Personal Philosophy of Nursing: Career Plans, Changes, and Lifelong Learning

Revised Career Plans Based on Future Trends

Task:

Think way back to your Personal Philosophy of Nursing paper that you wrote in the very first RN BSN nursing course N3345 Transition to Professional Nursing.

Answer these three questions in a short essay style paper (2-3 pages) plus a cover page (see grading rubric for specifics).

1.  Describe how your 2, 5, and 10 year career plan may have changed since you started the RN BSN program based on  future trends and opportunities identified in your chosen area of focus (administration, education or clinical practice). Be sure to include at least 2 specific examples of how your behaviors, attitudes, and practices have changed and why.

2. How have you expanded or changed your personal philosophy of nursing since you started the RN BSN program? Include insights and at least 2 specific examples of how your behaviors, attitudes, and/or practices have changed regarding role of the professional nurse as a result of the RN BSN program.

3.  Would you describe yourself as a lifelong learner?  Why?

As I finish my journey with the BSN program, I look to the next chapter of my life and what it will bring. Currently I am less than two weeks away from graduation and I have work for an RN medical unit at the hospital.

The first class that must be taken at UTA is the Transition to Professional Nursing class. In this class we were asked to write out our plans at two, five, and ten years. My goals were to “finishing my BSN this spring and accept a position with the Veterans Administration working with mental health and PTSD. In the next 5 years I plan on finishing my PHD and be a nurse practitioner and specialize with PTSD soldiers. In 10 years, I plan to be able to still be working and caring about my patients as much as I do today”.

Today I am making these goals come true. I am currently doing the onboarding process with the Veterans Administration and should start in a month. So, I have achieved my two-year goal early. My new two-year goal is to obtain my mental health nurse practitioner degree and continue to work with the VA. My new five-year goal is to transition into leadership with in the VA and provide mental health and substance abuse care at the highest standard. My ten-year plan has now changed to running my department and being able to make true changes in standards of care.

As I have grown, my goals have grown. When I first started this program I just wanted to finish because it was a requirement to my job. I kept asking myself why I needed to take some of these classes, what else about nursing was I going to learn. As I went through these courses, I found myself having many ah-ha moments. Learning about diverse populations and why healthcare is set up differently. Understanding how difficult it is to create a study and controlling it and why evidence-based practice is so important. I learned that simple things like checking health histories can be difficult if you do not understand your patients’ culture. The thing that I learned most was that I have changed My understanding of patients and healthcare have changed since the start of this program. I have learned that leadership and management is an important part of nursing. I have learned that nurse research is a slow process, but what is learned from these studies saves lives. I have learned that by continuing my education and gaining a better understanding of patients, providers, and administration I am able to be the lynch pin that can help hold all together. I am proud to be a nurse and I have a new respect for my profession. I will carry these new skills and this understanding as I continue to grow as a nurse and a student. I look forward to continuing this journey.