Discussion: Networking Opportunities NURS 6003

It has taken me years to determine what, exactly, my goals were. I started as a young nurse working in women and children’s healthcare. At the time, all I wanted was to be a labor and delivery nurse. This was 30 years ago. Things change, we change and grow, and continue to learn about ourselves and our communities both local and global. In the end, my goal is to help bring about social change. This is something that Walden University also cares about.

” Walden University defines positive social change as a deliberate process of creating and applying ideas, strategies, and actions to promote the worth, dignity, and development of individuals, communities, organizations, institutions, cultures, and societies. Positive social change results in the improvement of human and social conditions.”

The importance of recognizing each individuals inherent worth is the cornerstone of everything I do as a nurse. I only recently obtained my MSN from Chamberlain University. It took two months of having that degree for me to understand that it wasn’t enough. That wanting to promote change would take more.  Ultimately, I have decided to pursue the role of PMHNP.  In this, I would like to focus particularly in the area of pediatrics.

I am fortunate to work on a small, community pediatric unit, which is currently developing a program tailored specifically to the needs of pediatric mental health patients. Our unit is going to be utilized as bed space for children waiting for placement. Currently, there is limited access to bed space in psychiatric facilities in our state. Because of this, children (and adults) are left in small rooms with no windows or comfortable beds in the emergency department. The process can take upwards of several weeks. Our goal is to allow mental health healing to begin before departure to a specialty facility. We have child life specialists, pediatricians, social workers, all available on our unit to assist these young patients during their stay. My hope is to create a position for myself as a mental health practitioner within the hospital.

Walden University (n.d.) Walden University Catalog. Retrieved June 1, 2021 from https://catalog.waldenu.edu

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As a nurse with 15 years of various specialties experience to include medical, surgical, and forensics I became more interested in obtaining master’s degree in Adult Gerontology to further enhance my nursing career. My goal is to practice as a full-time AGPCNP in one of INOVA’s primary care facilities in my hometown. After months of researching for online schools that offer flexible schedules while pursuing MSN degree online, I found Walden University. I have applied to the program and was pleased to read that “The College of Nursing provides academically rigorous and culturally and contextually relevant educational programs to nursing professionals seeking enhancement of critical thinking skills, abilities to select and implement evidence-based practices, and core and specialty nursing knowledge in order to transform society”. (Walden, 2021).

Incorporating social change

My role as an advance nurse practitioner will include effective communication, education, health promotion, diagnosis, and treatment of patients in community in which I live and work. All of these are going to be learned outcomes after graduating with advance degree from Walden University. For example, “Scholar-practitioner model help students become scholar-practitioners by challenging them to integrate scholarly research with their own expertise as skilled practitioners in their fields”. (Walden, 2021). In addition, as a new nurse practitioner with a fresh view in the field, I might be able to provide a positive social change at my future place of employment. My goal as an advance nurse practitioner is to make a difference in patients’ lives and establish healthy and well-educated community.

Importance of networking

            Walden provides multicontextual educational opportunities which include career planning and development, archived webinars, career connections and events, and networking groups such as Facebook and LinkedIn to their online learners. Using and exploring these resources will prepare me to become a well-established scholar-practitioner. Building a professional network can be as authentic and natural as building social networking. Professional networking is a network of professional interactio

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