One of the best ways to fit in at your first job is to talk to people, to learn about their lives outside of the hospital walls. Do they have children? Where did they go to school? Do they root for a favorite sports team? How do they relieve stress? The answers to some of these questions can create connections and lay the foundation for a great friendship. Today, we sit down with a new nurse from Ohio to hear about CSI, microbiology, and The Cheesecake Factory.

A few months ago, occasional Stressed Out columnist Sarah Jane Haynes wrote a piece on the top 10 things she wished she knew before becoming an RN. Now, she takes us inside her life in southwest Ohio.

In five words or less, why did you want to be a nurse?
Help others

What one thing do you need to do everyday before your first class/work?
Make sure you eat a good breakfast before your first class because that will help set you up to be successful.

What are your favorite color scrubs?
Buckeye scarlet and gray!!!

What’s the toughest class you took at nursing school?
Microbiology, just because I really don’t like science all that much. And, it was just over my head half of the time.

When you need to relieve stress, what do you do?
I workout at the gym and walk my pup. Of course, on occasion, I do indulge in dessert from The Cheesecake Factory.

To read the entire story (plus a whole lot more!), please click here.