NURS – 6003N Discussion: Networking Opportunities
NURS – 6003N Discussion: Networking Opportunities
Post a brief introduction of yourself to your colleagues. Include an explanation as to how Walden’s vision, mission, goals, and social change initiatives relate to your professional and academic goals and to your becoming a scholar-practitioner. Also include an explanation for how the Walden MSN Program Outcomes and perspectives relate to your professional and academic goals and to your becoming a scholar-practitioner.
My name is xxx. I am currently a night shift nurse, working with the Department of Corrections. I have been a nurse for almost 2 years, and other than a few months working in home health, my entire time has been in Corrections. I currently live in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and have lived here since 2016. Prior to my career in nursing, I was a member of the Security Forces (Military Police) career field, in the Air Force, for just over 20 years. I retired in 2016, and now here I am. I enjoy most things outdoors, and really have a passion for fishing.
When I began researching University’s, to move forward into a Masters program, I was looking for a place which aligned with my personal beliefs and ideas of what kind of professional I was looking to become. I wanted my professional and academic goals to mirror the University’s goals. This search led me to the September 2020 Walden University Course catalog, and their Vision statement. Walden “envisions a distinctively different 21st-century learning community where knowledge is judged worthy to the degree that it can be applied by its graduates to the immediate solutions of critical societal challenges, thereby advancing the greater global good” (Walden University, 2020). What better place to begin the journey, into a Masters degree program, than a university whose vision is to advance global good.
This leads me into positive social change and becoming a scholar-practitioner. In Walden’s definition of social change, they finish the section with a key phrase: “Walden supports positive social change through the development of principled, knowledgeable, and ethical scholar-practitioners, who are and will become civic and professional role models by advancing the betterment of society” (Walden University, 2020). Tie this to Walden’s mission of providing “a diverse community of career professionals with the opportunity to transform themselves as scholar-practitioners so that they can effect positive social change” (Walden University, 2020), and you have a University committed to personal and professional beliefs I hope to guide my practice.
Another important factor in my degree program, was my desire to continue with Offenders, in the Department of Corrections. One of Walden’s MSN Learning Outcomes it to “integratively assess, diagnose, plan, implement, and evaluate cost-effective healthcare strategies that reduce health disparities by patient/population advocacy for access to specialist nursing care” (Walden University, 2020). One of the places in which great health disparities, with poor outcomes, occur is in Correctional facilities. According to a 2021 article from the Department of Government and Justice Studies, at Appalachian State University “when it comes to what we do know about inmate health, a gloomy picture is often painted. Due to circumstances that occur before, during, and after incarceration, prisoners are often at an increased risk for poor health outcomes” (Zaitzow & Willis, 2021, p. 3). These outcomes, tied to increased chronic health conditions, have led to my passion in offender care.
All of the points covered above are easy to type on paper, but how do we tie them into our future practice? The University’s goal “to produce graduates who are scholarly, reflective practitioners and agents of positive social change” (Walden University, 2020). I cannot think of a place where positive social change is needed more than a correctional setting. Offenders deserve professionals devoted to this positive change. In Walden’s definition of social change, they finish the section with a key phrase: “Walden supports positive social change through the development of principled, knowledgeable, and ethical scholar-practitioners, who are and will become civic and professional role models by advancing the betterment of society” (Walden University, 2020). This is the professional I hope to become. This is the professional, the patients I care for deserve.
Finally, there are so many individuals and teams that I will need to collaborate with over the next two years. It started with my Enrollment Specialist, who assisted me in getting registered, changing my degree, and followed up with a weekly phone call just to ensure I was staying on task. Now that classes have begun, it will be the Library, Academic Success, Professors, fellow students, Financial Aid, and the Writing Center just to name a few. I am sure there are so many more, and I hope you can point some things out I may have missed.
