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Four years ago, my family and I experienced a huge scare when my father had a myocardial infarction right before our eyes. We rushed him to the hospital where he was admitted and eventually had open heart surgery. I practically lived in a hospital room for 16 days when my and that is where my passion for the nursing profession grew. The compassion, love, and dedication that the nurses possessed were the exact qualities I was looking for in a career, it was my calling. I immediately made it my short-term goal to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). I was physically and mentally prepared to take on this new task, knowing that it was going to take all of my effort and commitment. The purpose of this paper is to outline my future career goals as a new graduate nurse and the important steps that will take place in order to properly transition to a professional nursing role.
Transition into the Professional Nursing Role
Transitioning into the professional nursing role is a process that requires time and patience. My plan is to practice nursing in the state of Florida but to obtain the nursing license by examination, there is a set of guidelines that the Florida Board of Nursing sets in order to officially become a registered nurse (RN). According to Section 464.008, minimum requirements include, graduating from a Florida approved and accredited institution, graduation from an Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredited nursing program that has been issued and National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), (Florida Board of Nursing, 2019), and Graduation from a nursing education program that is approved or recognized by the jurisdiction in which it is based and that has been issued an NCLEX code by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), (Florida Board of Nursing, 2019). Once the applicant has met the standards set by the board of nursing, they must pay the fee that is required, complete a background check, and undergo live fingerprinting. After that has been completed, they are all set to take the exam.
It may be difficult trying to find employment as a new graduate nurse with no experience but it is not impossible. Using the career care portal, there are several employers and institutions looking to hire registered nurses through residency programs and even straight to a unit. The Baptist Health System in Miami is one of the facilities where I practiced the most throughout my clinical experience at Chamberlain. Baptist Hospital offers employment to new graduates through the completion of their residency program which has proven to be extremely effective in the transition of becoming a professional practicing RN. At Baptist, motivators include the salary the nurses get as well as the enhanced working conditions, newer equipment, and health benefits (2018). Other facilities that have expressed an interest in hiring new BSN graduates include the Memorial Health System and HCA hospitals such as Aventura and University Hospital also through the completion of their staRN residency program. Motivators for these graduate residency programs include a guaranteed job at the hospital they are getting the training and filling the knowledge gaps that we lack when we are transitioning from a student to the practicing nurse. A detractor for these programs may be that contracts might have to be signed and you are required to stay at the institution for a certain amount of years depending on the agreement and are limited to advancing in your career to another facility that may be offering a better position.
Holistic Life Balance
A holistic approach to balancing personal life with the professional aspect of my career is considering myself as a whole person, body, mind, spirit, and emotions (Sharoff, 2016). I plan to balance my personal and professional life similar to how I have been ever since I began nursing school giving my career the time it requires as well as my family and personal life the time they need as well. Unfortunately, it may be difficult at first trying to balance and handle so many different changes at once including adapting to a new job, new peers, and new policies and protocols. During my first year as a professional practicing nurse, I will be seeking guidance and counseling from colleagues and mentors to help me successfully transition into the next phase of my career. At five years, I expect my patient care experience as well as my time management skills and personal life balance to be mastered and my next career goal would be to already be working on my Masters Degree of Nursing in Education (MSN-Ed). I plan to obtain my MSN-Ed the same way I received my Associates and Bachelors studying, hands on practice, reading, dedication, and being applied in my studies.
Stressors and Challenges
During the first year of my professional nursing career I expect that one of the stressors and challenges that I will be facing as a new graduate will be trying to find employment without prior experience or getting accepted into a residency program. Once finding employment, adapting to a new facility, protocols, and peers can be challenging but through the help and support of my resources, family, friends, and mentors, I will be able to have a smooth and successful transition. Within five years, I plan to be in graduate school and one of the challenges I will definitely be facing will be planning a family and adjusting living away from home with my significant other all while juggling finishing my degree. Patience, perseverance, and commitment are key factors that I will need possess in order to go through this next phase of my professional career.
Lifelong Learning
Anyone in the medical profession whether it be doctors, nurses, or assistive personnel continue to learn throughout their career because the medical field is ever-changing. New equipment, medications, and treatments develop on a daily basis and we have to be up to date with the new evidence based research. Whether it is my first year or my tenth year in the nursing profession, I will continue to read, research, and ask questions about new innovations, tests, and therapies. Specialty certifications that I also plan to obtain include Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), and Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN). This will be accomplished through taking courses and hands on experience with scenarios specialized to the specific certification (Hendrickx, 2017).
Professional Contributions
One of the contributions that I will be providing during my whole career is promoting education and sharing my knowledge and experience with patients and their families, students, my loved ones, strangers. I want to be that nurse that students look up to when doing rotations and really making a difference in their clinical experience, considering that I plan to pursue my masters degree in nursing education.
Conclusion
I can wholeheartedly say that nursing school was a mentally, emotionally, and physically draining commitment that I made with myself but it has been definitely worth it. The amount of skills, knowledge, and judgement that I have developed in the past two years has shown me how much I have grown personally and professionally and I feel completely confident in my skills and transitioning to a practicing RN. Completing nursing school is only the beginning of the plans I have for my professional path. I have set high standards and goals that I plan to accomplish through the help of my resources but most importantly of my loved ones who have shown me unconditional love and support.
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