Exploring Careers: Psychiatrist, Neonatal Nurse, Preschool Teacher

Careers: Psychiatrist, Neonatal Nurse, Preschool Teacher

The three careers I chose to do my research paper on were a psychiatrist, neonatal nurse, and a preschool teacher. I chose one of my careers to be a psychiatrist. I chose this career because I find things having to do with the mind interesting. I find psychology in general interesting and I would love to take part in a career that has to do with it. I also consider being a preschool teacher because I like children and I think I would enjoy the job. For me, it would be quite enjoyable to come to work everyday to teach younger children with the use of arts and crafts which I enjoy to do. Finally, I chose the job as a neonatal nurse because I enjoy taking care of babies and I would love

to help the families of a baby who may be in danger. While researching these three jobs, I learned some things that I didn’t know beforehand.
A psychiatrist is responsible for analyzing a patient's mental health and helping them treat and cope with that. Psychiatrists are responsible for prescribing medicines such as antidepressants, tranquilizers, and antipsychotics. A psychiatrist typically meets with the client first to evaluate where they are at. This could include talking about what is going on, possibly a physical exam, or laboratory tests. (Ferguson, PAGE NUMBER ) Psychiatrists must be emotionally stable so they can help their patients. According to pacareerzone, psychiatrists must be able to listen well with others considering a good ear would help solve or help the problem the patient is going through. Also, they need to have perception, reasoning, compassion, and stress tolerance. To gain listening skills, you need to focus on what the person is saying. You can’t just blank them out because you need to know what is going on to help them. Remember why you are there working as a psychiatrist. This will help you better with your stress tolerance. With logical reasoning, it takes practice. Also, read up on the topic. I feel as if my personality does fit to be a psychiatrist because I feel like I listen to others well when they need help with something. I also am open and not so quick to judge others. I am also interested in things that have to do with the mind and psychological aspects. According to study.com, a bachelor's degree is typically required in this type of occupation. A Doctor of Medicine degree is required which is a four year program which focuses on anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, psychology, and medical ethics. After medical school is completed, many aspiring psychiatrists decide to get a clinical residency which provides more training in the psychiatric field. Finally, psychiatrists must be licensed by the medical board they would like to work with. (Psychiatrist Education Requirements) Biology and sociology are two high school courses you could take to get a little knowledge on psychiatry and how things work. According to pacareerzone.org, the average annual wage for a psychiatrist is $192,730. (Wages) There are a few obstacles that you could face while having this type of occupation. If you are not a very good listener, psychiatry would not be for you. You cannot be so quick to conclusions and you must listen to what they have to say or you will not be able to solve the problems they are facing. Psychiatrists also go through a lot of stress. There are many hours put into it including having many appointments in a day. There can also be physical threats if the patient becomes violent. I found on eLibrary that 20% of children and adolescents in the world have mental disorders or problems. At age fourteen, mental disorders can typically begin. Also, half the time psychiatrists are typically working with long term patients. (Psychiatry) I feel as if my personality does fit to be a psychiatrist because I feel like I listen to others well when they need help with something. I also am open and not so quick to judge others. I am also interested in things that have to do with the mind and psychological aspects.
The next job I researched was a neonatal nurse.

A neonatal nurse is responsible for providing care to newborns up to the first month after birth. Neonatal nurses duties vary. Some neonatal nurses are there in the hospital room when the baby is born and are responsible for cleaning the baby, visually assessing it, and pricking the newborn's heel to get a blood sample to send off to get tested. Neonatal nurses could also help care for the newborn in the mother’s hospital room. Also, neonatal nurses can care for babies who were born prematurely or those who are born with an illness or a disease. Typically, advanced neonatal nurses are those who carry out these tasks. Finally, specialized neonatal nurses are those who care for newborns who are at risk babies who require more care than the usual. For example, these nurses could be using ventilators, incubators, or possibly even surgery. An infant’s life is in your hands. You are responsible for the care of the child. (Ferguson, PAGE NUMBER) To take part in this type of job, you must enjoy working with newborn and their families considering that is majority of the job. You must have patience because it can be a process to save the life of an infant, but you must keep at it. You must be able to communicate with the families of the ill infants because they could have many questions about what is wrong with their baby. You must work quite long hours, which most of the time you are on you are feet. Also, you must be able to act

