- There's a lot about being a nurse that many people outside of healthcare don't understand.
- To find out more about the profession, Business Insider spent a day shadowing Czarina Cecilio, a registered nurse at Weill Cornell Medicine's Multiple Myeloma Center in New York City.
- Cecilio said the best part of her job was the flexibility, and the relationships she forms with the patients
- However, because one of the drugs needed in the treatment is facing a national shortage, Cecilio spends a lot of time on the phone with manufacturers and drug providers.
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Nursing is one of the fastest-growing professions in the country - yet many nurses have told Business Insider that people outside of healthcare aren't aware of the long hours they work. Others said they receive judgmental comments about being "just" a nurse.
To help debunk some misconceptions about the job, I decided to find out what nurses really do in a day.
I shadowed Czarina Cecilio, a 33-year-old registered nurse at Weill Cornell Medicine's Multiple Myeloma Center in New York City. She treats patients with myeloma, a type of bone-marrow cancer.
Shadowing Cecilio was challenging, as I was not allowed to interfere with patient care. I couldn't see Cecilio discuss patient treatment, a main part of her job. But I did notice that Cecilio was on her feet most of the day assisting patients, and she was constantly getting asked questions by the oncologist, secretary, patients, and other nurses.
I learned that not only did Cecilio have to know the ins and outs of myeloma treatment for her patients, she was constantly managing interpersonal relationships around the clinic. And because one of the drugs needed in the treatment is facing a national shortage, Cecilio spends a lot of time on the phone with manufacturers and drug providers.
Here's what it's like to be a registered nurse at a cancer clinic in New York City.
