Registered Nurse
by: Madison McPherson
Interview with a Registered Nurse
Carolyn Payne worked as a registered nurse for 35 of the 47 years that she has had her license. In high school her school nurse Mrs. Lipscomb introduced her to the Future Nurses of America Program, and from then on she fell in love with the profession. In 1977 she graduated from TWU after receiving her BSN in Nursing and passing the state board test. Then Carolyn started her career at Harris Hospital in the Labor and Delivery department. At the time the government was offering student loans and helped pay off a percentage every year she worked in the nursing department. Describing a typical day at her job; she started at 7:00 am in the morning, then they would be assigned their patients, usually having two to three patients per day. All day she would be in charge of checking the progress of the baby and mother, give medicine or whatever they needed, then after the delivery she would be in charge of taking care of the mother. Carolyn loved labor and delivery because every couple was different and the best part was to see a new born baby. The typical vacation time was 3 weeks a year. The job outlook on nursing is excellent because nurses are constantly needed and there are many different departments that someone could go into.