Betsy Martinez

Nursing Career

I am currently a freshman at New York City College of Technology (City Tech), aspiring to major in nursing. Just having entered college, there are many things I need to focus on. Lately, I have been reflecting ahead in order to place myself on the correct path on becoming a neonatal nurse. This is the best career for me because I have always wanted to help other people especially babies, there is an ample amount of nursing jobs available, and the salary will give me a chance to live comfortably. In this essay, I will give you background information on the major nursing and neonatology, give supporting evidence on why this is the best career for me, and state how City Tech is preparing me to achieve this career.

There are many important things to know about nursing. After doing more research on the nursing major, I gathered a lot of new information. The City Tech Catalog 2014-2015 tells me that, “The nursing program prepares students to become members of the health team in health service agencies and hospitals.” (College Catalog, 167) In this major, I will safely meet the needs of patients in different settings. The subspecialty in nursing that I want to pursue with my education from City Tech is neonatology. In order to become a neonatal nurse, you must be a Registered Nurse (RN); I would have to pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) after completing the nursing courses. A neonatal nurse works with infants up to 6 weeks after birth; this varies depending on the severity of the baby’s health. As a neonatal nurse, I would be working with newborn, sick and premature babies. The article “The parent–nurse relationship in the neonatal intensive care unit context – closeness and emotional involvement” tells me that, “Providing support to parents has become a crucial part of nurses’ responsibilities.”(Fregan and Helseth, 667) I will have to learn how to help parents handle these hard moments in their life and provide support they need during different types of situations. There are three levels in neonatal nursing. I would most likely start in level 1, which is just a healthy newborn nursery. There are also levels two and three; the third level is the level I want to work in, which is working in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. (NICU) I can work at hospitals that have NICUs, which a lot of hospitals have.

NYCCT Catalog: Nursing

New York Methodist Hospital

There are many reasons why I believe neonatal nursing is the best career for me. One of them being that I have always wanted to help other people, especially babies. In this field, not only would I be taking care of neonates with different complications, but I would also be helping parents cope with difficult situations. The article “Development in neonatal care and nursing responses” says that, “Together with the increased understanding of newborn physiology and pathology that has grown over the last century, there have been remarkable developments in neonatal nursing, technology, respiratory support, nutrition, and family-centered care in the neonatal unit.” (Fallon and Healy, 21) The neonatal nursing unit is improving more and more each year and I would love to be a part of that improvement. The fact that I could provide care to an infant that needs to survive is heartwarming.

Nursing is also the best career for me because there are many jobs available. This is a good thing for nursing students who have just graduated from school because of the fact that it probably will not be that hard to find a job. Over the years, there has been an increase in health care jobs. The article “Neonatal Nursing: The First Six Weeks” tells us that, “There are nearly 40,000 low birth weight babies born in this country annually.” (Jones, 6) Since there are so many low birth weight babies born each year there is a high need for neonatal nurses. The nursing market will most likely continue to grow each year, which means that I should not have to worry so much about finding a job.

Another reason why I believe nursing is the best career for me is because of the salary. As I mentioned before that in order to become a neonatal nurse you must first become a registered nurse. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), “The median annual wage for registered nurses was $65,470 in May 2012.” (BLS 1) From the knowledge, I already have about neonatal nursing; I know that after a few years you can get a master’s degree to become a neonatal nurse practitioner (NNP). NNPs are paid a lot more since they are the ones who help and guide the staff in the NICU. This salary would give me the chance not only to have a better life for myself but also give be stability. I could live comfortable with this income; I would not have to worry about struggling financially.

In order to become the type of the nurse I want to be, I will need to prepare for different situations in varying settings. There are two programs in City Tech, the Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in Nursing and the Bachelor Science (BS) of Nursing. Both these programs will teach me many skills that I will need for my career. To obtain a seat in the first program I will have to take the TEAS exam and take pre-requisites. I will be taking the exam next semester. When I spoke to an advisor, she told me, “It’s best to start studying now and start taking practice exams.” (Nyguen) There are limited seats in the program, so it is important I try my very best. Once I am in the program, I will then start taking nursing courses. Some classes that I will be taking are Medication Calculations, Caring for Clients with Common Alterations in Survival Needs, and many more classes resulting in 36 credits. After I earn my AAS in nursing, I can then continue my education in nursing at City tech in the BS program. According to City Tech’s Catalog, the BS of Nursing program will teach me how to apply reasoning and various skills in a nursing environment.

TEAS Study Manual

With my preparation at City Tech, I hope to continue my education in receiving a master’s degree in a different school. From all the research I have attained, I can say that nursing is something you must be truly dedicated to. You will have to put most of your time, if not all, and effort in order to do well and succeed. I would recommend doing internships in either a hospital or a clinic; this will enhance your knowledge in nursing and will be a step forward in becoming a nurse. It is also very important to maintain a high GPA because the nursing programs are very competitive and you would not want to risk the chance of being kicked out. Although nursing might seem hard, if it is something you want to pursue never be discouraged that you cannot achieve this goal.

Works Cited

Fallon, Anne, and Healy, Patricia. “Developments in neonatal care and nursing responses.” British Journal of Nursing 23.1 (2014):21-24. Academic Seach Complete. Web. 8 Nov. 2014.

