After More Than A Decade In His Second Career, Aging Registered

Soon after, I received my licensure and began working at The Queen's Medical Center as a Registered Nurse (RN) in early part of 1994. Since becoming a RN, I have provided care to a great deal of patients and reassured countless numbers of family members. As a RN, I've also become the coordinator of care, patient advocate, and teacher to the patients I cared for while serving as the eyes and the ears of the physicians. As with any human, I enjoyed sharing the laughter with my patient and cringed at site of their pain and despair. For these reasons, I believe that being a RN is a great career choice for me. However, for these same reasons, I still feel that I am not a complete nurse; hence I've decided to go back to school and try to earn my Bachelor in Science Degree in Nursing

Healthcare systems and the way safe, quality health care is delivered are continually changing to better serve patients and communities. Professional nursing practice is a large component in the healthcare system today. Back in the 1960s, professional nursing leaders tried to adopt the bachelor degree programs as the only educational track to become a registered nurse (Creasia & Friberg, 2011). Due to nursing shortages and demands this motive did not hold fast. Individuals entering the nursing profession today must first decide which educational pathway to take to become a Registered Nurse (RN).

The national shortage of Registered Nurses (RNs) has helped generate formidable interest in the nursing profession among people entering the workforce and those pursuing a career change. According to a report issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service in 2002, the national population is continuing to grow and age and medical services continue to advance, so the need for nurses will continue to increase. They report from 2000 to 2020 the predicted shortage of nurses is expected to grow to 29 percent, compared to a 6 percent shortage in 2000. With the projected supply, demand, and shortage of registered nurses and nursing salaries ever-increasing, the nursing profession can offer countless opportunities. But first one must

A nursing theory allows the nursing profession to define and differentiate nursing care practice from other professional disciplines. The work of Patricia Benner has been crucial in setting a stage to standardize education and career progression for the nursing profession. The nursing care practice has been changing exponentially since the development of the theory From Novice to Expert. It has enabled facilities across the nation to achieve a higher level of patient care due to its ability to identify the needs of each of the stages of a professional nurse’s career progression.

Nursing can be a demanding career, but the benefits far much outweigh the challenges. Most importantly, it’s the rewards it offers by allowing an opportunity to make a difference in another person’s life through the provision of care when they need it. Just as Patricia Benner theorized in her book “Novice to Expert,” nursing encompasses both educational knowledge and extensive clinical experience acquired throughout one’s career. This far, I continue to acquire knowledge and clinical knowhow which will promote proper and efficient care to patients. Since I began practicing one year ago in a long-term healthcare facility, I have interacted with patients, families, physicians and other members of the healthcare team to coordinate patient’s care which has enabled me to gain confidence in myself. While I cannot deny that it was difficult to transition from a student to a licensed nurse, I learnt to overcome these challenges and focus on my strengths. Practicing as an LPN has provided a platform to learn and gain experience even though the duties and responsibilities are limited by the scope of practice.

Key Message #2: “Nurses should achieve higher levels of education and training through an improved education system that promotes seamless academic progression.” (Institute of Medicine, 2010, p. 163) As the IOM reports, changes in the health care system are requiring major changes in the nursing education requirements to meet the immediate needs of our patients. Nurses need to understand the importance of obtaining a higher level of education so that they can practice to their fullest

Throughout the history of nursing, nurses made vast strides to help it grow into the profession it is known to be today. Without clearly defined education and roles, the role of caring for the sick aimlessly moved amongst different groups of people from deaconesses, knights, nuns, and inmates until institutions were established for organized teaching programs. Today, individuals are eligible to take the Registered Nurse (RN) licensure test as soon as they complete the minimum of an Associates Degree in Nursing. However, there has been an increasing push for “making the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), or equivalent degree, the standard for entry-into-practice” (Altmann, 2011). Aiken et al. reported that recent studies indicate a decrease in morbidity, mortality, and failure-to-rescue rates in hospitals that employ larger percentages of baccalaureate prepared nurses (as cited in Altmann, 2011, p. 257). In addition, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recently released a report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, and recommended the increase of BSN prepared nurses from 50% to 80% by 2020 (2011). In order for nurses to advance in the healthcare environment as professionals, they should be educated to the appropriate degree and be committed to lifelong learning. This paper will discuss professional identity in nursing and the implications of a bachelor prepared nurse.

In order to provide lasting solutions to the nursing shortage, we should determine whether actively recruiting mature new nurses is appropriate. Bedside nursing is an intellectually and physically demanding profession. The burnout rates and first year attrition are disturbingly high. A three year study of over three thousand American NGNs found that 37 percent intend to leave their jobs after one year (Kovner et al., 2007). Another review found that while there are many market variables, the average American NGN costs hospitals over $82,000. Thirty percent of these leave in the first year and 57 percent in the second (Twibell et al., 2012). Given the high barriers to entry, the statistics are surprising. Before we continue to invest in recruiting mature nursing students, we should determine if they are likely to persevere in practice.

