This document is to be used for NURS 6003 Transition to Graduate Study for Nursing to complete Assessments 1-6. Just as importantly the document serves to organize your thoughts about planning for your academic and professional success.
For specific instructions see the weekly assessment details in the course, or ask your instructor for further guidance.
Week 1 | Part 1: My Academic and Professional Network
I have identified and secured the participation of the following academic (at least two) and professional (at least two) individuals and/or teams to form the basis of my network. This network will help me to clarify my vision for success and will help guide me now and in the future.
Directions: Complete the information below for each member of your network. For more than four entries repeat the items below with details of your additional network member(s) in the ‘ADDITIONAL NETWORK MEMBERS’ section.
NETWORK MEMBER 1
Name: xxx
Title: xxx
Organization: xxx County College
Academic or Professional: Academic
Why I selected this individual and/or team and how they will support my success in the MSN program and as a practicing nurse:
Professor xxxx is my Fundamentals in Nursing professor. She has always been supportive of me and the rest of her students, guiding us to success and to exceed expectations in our nursing career. She has kept her doors open to every student and does not tire to give both career and personal advice and guidance when needed.
NETWORK MEMBER 2
Name: xxx
Title: xxx
Organization: xxx County College
Academic or Professional: Academic
Why I selected this individual and/or team and how they will support my success in the MSN program and as a practicing nurse:
xxxx is a nursing scholar and professional who is gracious enough to provide mentorship to upcoming nursing scholar-practitioners (Lisa, 2016). She has always been supportive in encouraging me to improve in my nursing education and scholarly work. As a matter of fact, she has on numerous occasions extended her kindness even outside the classroom hours to assist me. This is a characteristic that I would also want to emulate in the future.
NETWORK MEMBER 3
Name: xxx
Title: xxx
Organization: xxx
Academic or Professional: Professional
Why I selected this individual and/or team and how they will support my success in the MSN program and as a practicing nurse:
xxxx is an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) of the certified nurse practitioner role who has always been an inspiration to me and to my coworkers (Registered Nursing, 2019). We have all always been struck by how kind and helpful she is to her patients and their families. She is always patient in explaining the rationale behind what is to be done in any situation, or why a treatment matters. In this time of the Covid-19 pandemic when everything is rushed and overwhelming, I am thankful for having people like her in my professional life. These are people who do not forget that we are all lifelong students and always on a learning curve.
NETWORK MEMBER 4
Name: xxx
Title: Nurse Manager
Organization: xxx Hospital
Academic or Professional: Professional
Why I selected this individual and/or team and how they will support my success in the MSN program and as a practicing nurse:
xxxis my nurse manager at work and has been very supportive with regard to my FNP classes. For instance, she has been very kind to let me take a day from work when I had major examinations. She has also inspired me to never give up no matter what challenges I face at work or at school. Indeed, when life and career expectations go beyond what we can humanly handle, it is nice to have someone like xxx who will remind you to always never give up on your dreams .
ADDITIONAL NETWORK MEMBERS
None.
References
Bradley University (n.d.). Tips for maintaining a work-life balance while studying for an MSN-FNP. https://onlinedegrees.bradley.edu/nursing/msn-fnp/resources/tips-for-maintaining-a-work-life-balance-while-studying-for-an-msn/
Lisa, L. (2016). Mentoring for success. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy! 14(5), 55. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/01.NME.0000489910.67788.93
Registered Nursing (2019). Advanced practice registered nurse (APRN). https://www.registerednursing.org/aprn/
Week 2 | Part 2: Academic Resources and Strategies
I have identified the following academic resources and/or strategies that can be applied to success in the nursing practice in general or my specialty in particular.
Directions: In the space below Identify and describe at least three academic resources or strategies that can be applied to the MSN program, and at least three professional resources that can be applied to success in the nursing practice in general or your specialty in particular. For each, explain how you intend to use these resources, and how they might benefit you academically and professionally.
