Personal Goals Essay

My professional and personal goals are to expand my nursing career and obtain a position in the healthcare field where I will own and operate a long term care facility or adult daycare facility that specializes in the care of patients with behavioral issues or Alzheimer’s disease so I can give back to my community and help those in need. I started my career in the healthcare field as a unit clerk. My primary duties were answering the telephone and call light system. After about a year, I wanted to do more so I decided to become a certified nursing assistant (CNA). My duties as a CNA entailed helping patients/residents with their activities of daily living. I quickly realized that I did not want to play that particular role in the healthcare field and that I needed to do more. I applied for the licensed practical nurse program and was accepted. After graduating and passing my state board exam, I worked as a licensed practical nurse for six and a half years before applying for t he associate degree nursing program for registered nurses. I was accepted and after completion my career as a registered nurse began. As a registered nurse my career has lead me to serve in several different positions such as: Floor nurse, Home Health nurse, Public Health nurse, Charge nurse, Assistant Director of Nursing and currently Preventive nurse. In my current role as a Preventive nurse, I am responsible for assessing patient’s health screenings. In evaluating patient’s screenings, I provide and explain information about these health screenings as well as relay my findings to the Physicians and Nurse Practitioners to help schedule these patients with necessary referrals to have the screenings. My short term professional goal is to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. I chose the University of Phoenix to achieve this goal because of the online courses and positive feedback about their programs. I currently need 47 credit hours to achieve this goal. This Bachelor’s degree will afford me  advanced opportunities in the nursing field. I will use this degree as a stepping stone to fulfilling my goals. After receiving my Bachelor’s degree, I plan to further my career in the healthcare field by obtaining a nursing home administrator’s license. With this license, I will begin my quest in owning and operating a long term care facility. This license will allow me to engage in a higher level of learning about long term care rules and regulations. By obtaining licensure as a nursing home administrator, I will display and build skills in the area of working with others as a team. I have intentions on relocating in the next four years to a bigger city to gain experience in a variety of areas in the healthcare field. I feel larger areas have more opportunities for a nurse to grow. For example, large cities have more hospitals, behavioral centers and nursing homes. I will use all the available resources to build my skills and create a plan for success. After gaining more knowledge and experience, I plan to return home and open a long term care facility specializing in patients with behavioral problems or Alzheimer disease. I feel my community will greatly benefit from a facility dedicated to these healthcare needs. I see patients that are mentally challenged and some who have Alzheimer’s that need help with their activities of daily living or just with care in general. Helping others that cannot help themselves is what I en joy doing. I understand opening a long term care facility will take a great deal of planning from obtaining licensure, to locating perfect area, and securing contractors to build. The most important healthcare resource ever to be hidden in plain view would be the caring intentions of nurses. Employing good study habits, participating in class discussions and time management such as incorporating leisure time for myself to avoid burn-out are my criteria for academic success. â€Å"Using time more effectively should enable nursing students to achieve a better balance between work and personal life† (Mirzaei, Oskouie, & Rafli, 2012). Strong study habits are a foundation to having success in school. At the moment, my online classes only require reading. I consider that to be my study time. I realize that my classes will become more advanced and they will require a lot more of detailed reading and research. In preparation for the advancement, I plan to more carefully utilize my study time to complete my reading assignments first to focus more on the research and writing areas of my course. Class attendance is an important requirement to be exposed to  vital discussions. I plan to participate in the daily discussions and incorporate questions to the instructor and fel low students to help understand topics at hand that I need further comprehension. To stay on track with time management, I have prepared a plan to follow. This ensures that I perform all my tasks in a timely manner. It also allows me to compile short term goals each day to complete and a realistic time frame to complete and perform these tasks. To avoid burn-out, I plan to engage in time for myself by practicing relaxation techniques, exercising and walking. Also, I plan to attend various activities that my daughters participate in to integrate valuable family time into my demanding schedule. To track and monitor my progress during my course of study, I will observe my grades, monitor instructor’s feedback, and observe the completion of assignments and goals. The University of Phoenix allows a student to keep up with their grades by accessing their schedule and grades on their home page. I will use this and the Phoenix mobile application to keep updated on how well I am performing in my classes. Also, the University of Phoenix’s instructors provide f eedback after each assignment, I use this as positive feedback to correct and eliminate any future problems. According to (Carter, Bishop, & Kravits, 2011)suggested recording your progress in a weekly journal as a means of measuring your progress toward your goals. As for myself, I have a planner that I usually write in to keep track of my assignment due dates, completion and submittal of assignment, as well as my accomplishments. Caring and compassion for others comes second nature to me. I enjoy helping and taking care of others. Accomplishing my goals will help me align myself in a better position to facilitate the necessary provision in the health management of those in need. Nursing has been a rewarding career for me and a wonderful career choice. References Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (2011). Keys to Effective Learning: Study Skills an Habits for Success (6th ed.). Retrieved from The Univrsity of Phoenix eBook Mirzaei, T., Oskouie, F., & Rafli, F. (2011, March). Nursig students’ time management, reducing stress and gaining satisfaction: a grounded theory study. Nursing & Health Science, 14(1), 46-51. doi:http//dx.doi.org.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/10.1111/j.1442-2018.2011.00661.x Purnell, M. (2002, July). Foreword: Why Nurses Nurse!. Holistic Nursing Practice, 16(4), vi-ix