Diploma in Nursing and Balancing between Degree Studies - Essay Example

Personal ment Unit Having completed my Diploma in nursing and having some work experience gives me the reason to yearn for growth in the career of my choice, nursing. I am motivated by the need to be a better nurse with more knowledge that will give an upper hand in my profession. Visualizing my goals, I realize that I am quite far from achieving the position that I would want to be in. I am the kind of a person that is not content with little successes. However, I believe in taking a step at a time. Having completed high school studies successfully, I joined Anglia Ruskin University for my Diploma. I have been a good student and employee both in terms of behavior and performance. Since completing my diploma, I had a strong feeling coupled with a desire to pursue a degree that will see my elevation to the position of a registered nurse in the United Kingdom. In essence, this will provide me with an opportunity to be a global player since I will be at a position of working in any country of my choice. The journey to a career in nursing has influenced by various factors. While in my first year of high school, I was not certain what I wanted to pursue; my parents had given me a wide range of options that made me to be even more confused. However, they really guided me on the need to do a personal reflection and evaluation in order to establish what I wanted to pursue. In my second year of high school, I was very explorative and engaged in quite a number of curricular activities. At one point through a club in the school, we visited a hospital where we presented some of our donations to cancer patients. During this event, I vividly remember meeting a young boy eight years old in extreme pain. Seeing him and trying to figure out what he was going through made my heart skip a beat. Despite the pain, there seemed to be little attention being given to him. I made a deliberate effort to approach one of the nurses in the ward who informed me that the boy had just been attended to and it was time to attend to others. She explained to me that they were understaffed and had no option rather that attends to all patients systematically. This incident forms the foundation of my career in nursing. I made a decision that day that I would take a career in nursing at least make a difference as I boost the number of nurses that provide services to patients. Having made the decision to pursue nursing, I did my investigations on what a career as nurse entails. I sought mentorship from a family friend who is a nurse as well as my uncle who is a medical doctor. They have both encouraged me and provided insight on what the role of a nurse is and what is required of me. The other aspect that has made me a better individual in the profession is the love for books. Since my high school days, I have interacted with a lot of literature in nursing, which includes the current affairs that affect the nursing profession such as the debate on salaries and the staffing issues. In addition, I have done a lot of research over the in internet and found out some of the practice of nursing in other countries especially in the United States of America. The knowledge that I have acquired gives me more thirst to acquire more, hence the need to pursue a degree in nursing a later on, a masters and a PhD. I have also received a lot of support and motivation from friends and family. They have constantly applauded my efforts while encouraging me to do more. I would endeavor to be a distinguished nurse that offers quality services to the patients at all times. For this to be realized, I need to be more knowledgeable. So far, I have acquired only a diploma in nursing. To me this is not adequate for me to be the best I can be; I always believe it is a foundation that will help me advance to highly professional levels. While undertaking my diploma, I went out of my way to do more practice than the institution provided, especially when I had some spare time. This made me to be more experienced than most of my colleagues. Since moving out of college, I have practiced nursing as from November 2013 at the Accident and Emergency department in NHS. This is what I am doing up to date. This experience has sharpened my practical skills and aroused the desire in me to achieve more especially in terms of knowledge acquisition. I am convinced that pursuing a degree will give me a better platform to have a better status as a nurse. Knowledge is very vital, the graduate nurses that I have met in this department have been of great inspiration to me; they are very knowledgeable and are able to approach situations in manner that demonstrates a higher degree of professionalism. An admiration of them gives me the motivation for pursuing a degree. My career goals would not be achieved if I do not pursue more education. I am quite objective of what I want to achieve in my career, growth. Right now am working as a staff nurse, a position that I endeavor to have for at most one year, then progressively grow in the career. The ultimate goal is that I endeavor to be a distinguished person that will be remembered for my input in promoting nursing through fundraising. It is apparent that several needs in our society today requires nursing care, from the young children, to patients to the elderly, nursing care is highly required. To provide additional services that take care of these groups will greatly enhance the status of healthcare in our country. I look forward to developing partnerships with both the government as well as non-governmental organizations. In developing modern facilities that will ensure that nursing care is provided adequately. On the other hand, I will have a vision that we can be able to meet the threshold of nurses that are required in the United Kingdom, either through promoting UK students to pursue nursing or through outsourcing. My vision is to ensure that the financial and logistical challenges that confront implementation of nursing care services and projects are minimized. I am quite optimistic that getting further knowledge through a degree program will facilitate me to reach this goal. I am a virtuous person that believes in honesty, being fair to others and have high degree of integrity. Being