Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Maria Magdalena Suska. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Maria Magdalena , appreciate you joining us today. We’re complete cheeseballs and so we love asking folks to share the most heartwarming moment from their career – do you have a touching moment you can share with us?
One of my favorite moments in my career occurred during my pediatric rotation in nursing school. I was assigned to a newborn with an extremely rare, infectious disease, and his mother was incredibly overwhelmed.
When I entered his room, it didn’t feel like I was in a hospital. His mom had hung cute curtains, the scent of lavender filled the air, and lullabies played quietly on a little stereo. As she shared her story with me, she began to cry. I did my best to comfort her and offered to keep an eye on her baby, so she could take a moment to get some food or something to drink.
When she came back, she was still tearful—she had an appointment, but didn’t want to leave her newborn alone for a moment. So I told her that I’d spend the rest of the day with her little one, even though my shift was about to end. Alone with my patient, as I did bottle feedings, changed diapers, administered medications, performed assessments and took vitals around the clock, I wondered what my peers were up to. Were they seeing some amazing surgery or working on an exciting case?
The baby’s mom called to say she was running late and told me it was OK to go home. I held my little patient one last time, and tucked him into bed. Then I wrote a simple note for his mother that said: Your angel did great today. The next week, even though I’d moved to a different floor of the hospital, the mother found me to give me a hug and thank me profusely for taking care of her newborn.
I often look back on that experience as a reminder that so often the patients we treat—and especially their families—just need someone to listen, support and nurture them, too. Nursing isn’t just about the technical help we can provide; it’s about the compassion we show serving as a patient’s advocate in any way we can.
Maria Magdalena , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I have been a nurse at HCA Mercy Hospital for 3yrs now. My specialty is cardiology. My job entitles me to administer stress tests and electrocardiograms – or EKGs – to patients suspected of having heart murmurs, blockages and other cardiovascular complications. monitor patients’ vital signs, prepare them for open-heart surgery, and administer medications. report their patients’ statuses to doctors and surgeons and communicate with their families and friends.
If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?
I would never do another specialty, as I am very happy where I’m at. I am very thankful for my knowledge.
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
One of the benefits of being a nurse is that there are a number of career paths in which to be successful. Nursing is not like being a psychologist where the career path is pretty much set in stone. Instead, there are various positions based on your education and career objectives. There are licensed practical nurses (LPN’s), which take their direction from registered nurses and train for about one year. Then there is the registered nurse (RN), who can choose a degree program in a university, which is the BSN and then there is the diploma nurses that leads to the RN but are mostly trained in hospitals and take three years to complete.
Education, Licensing, and Certification: Registered nurses usually take one of three education paths: a bachelor’s of science degree in nursing (BSN), an associate’s degree in nursing (ADN), or a diploma from an approved nursing program. Registered nurses must also be licensed.
In all states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories, registered nurses must have a nursing license. To become licensed, nurses must graduate from an approved nursing program and pass the National Council Licensure Examination, or NCLEX-RN. Other requirements for licensing vary by state. Each state’s board of nursing can give details.
Nurses may become credentialed through professional associations in specialties such as ambulatory care, gerontology, and pediatrics, among others. Although certification is usually voluntary, it demonstrates adherence to a higher standard, and some employers may require it. Certification is required for all registered nurses serving in any of the four advanced practice registered nurse roles.
Nursing is a field that demands much of those who pursue it. Long hours and the strain of working with ill and stressed people on a daily basis can make it a very difficult challenge.
If you are currently in the nursing field or are considering pursuing this career, here are some career tips to help you succeed:
Be Detail-Oriented: Nurses must remember to write everything they do on patients’ charts. They must also remember to bring medications at the correct times. Being an organized detail-oriented person is therefore crucial for someone in this career field.
Be Adaptable: No day is quite like the next when you work as a nurse, so they need to be able to adapt to circumstances. People are unpredictable at the best of times, but under stress become even more unpredictable, so a nurse’s typical workday will require flexibility and adaptability.
Be a Quick Thinker: When a nurse notices something is not right with a patient, they need to be able to make decisions quickly and put their plans into action instantly. Nursing is not the career for someone who needs time to think about a situation before responding, because even a fraction of a second can mean the difference between life and death.
Have Great Judgment: A nurse must be able to look at a patient’s current state and accurately assess what is or is not needed. This must happen quickly during emergencies. Nurses therefore need sound judgment and maturity
Be Hard-Working: Nursing is a never ending job. Someone is always ill and in need of some sort of aid or attention. It’s also unusual for a hospital or medical center to be overstaffed, which of course means more workload on each nurse in the unit. Being a hard worker is therefore a very important trait.
Have Great Communication Skills: Nurses communicate with each other, doctors, patients, and patients’ families on a daily basis, so being able to communicate clearly and effectively, and to read people is necessary for people in this career