My Nursing Career Research

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My Nursing Career Research

Introduction

My name is xxxxxx xxxxxx and I plan on pursuing nursing as my career of choice. I have always wanted to help people and gain knowledge in the process. One of the most esteemed occupations is nursing. The nursing career is always changing, and there are so many different things you can do in it that you don’t have to adhere to one specialty. You can create a new area of interest if one does not already exist. One of the most fulfilling experiences is realizing that my attention, touch, voice, and time can assist a patient. Sometimes, the small gestures you do on behalf of your patient might have a big impact. An Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) is the minimal need for registered nurses (RNs), but a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) may help you land a position with more power and higher compensation. Apart from acquiring a degree in nursing, the United States requires a nurse to be licensed and have experience as a registered nurse for a minimum of two years.

My Personality Assessment in Relation to Nursing Career

According to the Human Metrics Personality Assessment, I am an INFP which is also referred to as a mediator. The characteristics of people with this personality include intuitive, introverted, feeling and prospecting. This is a rare personality type as there is only 4% of them in the world. Their main skill is being open minded and thinking outside the box. They are also pure hearted and conduct all their endeavors without expecting anything in return. This clearly explains my obsession with helping people especially the sick. My personality also shows that I am an idealist who is always in search of solutions to problems. This character trait will help me with quick decision making and problem solving skills. As much as I am shy, I am very committed to my work and I am willing to work hard so that I can achieve my goal. According to Vark Assessment I learn more through multimodal learning style. This is the learning style that involves visual, auditory, reading and kinesthetic in order to understand and remember more. My type of learning style gives me an added advantage since other styles have either of the learning style but not all of them combined. It will make me a quick learner during my nursing courses, on job training and when doing voluntary work.

I also did the Multiple Intelligence Survey where I found out I have intrapersonal intelligence. Being intrapersonally intelligent has many benefits to my nursing career because I have the capacity to be self-aware and in tune with inner feelings, values, beliefs and thinking processes. It enables me to utilize clinical data by prioritizing nursing problems and formulate differential diagnoses. Secondly, I can easily formulate standard diagnostic and therapeutic procedures demonstrating awareness of risks, benefits, costs, patient preferences, and ethical and psychosocial issues. Thirdly, I will be able to demonstrate my ability to perform self-reflection in all nursing actions. I also have a high level of commitment to ethical-moral-legal principles. Intrapersonal intelligence also enables me to enhance my decision making and problem solving skills.

My Opinion and Aspirations on the United States Medical Sector

The US medical sector still has a number of current problems that need to be resolved, despite the fact that the country has taken initiatives to boost the healthcare experience. Medical mistakes are one of these problems. In the US healthcare industry, medical errors are one of the most often occurring preventable causes of adverse consequences. It’s important to address medical mistakes in order to decrease the mortality rate. Every year, medical blunders claim the lives of almost 200,000 individuals in US health facilities. The cost of preventing medical errors will go down, and quality medical care will increase. In my opinion, nurses in the US medical sector are in the forefront of eliminating clinical mistakes. By following protocol, the nursing community’s participants can contribute to the resolution of this problem. Reading medicine labels, pursuing continuous learning and working to avoid pharmaceutical errors are all examples of appropriate conduct. Keeping high-risk medications apart is another way that nurses can reduce medical errors. Since these medications have a very high risk of harming patients or even mortality when used incorrectly, nurses must store them separately. I also intend to join the group that is tackling the challenges that arise due to clinical mistakes. 

Nursing Career in the United States V. in Houston

Nursing career information defers both nationally and locally. In the United States, registered nurses (RNs) main responsibilities include planning patient care, delivering it to patients, and informing the public about a range of medical issues. A bachelor’s degree in nursing, an associate’s degree in nursing, or a diploma from an accredited nursing program are the typical educational paths taken by registered nurses. For a person to be a registered nurse, he or she must have acquired a nursing license. In May 2021, the median yearly salary for registered nurses was $77,600 according to Occupational Outlook. Between 2020 and 2030, it is anticipated that demand for registered nurses will increase by 9%, which is approximately average for all occupations.  During the next ten years, there are expected to be, on average, 194,500 opportunities for registered nurses. Many of those positions are anticipated to be brought about by the need to replace workers who change careers or retire.