able to understand the needs of others and acting on them promptly is one aspect that I have consistently learnt in my interactions with people through both my studies and my practice as a nurse. I believe in the principle of treating others the way I would like to be treated. This makes me to be in good terms with people, an aspect that has helped to be successful in most of my deeds. Dealing with fatally injured or ill patients requires a lot of concern, this is an aspect that I have nurtured since the day I met the boy in pain while still in high school. I try as much as possible to adhere to the professional requirements of nursing. In order to further this level of professionalism, I am quite confident that a degree will provide much more input on aspects of integrity and professionalism. I am an honest person that beliefs in being truthful and abiding by the required code of ethics in my profession. Since I started working at NHS, I have never engaged in any form of tussle with my employer neither my fellow employees. This has cultivated an environment of mutual respect and a good working environment. I have a number of skills that will facilitate my degree education as well as promote my future career. I have computer skills that I have acquired over time. In this technological age, this skill will be very helpful since I anticipate that some of the degree courses will require understanding of some basic computer applications. This gives me the confidence to pursue the degree course. In addition, I am a very open-minded person that is very open to learning. This would make me learn any new computer application that may be required in the pursuance of the degree. Being a passionate reader, my reading skills have advanced over time and I have the confidence that confronted with any form of literature, I will be at a position of dissecting and analyzing it to a form that is understandable. Since the degree course requires a lot of reading, I believe I am a better position to face the reading requirements. Another related aspect is the ability to conduct research, though I have not perfected this skill, I am confident that with little insight, I will be at a position of developing quality research projects, which is a requirement for a degree student. My readiness to confront new challenges adds more confidence to me that I will perform very well in my project works. The responsibility of balancing between degree studies and other personal matters requires psychological and psychological preparedness. I find the degree as the second step to a long career journey that will be characterized by education, research, and experience. I have already set my mind to pursue this journey. My mentors have constantly encouraged me to have a focus and not to feel contented with small gains. This has kept my mind ringing, desiring to achieve more. I am a very organized person and strongly belief in adherence to schedules. Though I am not perfect in adhering to schedules, my effort is quite evident. However, with good organizational skills, I am quite sure that I will be able to balance other responsibilities that come up with my studies. I endeavor to prioritize my studies so that I can be able to achieve the desirable results in my degree program. One thing that gives me confidence is the fact that I have been a faithful reader and have not been distracted by my work engagements. The ability to have a fixed work schedule has given me the opportunity to adequately plan for my time. Since the university has its own schedule, I am optimistic that the same trend will be translated to the degree studies. It is also a strong point to note that despite having the career and educational goals to pursue, I still find time for my friends and family. I believe my hobbies are important to my career, education and my other engagements in life. I am good at fundraising; this is a skill that I have converted to a hobby. It dates back in high school where I was inducted into a club that used to mobilize resources in order to donate to charity. The skill coincidentally forms the basis for my passion in nursing. The first time I happened to make a tough of pursuing a career in nursing was a day that I had visited a hospital presenting donations that we had mobilized from our school. I am still in pursuance of this hobby where I am part of a team that mobilizes resources to help a mission hospital in Uganda. In addition, I have also been involved in other mobilizations mainly organized by charitable organizations. I envision this to be one of my future endeavors but inclined to my nursing career. therefore the pursuance of a degree will help me to get a better understanding of the profession so that I will be more knowledgeable on what aspects of nursing requires support and the implementation strategies. I also love listening to music. After discharging my duties and achieving something, I love sitting back, relaxing and listening to music. I feel very relieved when listening to music and gives me time to reflect. Having a relaxed mind is very important in my studies. It will help me become more constructive and remain objective. Additionally, I have good driving skills and it has become more of a hobby to me. Since I have a car, getting to school on time will be almost guaranteed. Having gone through the diploma program in nursing, I am conversant with some of the dynamics in nursing education. The diploma program has adequately prepared me for the degree since some of the units that are fond in the degree program have already been covered through the diploma though I am quite aware that there is a variation of the depth of study. Being an individual that is focused to learning, the depth will not be a hindrance to a better grade. I endeavor to put my best foot forward in the degree course so that I am able to get maximum benefits from it. Having the basis of the diploma that has some experience in clinical practice gives me an opportunity to build on the knowledge that I have been able to acquire in the course of my academic and professional engagements. The diploma has allowed working in the hospital environment where I have been able to interact with many healthcare practitioners. These people have inspired me through their knowledge