Respectfully,
Reference:
Walden University. (2020). Master of science in nursing (MSN). Retrieved March, 2, 2020, from https://catalog.waldenu.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=178&poid=70112&returnto=64000
Walden University. (2020). Vision, mission, and goals. Retrieved March 2, 2020, from https://catalog.waldenu.edu/content.php?catoid=178&navoid=63595
Zaitzow, B. H., & Willis, A. K. (2021). Behind the wall of indifference: prisoner voices about the realities of prison health care. Laws 2021, 10(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/laws10010011
sample response 1
I enjoyed reading your discussion post. I find your background very impressive. Let me start by saying thank you for your service; what an interesting change you had from serving in the Military Air Force to nursing? After conducting my research, I also felt that Walden University was the right fit for me to pursue my goal as an APN in mental health. I concur with you that correctional facilities are experiencing great health disparities with little to poor outcomes. The majority of them are dealing with poor socioeconomic issues with no income to buffer against the negative outcomes of any detrimental effect on their health. This population will benefit from your career path.
In comparison, I feel our patient population is similar. I’m currently working at a psychiatric state hospital and we serve a distinct patient population consisting of adults who are civilly committed, individuals on forensic status (NGRI: Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity, IST: Incompetent to Stand Trial, patients who fall under the provisions of Megan’s Law, and individuals on a detainer from a county jail), individuals with developmental disorders/neurological impairment who also have a mental illness, and individuals with co-occurring substance use disorders ( APH fact sheet).occurring These population also need a knowledgeable and ethical scholar-practitioners who can advocate for them from a non-judgmental point of view. Great discussion post.
References
(2017). The Official Web Site for The State of New Jersey. ANCORA PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL FACTSHEET. Retrieved from http://www.state.nj.us/health/integratedhealth/documents/hospitals/ancora/APH_FactSheet_2017.pdf
sample response 2
Vision: Your vision statement parallels our Walden University vision. As a Walden University, student expectations include: to imbibe into practice compassion, tenderness, honesty, to cherish caring services, encourage methods of measuring and improving outcomes, foster the habit of teamwork (Wofford, 2018).
Mission: Your mission statement parallels our Walden University mission. As a Walden University, student expectations include: to immense and indulge into studies, acquire professor-led, professor-guided classroom and clinical experience. The primary foundation led down by the professors, curricula empowers the student to clinical leadership positions, withstand challenges in practice, encourage critical judgment, foster academic and clinical research (Walden University, n.d., 2018).
Goals: Your vision statement parallels our Walden University vision. As a graduate of Walden University, endowed with the qualities of expertise, the student will contribute immensely to establishment of accessible ambulatory, non-ambulatory. As a graduate of WU, the student endowed with competence, confidence, will establish clinical training grounds for future nursing students (Walden University, n.d., 2018).
In conclusion, to ensure success the student needs to stay focused, abide with course work instructions, and maintain community and professional networking.
References
Nurse.org. (n.d.). List of nursing organizations. Retrieved November 14, 2018, https://nurse.org/orgs.shtml
Schmidt, K. (n.d.). 5 reasons nurses should in professional networking. [Blog post]. Retrieved November 14, 2018, from https://blog.bluepipes.com/5-reasons-nurses-should-take-professional-networking-seriously/
Walden University. (n.d.). Connect to Walden. Retrieved November 14, 2018, from https://www.waldenu.edu/connect
Wofford, P. (2018). 10 networking tips for nurses who hate networking. Retrieved from https://nurse.org/articles/tips-for-nurse-networking/
sample post 2
Main Question Post:- My name is xxx, I received my master in nursing administration and leadership from University of Maryland and my master in business administration from University of Baltimore almost 20 years ago. I’m currently practicing as a psychiatry executive nurse director in a home and community based facility. My setting is an outpatient facility that has a wide variety of support and services provided to psychiatry patients and their families in their own home or community. We help such patients meet their daily needs, for assistance to improve their quality of lives and case management.
