Spring Break: No Tan, but an Excellent Tour

April 2nd, 2011 by Ryan Windeyer | Tags: Spring Break, Tan

Although I didn’t get much of a tan during my relaxing spring break on the beach of Topsail Island, N.C., I was able to make some very important connections. After sleeping in, going for a run on the beach and getting ready, I began the 40-minute commute to civilization en route to a tour of Onslow Memorial Hospital.

I was in an emotional state somewhere between excited and nervous. I wasn’t sure if I should expect anything more than simply a tour of the hospital but I wanted to be prepared, so I brought a copy of my portfolio just in case. I arrived early to scope out the parking lot and felt very prepared. It was raining very hard that day, and as I was getting out of my car and walking to the entrance of the hospital, the wind forcefully demolished, nay destroyed, my umbrella. Although not comical at the time, I can imagine the sight of me walking in the torrential downpour trying to cower underneath an inside-out umbrella being blown backwards by the wind. It was a scene similar to a cartoon, although I was far from laughing as I walked into the front entrance soaking wet.

I knew first impressions meant everything so I was terrified as I looked at myself sopping wet in the bathroom mirror. In the desperate depths of my mind, I actually began looking for one of those hand dryers so I could stand under it to dry myself. Unfortunately, I was left with only paper towels. Panic-stricken, I sat in the lobby to drip dry, literally.

After five minutes, much to my surprise, my pants and shirt were now only slightly damp, and I decided that was good enough for me. I walked into the office where I was to meet Ann, the nurse educator giving me the tour. She warmly introduced herself and we started walking down the hall. Before we even got out of the main office area, I shook the hands of three people, and it was then that I knew Ann was on my side and was ready to get the connections flowing. She also told me that she had even emailed the nurse manager of the units I was interested in working simply to let them know I was coming and would be willing to meet with them. Ann was quickly becoming my BFF.

We began the tour of the hospital and she told me of all the great plans of expansion and renovation. I was impressed by spaciousness of the hospital as well as the friendliness of its staff and nurses. I also noticed there were both young and older nurses working there; it was good for me to see that they actually do hire new graduates contrary to some other hospitals. We made our way to the Maternal/Infant Health units and I met with one of the unit managers there. I was thankful I had been prepared with my portfolio, as I left it with her so she and the nurse manager could read through it and use it as a supplement to my online application. I was extremely impressed with these units. Because of the strong military presence in the area, Ann told me there were a lot of young families coming to Onslow to give birth, meaning the units were always busy. I grew even more excited as I saw a young freshly shaven, stout-faced Marine-turned-softie pushing his newborn twin boys into a hospital room with tears in his eyes.

I also toured other units of the hospital: an ambulatory surgery unit, the emergency department, and some cardiac medical/surgical units. I was very impressed with each unit I saw and actually got the opportunity to meet with David, a nurse manager of the cardiac medical/surgical telemetry unit. I have experience with this same type of unit from my last clinical rotation at UVA and was glad I met him. After introducing myself and learning more about the unit, he told me he would be glad to set up an interview sometime when I come back to the area. I was ecstatic because not only did this mean I made my first actual connection to a real life job, but I also liked the ease with which I was able to talk with David. He was understanding and extremely personable and would no doubt be a great person to work for.

Little did I know that my 30 minute hospital tour would turn into two hours. It was simply because Ann went the extra mile to help me, and for that I am extremely grateful. It only takes one person to make your day, and Ann definitely made my day bright on that not-so-sunny day. I walked out of the hospital not only happy that I got to tour the units and meet nurse managers, but also with several very important phone numbers and email addresses that I will undoubtedly utilize in the days to come. I learned from this that taking the initiative to tour the place you’re interested in working will definitely pay off. If not simply for the opportunity to get your face matched with a name, it will be worth every minute of your time.

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