and experiences. The rapport that I have created with them will provide a platform for conducting my degree research and any other work that I may need to conduct in such a setting. In addition, trough other events such as seminars and conferences that I have attended, I have been able to meet and network with some of the professionals that I believe will have a lot of input as far as my degree education is concerned. I desire to work on a project that is implementable. This means that the people that I have met will provide a good network for the ultimate implementation of my project work. To achieve all this, I will need the chance to pursue a degree program. The work experience over the last six months has taught me diverse lessons that will help while pursuing the degree. Since November 2013 to date, I have worked at NHS as a staff nurse. The experience has been very important. I have realized the practicality of some of the aspects that were addressed theoretically. The experience leaves me with so much that I endeavor to learn. Having interacted with nurses with prowess in this field, I have treasured education and experience in a great way. This gives me the motivation to acquire more knowledge, and deepen my understanding on some of the concepts that I have met through my practices and studies. Without good information, there are many cases in which one will be required to refer to the most experienced and educated nurses. To avoid this kind of a scenario, I would like to gather enough knowhow on the profession therefore become the best in my career in alignment to personal goals and objectives. As a young profession, I have realized that there are aspects that require to be taught for efficient execution of nursing services. In addition, listening to my senior nurses I get a lot of encouragement to continue with my studies. Some have mentioned to me that they wanted to further their studies but procrastinated until they were not able. Therefore, having made the decision to pursue the course, I am motivated by their words to ensure that I do not relent in attaining the degree. The timing of topping-up my studies happens to be the best for me. I do not have so many commitments that would hinder me from pursuing the program. Having gained some experience, I find it appropriate to get to another level of growth. I dislike being redundant and would not like to be like that. Therefore, the best thing for me is to keep pace with my studies. I also find it appropriate since my responsibilities are limited; I choose to take advantage of the moment. Having completed the diploma, the next step would be a top-up to a degree; this is exactly what I am up to. My long-term focus is a PhD, of which I may not be able to achieve if I do not make the sacrifice early in life. The degree is the channel to which higher academic achievements will be realized. Therefore, in an endeavor to be focused and avoid procrastination, the best time is now. In addition, at this particular time, I feel prepared psychologically, emotionally and physically to face the challenge of a degree program. The clarity of what I want to achieve motivates me to desire an opportunity for a degree. I have done a thorough analysis of my situation and evaluated what is required of me as a nurse and found that I still have a long way to go. In order to make my dreams remain valid, I have no option rather than climb the academic ladder systematically. It is clear that my future is focused towards promoting the nursing profession and nursing care for patients, this is not a minor goal, it requires dedication commitment and knowledge. Without these, it could be difficult to achieve this goal. I am very confident that the university environment will also provide further mentorship as well as networks towards the realization of some of my dreams. The lecturers are some of the knowledgeable people since they have a high frequency of interaction with knowledge as well as they have engaged in intensive research. Therefore, in an endeavor to build on what they have achieved, I endeavor to interact with some of these brilliant minds so that I am also challenged and inspired to think and do more. Education is a key component of nurturing a dream and hence cannot be assumed by whatever means. I endeavor to achieve my goals through gaining knowledge and applying it to real-time issues that confront the nursing profession. I am very committed and will sacrifice in order to achieve the anticipated nursing degree. I have already made up my mind that I will have to pursue a nursing degree irrespective of the obstacles that come up. This is something that I have taken time to think about. In addition, I have consulted widely, and have read information from both professional sources as well as current sources. My commitment is evident through the preparations that I have made. My friends and family are quite aware of my desire and have encouraged me to go ahead while I have also prepared all the possible requirements that will be required for successful completion of the program. I am quite confident with all this, I do not foresee any hindrance to successful graduation as a degree holder. I have interacted with individuals that have done the nursing degree and I have heard the same story about the course repeatedly. This provides a platform for understanding the path that I will be taking and hence be able to successfully graduate with a good grade. I am ready to sacrifice some of my personal pleasures and commitments in order to ensure that I have achieved. Since the degree program will not last forever, the sacrifice will be for a limited duration and the fruits thereof will worth it. In conclusion, the best time to make the move to achieving a degree is now. This comes after a thorough personal analysis and soul searching based on the input of others as well as extensive research. My passion to become a professional nurse that will be able to make a difference to the profession drives me to have the desire to pursue the degree. In addition, I have a diploma in nursing that will provide the background for the degree. Coupled with work experience at NHS, I am fully confident that it is the right time for me to take the degree as I endeavor to reach my career goals. Read More