In response to at least two of your peers, extend the conversation by responding to peers who identified a different challenge than one you have experienced.
As we get started in the capstone course of your program, reflect on your growth throughout the BSN program. A key function of this capstone course is to give you an opportunity to look back at what you have learned and achieved. As part of your reflection, review the course outcomes, which are the same as the BSN program outcomes, and answer the following questions in your discussion post:
· How have you achieved these outcomes?
· In what specific ways has this education changed you both professionally and personally?
· What specific program outcome challenged you the most, and how has your thinking changed in this area?
Natasha Wilcox posted
Hello, my name is Natasha Wilcox. I am a married, mother of 3, I live in New York. Currently trying to balance working full time, distance learning with my children as all schools remained closed in NY, and finishing my BSN! My first degree was in human services. I watched my toddler respiratory arrest. I stood there helpless and sobbing. I realized that I needed to tackle my long time desire to be an RN after that experience. I went back to school and received my RN. My background in nursing is in an intensive care unit. I recently changed jobs (2 weeks ago), and am now working as a labor and delivery nurse with the same hospital. My goal, once I have completed my BSN, is to continue on with my master’s degree. I have applied to a local program and I hope to work as an FNP in the OB-GYN field.
This program has changed my personally and professionally. My BSN will not change what my day to day activities as an RN include. However, the program has trained me to thinking more critically. Disease process is complex and the program will allow me to develop a better plan of care for each individual patient. Looking at the course outcomes, I feel that I have achieved the outcomes by applying what I have learned throughout this program within my practice. My clinical decision-making and critical thinking that is required as an ICU nurse has expanded. This program has helped me to grow as an individual and as a nurse. I have learned to promote and advocate for various populations regardless of their diversity. The program outcome that specifically challenged me was the analysis of trends in healthcare policy and finance. Following how hospitals receive their funding is a difficult task to follow. I previously never put much thought into the financial aspect of what made a healthcare organization function.
Zachary Erickson posted
Greetings All,
I am excited to be part of this group, and I look forward to interacting with all of you this term. Mi nombre es Zak(been taking Spanish lessons while staying at home!). I’m an ADN of 16 years and a critical care RN living in NH where I work at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Neurocritical Care. Aside from the impending necessity of a BSN, I am aiming to start travel nursing internationally and the degree advancement opens up new options in that arena. I travelled nationally for five years before taking my current position and am excited to start going even further, hopefully within the next year if restrictions allow. I have also completed the application process for my MSN program with a focus on education. I’ve gained some great momentum academically through my current program and hope to keep it up as long as I can.
Looking back on how that program has progressed through the lens of the expected outcomes requires some consideration. These outcomes are specific:
• Apply skills in using patient care technologies, information systems, and clinical decision support tools to
promote safe nursing practice and quality patient outcomes
• Utilize evidence-based practice in planning, implementing, and evaluating outcomes of care
• Formulate strategies to promote health and prevent disease in individuals and populations across the life
span
• Implement patient safety and quality initiatives within the complex clinical microsystem using leadership
and communication skills
• Analyze trends in healthcare
policy, finance, and regulatory environments and their implications for
healthcare access, equity, and affordability
• Evaluate life-long learning and nursing engagement to promote personal and professional transformation
(Southern New Hampshire University, 2020, pp.1-2)
Each one of these components is necessary to be a safe, effective, and productive member of a healthcare team. Increasing our proficiency in these areas allows us to make better informed decisions for our practice and for our patients. I have always strived for improvements to how I personally deliver care and how I interact with others professionally. I thrive in a constantly changing environment, so the addition of patient care tech, support tools, industry trend data, and better evidence gathering is exciting and helps keep me fresh and engaged. That adaptability does have a downside. Even though I have always seen opportunities for quality improvement, in the past I have rarely advocated for them. My BSN courses have given me the tools to be that advocate and the confidence that my input is consistently informed and insightful.
The outcome that has challenged me the most is healthcare promotion and disease prevention. I have always worked bedside and my professional focus has primarily been of providing secondary and tertiary care. Although I enjoy engaging in patient teaching and have taught classes on critical care concepts for healthcare professionals, I do not always get the opportunity to work on the larger picture. Individual and community health promotion is key to the future success of our profession and works toward a mission of providing the highest quality care possible. Although I intend to continue providing care at an interventional level, I now consider that bigger picture in everything that I do.
References
Southern New Hampshire University. (2020) NUR-490: Transformational capstone course syllabus. Retrieved from
https://learn.snhu.edu/d2l/le/content/428774/viewContent/8686807/View