Registered Nurse
By: Kaitlyn Hall
Interview with: Susie Pyle (School Nurse)
What training did you need in order to be successful?
Good nursing curriculum, being around healthcare, orientation, nurses help, learning by discovery because some stuff you might learn on your own then rather learning in it school.
Can I do this out of high school?...college?... vocational/trade school?
Yes. Going to a vocational school it will be 1 year (LVN) and University for 4 years (RN) Bachelor’s – well care Master’s – research
How did you first get involved with this career?
She was sick and almost died from ammonia two times; once when she was little and when she was 14 years old. Her mom had to carry her into the hospital. The aid came in and she stood by the bed and the aid said “What are we going to do?” and the RN took care of her and she was very calm about the situation. The RN made a huge impression on her and watching the Aid and RN take care of her, she decided to become an RN.
Are there opportunities for advancement?
Yes, moving to management from clinical nursing to managing nurses. You have to start out with steps for advancement.
Can you get tuition reimbursement?
Mostly from hospitals but some other companies will as well. Example: Bell Helicopter
What is the most interesting project you have ever been involved with?
Teaching classes (first aid), EKG classes and classes about heart defect and babies. She loved to teach and help people grasp the concepts of what their learning.
Describe a typical day in your career
Busy. Giving medicines (know when, why and how you’re giving it), a lot of first aid, emotional support, feeding kids and having care plans for certain people.
How much vacation time do you get a year?
She works summer school, four weeks off during the summer, two weeks off for Christmas, one week for thanksgiving and one week for spring break.
What is the job outlook for this profession?
The job outlook for this profession is really good. She said the baby boomers are getting older and there aren’t enough nurses to take care of them and about 10 years ago in Texas the average age of nurses was between 40-46 years old. If you’re smart enough to be a RN then you’re smart enough to do whatever you want to do.
Do you see yourself continuing this career ten years from now?
She hopes so… she retires in 2020 and she’ll be 65 years old
How much were you making in the hospital, salary wise?
Nothing compared to what she is making now. She had a 2 million supply budget for the year and 1 million salary budgets for the year; that’s how many employees worked that she managed. She wasn’t even making $50,000 a year. She makes more now than she did. She has been at Northwest High School for 16 years and teaching salary has gone up. She makes 2/3- ½ more now.