Self-reflection - Research Paper Example

Self-reflection Nursing Paper Self-Reflection The purpose of this personal ment is to reflect upon my journey as a nurse, the working reality and external events influencing my career. This paper shall be written in the first person for the purpose of reflection. My legend is in relation to the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. A youthful shepherd Santiago works towards finding his destiny. His journey is driven by his desire to find a treasure and interpret his dream (Coelho, 2006). On his journey, he runs into resourceful individuals that give him diverse advice on his destination and what he is going to do.

To his surprise, his journey leads him to the place where he had his first dreams. My nursing journey started at the age of seventeen and has continued to date. Currently, I am a BSN- RSN student at College of Saint Elizabeth (CSE). What I wanted to accomplish is having a positive impact on others through education and access. Incidents in my life have enlightened me that nursing is my calling and the vocation where I am comfortable and humbled in serving others. On the other hand, it presents me with new challenges therefore; I have to research constantly to improve my skills and competence.

There are various past events that have modeled my nursing career. First, when I worked as a lifeguard as a teenager because this is when I made the decision to pursue nursing as a lifelong vocation. Second, when my mother was diagnosed with diabetes, I became more involved in teaching members of the community on healthy practices that can minimize prevalence of diabetes and related conditions. In my opinion, fulfilling one’s dream is more important than having a dream. Fulfilling one’s dream gives the individual the chance to meet new challenges in the quest to fulfill their dreams thereby becoming better.

An individual who has a dream and fails to fulfill it is better off not having the dream. This is why I decided to pursue a career in nursing to fulfill my dream. My socialization into nursing began when I became a licensed lifeguard at the age of seventeen. My first exposure to the nursing field was training in First- Aid and CPR. This formed a solid foundation for the future direction of my career. I handled emergencies in my line of work and worked well in a team. I also served as an educator in this capacity.

Later, I worked in a blood collection center but this did not help my job satisfaction. I applied for various jobs in the health field but was either overqualified or under qualified to fill in most positions. This is why I decided to pursue a BSN- RSN degree at College of Saint Elizabeth (CSE). I have played a key role in mentoring others in the medical field. I have played various mentorship positions in the course of my journey as a nurse. I played an important role as an educator to beginner nurses last year.

I concentrated on teaching the basics of personalized care of patients and community service. Honesty, empowered, access and research are the key aspects of my philosophy. I am a member of the American College of Nurse Practitioners. My philosophy is similar to that of the American College of Nurse Practitioners and the CSE nursing philosophy. This is because health organizations are committed towards promoting effective leadership, social responsibility and social service. As a licensed nurse, I am committed towards the promotion of better health for the American people in line with the Health People 2020 objectives (Masters, 2013).

I am involved in community-based initiatives aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle in the population. My prior employment in as an agency nurse was enjoyable and gave me a chance to spend more time with my family. This position enabled me to develop solid relationships with my patients. After this, I learnt of a vacant position as a charge that would be in charge of pediatric department at a community-based hospital. This position offered me a chance to learn more about the legal consulting aspect of the profession.

I was overly busy and did not have enough time to spend with my family since most of my shifts were during the night. Currently, I am a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) in a health care centre in my state and look forward to be a Registered Nurse (RN) after the completion of my degree. The nursing has been undergoing constant changes over the years. This trend is likely to continue in future calling for nursing workforce to have skills that match future demands (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the Future of Nursing and The Institute of Medicine, 2010).

For instance, the American society is becoming increasingly diverse and this requires them to have the necessary skills to handle patients from varying racial backgrounds (Jansen and Zwygart-Stauffache, 2010). Additionally, there has been an in the prevalence of diseases resulting from poor diet and the sedentary lifestyle that most people are leading in the contemporary world. Nurses should be equipped with the appropriate skills to deal with these conditions and teach people on healthy practices (Masters, 2013).

The future calls for increased cooperation between the medical practitioners, high levels of academic competencies, effective leadership and the ability to keep up with technological changes in the field of medicine. References Coelho, P. (2006). The Alchemist. New York City: HarperCollins. Jansen, M. P., & Zwygart-Stauffache, M. (2010). Advanced practice nursing: Core concepts for professional role development. New York City: Springer Publishing Company. Masters, K. (2013). Role development in professional nursing practice.

Massachusetts: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the Future of Nursing & The Institute of Medicine. (2010, October 5). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health. Retrieved from http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2010/The-future-of-nursing-leading-change-advancing-health.aspx