INTERVIEW - Nursing with Annika Dobier

"Anytime I've been in a clinical setting, I've really felt the nurses were the ones who made a difference in my care or treatment. To this day, I still remember the amazing nurses who made my stay more comfortable and put my needs first." - Annika Dobier

I've known Annika my entire life as she is my older cousin. Like all of us, her life experiences have shaped who she is as a person. Listen to learn how the nurses in her life have influenced Annika's interests/passions... and values! 

Enjoy - Nya

Career Interview with Annika Dobier

1. What is your current occupation, or your major? Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Rochester Community and Technical College.
2. What drew you to this? Interested in math in science. Drawn to nursing because they have made a difference in my care.
3. What do you love about it, and what do you dislike about it?
   • Love - learning about human anatomy and how the body functions and work. I love learning how to take care of patients especially patients with different cultural view on medicine and how to get the most effective treatment which aligns to their values.
   • Dislike - It's hard. Lots of study and memorizing and flashcards. BUT... it's rewarding!
4. For people considering your career, what advice would you give? I would recommend taking a CNA (certified nursing assistant) class and then actually working as a CNA under a nurse to see if that is something you would enjoy.
5. What are your natural strengths? I'm a people person. I love being with others, talking with others, taking care of others. I'm also very empathetic. I have a lot of compassion. I'm very good at multi-tasking. And I'm very detailed-orient... a bit of a perfectionist. 
6. What skills did you have to learn that’s needed in your career? I've had to learn how to deal with difficult patients. Like patients with dementia or patients who are not 100% able to think for themselves. It's hard to work with someone who doesn't know you are trying to help them.
7. Where are you now in the journey to learn this skill? The more time I spend helping patients and understand their needs will give me more experience with how to effectively communicate to patients who many not understand I'm here to help take care of them.
8. When did you know you wanted to choose this career? After high school almost 2 years off working full-time as I didn't know what I wanted to do, but I did know I wanted to continue with school. Then I had a specific memory pop up in my mind when I was struggling with my mental health. The nurse I had made THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE in my stay. The nurse made sure I was comfortable and I had everything I needed.
9. What's your natural talent? I'm a helper, a doer and definitely an organizer!
10. How does this fit into your career? 
    • Organizer - super important to be organized - i.e. charting - as that could effect their care.
    • Helper - I love helping people and that is why I really enjoy my career so far!
    • Doer - I'm the one who is the one on my feet and ready to go. I'm not a slacker and so I'm always ready to the help the next person.
11. What do you value?  I value respect, fairness - everyone should be treated equally, trust, empathy and definitely feel will.
12. How does your career align with these? Fairness - all sorts of people need help and care. Everyone should be treated equally in their care. Free will - people should be able to choose what kind of care they want and it's important for their care team to respect that.
13. How does your career align with your interests/passions? I'm interested in helping others and making people happy.. which makes me happy! I'm interested in giving people the best possible care. I'm also interested learning other people's views and learning how I can use that info so I can help them.
14. What type of impact do you want to make on the world? I want to make people feel comfortable when I'm in their presence. I want to help people, especially who are not 100% feeling well. I want to make everyone I interact with feel important in this world.
15. Any advice you would give to someone who is struggling with career choices? You don't need to rush into it. If you are struggling, take some more time to figure it out. There is no rush. Really look at what you enjoy doing and implement that into your career choice.

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