I.Discuss the personal qualities and attributes that you think will be useful as well as those that you feel need further development in preparation for the nursing profession.
Nursing–more than a profession indeed, is a calling to be of selfless service to humanity, an advocacy which centers in the care of individuals, families, communities and populations with its core focusing on alleviation of pain and suffering through protection, health promotion, wellness and disease prevention. Our practice has undeniably undergone series of radical changes which necessitates practicing nurses to continually seek education to keep up with the recent advancements taking place in the field thereby, maintaining patient safety and maximizing high quality administration of care in a widely diverse setting. I foresee nursing as a complex art that requires compassion, ethics, intuition and empathy. High standards of professionalism, never ending diligence, solid stamina, ability to mitigate problems quickly, careful attention to detail, a composed mind and calm attitude in emergency situations, empathetic disposition–the list could go on and on when we speak of personal attributes that makes one an exceptional nurse, these qualities are however, not an asset but are rather compulsory in our chosen field. Indeed, one must possess intricate qualities such as these not only to ensure patients’ optimal level of care but more importantly to aid nurses who plan to keep the practice in a long term basis.
I believe I wouldn’t have chosen this path had I not possess all those standards as many seem to only pursue the course for the merits that goes along with it. These day and age tho, I personally think the nursing studies has become too academic that it fells short in preparing nurses in the realities of the profession, leaving the most vital qualities such as exceptional listening and speaking skills, compassion and caring nature, seemingly neglected. I know for a fact that the rest of my work depends so much on these factors. It is quite impossible for nurses like me, to solve problems if they’re unable to effectively communicate with patients and families. In most settings, patients expect us to understand their concerns perfectly well before administration of therapeutics. Truly, an effective nurse is one who can not only fulfill, but also anticipate patients’ needs. I understand that a huge part of our practice depends so much on scientific premises but sometimes, I personally take for granted the necessity to have the art to communicate and empathize. I look forward to not only honing professional skills through advanced studies but more importantly, to have the humility to address concerns that gets in the way of compassionate nursing–including the innate caring nature expected of us, active listening, and valuing patients concerns that’s long been overlooked due to inevitable circumstances on clinical settings. Sometimes, we concentrate more on the science of our profession failing to realize we have taken for granted the tangible effects of empathy and compassion.
More than a skilled nurse who accurately medicates and attentively attends to patients’ needs based on up to date studies and advancements, sometimes a nurse with a compassionate and caring nature is what they need as it provides a sense to them that their condition and concerns matter, recognized and more importantly, acted upon. I plan to use this realization to strengthen current innovations in health care programs in congruence to our institution’s mission statement.
II.Provide your own definition of cultural competence, ethical sensitivity, leadership and life-long learning as well as how you may incorporate these concepts in your professional practice.Central to services rendered by all health care professionals are cultural competence and ethical decision making–two separate, yet intrinsically interrelated concepts. I, as a health care advocate understands fully how professional morality is inherent to the health care practice and that I should have an ethical obligation to respect cultural differences in all health care settings. Cultural competence and ethical sensitivity from my perspective, is becoming aware of how culture influences individual behavior and thinking which enables one to plan not only the best care but an approach suitable to patients. Awareness of the rules of interactions within a specific cultural group, such as custom patterns and communication methods, familial lineage, and spiritual leanings, will help one better understand the behavior of patients. Which is why, as an aspiring carer, who is set to serve varied diverse populations, I should be able to acknowledge multiculturism and how it’s deeper than just ethnicity and race. It is not just having conscious effort to not only recognize but apprehend how culture affects individuals behavior and mentality. I must develop existing skills to interrelate and communicate with patients and families from varied cultures with a myriad of cultural and linguistic factors, and should be able to communicate appropriately, both verbally and non-verbally, in each culturally different context. I plan to have this hurdled through self awareness of my own unique culture and take this to be a an initial step towards cultural competence which will eventually allow me as a health care professional to align best care plan to my patients.
Leadership is now considered to be fundamental to nursing. Nurses are now expected to act as leaders not only exclusive to clinical setting but across variety of settings. I believe there should be a shift in mentality of the way many see leadership on our field of practice– from seeing leadership as a dominance-and-command approach, to seeing leadership as the responsibility of all and working together as a team to work across wellness facets and other boundaries in the best interests of our patients. I understand how adequate training and rigorous preparation is essential to prepare nurses, like me for this role given that, leadership in nursing is considered as very crucial factor in promoting health as it caters the unique health needs of the people by providing safe and quality care. Nurses’ leadership skills should always be client oriented as it works for the best interests of our patients. I plan on using my innovative and critical thinking skills to influence patients, their families and other health care professionals in achieving positive health outcomes. I hope to empower patients by actively engaging them in care through informed choices on treatment plans or by simply seeking for their suggestions on how to better promote their health in unavoidable circumstances evident in how debilitating diseases often causes patients to feel powerless and devoid of strength, leaving them under the impression that they are useless.
Additionally, I wish to further establish some personal characteristics which I know are deemed to promote my leadership qualities in the years to come, such as openness and the motivation to lead others. They say excellent nurses are always on the lookout for new , challenging and better opportunities to enable growth in their career, I say, nurses should continue learning throughout their careers. The need to stay up-to-date on patient care, health care trends, treatments and techniques arise in response to the fast paced rate of progress in technology. Practices and theories we have learn in nursing school several years back might already be obsolete in the years to come which is why nurses poses major risk in endangering patients lives when we become outdated in learning. Hence, the importance of life long learning. When I decided to become a nurse, I knew for a fact that my dedication would be challenged to a certain extent as learning doesn’t end upon commencement ceremonies. I knew how continuous learning is the lifeline and backbone of this chosen profession. I understand how nurses with a higher level of education are able to think more critically of their patients as they are likely to have gained confidence from up to date learnings. I wish to prosper into that kind of professional who is able to aid in diagnosis, notice patterns in communication, and other physical cues that would help in determining the best course of treatment for my patients. Advancements in medical treatment is growing at an exponential rate and continues to challenge our profession, a challenge I wholeheartedly accept as I embark on this journey of unlearning to learn more, all for the welfare of patients.
III.Discuss how a graduate education in nursing will impact your future career goals.Although employment prospects are good for all nursing professionals, it is undeniable that those who pursued higher degrees have a greater number of career choices and there will be far more career advancement opportunities awaiting them. Nursing is a truly inspiring and thoroughly rewarding career like no other, however, for all of the amazing things we experience on a daily basis, there are also tough parts to deal with, like stress, long hours and the obvious struggle to balance work shift and family time–this drawbacks make it increasingly difficult for us nurses to hold on to our career in the clinical setting as we age. I have considered these when I weighed my decision to pursue graduate studies and a number of factors stood out the most: increased autonomy, career stability, increased work flexibility and of course a sense of pride as a degree confers a certain level of prestige. I believe this decision will take me to varied paths that are all equally promising to look at. Firstly, administrative roles because let’s face it one can’t tell how much longer you can keep up with the physical demands of the job. Another one would be to become a nurse educator, it would be exciting to serve as mentor to younger generation of nurses and to actively partake on keeping this profession’s level of excellence. Lastly, a health care leader, who engages in management duties such as quality control and ensures standards of safe practice are met. Either among these would be utterly rewarding. Our industry is set to face demands of an aging population and nursing shortage, hence the need of nurses with advanced disciplines and degrees as they may be instrumental in nurturing and honing new generation of much needed nurses.