WHY I WANT TO BE AN RN
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
I love helping people! I believe that if I am able to be of assistant to
someone else then I should do it. I am a mother to six children and that is
what made me start thinking about becoming a nurse. I have training as a
Paralegal and could not find work in the area where I live so I started
thinking about myself and my passions and I discovered I had a passion to
help the sick and hurting. I also felt I was missing out on something as a
Paralegal. I started back to school in 2006 and my husband followed the next
semester. We both decided we wanted to give our children a better life and
be a role model to them that education is very important.
I also find it a phenomenal how our bodies work and the way we process so
much information at such a fast rate without us even knowing. I first
started school thinking I could never learn or understand this material ,but
amazing enough with a lot of work and studying I have retained about half,
(ha, ha). I have had wonderful teachers and enjoy learning. I hope to be a
very good nurse with all the training I am receiving now.
Another reason for wanting to become a nurse is job security. We were
homeless six years ago and I know the feeling of desperation and not having
any way to care for my children. I want to be able to provide for them
without any assistance. I believe we should use necessary assistance as a
stepping stone, but not depend on it for the rest of our lives. Most of the
time we don’t realize our real potential until something like that happens
and we have to make a decision to make a chance, and praise God I did and it
is for the better. School and working are very hard work. Trying to raise a
family in the middle of that is even harder but I am dedicated to finishing
school for my family and giving them a better future.
posted in: South Carolina
Lists for the Future
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Walking into a living space is a good representation of a person. If you
were to walk into my personal living space, my dorm room, you would find a
very good representation on me. Band posters, original artwork, and lists
can be observed on all surfaces. Lists are found in my planner, diary,
written on my mirror, and on pieces of paper in my purse and book bag. I
believe that my penchant for a good list shows how goal oriented I am. I
have lists as mundane as a schedule of my day to as important as my career
path. Lists help me to track my progress on any number of things; they help
me plan for both present and future. For instance, I have a list dedicated
to my career course. During sophomore year I would like to continue to
volunteer at the local hospital. The summer after sophomore year I am
planning on participating in the Providence Summer Program at Providence
Hospital in Columbia, South Carolina. The next summer, I plan on an extern
in an Intensive Care Unit. After passing the NCLEX Exam, I plan on working
in a hospital. I hope my experience in a hospital will help me become well
rounded in every area of nursing and health care. Once I have spent a good
amount of time in the hospital I would like to become a Neonatal Nurse.
Next, I plan on going to graduate school to get my masters degree in
Midwifery. Currently, I am working on my requirements for Upper Division at
the University of South Carolina, and doing the best I can in school. I
believe I am a qualified candidate for the CampusRN Scholarship because I am
inspired to become a nurse and have goals to get me where I want to be in my
future.
Originally, I decided to pursue nursing school because my Grandmother. My
grandma was diagnosed with Leukemia in January of 1999, since then she has
had two more battles with the disease, in 2003 and again in 2008. Each time
her moral is beaten down a little more, and her struggle with the grueling
chemotherapy treatments and side effects increases with each passing day.
Without the care of excellent nurses, my grandmother could never have
endured the chemotherapy treatments. She says that because she was in the
hospital so much for various tests, procedures, and therapies the nurses
became her support system, listener, and explainer of all things medical. My
Grandma Marty inspired me to help people like her, who feel alone and
overwhelmed in a hospital, while still giving outstanding medical care.
While I do not believe that Oncology is the field for me, I do believe that
nursing is the field for me. With the CampusRN Scholarship I can pursue my
dream of nursing.
posted in: South Carolina
Possibilities
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
I entered the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program at the University of
South Carolina as a non-BSN idealist. My objective was to obtain the highest
level of knowledge and training offered by nursing educators in order to
make the biggest difference as a nurse. However, I can honestly say that I
did not understand the true potential of the DNP degree. I entered the
program with many questions, yet I accepted my placement with faith that I
would develop a clearer understanding of where I would fit into the nursing
community.