Academic Resource/Strategy 1
The first academic resource that can be applied in the MSN program is the library services provided to students. The institution has a well-equipped, well-staffed and extensive library service that supports students in accessing different scholarly publications, such as books, journals, periodicals, magazines and so on. With access to the library service, it will be possible to locate the required course and class readings, find background materials on the topics covered in the course, conduct research activities, and speedily locate research material (Walden University, 2020). I expect to use the library service during the course of the MSN program with a focus on developing professional knowledge, experiences, skills and competencies to enable me better evaluate, diagnose and treat my patients using efficient nursing approaches that result in better care outcomes.
Academic Resource/Strategy 2
The second academic resource is the academic skills center. The institution manages an academic skills center that helps students to better acclimatize to the change in pace. The learning environment is especially challenging and requires students to adopt to a steep learning curve in order to complete assignments at the level of education. Unlike other environments, university level writing is much stricter. The academic skills center will be useful in improving writing with regards to punctuation, grammar and spelling, as well as strength of argument and flow of thoughts (Walden University, 2020).
Academic Resource/Strategy 3
The third academic resource is online databases and libraries that act as knowledge repositories. They are presented as accessible websites that offer peer review publications important on exploring nursing subjects and clarifying seemingly complicated topics and subjects. These websites contain nursing literature on different nursing subjects, and they help in offering a better understanding of the course topic, and exploring current evidence.
Professional Resource/Strategy 1
The first professional resource is the National League for Nursing (NLN). The NLN is the oldest professional nurse organization in the USA. It was founded in 1893. Being a member of NLN would offer me opportunities for networking with other nurses and stakeholders. In addition, it would offer me opportunities for continuous education and professional development (National League for Nursing, 2020).
Professional Resource/Strategy 2
The second professional resource is the American Nurses Association (ANA). The ANA is the largest nurse organization. It was founded in 1896 and is among the oldest and most prestigious nurse organizations in the USA. Its subsidiaries include the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the American Nurses Foundation (ANF), and the American Academy of Nursing (AAN). Being a member of this organization offers nurses links to tools that are useful for professional development (American Nurses Association, 2020).
Professional Resource/Strategy 3
The third professional resource is the National Student Nurses Association (NSNA). This is an organization targeted at collecting members from among students with the intention of supporting them in career development. The organization does this by providing access to career planning tools, resource guides, and NCLEX resources. In addition, membership in the organization provides students with networking opportunities and information about career pathways (National Student Nurses Association, 2020).
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES/STRATEGIES
An additional resource that will be useful in the MSN program is the faculty at the institution and nursing students. The faculty members and nursing students are a rich source of information on nursing knowledge. They can act as a sounding board for exploring existing and new ideas. In addition, they are a good network and information resources on professional and career development opportunities. As nurses who are going through the same experiences (students) or who have gone through the same experiences (faculty members), networking with them offers greater insight into the current trends that are propelling the nursing profession forward. Besides that, they are useful for building a professional and academic network that will be important for career development. They are knowledgeable about employment opportunities and needs and can help in providing links to these opportunities. Yet another useful resource is that conferences open to nursing students at discounted rates. These conferences are useful for building up a professional portfolio, developing networks, and improving awareness about the professional nursing trends (Andre & Heartfield, 2012). For instance, attending a conference on virtual health care networks could improve knowledge about telehealth and how they can be leveraged to improve health care access thereby directing interests on how to improve nursing care delivery.
References
American Nurses Association (2020). About ANA. https://www.nursingworld.org/ana/about-ana/
Andre, K. & Heartfield, M. (2012). Professional Portfolios: Evidence of Competency for Nurses and Midwives (2nd ed.). Elsevier.
National League for Nursing (2020). About: Overview. http://www.nln.org/about/overview
National Student Nurses Association (2020). NSNA Mission At A Glance. https://www.nsna.org/about-nsna.html
Walden University (2020). Graduate & Certificate Programs: Resources. Retrieved from https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/academicadvising/graduate/resources#s-lg-box-2534709