On January 28, 2023, Sydney Battice was invited to a casual coffee chat interview. She spoke about her experience from being a pre-grad RPN student to now being a full-fledged practicing RPN.
Tell us about your experience with the process of finding a job after graduation. Is it as hard as it seems?
Sydney: I graduated from nursing school just right before COVID hit in 2019, and obviously, nursing jobs were abundant at the time, but RPN’s were not highly sought after.. I worked at a pediatric clinic first and then switched over to the postpartum unit at Brampton Civic hospital.
Was nursing always a part of the end plan, or did you plan on pursuing another career path prior to this?
Sydney: I initially started an HBSc degree in psychology, but I quickly realized that I wanted to do something that's more hands-on. Nursing was never the plan, but I fell into it and ended up loving it!
Please tell us more about your work-life balance. How did working as a nurse affect your personal life?
Sydney: A good thing with nursing is that you can sometimes structure your own
schedule. I have worked both part-time and full-time shifts at different facilities.
→ PT in hospitals: You are required to be available for at least two weekends in a month, but you can pick and choose between day or night shifts depending on your personal preference.
→ FT in hospitals: The schedule is very rigid. You are required to work 37-48 hours per week, and the opportunity to pick and choose your own shifts is limited.
Clinics are different because they’re generally not 24 hours, but many of them run Monday - Friday so if you want weekends off then they’re a good place to start.
What was your transition from pre-grad to becoming an independent nurse like?
Sydney: The transition for me was definitely challenging. Once you graduate
you're on your own and it can be overwhelming especially in a hospital. it’s not like pre grad or clinical where you’re rarely alone. You need to start making decisions based on critical thinking and that is something that scares any new grad. I would say that a lot of the fear came from second-guessing myself. Still, you get much better over time once you have enough practice with the things you're doing. Also, adjusting to your environment takes time, but once you do, things start to come naturally to you.
Do you see yourself ever bridging into the RN program?
Sydney: I would say that I am pretty comfortable the with where I am right now,
and as of right now, I don't have any plans of bridging further.
Do you have a particular specialty you hope to work in one day?
Sydney: I currently work in an OBGYN clinic on the weekdays, and I attend a hybrid cosmetics course on the weekends. I am almost done with my certificate, and I am looking forward to starting a side hustle for injections.
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