I have completed my first semester (of many) as a DNP student, and so many
of my questions have been answered already. I have gained a comprehensive
understanding of the expectations for those bestowed with the degree and the
opportunities for DNP graduates. At the beginning of this semester, I felt
like I was studying to arm myself with knowledge that would give me an
advantage as a clinical nurse. In addition, I now also believe that the
nursing community has founded a new movement for the future of health care
that involves a much higher level of accountability and responsibility, a
movement which I am profoundly proud of being a part.
As DNPs, we will be responsible for improving outcomes for our patients and
for improving the health care system as a whole. This will happen in many
realms—politically, scientifically, and clinically. DNPs act as leaders by
utilizing research to discover and implement the best practices, thereby
adding to the body of Nursing Science. DNPs also act as liaisons between
academia and practice in order to facilitate communication and
understanding. We will fight for correct and appropriate health care
policies, and we will holistically take responsibility for patient
populations and become experts in designing, implementing, managing, and
evaluating health care delivery systems and patient populations.
The roles for fulfilling these responsibilities are as great as our own
imaginations. This semester, I learned that if we can dream it, it can
happen. During class discussions on “Idea Job Descriptions,” the
examples themselves gave me a better understanding of the breadth of our
options as DNPs. Individual ideas about DNP role fulfillment seemed to fall
on points of a continuum as great as the spectrum of light. Three examples
come to mind. First, the Holistic Health Center Director would provide a
range of culturally competent health care services in one place to encourage
better health care opportunities, and therefore practice, for families and
individuals through convenience. Another example is the Community Clinical
Nurse Specialist. This DNP would provide consultation and comprehensive
outpatient education for patients and families in order to enhance the
patient’s ability to self-manage chronic illness. On the other hand, the
Senior Consultant for Public Health Nursing Practice DNP would work with the
Office of the U.S. Surgeon General and serve as the “voice” for Public
Health Nursing with states, commonwealths, and territories. As the class
explored this particular job description, it quickly became unanimous that
the position of the U.S. Surgeon General itself reflects the principles and
standards of nursing.
Despite the great differences in the DNP approach to practice as cited
above, the common and unifying thread underlying all of these job
descriptions seems to be one of protectorship. With the knowledge gained
though this program at USC, the DNP will be able to guide, influence, and
nurture health care, thereby assuming a protective and pro-active position
over the populations they serve.
I personally have a lot of work to do before I will know where I fit in as
a DNP. However, I know that wherever I end up, it will be with those ideals
in mind. I expect that part of my DNP journey will include figuring that
out.
I entered this program perhaps wildly idealistic, and I find that I am
still that idealist at heart. This first semester has helped me to focus
that idealism and really understand where I might be in five years. I will
be a nurse with great skills and the wonderful opportunity to help more than
I ever imagined was possible. The University of South Carolina DNP program
will help me to become one of THE leaders in nursing, in all senses of the
word—politically, scientifically, and clinically.
I look forward to the challenges and the opportunities that the next five
years will bring. Thank you for your consideration for the CampusRN
Scholarship.
posted in: South Carolina
My journey into nursing
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
It has been my dream to be a nurse. I started in the healthcare field 15
years ago as a CNA, and have loved taking care of people. I couldn’t
imagine doing any other job. I have been working full time and going to
school part time for the past five years because this was the only way to
earn this degree. I am now in my second semester in clinical. It has been a
long and hard journey to get here as I am a single parent with three
children. I have learned so much just in the type of work I do. I wanted to
take it a step further and become an educated person who could not only
provide patient care but someone who could understand and teach the patient
who was very ill. I wanted to understand the disease processes and what I
can do to help my client feel better. My ultimate goal is to work for
Hospice. I feel that everyone needs someone to help them when the journey is
over. Someone who will hold their hand and try to help them through their
fears. My goal is to provide the best care to not only the patient in this
condition but also to family. I know I can be a nurse, my hope is that I can
be the kind of nurse that others feel comfortable with and someone who has
done everything possible to enhance the patients life.
posted in: South Carolina