Studying here at Walden University is a great opportunity, to complete my post master nurse practitioner certificate program in psychiatry mental health. I believe that specializing in mental health is very important in our contemporary society of this day and age. I always imagine the social change of mental health anguish, emotional destruction and psychological pain cause by Covid-19 global health pandemic, which is brought upon the entire society, drove me to pursue this specialization. I believe that caring for Individual’s emotional and behavioral state of mind, to make him or her operate at an optimal level in order to function well is highly needed at this time. Individuals in the society should experience a stable mental health to be able to participate in activities of daily living in a healthy manner.
My motivation for pursuing this career also comes from several years of experience working in different mental health care facilities as a registered nurse. I enjoy working with mental health patients at all ages. I enjoy educating my staff, my patients’ and family member about mental health illnesses. My passion and knowledge in psychiatric care motivate and inspires others to go beyond call of duty in caring for patient holistically. Pursuing this advanced degree at Walden University School of Nursing’s will prepare and help me bring my goals to reality in advancing mental health wellness to all patients, families and staff that I will work with in my community. While in school, I will learn to be successful academically and professionally by networking with all the available resources such as, center for academic excellence, my course professors, faculty and administration, alumni, library and librarian, enrollment specialist, writing center, classmates, financial aid office and staff, catalogs, technical and student support services.
I found Walden University and the school of nursing program’s vision, mission and goals, best fits and appealing during my school search selection, and it’s commitment to maintaining the highest standards of excellence. One of my goal is to graduate from one of the best online program in the nation, to learn how to apply my passion and knowledge in psychiatric to care for patients upon completion of the program. Walden University education will fulfil my dream of caring for the mental health wellness to patients at all stages of life, and become an expert in this field. The knowledge I will gain from the program with modern technology will serve the population of my community well. In addition, I will utilize evidence base advanced scientific tools I learn to treat acute and chronic illness, and promote mental health well-being.
Mental illness awareness is highly needed now than ever, that means the opportunities to promote mental wellness and advancing this career are in high demand. Therefore, to provide adequate help to individuals who are suffering from a mental illness worldwide, one must acquire a great deal of advance knowledge on the various mental illnesses. Providers will help clients who have been stigmatized for many years in order to overcome the knowledge deficits of what these individuals are going through on a daily basis. This program will expose me to a great deal of knowledge on the various therapeutic interventions and treatments spectrum that have been successful in helping the individual get to their desired state of psychological well-being both historically and currently. I believe that this program will help me develop knowledge in providing collaborative network to improve patients’ health outcomes.
In conclusion, upon completion and earning this advance degree, I will impact my community greatly by providing family oriented holistic quality mental health care. I will continue the home and community based services. I will continue to provide a psychiatry mobile treatment, whereby my clients will receive home health, and be treated in their homes as needed or care via telehealth. I will ensure that the services I provide meet the expected goals and objectives of a professional high standard I learn from Walden University. I will have an advance training ability to perform comprehensive assessment, medication management. I will be able to interpret multiple, sometimes conflicting scientific data to all the patients under my care as a psychiatry nurse practitioner.
References
Walden University Catalog. (March 2021). Student Handbook and University Guide Books. Retrieved March 3, 2021, from https://catalog.waldenu.edu/index.php
Walden University. (2020). Master of Science in nursing (MSN). Achieved Catalog. Retrieved March, 3, 2021, from https://catalog.waldenu.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=178&poid=70112&returnto=64000
sample response
Posting is very good and interesting, it made a great sense in the whole world to me. I will like to share some facts about mental health care history in America, and the origin of it’s scarce resources and funding. In 1916, Congress officially name the institution Saint Elizabeth Hospital, originally known as the Government Hospital for the Insane, was founded by Congress in 1852 through the efforts of a Ms. Dorothea Lynde Dix. Ms. Dix is just like Florence Nightingale. She was a pioneering mental health reformer who worked to change the view of the mentally ill and how to properly care for them. She advocated for the mentally ill to “provide the most humane care and enlightened curative treatment” for the insane. The founding legislation for the hospital, written by Ms. Dix, opened the hospital to patients from Army and Navy as well as both black and white Fellows of the District of Columbia. Saint Elizabeth was America’s first federal mental hospital, and it was the first mental hospital in the District of Columbia.
