Professional goals Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Professional goals - Assignment Example I established that the process has to be carefully managed if I am to fit into practice. Fitting in is quite difficult given the experience that I had during my placement. Fitting-in is a complex process requiring support from peers and the experienced nurses. However, I believe that with the correct mindset and determination together with support from experienced nurses, I can manage the transition. Duchscher (2008) argues that the graduate nurse is usually faced with a reality shock that comes from the discrepancy between what the draduate nurse has learnt in the classroom and what is actual or real in a health care setting. The graduate nurse in this case feels a sense of groundlessness. The resulting problems include anxiety insecurityand a feeling of inadequacy . Dyess and Sherman (2009) says that the problem is even more serious today because of the fact that the graduate nurse can take the licensure examination moments after graduation and enter into practice as a fully regist ered nurse in a matter of weeks. This is different from the earlier case where graduate nurses would get a temporary licence as they work with experienced nurses for a few months. According to Cubit and Ryan (2011), the situation is not completely out of hand and can be mitigated through proper support programs especially through Graduate Nurse Programs (GNP) that are provided by the health care organizations. This strategy will only be effective if it is not approached from an inculturation approach but rather a support and socialization approach in order to help the graduate nurse to fit in the system. I realized that it was not possible to do it on my own by moving straight into practice as I had little knowledge on the transition process and I was not aware about the graduate nursing programs available in my hospital setting. I would be in a better position if I developed the following †¢Reading more on the topic †¢Asking about other people’s experiences in orde r to learn from them †¢Find out the graduate nursing programs available at the hospital †¢Establish factors that contributed to my inability to fit-in and seek ways of mitigating them In order to know whether I gained from the learning or not, I will look at: †¢My transition process and establish whether it was successful or not †¢My knowledge of the transition process and if I can help others go through it †¢My understanding of the hospital graduate nurse programs The Nurse as a leader A leader is a person who is always looked at by others to provide guidance in situations of need. Being a leader is not a simple process and requires that one has an understanding of various issues around him or her and the people around him/her. I think that being a leader has to do with skills and capabilities that one has. It is thus not possible for anyone to be a leader. Leadership as a nurse is crucial in order to enhance patient care. I observed this during my placemen t as I got to understand what roles and responsibilities a nurse leader undertakes and how to effectively handle leadership roles. Nursing leadership is not a recent phenomenon. It is something that has been discussed for a while now (Stanley and Sherratt, 2010). The benefit of nursing leadership is seen in activities such as administration, education,