Personal Nursing Goals

It is important for nurses to continue to advance their careers and education by heeding the advice of overarching institutions and researchers in the field of nursing. Of the three recommendations given by the Institute of Medicine (2010) on the future of nursing, the one that most resonates with me is the first: “Nurses should practice to the full extent of their education and training.” Working at a psychiatric and medical nursing home part-time and as a school nurse, I feel I have embodied the Institute of Medicine’s recommendation in the past, but now that I am beginning to receive more education in the field of nursing, I must move beyond my old roles to more fully take advantage of the training I am receiving. Only by doing this can I continue to take on challenges and grow, but going forward, I must also create a nursing philosophy.

Nursing Philosophy

My nursing philosophy involves focusing on patient-centered care that empowers patients to make their own decisions regarding treatment by putting forth a sense of simultaneous empathy and respect. Often, it seems that patients are already intimidated by the sometimes patronizing auspices of medical care before even reaching the point at which those patients would be seen by a nurse prior to examination by a doctor. As a nurse, I feel it is my duty to counteract the disempowering forces of the system by which patients must check-in and sit patiently waiting to be called like schoolchildren. I can bring patients back into their own power by showing my respect for them as adults without compromising my empathy. Penphrase et al. (2013) also emphasize empathy, stating that, “The ability to empathize with others is a highly desirable characteristic for the delivery of quality care by nurses” (p. 192). I believe that by bringing such empathy to nursing, I can reassure patients that their complaints are real so that they will best be able to speak to doctors from a place of adult competence. By exercising this nursing philosophy, I will help generate better outcomes for patients.

Portfolio Needs

In order for my portfolio to more fully reflect both my nursing philosophy and my areas of expertise, I must fill in some of the missing needs. The Institute of Medicine (2011) suggests that education is a potentially valuable area: “To respond to these increasing demands, the IOM committee calls for nurses to achieve higher levels of education and suggests that they be educated in new ways that better prepare them to meet the needs of the population.” This implies that I will best fill in my portfolio by educating myself, particularly in ways that concern the needs of a modern and changing population. Indeed, this might well serve as a career goal for me.

Career Goals, Objectives, Strategies

My short-term goal is to work in the nursing field to gain experience so that I can work in an outpatient clinic or doctor’s office. I am interested in dermatology and endocrinology, so in order to fulfill this short-term goal, my two objectives are to focus my coursework on these two areas and to be sure to include them in any future portfolios or résumés I put together, as advocated in Serembus (2004), who discusses the value of portfolios at length. Slavin and Moorhead (2011), though, also suggest that I need long-term goals to supplement my short-term goal. My long-term goal is to manifest my nursing philosophy in my real-world practice and to do this, I will take on the two objectives of referring to my stated philosophy on a regular basis and additionally being sure to update it as my needs change. However, without personal goals, nursing goals can be somewhat empty.

Personal Goals

My personal goals center around personal improvement and continuing growth. As a short-term goal, I would like to have more confidence in my ability to take on new tasks and accomplish them with ease. Veninga (1996) implies that in order for life to have meaning, though, that these short-term objectives must be integrated into a more “sacred” overall guiding plan. Thus, I will put as my long-term goal the desire to live a life of growth, for only by changing and expanding can I feel that I have done my part in the world.

Brief Conclusion

My experiences in the field of nursing, from the recommendations of others and the development of philosophy to creating goals and objectives, will make me a better and more effective person even as I help patients. This will help me continuously improve. Nurses everywhere should adopt this strategy to generate the best outcomes. 

References

Institute of Medicine. (2010). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Institute of Medicine. (2011). The future of nursing: Focus on education. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Penprase, B., Oakley, B., Ternes, R., & Driscoll, D. (2013). Empathy as a determining factor for nursing career selection. The Journal of Nursing Education, 52(4), 192-197.

Serembus, J. F. (2004). Pocket full of miracles: A professional portfolio can be a powerful force in your career advancement. The American Journal of Nursing, 100(11), 67.

Slavin, C., & Moorhead, S. (2011). Current issues in nursing (8th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier.

Veninga, R. L. (1996). The search for the sacred: How to find new meanings in your career. Journal of Nursing Administration, 26(1), 3-6.