You will interview a person in your selected healthcare field outside of class. This assignment may take several days: first identify a person and set up an interview. Ask him/her about the job opportunities available for this position. Ask what kind of healthcare site does s/he work in (e.g., hospital, clinic), and what support does s/he experience to help stay up-to-date and informed about the profession. For instance, how does s/he earn continuing education credits or maintain licensure? How is his/her work evaluated? That is, how does s/he know what s/he is doing well and how does s/he know what s/he should be improving? What does s/he find most fulfilling and most challenging in the profession?
Develop a list of interview questions. This list may include the following:
1. Describe the activities in a typical day in your job.
2. How many hours do you work in a typical week?
3. Tell me about your background, including education and experience.
4. What kind of people do you work with? Who do you serve? Who are your colleagues?
5. Why are you interested in this particular field?
6. What do you enjoy most about your job?
7. What skills--such as communication and problem solving--are most important in your field? Describe a situation in which you use these skills.
8. Describe a challenging situation you've had in your job.
9. Describe your relationship with your patients or clients.
10. If I were interested in pursuing your career, what classes do you think I should be taking in high school? What extracurricular activities should I pursue?
11. What other healthcare professionals do you work with?
After completing an interview, write a minimum of two page summary of your findings. This summary should include general information about the profession, personal anecdotes, and the characteristics necessary to work in that health field.