Assignment Four: Research Paper For assignment four, you will be required to use six different sources in your paper and write a required length of five - eight pages. This is essentially your researc

INTERVIEW NOTES

Interviewer: Destiny Gunder

Facility: UF Health Jacksonville

Interviewee: Ms. Ashe-Bazil Blondelle

Date of Interview: 26 February 2023

1. Me: Please enlighten me on your name, credentials, and qualifications?

Blondelle: My name is Ashe-Bazil Blondelle, I am currently a Nurse Manager at UF Health Jacksonville. I also have my DNP, RN, and CCRN degrees.

2. Me: How long have you worked at UF Health Jacksonville?

Blondelle: I have worked at UF Health since 2001, so about 21 years and 11 months.

3. Me: What is your motivation when coming into work every day?

Blondelle: Seeing my patients and making a difference in their lives. And being an inspiration for them and caring for them.

4. Me: What can you say the biggest challenge as a Nurse Manager is?

Blondelle: My biggest challenge is trying to get all work done promptly and in a timely manner.

5. Me: Are there any major issues associated with the facility?

Blondelle: The main issue I have faced while working at UF Health for 21 years was a fall I had in the critical care area parking lot. The lighting in that area was so dim, dark and dangerous for anyone especially a woman to walk through at various times of night and early mornings. But the facility was notified immediately about my incident and took very good care of me.

6. Me: Besides your incident, what challenges do you face daily within the department?

Blondelle: As healthcare professionals daily, we face obstacles such as lack of diversity in the workplace, limited access to resources, and strained patient nurse relationships. By far our largest challenge in healthcare post pandemic is staffing challenges.

7. Me: Do the challenges you mentioned above hinder you from performing at your fullest potential during your shift?

Blondelle: I am a nurse manager at a large urban hospital. The most challenging part about the job is staffing. Staffing the unit is challenging, because of the staff turnover for various reasoning. The challenge does hinder me from performing at my fullest potential. Sometimes I unable to perform the nurse manager duties, because I am helping the staff on the unit.

8. Me: Other than the department issues and challenges, do you experience any personal issues within the facility?

Blondellle: Zero personal issues while working with this company. I’ve always had a good

9. Me: Outside of your department, do you feel the company you work for under values you as an employee?

Blondelle: No, I feel the company values its employees. This company provides opportunities for employees to voice their concerns on various topics. Example: An independent company collects data related to employee engagement. Employees are asked to participate so the company can gain knowledge on their work environment, supervisor and peers.

10. Me: How do you handle a difficult patient?

Blondelle: Unfortunately, nurses should learn how to care for a difficult patient. The first step is to listen to the concerns of the patient and attempt to resolve the issues, if the nurse is unable to resolve the issue, the nurse can follow the chain-of-commands. We can also reach out to the patient relation department to assist with the problem.

11. Me: How do you handle working with a difficult co-worker?

Blondelle: Sometimes an employee might encounter a difficult co-worker, employees are encouraged to speak with that employee in private and attempt to resolve the conflict. If the employee is unable to resolve the conflict, the employee can follow the chain-of-command.

12. Me: When working with other staff during peak hours, what procedures do yall follow to make everything run smooth as possible?

Blondelle: To make sure everything runs smoothly for the shift; the previous shift will prepare an assignment sheet for the next shift. Each shift will have a designated charge nurse to report any unknown outcomes. And every shift starts with a unit huddle.

13. Me: How do you handle stress on the job?

Blondelle: Working in healthcare is very stressful. Nurses mostly engage in self-care in order to manage stress on the job. Self-care includes exercising, retail therapy, manicure/pedicure, or spending time with your family and friends. If an employee is experiencing stress, the employee can use one of the two mental health counselors on or off campus. Employees are encouraged to take personal leave time.

14. Me: In recent reports it was said that the number of nurses is decreasing rapidly, with your experience in nursing field are you surprised by this? Why or why not?

Blondelle: Prior to the pandemic, the data predicted a nursing shortage within the next ten years. I am not surprised by the number of nurses decreasing in the profession. Post pandemic has led many nurses to rethink their professions, some nurses are choosing other professions while others plan to retire. Being a nurse is very demanding and stressful. Also, violence against nurses is on the rise too.

15. Me: Do you think nurses are often “burned out” after their shift due to picking up the slack of other departments?

Blondelle: I think nurses are “burned out” for a variety of reasons. Some of the reasons include inadequate staffing, difficult patients/visitors, 22-hour shifts and patient to nurse ratio.

16. Me: If could pick your schedule what hours would you recommend be best for nurses to work so they won’t feel “burned out” after every shift?

Blondelle: If I could pick a shift, I would recommend an eight-hour shift, 12 hours shifts is a very long shift to be on your feet for and sometimes you struggle with finding time for the restroom and even meal breaks. Also, overnight shifts are better for me, because I don’t have to deal with families, other departments or management. During this time, I can just focus on my patient without so many distractions.