Essay Example on Goals Toward Pursuing a Graduate Degree in Nursing

Goals Toward Pursuing a Graduate Degree in Nursing The opportunity to continue education provides nurses with the ability to expand knowledge of disease processes integrate research into practice and engage in healthcare leadership roles These are goals I hope to incorporate in my own practice as a future nurse practitioner The University of Alabama at Birmingham s Graduate School of Nursing clearly defines values that align with my goals influencing my decision to pursue a degree in Family Nurse Practitioner or Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner According to the University of Alabama at Birmingham s Graduate School of Nursing website outcomes of this program include providing ethical care in the advanced nursing role both independently and collaboratively synthesizing research to provide evidence based care in healthcare and facilitating leadership in quality improvement Craig n d The clear alignment of my career goals and those referenced program outcomes influenced my decision to apply to this graduate program As an intensive care nurse I have engaged in quality improvement projects on our unit to change practice One project I led on my unit involved educating nurses to administer antibiotics with secondary tubing to ensure adult patients receive complete doses of intravenous antibiotics McLaughlin 2016 I wish to continue my engagement in quality improvement projects and leadership roles within my practice as a nurse practitioner 

The patient s postpartum and hereditary thrombophilia predisposed her to developing a thrombosis Coriu L et al 2014 The increasing number of pregnant and postpartum women admitted to our unit with ischemic strokes has encouraged me to pursue my family nurse practitioner My knowledge and experience as an intensive care nurse to identify risk factors early and consult appropriate teams will help with my transition into the complex role of a family nurse practitioner I have chosen Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner as my second specialty Although I would like the opportunity to learn and work with a large population of patients in a community clinic I already have a strong knowledge of the healthcare risks involved with the adult population One common healthcare risk among this age group is an arrhythmia called atrial fibrillation AF According to Smigorowsky et al the prevalence of AF is increasing with a growing and aging population and timely access to care for these patients is a concern because patients with AF have a three to five times greater risk of stroke 2017

Studies have found that nurse practitioner led clinics have resulted in higher quality and quicker access to care Smigorowsky et al 2017 As an Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner I would recognize that conditions among an aging population such as atrial fibrillation require early intervention to prevent severe complications and possible hospital admissions The vision I have for my personal career is influenced by the University of Alabama at Birmingham s Graduate School of Nursing s own vision of preparing innovative nurse leaders who transform healthcare locally and internationally Craig n d I will utilize my clinical knowledge and critical thinking to engage in international clinical research as a nurse practitioner and leader in my community Application of research based projects in the community setting can engage patients and families in comprehensive health education as well as provide patient centered multi disciplinary care All of which strengthen my goal of transforming healthcare locally within my community by improving patient outcomes through early diagnosis and treatment of diseases