Since fourteen years old, I have had a desire and ambition to become a registered nurse who makes a real and positive difference in people’s lives. At first, my inspiration came from my aunt who has been a labor and delivery nurse for 10 years. She would share stories about pre-mature babies being brought into the world and the role she took in giving that infant the best possible chance at life. Aside from my aunt’s stories, I find myself drawn to the nursing profession for a few other reasons. First of all, I have always had an interest in caring for people of all ranges of age.

I have been practicing the art of nursing since 1993. I started my career as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), graduating with a diploma from Long Beach City College in California December of 1992. Compassion and caring were embedded into my philosophy during my LPN educational track. While the Registered Nurse population was being drilled to learn the books and problem solve, the LPN was being taught to learn the books, but to have an excellent, caring and compassionate bedside manner. In 2007 I received my Associate’s Degree from Cincinnati State Technical School. In 2010 I was accepted into the College of Mount Saint Joseph Bachelor of Science in Nursing cohort from Saint Elizabeth. In 2013 I graduated with my Bachelors. My career with Saint Elizabeth began in 2004 on the Orthopedic floor. After graduating with my Associates Degree I began to look for a career in a specialty area. I thought I wanted the Emergency Department, but ended up in the Endoscopy Department. I started as a staff nurse and have worked my way up to Assistant Nurse Manager.

My calling to nursing started when my father got diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2015. I watched him suffering through radiation and chemotherapy, but what got him through those hard times was the help of some great loving and caring nurses. As I became more involved in taking care of him, my passion for nursing had greatly increased. Now, for nine years, I have maintained a commitment to caring for others in the field of Nursing. Being a registered nurse (RN), I have taken care of one patient at a time, which I have been involved in the amelioration of lives, and have only been left wanting to give and do more. Pursuing a master of science in nursing (MSN) is more than just a logical or natural progression for my career. It is a life choice, one that is backed by highly refined clinical judgments and in-depth exposure to an array of set-ups, and levels of care. In this personal statement, I will deeper highlight an explanation of my career goals, the reasons for my choice of Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) specialization, and lastly the reason for pursuing an advanced degree in nursing.

The nursing profession will continue to experience a workforce shortage estimated at a vacancy between 300,000 - 500,000 RNs by 2025 (UHC/AACN, 2009). This shortage is mostly due to the large population of baby boomer nurses approaching retirement, currently the largest demographic of nurses are those between the ages of 50 and 60 (UHC/AACN, 2009), as well as the increasing rates of nurse turnover. Of specific concern on this front is that many new graduate nurses (NGNs) are not only leaving jobs within the first 1-2 years but may leave the profession altogether (Griffin, 2005). At a rate of 30% the

As a nurse, I have a life-long commitment to learning in order to advocate for my patients. I have always had a passion for learning; however, the opportunities afforded by the College of Nursing have taught me how to do so within my career and for my entire life. Not only do I have a drive to continually learn, my experience here enables my desire to carry on the flame of prestige, hard work, and innovation of University of Utah alumnus possesses. After I

This paper is a reflection of the things I have experienced as a bedside ICU RN and the ways my nursing career has been transformed while studying to complete my Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing at Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU). My presence and skills as a nurse have been strengthened with the information and resources available from this program. During the completion of my Associates of Arts Degree in Nursing I battled information overload and struggled with personifying all of the nursing theories. Making the transition from nursing books to nursing practice I began to feel a widening gap between the two. Nursing is an art as well as a science, we learned, and I began to feel that in order to skillfully blend the theories with actual bedside manner I would have to be a Rembrandt. In 2013, officially hired at University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) I thought I was ready to take on the challenge of being a Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit nurse, but quickly fears of shortcomings and failures replaced my feelings of confidence and gumption. I recognized that, in order to be self-assured in my field, I needed to pursue my Bachelor’s degree in Nursing. I chose Notre Dame of Maryland University’s Adult Undergraduate program because I knew they would encourage leadership along with a deep connection with students and I had heard personal reviews of how supportive academically the teaching

There is no doubt that the health care system is constantly changing and working to improve its flaws, to the best of its ability. Whether nurses like it or not we are a part of the ever changing health care system. “With more than 3 million members, the nursing profession is the largest segment of the nation’s health care workforce” (Institute of Medicine [IOM], 2010, p. 1). The Institute of Medicine believes that nurses should be active in transforming the profession of nursing, along with the health care system. Regardless, of backgrounds, race, and age all nurses can contribute to the future of the nursing profession. The following paper will discuss the Institute of Medicine’s nursing expectations and recommendations, as well as the opportunity to becoming a clinical nurse instructor.