My Personal Goals as an NP

Nursing: My Personal Goals

I definitely feel that nursing is a calling. The profession is far too demanding for an individual to choose simply for a paycheck. It is not a job that can easily put aside at the end of the day, and may require the nurse to work long hours, multiple shifts, and to go the extra mile when the patient requires additional care. Like many individuals who ultimately chose healthcare as a profession, I have seen my loved ones who were ill being cared for my incredibly caring and professional nurses. I wanted to be like them, and I wanted a career that was of service to others. Also, although I wanted a stable profession that could give me a good living, I also wanted something that I felt was meaningful, personally and to society. Even when a nurse’s day is stressful and frustrating, it is never wasted or a bad day if she helped a patient. This is the essence of nursing.

Nursing requires an individual to be constantly learning and seeking out new sources of knowledge with curiosity. According to Hall, a nurse must have a broad basis of knowledge, including “medicine, gerontology, psychology, public health, and other fields that touch on daily practice,” even if the nurse herself is in a specialized field (Hall 1996, p. 327). For example, it is not to simply tell a patient how to follow an aftercare plan; it is important to make sure the patient is motivated and understands the plan, and also has the social support to make this possible.

Healthcare is always changing, because of changes in technology and treatment approaches. The patient population is also always changing, and every patient is an individual. I like meeting new people, and the variety of cases and personalities I encounter through my work. Becoming a nurse practitioner within the next 5 years is an important goal for me because of the ways it will empower my practice. I will be able to practice more independently with this advanced knowledge, and have more control over the care of my patients. The personal face-to-face encounters nurses have with patients, and the goal of nursing to treat the whole patient aligns with what I think is the best way to optimize patient health.

Patients want to feel as if they are heard and honored, and are not reduced to a diagnosis. This personalized care is one of the reasons nurse practitioners frequently report some of the highest levels of satisfaction of any healthcare providers: “If NPs spend the same amount of time with patients as other providers, yet have higher patient satisfaction, there must be another influencing factor” (Judge-Ellis & Wilson, 2017, p.584.). Studies repeatedly confirm the high quality of care and the trust nurse practitioners inspire in patients, and I want to be worthy of that trust.

As my career progresses within the next 10 years, I will strive to further grow my skill set. By then, I may have grounded myself in a specific practice setting, either in a hospital or operating in independent private practice. Ideally, I will have established myself in my profession and have patients who I see regularly and help achieve wellness and lead fulfilling lives. I also hope to work as part of an interdisciplinary team of other providers who I can refer my patients to for more specialized care, spanning from surgery to nutritional advice to physical and occupational therapy.