easy to switch to whatever role you want. Another thing she mentioned was that it is always beneficial to work close to your house because you don’t get paid to drive.
Her biggest message for all of the DEM club members is that if you want to commit to being a nurse, you have to love it. It is a lot of work, and if your heart isn’t fully in it, then you won’t enjoy it. If you truly love the medical field, then all the hard work will be worth it.
Lastly, Roma Reighard spoke to the students as a retired nurse who has been in many fields of nursing. She was able to share a lot of her wisdom with us, sharing that she worked nights in the NICU for many years, and then used her experiences there to teach others.
LRHS Junior Elizabeth Vreeland attended the panel and said that the panel was very beneficial to her stating, “Yes 100%, it really reassured me that I can be successful one day, and that this is what I want to do in the future. I would like to learn more about how they balance home and work life in such a challenging work environment.”
After the nurses panel ended, the students left the media center with a better understanding of what it’s like to be a nurse beyond what is shown on TV. From the challenges of long hours, to the rewards of helping others, the nurses offered valuable lessons and honest advice. Hosting events like this gives students an opportunity to learn more about future career paths and gives students more confidence going into the medical field. With the success of the nurses panel, DEM Club hopes to host more events like this to help inform students about other possible professions in medicine.
Due to the success of the event, Mrs. Spoelstra stated that she would absolutely host another event like this in the future so that students can gain another opportunity to learn about the nursing field from those who know it best.