In Houston the number of nurses employed in 2018 was 26,120. In 2028, the number is estimated to rise up to 252,330 which is 17% increase according to Career Onestop. Every year, there are over 16,130 projected job openings. Most people starting this career usually have a bachelor’s degree in nursing but no working experience or on the job training. However, the nurses take up certain programs such as Adult Health Nursing or Nurse Leadership to prepare themselves in advance. Getting certification for different nursing skills may help a registered nurse get a promotion or a job. The yearly salary for most nurses in Houston is $99,600.

As I aspire to join the nursing profession, I intend to first get a nursing degree. I will also join various nursing programs so as to acquire certification on different nursing skills. As I per take my nursing course, I will set time aside to do voluntary work in order to acquire some on job training. After securing a job as a registered nurse, I will consider taking a masters degree in nursing. I will use general federal financial aid to help finance my nursing degree. During my masters, I will apply for scholarship or apply for a loan and use my job salary as security. Some of the skills I hope to acquire to reach my career goal include critical thinking, active listening, social perceptiveness, service orientation and coordination. I also intend to be excellent in deductive reasoning, problem sensitivity and inductive reasoning.

My Financial Future as a Nursing Professional

As much as I am passionate about my nursing career, I also have lifestyle goals which I need to meet. I aspire to live a comfortable life depending on my salary. I would want to own a house and a car. The house will be not more than 10 km from my work place so it will be easy to access work from home. I will acquire the house through mortgage or save up so I can buy it. Before I buy the house I might consider living in an apartment which will fully depend on the size of my salary. I have no intentions of being materialistic but instead buy things that I actually need. I might invest in quality products which are mostly expensive for example in the case of phones, tablets or laptops. I also plan on traveling for vacations once a year to different states or countries. I am also willing to use the finances available to grow my education by taking up postgraduate programs. Depending on if I have a family or not I may decide to upgrade the house and the car. All in all, I will mainly focus in investing in experiences and education.

Since the nursing profession is highly in demand, it is likely that there will be an annual salary increment in the years to come according to Texas Reality Check. The national salary may get to over $90,000 annually while in Houston, $105,000 annually. It will therefore help in financing my lifestyle once I am a registered nurse. However, I will need some financial help when acquiring a house and postgraduate education. I intend to take up loans and use my salary as security for the house. As for my postgraduate education, I will apply for scholarships and do them part time. I will save up for my yearly vacations by setting aside some cash from each salary. In the event I have more finances to spare, I will consider investments such as real estate or open a business in an industry that I have full knowledge on. These investments will come in handy after I retire.

Cost of Living in Houston Compared to Other Cities

The cost of living in cities is a factor that I will seriously consider when deciding where to settle as I continue with my nursing career. I considered Brooklyn, New York and Alexandria, Louisiana compared to my salary in Houston, Texas. I estimated my salary to be $105,000 within the next few years when I become a registered nurse. My comparable salary in Brooklyn will be $96,713. I will need 46% more in groceries, 282% more in housing, 16% more in utilities, 18% more in transportation and 15% more in healthcare. In Alexandria, my salary will be compared to $ 48,976. I will need 3% more in groceries, 9% less in housing, 9% more in utilities, 3% less in transportation and 5% more in healthcare according to the CNN Money Calculator. It is very evident that the cost of living in Brooklyn is very much higher than in Houston while that of Alexandria is moderately affordable. I actually do not mind not having my family in a different city. I can visit them from often and have video calls to keep in touch. I however do not intend to leave my nuclear family behind in case I move. Housing is a very important factor that I will consider because I intend to own a home. The housing in Brooklyn is very expensive. Unless I get a salary increase or a promotion I would not consider Brooklyn. I would therefore consider settling in Alexandria rather than Brooklyn in the event I leave Houston which is very unlikely.

