Aaron Lasmann

ISM Period 7

ISM- INTERVIEW ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS

Student Name:

Aaron Lassmann

Printed Name of Person

Interviewed:
Role of Individual:

Period:

7th

Valerie Ramos, RN, BSN, CCRN

___Mentor

___Other Professional #1

_X_Other Professional #2

Place of Business:

University of Texas Medical Branch - Echocardiography Lab

Business Address:

1001 Harborside Drive, Galveston, TX 77555

Phone Number:

(409) 772-5353

Date of Interview:

11/10/2015

Type of Interview: ___ In Person ___ Telephone* _X_Email*

*Documentation Required (Attach E-mail to Interview Verification Page)

1. For someone working in your field, please describe the fantasies versus realities of the job.
(fantasy vs. reality)
I believe that while nursing school gives you a good educational base it does not prepare you to deal with people.
For example when you get out of school you have the genuine interest in helping people but then discover that
some people dont want to be helped. Or that people when they are sick can be very angry and cuss you out, spit
at you, and attempt to bite or hit you. As a RN you have to learn to not let those type of things get to you or bother
you, and you have to learn that sometimes those types of behaviors are associated with illnesses or people are
frustrated with their diagnosis. Nothing can prepare you for how to deal with when a patient dies on you and you
have gotten to know that patient. The job can be very rewarding when patients thank you for the little things that
you may do for them.
2. What is your current educational level? What continuing education and training are required?
(educational level and requirements)
Currently, I have a Bachelors of Science in Nursing. By the State of Texas Board of Nursing, you must maintain
at least 20hrs of continuing education every 2 years. I also have a Critical Care Registered Nurse Certification and
that requires 100hrs of continuing education every 3 years.
3. Please describe the typical day to day activities of someone working in your field.
(day-to-day activities)
Currently working in a procedural area a typical day varies in the patient volume due to our area performing
studies on inpatients and outpatients in the hospital. We typically screen patients to see if they are appropriate for
stress tests by reviewing their medications, their history and their lab values. When the patient arrives we prep the
patients by explaining the procedure to the patient, and then we connect them to an EKG and blood pressure
machine. We may start an IV depending on if the patient is a Dobutamine Stress Echo. We may also start IVs on
patients that are going to get on the treadmill for an Exercise Stress Echo. We assist the cardiac sonographer with
performing the stress test and monitor the patient during the test for any EKG changes and for any symptoms

Aaron Lasmann
ISM Period 7
associated with the test. We also perform moderate sedation for patients undergoing Transesophageal
Echocardiograms. This requires the RN to have ACLS to monitor and intervene in any life sustaining measures.
Physically, we do a lot of walking in and around the echo lab and the hospital.
4. How secure are you in your current position? What do you think is the future of your field?
(job security)
Job security in my opinion is good due to the fact that I deal with caring for patients. The future of Nursing is
ever changing with new technology and new rules for standards of care, but the future of the field is secure as
there will always be sick patients to care for.
5. What is a typical (average or lowest to highest) salary of someone working in your field?
(salary)
Salary ranges for RNs vary depending on years of experience, level of education, certifications, and whether you
care for patients in an inpatient area versus an outpatient area. Working nights and weekends also has a higher
shift differential. It ranges from $50,720 to $110,720 with a median of about $72,000.
6. What potential for growth is there in your field?
(growth potential)
There is always potential for growth as the field is ever-changing with new technologies and the increasing focus
on preventative care. Growth in the field is also necessary as the population ages or increases.
7. What is the best part of your job?
The best part of my job is going home at the end of the day knowing you have managed to make a difference in at
least one persons life that day.
8. What is one part of your job you wish you could change?
Currently right now as a Nursing Supervisor the level of my stress is something I wish I could change. I find it
very difficult to manage personnel and still perform patient care. I often feel overwhelmed by all of my duties,
because I feel as though I can do them all sufficiently since I am spread so thin.
9. What motivated you to choose your current career?
I chose Nursing because ultimately I wanted to help people and make them feel better. I love anything healthrelated and am I genuinely interested in that.
10. If you could go back, would you choose the same career again?
Yes, I probably would because it allows so many options, and it allows me to make a decent living. If I did not go
into Nursing I probably would still chose something health-related, like nutrition. I would never become a doctor,
because I like my personal time and love to sleep. They dont get that as much.

Aaron Lasmann
ISM Period 7

Interview Summary
What information from this interview will you select for your page typed,
bulleted list of research informationto be used in your presentation?
Educational Requirements:
o Nurse- Bachelors of Science in Nursing
o Continuing education required to maintain various nursing certifications
o Sonographer- Undergraduate degree and certification
o Recertification required every 3 years
Helping patients is a very rewarding experience, though it can occasionally be very
taxing with some
Sometimes the patients do become angry and distressed with you from factors beyond
your control and you must calmly deal with swearing and violence.
People will always get sick, and medical care will always be necessary
Echocardiography provides a secure position as it is such a common cardiac diagnostic
test and is rapidly expanding its scope
Echocardiography is necessary, especially with heart disease as the second largest killer
in the US
Non-physician echocardiography positions are very rewarding with a balance for home
and work.
There is a lower pay than physicians, but that is counterweighted by the lack of the
additional stress they deal with.