NURS 6003 Week 1 Discussion Career Goals: Strengths and Challenges Related to Nursing Practice Competencies

The vast majority of my nursing experience is within the specialty of critical care. I’ve spent the first five years of my career working full-time within a MICU and SICU at a large community hospital NURS 6003 Week 1 Discussion Career Goals: Strengths and Challenges Related to Nursing Practice Competencies. The population we serve is largely composed of minorities such as Hispanic, African-American, and Portuguese. Many are members of the lower to middle working class with approximately 21% of the population living below the poverty line (United States Census Bureau, 2019). The common denominator among these patients is that they are vulnerable populations and as a result have a higher prevalence of chronic illness, medical noncompliance, and drug addiction. NURS 6003 Week 1 Discussion Career Goals: Strengths and Challenges Related to Nursing Practice Competencies. Any of these challenges significantly increase the complexity of nursing care a patient’s chance of finding themselves in an acute care setting.

Of note I did spend some time working within a Level 1 trauma ED at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, a city that faces the same challenges as mine but on a much larger metropolitan level.

When reflecting upon the mission of Walden University I found that it directly applied to my own mission as an advanced practice provider as I endeavor to impact positive social change on a local level within my community(Vision, Mission, and Goals, 2020). I would love to collaborate with local officials and public health professionals in an effort to improve outcomes for vulnerable populations. This principle overlaps the MSN Learning Concepts as we prepare to take the next step in caring for diverse populations within the ever-evolving field of nursing science (Master of science in nursing, 2020). NURS 6003 Week 1 Discussion Career Goals: Strengths and Challenges Related to Nursing Practice Competencies.

U.S. Census Bureau (2019). QuickFacts, New Bedford city, Massachusetts. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/newbedfordcitymassachusetts

Walden University. (n.d.-a). Vision, mission, and goals. Retrieved May 31, 2020, from https://catalog.waldenu.edu/content.php?catoid=172&navoid=59420 NURS 6003 Week 1 Discussion Career Goals: Strengths and Challenges Related to Nursing Practice Competencies

Walden University. (n.d.-b). MSN learning outcomes. Retrieved May 31, 2020, from https://catalog.waldenu.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=172&poid=67151&returnto=59823

NURS 6003 Week 1 Discussion Career Goals: Strengths and Challenges Related to Nursing Practice Competencies

An advanced practice nurse collaborates and communicates with patients, families, doctors, nurses, and specialists to ensure patients receive the care they need. As they diagnose, treat, manage, and educate patients, they are responsible for ensuring patient safety and maintaining ethical behavior. Competencies have been developed to help the advanced practice nurse to understand the practice knowledge, skills, and attitudes they need to be successful NURS 6003 Week 1 Discussion Career Goals: Strengths and Challenges Related to Nursing Practice Competencies.

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For this Discussion, you will examine advanced nursing practice competencies and reflect on your strengths and challenges related to the competencies. In light of your reflection, you will consider how this course may help you attain your career goals or objectives.

To prepare:

Review the Learning Resources for this week, specifically the advanced nursing practice competencies. As you review the competencies, reflect on your own strengths and challenges when working with adults across the lifespan.

By Day 3

Post a summary of your expectations of this course. Also, include a brief explanation of your strengths and challenges as they relate to nursing practice competencies when working with adults. Describe any career goals or objectives this course may help you accomplish in the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) or Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP) role and explain why. Use your research to support your explanations by providing credible and scholarly sources.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.

By Day 6

Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days by offering a suggestion or resources to help your colleagues in addressing their personal strengths or challenges, or their career goals. NURS 6003 Week 1 Discussion Career Goals: Strengths and Challenges Related to Nursing Practice Competencies. Use your research to support your suggestions. Provide at least 3 credible and current scholarly sources.

