Two years ago, June 2010 i completed my associate degree in nursing and was consulting with some colleagues about bachelor degree programs that best suit my needs. A friend in the New York City College of Technology program recommended the college to me and now i am about to complete my bachelors degree. It was quite a journey accompanied by challenges presented by a job market increasingly hostile to the idea of hiring associate degree prepared nurses. I think the bachelors program impacted my growth and thinking to a great extent. My knowledge of nursing and how society’s dynamism influences nursing has been significantly expanded and consequently presented to me the big picture and how nursing fits in. I have been exposed to the growing issues of society that affects nursing directly and how nursing is responding to the challenges it is encountering.
Further i have gained valuable insight and understanding into the progression of nursing itself and how in the future my personal growth and contributions could positively impact its progress. The program has also had me thinking about the future of nursing and the things we need to do to become more effective, efficient, more autonomous and politically more influential to achieve goals and influence policy. It has also impacted profoundly my view of my practice, enhanced my critical thinking abilities, deepened my appreciation for application of research and evidenced-based practices as well as acknowledging the changing demographics of the country and the implications for nurses. Due to the program i believe that my mind has been nurtured, enlightened, motivated and inspired and my gratitude extends to the nursing faculty for playing such an important role in facilitating my educational pursuits. It was a tough and demanding program but the through the challenges i felt encouraged and with positive directions i think myself and fellow gradutes were well served.
