My Educational Goals

 

            In my Career Pathways Assessment paper, I stated that my two main educational goals during this program were to enhance my ability to match appropriate nursing diagnoses with patient conditions and to enhance my assessment techniques. Now that I have been an RN for two years and am at the completion of this program, I would have to say that these goals have changed slightly. I now feel that the two goals I chose at the beginning of the program are, in essence, the same goal. If I could go back and revise my initial educational goals, I would add that my goal was to become a more culturally sensitive and politically knowledgeable nurse.

 

            I do feel that this program has allowed me to achieve my initial educational goals. I was immediately able to enhance my assessment skills using the online AVATARs. I was also able to complete a great deal of assessment on myself. I learned a lot about my cultural, political and clinical views and prejudices during this program. I was given the opportunity to address these thoughts and feelings and to then allow them to evolve into something good. This gave me the opportunity to become a very self-aware nurse which, in turn, allows me to take better care of my patients. I did find that nursing diagnoses were less important in this BSN program than they were in nursing school. In true clinical practice, I have found that nursing diagnoses become the basis of critical thinking. I use them in my day to day nursing practice but never really got the chance to enhance my use of them during this program. Perhaps that is something that could be addressed in further depth for future BSN students. As for my additional educational goal of becoming more culturally and politically aware, this program has gone above and beyond. I have been able to interact with and learn about people from all different cultures around the globe. I have since been able to use this information to take better care of culturally diverse patients at my hospital. I have also had the opportunity to get involved with and learn about current political matters involved healthcare. Overall, I do feel that I met my educational goals during this BSN program.

 

            I currently still have the same job that I had when I started this program two years ago. I am a full time cardiovascular telemetry RN. I have become a preceptor as well as a charge nurse during my two years on this floor. I have learned so much since I became an RN both on the floor and through this BSN program. I feel that I have had the chance to improve my clinical, critical thinking, time management and bedside skills through my job. Additionally, I feel that going to school while working has also improved my time management, accountability, critical thinking and research skills. This BSN program has made me a well-rounded and educated nurse. I am grateful to have been a part of it and will continue to use all of the skills I gained from this program to become a great nurse. I do plan to continue to persue my educational goal of obtaining a MSN so that I may one day teach nursing school.