Note: For this Discussion, you are required to complete your initial post before you will be able to view and respond to your colleagues’ postings. NURS 6003 Week 1 Discussion Career Goals: Strengths and Challenges Related to Nursing Practice Competencies. Begin by clicking on the Post to Discussion Question link and then select Create Thread to complete your initial post. Remember, once you click Submit, you cannot delete or edit your own posts, and you cannot post anonymously. Please check your post carefully before clicking on Submit!

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NURS 6003 Week 1 Discussion Career Goals: Strengths and Challenges Related to Nursing Practice Competencies Discussion – Week 1

Hello Everyone!

My name is xxx and I am currently enrolled in the Acute Care NP track. I have been a nurse for 12 years and very recently transitioned away from the bedside to a Patient Care Manager role. I manage a 33 bed Med/Surg unit in a suburb of Milwaukee. Prior to that, I worked as an Emergency Department RN at the busiest ED in Wisconsin. NURS 6003 Week 1 Discussion Career Goals: Strengths and Challenges Related to Nursing Practice Competencies. I believe that I am very fortunate to have found my calling in the profession of nursing. I take great pride in my practice and believe that we never stop learning. On the personal side, I am married with 4 children between ages 4 and 11, 2 dogs, 1 cat, 1 rabbit, and a tortoise.

To say that my life is busy is an understatement. That is one of the reasons I was drawn to online learning. I appreciate the flexibility I have to log in at any time and complete my posts and assignments. It is that flexibility that will allow me to complete graduate school while my children are young. I completed my BSN through another online university. I was happy with their program but felt that I would be happier pursuing the Acute Care NP track. I wanted to remain in the hospital and continue to care for acutely ill patients. This is what led me to Walden University. I reviewed the program curriculum and felt that I would be able to handle the pace. I spoke to a representative and enrolled within the next few days. NURS 6003 Week 1 Discussion Career Goals: Strengths and Challenges Related to Nursing Practice Competencies.

The mission, vision, and goals of Walden align with my own personal values and goals. I appreciate a “learner-centered approach to education” and the “inquiry/action model of education” (Walden University, 2020). I enjoy working through a problem and having the opportunity to flex my critical thinking skills to find a solution. NURS 6003 Week 1 Discussion Career Goals: Strengths and Challenges Related to Nursing Practice Competencies. I also greatly respect Walden’s social change initiatives. In our current social environment, it is crucial to promote the respectful and empathic treatment of others. “Positive social change results in the improvement of human and social conditions” (Walden University, 2020). This could not be more applicable today and something that speaks to the caregiver in all of us.

My professional and academic goals revolve around wanting to never stop learning and continuing to strive to positively impact the people around me. These are in direct line with the Walden program outcomes and perspectives. I believe that integrity and transparency are essential to practice. I take every opportunity to explain the “why” behind decisions that I make to my nursing staff. I also frequently remind myself that while I may be the manager of my nursing staff, my role is there to support them and enable to them to provide excellent patient care. NURS 6003 Week 1 Discussion Career Goals: Strengths and Challenges Related to Nursing Practice Competencies. As I move through my program track I look forward to gaining a more in depth knowledge of the evidence supported practice and how to apply that knowledge to positively impact those around me.

Another aspect of the Walden program is the scholar-practitioner model. “Scholar practitioner expresses an ideal for professional excellence grounded in theory and research, informed by experiential knowledge, and motivated by personal values, political commitments, and ethical conduct” (McClintock, 2004). I embrace the thought that our practice is a combination of evidence-based practice, personal ethical values, and knowledge based on experience in the field. NURS 6003 Week 1 Discussion Career Goals: Strengths and Challenges Related to Nursing Practice Competencies.

I look forward to beginning this journey with all of you.

References:

McClintock, Charles. (2004). The Scholar-Practitioner Model.

Walden University (2019). College of Health sciences. Retrieved from https://catalog.waldenu.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=149&poid=57398&returnto=48220

Walden University. (2020). Scholar practitioner. Retrieved from waldenu.edu/about/who-we-are/scholar-practitioner NURS 6003 Week 1 Discussion Career Goals: Strengths and Challenges Related to Nursing Practice Competencies