Intern Ashley Burks- Wesley Medical Center/Children's Mercy Hospital (Wichita, KS)

Hi, my name is Ashley Burks. I’m from Colwich and I currently attend Andale High School. I am a senior intern, which is a new program at Andale High School that offers students the opportunity to experience some daily tasks in their desired career choice. I have three brothers and I plan to attend Wichita State University next fall. In my free time, I enjoy spending quality time with my family, going on walks, and shopping. I’m extremely close to my dad and Fall is my favorite season by far. Overall, I’m excited, yet nervous for my internships.

I am interning at Wesley Medical Center and Children’s Mercy Hospital for pediatrics. Since I was in middle school, I have wanted to become a nurse that specializes in pediatrics. I have been working as a CNA for 6 months now and have experienced many things that relate to my internship and that I can transfer to my career choice. I already have some experience in this specific work environment. I believe empathy is a very important personality trait an individual could have, going into the healthcare/medical environment.

I chose this career because babies have always been special to me and I have been around them for many years. Recently, my baby brother was born and being able to be included in that was truly amazing and it just reminded me how certain I am of pursuing a career that involves the care for babies and young children. The median annual wage for registered nurses in 1997 was $41,400 and the median hourly wage was $18.88. However, some 30 percent of all registered nurses earn between $40,000 and $50,000 and another 16 percent earn from $50,000 to $89,000.

Reaching this rewarding but challenging career goal of mine will be difficult but well worth it. To become a labor and delivery nurse, it is required that you have either an associate’s degree in nursing, a bachelor’s degree in nursing, or a nursing diploma from an accredited nursing school. The next step is becoming an RN and passing the NCLEX-RN and gaining hands on work experience in labor and delivery. The final step is to obtain certification.

I hope to learn about more basics of nursing and hope to experience an understanding of how to assist with complications in the delivery room. I also hope to be able to identify some complications a mother could possibly experience throughout her pregnancy. I am very excited to see what being part of the hospital system would entail.

I’m mostly nervous for these internships because of my shyness, but for the most part I’m excited to experience an internship and to be a part of something new at Andale High and also to make sure pediatrics is something I want to pursue in for a career.

Some personality traits that I display, that are beneficial to this career is carrying well communication skills, compassion, patience, and critical-thinking skills. I grew a lot of patience working with the elderly at a nursing home. Working at a nursing home and interacting with my residents has made me appreciate what I’m doing and has made me aware of what it is like to approach death. I believe the best thing an individual can do is being a positive figure in someone’s life, doctor or not, and working in a hospital setting will be a great opportunity for me to do so. I believe that I am skilled in prioritizing individual’s needs and cope well with a fast-paced, stressful environment.  

I plan to attend Wichita State University next fall while living at home and also to get accepted into the nursing program at WSU. Given the rapidly aging population and need for increasing health services, the demand for all levels of nursing services is expected to grow. Specific labor and delivery nurse job duties include, providing support for the mother during labor, monitoring the fetal heart rate, measuring the strength and timing of contractions, and the mother’s vital signs. They care for women during labor and childbirth and provide medical information to mothers and families and also assist doctors. Being a labor and delivery nurse, you will prepare women and their families for the stages of giving birth and help patients with breastfeeding after the baby is born. Becoming a neonatal nurse would be my second choice, career wise.

The internship training curriculum at Children’s Mercy Hospital is individually designed according to the goals of the overall program and the entry skills and objectives of the interns. Each intern is required to meet overall program goals in terms of general didactic and clinical experience. Wesley is the hospital of choice for thousands of people in Kansas and northern Oklahoma.

I am honored to be a part of this class and very excited for the opportunities. This will be a very eye opening experience.