The hospital was the only government facility in America to treat mentally ill military personnel until 1919, and World War II brought in the largest patient numbers (over 4,000) in its history. In 1946, however, Congress ended the long association between the hospital and the armed forces, in favor of treatment at the nation’s expanding system of Veteran’s Hospital. The loss of interest and funding from the Congress to mental health care was born, that leads to the development of community-based alternatives to institutionalization, and new attitudes toward mental health care subsequently reduced the need for large public mental hospitals.
The continue cuts in federal funding of mental health programs place future control of mental health services at the state and local community level and drastically reduce the funds available for training new and specialize professionals. This funding squeeze has force increase collaboration between community psychiatric facilities (short-term inpatient, outpatient, and auxiliary services) and long-term inpatient state facilities. Mental health care needs serious attention in term of funding and more resources from elected officials and the Congress to provide holistic care. Mental health professionals have experienced enormous social changes in perspectives, focus and direction, in a “limited to non-existent in a setting of very scarce resources”, as you stated, these cause lack of an excellent care to patients and families..Thank you very much and I wish you good luck.
References
District of Columbia Department of Behavioral Health..Saint Elizabeth Hospital Achieves. Retrieve March 05, 2021 from https://dbh.dc.gov/page/saint-elizabeths-hospital
sample post 3
I have been a nurse for 9 years. I was a licensed practical nurse since 2012 and registered since 2012. I worked in long-term care for 5 years, and I started working in an acute psychiatric unit the last 2years. Working in my last setting gives me the desire to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner, which explains my presence at Walden University. I then started a bridge program that goes from RN to MSN. I started the 1st of June 2020, and it has been quite a ride joggling family, work, and school. I encounter some difficulties while looking for the school to choose for my career goal because first, I was new to online school and honestly do not know what to expect, and secondly, there were so many programs and schools out there. I finally choose Walden to pick Walden because a colleague nurse working on his FNP and doing some research on the school’s mission, vision, and goals.
Walden University vision aligns to mine “Walden University envisions a distinctively different 21st-century learning community where knowledge is judged worthy to the degree that its graduates can apply it to the immediate solutions of critical societal challenges, thereby advancing the greater global good” (Vision, Mission, and Goals, n.d). I identify with Walden’s vision because it adapts to this century while students can balance their work, family, and school together. It is an amazing fact that students, even though living in a different part of the earthwork, achieve a common goal. I want to focus my clinical practice on children with mental health issues. My personal goal is to empower myself to become a professional practitioner in my practice to enable change. My mission is in alignment with Walden’s mission. I believe that nurse is an agent of change at all level, but obtaining a master’s degree allows the nurse to grow from novice to expert and evidence-based the practice has shown nurse advanced degree is associated with better patient outcome Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). [Video file]. Nurses should always work to become the best version of themselves to increase the quality-of-care delivery.
I started working in a children’s psychiatric acute center 3 years ago without any previous psychiatric background apart from nursing school. I was amazed by how many children are struggling with mental health issues. I choose to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner to bring change to the delivery system. As I graduate with my master’s degree in nursing at Walden, I will be empowered to reduce healthcare inequalities by accurately assess. diagnose, plan, and implement cost-effective noted in Master of Nursing (MSN) (n.d.). I believe Walden University will help me build the foundation of my career as a practitioner, and I am extremely excited about the journey.
There are many people I will collaborate with during this journey first, I have my enrollment advisor here at Walden, the writing center, my mentor is the director of nursing in the facility, my medical director, and my instructors. I strongly believe that intentional professional networking is important in the pursue my degree
References
Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). The Walden Journey to a Masters in Nursing: The Journey Begins [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Master of Science (MSN). (n.d.). Walden University Catalog. https://catalog.waldenu.edu/preview_program.phpcatoid=178&poid=70112
Vision, Mission and Goal. (n.d.). Walden University