Volunteering in My Nursing Career

Voluntary work is very important to the nursing profession. Not only does it help a nurse gain more efficiency at work it also helps the community around the nurse. The nurse professional helps the people in his or her community based on the skills acquired while studying or working. Other benefits of volunteering in a community include connecting people, building empathy and trust, empowering the community, fostering efficacy, supporting health care and impacting social change according to Volunteer Houston. As I continue to progress in my career, I intend to join the MD Anderson Cancer Center and the St Joseph Medical Center. At MD Anderson, volunteering is a fulfilling experience that is genuinely at the center of the organization. I will collaborate with cancer patients, their care givers, faculty, and staff in order to improve the lives of the patients. They also have a College Volunteer Program, which is intended to give students a fulfilling voluntary work in hospital environments, which is an added benefit. At St Joseph, I will get to work with patients and people from different age groups. They are very adequate in making volunteers feel like part of the medical center.

Volunteering does not only benefit the community as a way of giving back but it will also help me grow professionally. Volunteering enables nurses to take on a variety of positions or expertise without committing for the long term. For instance, if I work part-time in a hospital, I might volunteer at a nearby school to experience what it’s like to be a school nurse. This would help me decide on a potential career path. A nurse’s network can be expanded via volunteering. A superior or workmate who volunteers their time could prove to be a helpful reference or perhaps pave way to greener pastures. By using my knowledge and abilities in novel ways and by keeping me sharp and current, volunteering will increase my chances of receiving a promotion or a job offer. Volunteering also helps nurses gain leadership skills by lending their special viewpoint and expertise to nonprofit boards, emergency management teams, communication teams, and more to assist bring about good change and enhance general public health. The volunteering experience will also help me grow skills such as decision making, patience and problem solving as I work with different people. I have previous experience in volunteer work where I learned how to keep an eye on and spot changes in patient signs and symptoms as well as how to act quickly in an emergency. Additionally, I gained knowledge on how to distinguish between abnormal and typical physical states and took part in activities related to pain management for patients. Additionally, I developed my analytical skills and my ability to spot pathophysiological issues and changes in status.

My Long-term SMART Goal

For any profession, not only nursing, having long-term and short term goals is very important. The short-term goals work as landmarks or milestones towards the destination which in this case is the long-term goal. For a goal to be beneficial it should be SMART. SMART is the abbreviation for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound. In my nursing profession my long-term SMART goal is to achieve a doctorate in nursing. I have various short-term goals which will help me evaluate my progress as I aim for the long-term goal. The short-term goals include gaining expertise in my unit or healthcare institution, becoming a mentor in my unit, joining a committee to network and broaden my knowledge, becoming certified in my specialized area, and enrolling in a continuing education course that intrigues me.

Considering my long-term goal is SMART, it does not reduce the chances of facing challenges before attaining it. One of the most likely obstacles will be finances to cater for my nursing degree and post graduate academics. I will use general federal financial aid to help finance my nursing degree. During my post graduate courses, I will apply for scholarship or apply for a loan and use my job salary as security. The other challenge will be time management since I will have to schedule time for family, academics, work and volunteering for a long period of time. I will also have to ensure that my wellbeing is in place by eating a balanced diet and maintaining a personal physical exercise routine. From time to time, I will enroll in therapy to avoid getting overwhelmed.

Conclusion

Ten years from now, I will probably be at the highlight of my nursing career. I will have finished my degree in nursing and gained working experience for about three years. I will be a registered nurse and maybe volunteering or doing my masters degree during part time. I however will not yet have reached my long-term goal of attaining a doctorate degree within the next fifteen years. When I achieve my doctorate in nursing, I will feel contented with my hard work. My time, knowledge and sacrifices will have yielded great results. It will also encourage my juniors and all those who will be looking up to me by then. I will consider becoming a lecturer part time as I continue with my career. I will be living my dream!