As put by the American Nurses Association, nurses are vital to the health of the nation. To me, this thought is far from being an overstatement. Today, counting four million, nurses are the largest part of the US healthcare workforce. Even though no other country in the world has as many nurses as the US, there is an impending shortage. As per the US Bureau of Labor estimations, in the next few years, the demand for nurses will be growing at a 16% rate each year (Haddad, Annamaraju & Toney-Butler, 2020). To fill the gap, the US healthcare system might need eleven more million nurses. If the expansion of the workforce does not happen, the workload on remaining nurses is readily imaginable.
However, having worked for six years in various clinical settings, I can confidently say that it is not always about quantity but rather quality. The changing demands of the healthcare system require nurses to achieve higher levels of education. It is said that nursing is a profession of both mind and heart. Therefore, it is crucial to develop the intuition for patient needs and fundamental respect for human life. Yet, nurses need to lead with the mind and backup their actions with rigorous learning and evidence-based knowledge in their decisions. Indeed, being a nurse in the US healthcare system today means continuing education and reaching new frontiers in one’s field of expertise.
The main reason for pursuing this degree is the opportunity to pursue a specialty field that has been of interest to me for many years. Today, public mental health in the US is finally gaining the recognition that it deserves, and I aspire to contribute to its improvement and maintenance through training and specialized studies. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has especially exposed the human psyche’s frailty and the need for more accessible mental health services. Pursuing an MSN appears to be the best way to transition into a new role, all while enjoying peer support, academic opportunities, and continued employment. Acting on my passion will be a gratifying experience and a further step in my career.
After obtaining this degree, I envision myself to be more autonomous – I will be given more credit and trusted with more serious decisions. An MSN degree would diversify my ways of caring for others, thus maximizing my impact on vulnerable populations. Higher educations levels would open the door to a variety of roles – mentoring, educating, and managing. Besides, as a holder of a Master’s degree, I will make myself eligible for Ph.D. programs, which I may as well consider later in life. Last but not least are the change of surroundings and networking with fellow professionals that I appreciate about pursuing an MSN degree. As an experienced nurse, I am well aware of the benefits of finding a professionals learning community for which an academic setting may be the best medium imaginable.
I consider the professional activity of a highly qualified PMHNP as a special career goal as an NP, which this degree will allow me to achieve. I have had two years of experience working in a behavioral health care setting and over four years working in a medical-surgical environment, which allowed me to shape my needs as a specialist nurse. Moreover, due to professional practice, I acquired the knowledge necessary for the development of relevant skills. Thus, I hope to work with patients affected by mental illness and manage their medical conditions. My firm conviction is that taking a proactive approach to mental health care is superior to only treating symptoms. For this reason, I hope to gain the expertise to assess populations and identify groups at risk, such as racial and ethnic minorities, and provide them with resources and referrals that could improve their quality of life. At that, I plan to make a difference as an educator – a person who empowers patients with the knowledge and helps them gain more self-agency in confronting their diseases.
The MSN program provides an opportunity for students to obtain the degree either full or part-time. In my case, part-time education would be preferable since I am currently a practicing nurse. Thus, I plan that the duration of my studies will be from 24 to 48 months. However, I will devote as much time as possible to training to complete it in the shortest possible time. Therefore, the estimated timeline until graduation is approximately 24 to 36 months.
The balance of work, study, and personal life are especially relevant for nurses since the profession involves constant care for others. Based on past success in combining all aspects of modern life, I can conclude that I expect to have no problem with such issues. As already mentioned, I have quite extensive medical practice experience as a nurse, which did not prevent me from combining study and work. In particular, in my professional activity, I was quite comfortable pursuing a bachelor’s degree. Moreover, I manage to devote enough time to my personal life for many years, which is an essential aspect for any person. Every health specialist needs rest to maintain high levels of performance. In my case, my family, hobbies, and social life, in general, contribute to my well-being. As a professional interested in dealing with mental illness, I realize the importance of creating a balance between all aspects of life, especially clearly.
The American Nurses Association states that nursing has a unifying ethos that revolves around values, such as integrity, honesty, dependability, empathy, and altruism. It is working in a behavioral health care setting that taught me to look beyond test results and see the person behind the morbidity. I am committed to practicing ethics in everything I do as I see the ethical aspect of medicine as a philosophy that should transcend and inform all actions and decisions. When I just joined the workforce, I lacked the experience to avoid some common mistakes. However, it is my personal integrity that enabled me to admit my wrongdoings to colleagues and patients. Indeed, the difficulties that I encountered transformed me into a better, more accountable person.
Seeing human suffering is an unsettling experience, but in the six years of my professional practice, I have not let myself become desensitized. If anything, helping patients overcome behavioral problems or preparing them for surgery has taught me empathy. I realize the vulnerability of the patient in therapeutic relationships, which makes being honest even more important. Hence, I do my best to inform patients about what has happened or is going to happen to them to create space for informed choices. At that, I see myself as a trusted person and a confidant who builds rapport through demonstrating dependability.
For all the gratification that the nursing profession brings, working in the field can also be frustrating and exhausting. Luckily, I can attest that throughout the years of my professional experience, I have devised my own strategies for combating fatigue and preventing burnout. For myself, I single out several domains that are critical to maintaining mental health. The mental domain includes changing the scenery outside of work hours as often as I can, be it going for a walk or visiting a museum. I also set aside time for self-reflection, for which I prefer journaling. As for the physical aspect of well-being, I utilize my ability to find credible scientific sources to inform myself on healthy nutrition and sleeping. Humans are social creatures, which is why no matter how busy I am, I never neglect quality time with the loved ones.
As a public health nurse, I receive extensive support from my employer. The government encourages the development of professional NPs, in particular PMHNPs, as they are able to deal with current health problems and be cost-effective. I am happy to say that my employer shares these goals and does not create hurdles for nurses who would like to achieve a higher education level. It is quite the opposite: an advanced degree is seen as an asset in a clinical setting. By now, my employer had been notified that I will pursue studies at a Master’s level. While studying, I will be able to enjoy flexible she
Reference
Haddad L.M., Annamaraju P., & Toney-Butler T.J. (2020). Nursing shortage. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.