Professional growth and evidence-based practice in nursing education

Future Goals & Scholarship

My journey in the RN-BSN program has provided me with the knowledge I needed to advance my career in nursing. Also, the RN-BSN has prepared me intellectually as well as in a foundational way to offer a higher quality of service to my patients. A nurse that truly engages with her profession never stops learning about the newest advances in healthcare strategies and policies, and I have been an enthusiastic learner when it comes to advancing my skills and my experiences for the benefit of my patients.

What I learned and how that Knowledge Helps Me

The advanced skills I have learned allow me to better care for my patients. But moreover, the RN-BSN program brought into my focus the importance of better English comprehension skills, including the ability to critically evaluate ideas, scholarly articles, speeches given by healthcare professionals, and other materials that nurses need to be familiar with. I also was pleased to have a chance to learn skills involved in public speaking. I'm not a shy person but I have not had much experience in public speaking and I was glad to have that chance to learn.

Communication was also a course that I enjoyed and gained a lot from. In a nurse's daily job responsibilities the importance of accurate communication cannot be overstated. Making sure that patients understand what is being done and what is being proposed for their well-being is vitally important. Also, I learned that when it comes to the communication between nurses and doctors, between nurses and other nurses, and between nurses and aides / orderlies it is very important that there is clarity and candor. That course was helpful to me in meaningful ways.

Of course there were classes in science-based and math-based subjects, and I gained important knowledge and perspectives from those classes.

My interest in the humanities had not been very intense prior to my experiences in the RN-BNS program, but I became a more-well-rounded person by taking classes in history and psychology. The psychological aspects of caring for patients are very important and fascinating to me; not just the psychology used when it comes to calming an upset patient. But in addition, the overall emotional dynamics on a hospital ward with a wide variety of patients that have a myriad of health problems -- that situation calls for calm, for perspective, for understanding and for the mental makeup that can help a nurse get through the day unscathed emotionally, so to speak. That's what I have learned.

Academic Service Learning

The bottom line I have come away with following my study of Academic Service Learning (ASL) is that all professionals should give back to their communities. Students understand after becoming familiar with this concept that there are many needs in the communities we live in that are not necessarily being met by government. Hence, it behooves professionals, in this case, nurses, to get involved in a nonprofit organization in the community while still enrolled in college. ASL must serve a need, such as a homeless shelter, an elder-based clinical facility, a battered women's shelter or an organization that rescues injured and orphaned wildlife and rehabilitates them.

Learning by giving to others is the key. In the Business Communication Quarterly the author describes ASL as not only helping a group in the community, but also it "…requires the infusion of the classr5oom content into the community service experience" (Bush-Bacells, 1998). The students and the instructor cooperate collaboratively to link content with the community involvement -- whatever it may be. "Effective learning… includes meaningful service, connection to course content, and active reflection…" on the experience (Bush-Bacells, 20).

In conclusion, my plans for scholarly undertakings include continuing education in the field of healthcare and nursing. I intend to take online courses and work towards my master's degree.