My Future Goals and Scholarship

A person that decides to become a nurse is often driven by a family member, a memorable experience or an innate need to provide a necessary service. For me, there was a childhood dream that was not clearly defined but was based on a strong calling to do something meaningful and equally challenging. As a child of immigrant parents, seeking a solid profession that met my need to help others was a clear path to nursing. Becoming a nurse is far from easy. The education and practice are both challenging to say the least but seeking education and pursuing a more advanced education were both the answer to being a good nurse and providing the best possible care to my patients. The road from RN to BSN in this program, while working as a full-time nurse seemed nearly impossible prior to signing up. However as I near the end of the program, I realize that in my professional growth and development of my own capabilities. I look forward to my future as a nurse and would love to apply the knowledge attained throughout this program to continue to impact patient's lives and the future of nursing as a profession overall.

Technology, education and healthcare have all evolved so much in the past few years. The responsibility of colleges and universities throughout the country have expanded to include the need to meet the challenges of fast changing healthcare and education systems. As a result, schools have had to reconsider the role of the faculty in adapting to the increasingly complex learning environment that is required by the modern day healthcare field (AACN, 1999). /the definition of scholarship has also evolved, requiring academic disciplines that include basics such as history, engineering, social work, psychology, business, and education, among others to redefine the traditional boundaries of scholarship and outline new boundaries to accommodate the changes (Diamond & Adam, 1995; Glassick, Huber, & Maeroff, 1997 as cited in AACN, 1999). Nursing is amongst the professions that seem to be most affected by this because of the rigorous realities and demands of the profession in practice. I've learned throughout my education that the profession not only requires the absorption and understanding of methodologies and historical applications but it also necessitates the continual use of scientific investigation and clinical decision making skills to apply the information in practice, using modern day technology and standards of professional practice. Nurses, especially advanced practice nurses are becoming more active and are assuming more responsibilities within the scope of their education, to function within a complex system that is often designed to reward and promote a narrow definition of successful application and reimbursement. This only outlines that importance and priority for teaching, scholarship, and advocacy that can be easily linked directly to the future of the profession in general.

Throughout the program, learned information, methodologies and newly discovered information has changed my perspective and my approach in many ways. It has also impacted my want to become more involved within the organization and to seek opportunities to impact our community. The future of my position in nursing will certainly involve more advocacy, a more proactive approach to leadership within my organization and perhaps throughout my community. However, this is not the end of my nursing education. As I continue to learn, I would like to continue to gain knowledge, expand on my skills and perhaps seek an even higher degree to use for professional growth in my career. I've also been given a better perspective on the why of many administrative decisions and the reasoning behind changes to protocol that come from administration.

Deciding to become a nurse was an easy decision. It satisfied my need to do something that was helpful to others and had an impact on the lives of others in a positive way. Seeking a higher degree has been the best and most difficult decision of my nursing career. However, it has impacted my understanding, knowledge base and clinical decision making skills a positive way. More importantly, it has reignited my passion for my profession and allowed me to see the true impact of the nursing profession on healthcare and its importance to care delivery overall. As stated by the AACN (1999), higher education may be unique in each setting or school, however the commitment that each college or university takes on to providing a scholarly approach to education, practice, and research truly creates common bonds across the academic nursing community. That bond can also be felt among peers, working together to improve the future of nursing overall. According to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM, as cited in LWW, 2018) nurses have been called to action, to take on a more significant role in America's health care system to help meet its increasingly complex and changing demands. As this profession continues to evolve, becomes increasingly important and takes on more responsibilities in caring for patients and changing the future of healthcare, I too could not be happier to grow professionally with it and have an even greater impact on the lives of others in the future.

References

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). (1999). Defining Scholarship for the Discipline of Nursing. Retrieved from https://www.aacnnursing.org/News-Information/Position-Statements-White-Papers/Defining-Scholarship

Update on Future of Nursing report - Are We There Yet? (2018). Retrieved from http://lippincottsolutions.lww.com/blog.entry.html/2018/02/13/update_on_futureof-q5jh.html

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