"While I do not have much past work experience in high-stress environments, I can say that many of my clinical rotations have given me an idea of how unpredictable and fast-paced a career in nursing can be. When I was on my clinical rotation in an inpatient unit at the local hospital, I got to experience this because there were constant acute needs from patients, alarms going off, and requests coming in; at the same time, the nursing staff had to continue their daily clinical and administrative tasks. Fortunately, this experience did not scare me away from the profession; instead, I feel like it helped prepare me, and I look forward to working in such a challenging environment."

"One of my college jobs was working in a small restaurant near campus. Although the stakes at a restaurant are not as high as in the hospital, the environment was fast-paced at times. I had to juggle customer orders, keep tables clean, helping to cook orders, and do other tasks. This job helped me learn to prioritize tasks and learn to work efficiently. My work as a student nurse extern (SNE) has also taught me to manage the shifting priorities that can come with patient care. As an SNE, if I was in a room to help a patient with their bath, the nurse might have me take the patient's vital signs before starting their hygiene care. There were times that I had to alert my patient's nurse to the patient's high blood pressure, and I observed that getting that blood pressure under control took priority over bathing at that time."