Transitioning from Student to Nurse Leader

Becoming a professional nurse takes a long time, and some students may become so accustomed to the rigors of an academic regimen that they are ill-prepared to enter the workforce after graduation. Therefore, it is important to develop viable plans for the future before the pinning ceremony is performed and the diplomas are handed out. To this end, the purpose of this paper is to provide a clear vision for the future by setting achievable goals and formulating appropriate strategies for achieving these goals through the creation of a one-year and five-year professional nursing career plan. The one-year plan describes my plans immediately following graduation including the identification of selected potential employers• and the details concerning what is required to apply for these positions. In addition, a description of the ways in which I intend to maintain a holistic balance in my personal and professional life during the first year and over the course of five years is followed by the Identification of relevant known stressors and anticipated challenges together with corresponding plans for managing each of them during the first year and at five years. Finally, the paper presents a plan for lifelong learning and educational development during the first year and at five years and concludes with a summary of my for contributing to the professional nursing community and my general community in a healthcare professional role during the first year and at five years.
Transition into the professional nursing role
The state where I will be seeking employment following graduation as a registered nurse is New Jersey. The criteria for becoming a registered nurse in this state include the following (1) graduation from a registered nursing program that has been approved by the New Jersey Board of Nursing; (2) pass a background check and (3) pass the NCLEX-RN examination (Nursing school degrees, 2019). Applications are accepted online or through the U.S. mails. Assuming these criteria are satisfied, I intend to seek employment with the health care organizations described below, including the respective motivators and detractors for each.
Saint Peters University Hospital, New Brunswick
This health care organization is a 478-bed acute care teaching hospital (About Saint Peters University Hospital, 2019) with much to offer newly graduated registered nurses (RNs). For example, the hospital features a new graduate program for nurses, the staff is well known for being highly supportive of new nursing graduates and they even pay for otherwise-costly certifications (i.e., progressive care ICU and medical-surgical) after completing the required minimum number of hours of work.
At present, though, the RN jobs that are available at Saint Peters are in the emergency department which employs a high ratio of new graduate nurses. This staffing arrangement appears to represent a significant detractor since it indicates that recent graduate nurses rather than experienced and seasoned nurses are responsible for training new RNs. Moreover, the compensation at Saint Peters is comparatively low for this market and the training period with a seasoned nurse only lasts 3 months. Applications are accepted online, in person, or through the U.S. mails. In sum, this prospective employer ranks lowest on my list.
Center State Hospital, Freehold
Like the other two prospective employers, this hospital also accepts applications in person, online or through the U.S. mails and features has a new nursing graduate program. This program, though, lasts about a year which is a definite motivator for new nurses since this length of time allows them to gain the on-hands experiences they will need to practice independently. Despite this motivator, however, the compensation at this hospital is the lowest among the other prospective employers, ranking it second to last on my list.
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick
A final prospective employer in New Jersey is the 965-bed Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. This tertiary care hospital also features a new graduate program; however, like Saint Peters, this program only offers a 3-month training period with a seasoned nurse which is a significant detractor. Conversely, the pay at this hospital is substantially higher compared to other institutions in the area, but this motivator is offset by the fact that a great deal more work comes with this position. Likewise, although this hospital features a state-of-the-art Level 1 trauma emergency department (Welcome to Robert Wood Johnson, 2019), it typically does not accept new nursing graduates for this department but it does accept applications for all positions in person, online or through the U.S. mails. Taken together, the motivators tend of outweigh the detractors at this organization, making it the employer of choice.
Holistic Life Balance
Although the rigors of academic life and clinical practice help steel nursing graduates for life after graduation, it is reasonable to posit that any nursing position will exact a significant mental and physical toll, so it will be important to maintain a healthy, holistic life balance (Kuehn, 2018). Consequently, I intend to maintain a holistic balance in my personal life as well as in my role as a professional nurse within the first year and at five years by planning my menus, shopping accordingly, and preparing as many meals in advance as possible for the workweek (Tollefson & Kite, 2018). In addition, I will also take advantage of any employee wellness program offerings, including the use of employee weight and workout rooms and continuing my practice of yoga. Finally, I also plan to continue my work ritual of coming in early in order to plan my day and organize my shift.
Stressors and Challenges
Many of the stressors and challenges that are associated with the nursing profession are common to virtually all professions, but there are some unique aspects of nursing that can exacerbate these factors in ways that can lead to burnout and/or emotional exhaustion (de la Fuente & García, 2015). Therefore, I intend to manage each of these general and unique factors as they arise within the first year as well as at five years by “keeping my eye on the prize.” For instance, the harsh reality of “paying my dues” by making mutually agreed-upon sacrifices in family time and performing odious duties traditionally assigned to new nurses will be offset by my goal to earn my medical-surgical certification by the end of my first year in practice.
Assuming the costs of this certification are borne by my ideal employer, I would be highly motivated to complete the requisite studying and coursework to secure this certification as well as progressive care certification during my five-year plan so that I can work in an ICU setting. This outcome will also require establishing professional networks, participation in communities of interest and continuing my education as a nurse leader.
Lifelong learning
It is critical to keep in mind that graduation from a nursing program does not represent the end of professional learning. Indeed, learning is a lifelong enterprise that involves commitments of time and effort. For example, I will have to work my way up from a medical surgical unit/emergency department to collect my nursing foundation skills so that I can advance to a telemetry floor where I can focus in on my specialty and one day secure employment in an ICU unit.
Although it is possible to secure employment directly in an ICU unit, I feel it is important for me and my patients that I gain additional experiences prior to entering this specialty area. In addition, by the end of my first year in nursing, I intend to have received my medical-surgical certification followed 4 months later by securing my progressive care certification. Over the first 5 years of my nursing career, I also intend to formalize plans concerning which route of master’s degree nursing is most appropriate. Although I intend to pursue an advanced nursing career, it remains uncertain at this point whether this means a nurse practitioner in family care or mental health or education position, but this determination will be completed by the end of my 5-year plan.
Professional contributions
During my first 5 years following graduation, my personal contributions to a professional nursing community will include membership in the American Nurses Association and participating in their online communities of interest. Likewise, my ongoing learning will be directed at developing monitoring skills to identify opportunities for improving the quality of nursing care In addition, I also intend to continue my volunteer work at a nearby Catholic charities organization that distributes food and household items to those in need.
References
About Saint Peters University Hospital. (2019). Saint Peters University Hospital. Retrieved from https://www.saintpetershcs.com/Locations/Saint-Peter-s-University-Hospital.
de la Fuente, E. I. & García, J. (2015, May 1). Psychometric properties and scales of the Granada Burnout Questionnaire applied to nurses. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 15(2), 130-134.
Kuehn, M. B. (2018, October 1). Creating a healthy work environment for nursing faculty. Creative Nursing, 16(4), 193-196.
Nursing school degrees. (2019). Becoming an RN in New Jersey. Retrieved from https:// www.nursing-school-degrees.com/nurse-licensure/become-a-nurse-in-new-jersey.html
Tollefson, M. & Kite, B. (2018, Winter). Effectiveness of student-led stress reduction activities in the undergraduate classroom on perceived student stress. College Student Journal, 52(4), 505-511.
Welcome to Robert Wood Johnson. (2019). Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Retrieved from https://www.rwjbh.org/rwj-university-hospital-new-brunswick/.