The medical field received a significant increase in demand during the last years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it did not only get a coronavirus impulse but continues to grow and develop worldwide, especially in nursing, one of the professions that are even more vital nowadays. Setting different goals as a foundation for future success in nursing is essential. The plan to reach those goals needs to be achievable, realistic, and specific. Setting the objectives can improve the quality of care, increase the potential of nurses’ salaries, and become a strong motivation.
Nursing is a vital element of the whole medical system of the United States. Zaccagnini et al. (2021) claim that “Florence Nightingale has often been identified as the founder of modern nursing practice” (p. 241). Nurses becoming doctors of nursing practice is a common thing in the medical field, and it is the engine of progress. Chism (2022) defines nursing as “the diagnosis and treatment of human responses to actual or potential health problems” (p. 68). When nurses study and become more educated in their area, people receive better care. It also makes nurses available to new perspectives as doctors and a higher salary. Statistically, the number of DNP students grows every year, as well as the number of graduates. It directly affects the future of nursing, increasing its potential.
The DNP system has many advantages for employees working in the medical field. It is clear that “with DNP preparation, APRNs are prepared to address complex issues that face patients and healthcare today” (Trautman et al., 2018). Nursing can be unpredictable with the patients and diagnoses workers face. That is why it is essential to be ready for different occasions and constantly learn and improve. It is also crucial that “DNP-prepared graduates are ready for complex leadership and practice roles” (Howard et al., 2021, p. 995). Doctors of nursing practice are prepared for various tasks like new program development and specific programs for patients. It is important to say that during the DNP program, graduates’ coursework is about the most modern technologies. Because of this work, DNP graduates are ready to “apply emerging technologies, in clever ways, to solve new problems” (MacCauley et al., 2020, p. 14). The DNP would be a perfect goal for my nursing career path.
To conclude, it is imperative to set and achieve goals in the nursing job. Every nurse’s career can and should be developing and not standing still. Getting a degree is one of the most potent ways to improve their position. Nurses need to set short-term, long-term, and intermediate-term goals to be active and progress daily. Achieved objectives are always the best incentives to work harder and better.
References
Chism, L. A. (2022). The doctor of nursing practice: a guidebook for role development and professional issues. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Howard, P. B., Williams, T. E., Melander, S., Tharp-Barrie, K., MacCallum, T., Pendleton, M., Rogers, K. W. & Veno, A. H. (2021). Sustained impact of an academic-practice partnership.Journal of professional nursing, 37(2021), 995-1003.
McCauley, L. A., Broome, M. E., Frazier, L., Kurth, A., Musil, C. M., Norman, L. D., Rideout, K. H. & Villarruel, A. M. (2020). Doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree in the US: reflecting, readjusting, and getting back on track.Nursing Outlook, 68(4), 1-32.
Trautman, D. E., Idzik, S., Hammersla, M. & Rosseter, R. (2018). Advancing Scholarship through Translational Research: The Role of PhD and DNP Prepared Nurses. OJIN: the online journal of issues in nursing, 23(2), manuscript 2. Web.
Zaccagnini, M. & Pechacek, J. M. (2021). The doctor of nursing practice essentials: a new model for advanced practice nursing. Jones & Bartlett Learning.