quickly because time is very important when it comes to this type of job. As little as a second could cost you. (Ferguson, PAGE NUMBER) To become patient, you must have a change of attitude against the certain thing. When you are impatient, just relax and remember why you wanted to take part in this type of job. Things take time. You have to understand that caring for a baby requires a lot of patience. Keep a positive outlook when you find yourself becoming impatient. To improve your communication skills, you should listen. Listening is a major part of communication. If you listen to all a person is saying, you should be able to comment on at least one thing they are saying. You should learn not to interrupt others while they are talking. Just let them get out everything they are wanting to say before responding. It is said that reaction time is given genetically. On learnhowtobecome.org, I found out that having a bachelor's degree is one of the best degrees to get considering it can help you get a job easier and much faster. Next, licensure is required for everyone who wants to become a neonatal nurse. Nurses must complete a nursing program and must take an authorization test. Some hospitals require prior experience with children and infants to begin working. Because of this, some nursing schools offer internships before graduation. Optionally, one could become certified. (Steps to Become a Neonatal Nurse) Some high school courses you could take to prepare could be anatomy physiology, biology, chemistry, health, and mathematics. I found on canadianpainsummit2012.ca, the average salary is around $60,000 a year. (5 Interesting Facts..) Death is something neonatal nurses have to deal with quite often. This could take a toll on a person who could not stand to see the death of an infant. Also, stress could be a major part in the job considering you must always be aware of what is going on around you and you must make sure everything is going right. It’s a hard task, but to have this job, you must be able to handle that type of stress. I also learned on canadianpainsummit2012.ca that you do not have to be certified to become a neonatal nurse, though it gives you a better chance to get a job if you are certified because certification is a good thing to have. Also, there are three levels of care units. Level one is the level where babies aren’t in any danger and they are alright. The second level is quite popular with premature babies. Level three is where situations are more severe. Babies on this level need constant care. (5 Interesting Facts..)
The last job I researched was a preschool teacher.

According to americasjobexchange.com, these teachers are responsible for young children and teaching them simple things that will build into much greater skills. You are responsible for making sure the children are safe and comfortable, making nutritious snacks, and creating arts and crafts. To be a preschool teacher, you must have patience with the children. Children can be quite the handful, but you must remain patient. Also, you should have some creativity. Creativity will engage the minds of the young children. Children will not want to sit and do nothing boring. Getting creative will help them learn basic skills at ease. You must have a warm/gentle personality since you are working with young children. You also should have excellent problem solving skills. If something goes wrong, you need to know how to handle it. (Jelena & Elizabeth, 4) One may ask how to acquire these types of skills; practice, practice, practice. To remain patient, take deep, slow breaths. Also, you could try to force yourself to slow down. The children may get out of hand, but you must remain calm with kids. If you aren’t the most creative person, you could look up online creative ideas to engage the minds of a child. For example, pinterest is a great place you could go for ideas. To gain excellent problem solving skills, you could volunteer at a childcare center and see what it is like to be a preschool teacher. Step in if something happens. See

if you would be able to solve the problem. Babysitting is also a great way to gain problem solving skills. College degrees are typically required. The type of post-secondary training really depends on which state you are in. Some states require bachelor's degrees, others with just a high school diploma. You may have to be certified through the CDA. (Jelena & Elizabeth, 7) Some high school courses you could take to get an insight on the job would be child development and arts. Child development would be a good course to take because you get to see how children are and how their minds work. Taking art classes would also be good because you sort of have to be creative when it comes to young children. The average salary is $35,000. Some obstacles would be stress, can be frustrating, and children could get angry. Stress could be a major part of this job. You are constantly looking after children who could get way out of hand. That can be very stressful taking care of many children who are not listening. It can also be frustrating if the children aren’t listening, but you cannot snap on them considering they are very young and that’s basically the job. On pacareerzone.org I found out a preschool teacher's job outlook is going up 1.40% yearly. (Outlook) Also, preschool can lower the chance of teen pregnancy. The last unknown fact I found was that the US is behind on almost every other country on preschool student enrollment.
After researching these careers, I found that I wouldn’t be very interested in being a preschool teacher. I feel as if I would not be able to make a living from it. I would still like to continue out my interest in psychology because I still find things having to do with the mind very interesting. I’m not sure if I would like to become a neonatal nurse because the job seems quite difficult. There would be too much stress if I had that job. It’s a life or death situation for the babies and I don’t think I would enjoy seeing sick infants.