Plans for a Career After High School

My father suffered a myocardial infarction before our own eyes four years ago, giving my family and I a serious concern. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance, where he was later hospitalized and had open heart surgery. My interest in the nursing field began there, when I essentially lived for 16 days in a hospital room. The nurses’ compassion, love, and commitment were exactly the traits I was seeking for in a job; nursing was my vocation. I decided right away that getting a Bachelor of Science in Nursing would be my short-term objective (BSN). I was psychologically and physically prepared to take on this new endeavor since I knew it would need all of my work and dedication. This essay’s aim is to describe my future professional objectives as a newly graduated nurse and the critical actions that must be taken in order to successfully transition to a professional nursing job.

Entry into the Role of a Professional Nurse
The process of transitioning into a professional nursing career takes time and perseverance. My intention is to practice nursing in Florida, however in order to become a registered nurse legally, the Florida Board of Nursing has a list of requirements that must be met in order to pass the nursing licensure test (RN). The Florida Board of Nursing (2019) states that the minimum requirements include graduation from a Florida-approved and accredited institution, “graduation from an Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredited nursing program that has been issued and National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX),” and “graduation from a nursing education program that is approved or recognized by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) or Accreditation Commission for Education in (Florida Board of Nursing, 2019). The candidate must pay the requisite money, go through live fingerprinting, and satisfy the requirements stipulated by the board of nursing after meeting those requirements. They are all ready to take the test once that is over.

Finding a job as a newly graduated nurse with no experience may be challenging, but it is not impossible. Employers and organizations wishing to recruit registered nurses via residency programs or even directly to a unit may be found through the career care site. During my clinical rotation at Chamberlain, one of the places I worked the most was the Baptist Health System in Miami. Through the conclusion of their residency program—which has shown to be very beneficial in the transition to becoming a professional practicing RN—Baptist Hospital provides employment to recent graduates. At Baptist, factors that encourage nurses to stay include their pay as well as better working environment, updated technology, and health benefits (2018). The Memorial Health System and HCA hospitals like Aventura and University Hospital have also shown interest in employing recent BSN graduates once they have completed their staRN residency programs. A guaranteed position at the hospital where they are receiving their training and the opportunity to bridge knowledge gaps that arise throughout the transition from student to practicing nurse are two factors that motivate participants in these graduate residency programs. These programs’ drawbacks include the possibility of contracts that must be signed, which may restrict your ability to advance in your career to another school that could be providing a better job and obligate you to remain at the institution for a certain number of years.

Integrated Life Balance
I can balance my personal life with my work life by thinking of myself as a total person, including my body, mind, soul, and emotions (Sharoff, 2016). I want to maintain the same level of balance between my personal and professional lives as I had when I first started nursing school by giving my job the time it needs and my family and personal life the time they deserve. Unfortunately, it could be challenging at first to manage and balance so many changes at once, such as getting used to a new job, new colleagues, and new rules and regulations. To effectively transition into the next stage of my career during my first year as a professional practicing nurse, I will be asking colleagues and mentors for advice and counseling. I anticipate that after five years I will have mastered time management, patient care experience, and personal life balance. My next professional objective would be to have started on my Master of Nursing in Education degree (MSN-Ed). The same way I earned my Associate’s and Bachelor’s degrees—through study, practice, reading, devotion, and application in my coursework—I want to get my MSN-Ed.

Stressors and Difficulties
As a recent graduate, I anticipate that one of the tensions and problems I will have during the first year of my professional nursing career would be attempting to find work without previous experience or being accepted into a residency program. Once employed, adjusting to a new workplace, procedures, and peers may be difficult. However, with the assistance and support of my resources, family, friends, and mentors, I will be able to make the move easily and successfully. I want to start graduate school in five years, and one of the problems I’ll undoubtedly have is balancing earning my degree with planning a family and adapting to live away from home with my significant other. I’ll need to have a lot of patience, tenacity, and devotion to get through this next stage of my professional career.

Lifelong Education
Because the medical industry is always evolving, all members of the medical profession, including physicians, nurses, and support staff, continue to study throughout their careers. We must stay current with the latest evidence-based research as new tools, drugs, and therapies come to market every day. I will continue to learn about new developments in tests, treatments, and innovations whether I’ve been a nurse for 10 years or one year. I also want to become a critical care registered nurse and get my pediatric advanced life support (PALS) and advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) specialty certifications (CCRN). This will be achieved by enrolling in classes and gaining practical experience with situations tailored to the particular certification (Hendrickx, 2017).

Contributions to the profession
Promoting education and sharing my expertise and experience with patients and their families, students, my loved ones, and strangers is one of the contributions I will make during the course of my work. Given that I want to pursue a master’s degree in nursing education, I want to be the nurse that students look up to while they are conducting rotations and really make a difference in their clinical experience.

Conclusion
I can honestly say that enrolling in nursing school was a commitment I made to myself that was psychologically, emotionally, and physically taxing, but it has been well worth it. I have evolved significantly professionally and personally over the last two years, as seen by the amount of skills, information, and judgment I have acquired. I am fully confident in my abilities and the process of becoming a practicing RN. My aspirations for my career future don’t end after I graduate from nursing school. My loved ones, who have shown me unwavering love and support, are my most crucial resources as I hope to achieve my lofty standards and objectives with their aid.