Fregan, Liv, and Helseth, Solvi. “The parent–nurse relationship in the neonatal intensive care unit context – closeness and emotional involvement.” Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences 23.4 (2009):667-673. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Nov. 2014.

Jones, Joy. “Neonatal Nursing: The First Six Weeks.” Critical Care Nurse 24.1 (2004): 6-8. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 Nov. 2014.

Martinez, Betsy. “New York Methodist Hospital.” Flickr. 5 Dec. 2014. Web. 6 Dec. 2014.

Martinez, Betsy. “NYCCT Catalog: Nursing.” Flickr. 5 Dec. 2014. Web. 6 Dec. 2014.

Martinez, Betsy. “TEAS Study Manual.” Flickr. 6 Dec. 2014. Web. 6 Dec. 2014.

New York City College of Technology. College Catalog 2014-2015.2014. PDF. 2 Nov. 2014.

Nyguen, Ms. Personal Interview. 2 Dec. 2014.

United States. Dept. of Labor. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Registered Nurses” Bureau of Labor Statistics. Dept. of Labor. Jan. 2014. Web. 22 Nov. 2014.

Introduction

These past few weeks I’ve worked on a paper about my thoughts. I was given the opportunity to take the time to reflect back on my thoughts. After doing this, I have a better understanding on how to use my thoughts to think more about my future.

Thinking in Writing

9:30 – Just woke up, thinking why am I up so early if I don’t have class today
10:00 – Still in bed contemplating whether to get up or not
10:30 – About to take a shower
11:00 – I’m really hungry and I want a bagel now
11:30 – I should get dressed so I won’t feel lazy
12:15- trying to remember to write every 30 min is really hard
1:00 – I’m going to take my dog to the park
1:30 – realizing that my dog is getting old
2:15 – I don’t feel like going out anymore
3:45 – yay friends is on tv!
4:30- maybe I should do homework tonight since I’m not doing anything
5:00- I feel like taking a nap but I know I shouldn’t
5:45- I’m hungry again
6:30- Yay my mom made cheeseburgers
7:00 – full and now more tired than before
7:45 – my best friend came back from college for the weekend! Maybe I’ll see her later
8:15- I’m too lazy to go out..
9:00 – my room is messy I should probably clean
9:45 – im really sleepy, maybe I should go to bed
10:30- already in bed now I can’t seem to fall asleep
11:00 – I don’t want to go to work tomorrow morning
11:45- I really should put my phone down and try to sleep
12:00- okay I have to be up in about 6 hours, it’s time for me to sleep

Thinking Visually

Lilly

Textbooks

My Job

Thinking Rhetorically and Reflectively

It is very important to reflect on your thoughts every once in a while. As a freshman in college I’m entering a very important part of my life. These next four years will determine my future. It is now my time to make sure I achieve the goals I want. Taking some time to reflect on my thoughts and actions is important to help improve and better myself. Last week I took the time to write down my thoughts for a day, every thirty minutes. After a few days had gone by I went back to look at what I had written down. As I went over my thoughts I noticed that I didn’t really write down anything important pertaining to my future. Instead, I decided to break down what each thought actually meant to me. After doing so I’ve come to an argument that even though I am not constantly thinking about my future, my thoughts show that all of my actions reflect to my future.

After writing down my thoughts for a day I noticed they were not on the right path. I barely took the time out of my day to actually think about my career and future. My thoughts seemed everywhere and weren’t focused on a specific thing. But even though my thoughts weren’t on a specific topic, I came to the realization that everything I do is a factor to how my life will end up. One thought I had during the day was about my dog (Martinez, “Lilly.”) Clearly dogs are not relevant in nursing careers. I will never work with dogs once I get my job under my career. My dog is very important to me; I’ve had her for about 7 years now. I think about how old she is quite often. Thinking about it gets me really sad; I can’t remember how my life was before I had her. Many people probably just think “oh dogs are just pets” but I’m sure other dog owners can relate. She is very energetic and friendly to everyone. Like I said before I can’t remember not having a pet, she has a very important role in my life. It must have been boring before I had her because now I have something I’m always occupied with, whether it’s her wanting to play or taking her on walks.

Having a dog comes with a lot of responsibility. It’s sort of like having a child. They have to be fed, bathed, groomed and walked. Also, just like us and our checkups, they also have to get their checkups and shots at the veterinarian. I believe having a dog is beneficial. It teaches a person a lot about responsibility which is very important for the future of a person. Not that I wasn’t responsible before but I have definitely become better at taking care of somebody other than myself. I believe a person is more likely to do better in certain things than those who are not responsible.

Another thought I wrote down was about my homework. I’m pretty sure that I’m not the only one who debates on whether doing their homework or not every once in a while. Most people like myself don’t like doing work once they’re at home because they feel like it’s time for them to relax and they just get lazy. In the middle of the day I thought “maybe I should do my homework since I’m not doing anything, (betsymartinez par. 11.) You would think that of course I would want to do my homework to get it out of the way. But it was the opposite; I just stared at my textbooks (Martinez, “Textbooks.”) I didn’t feel like doing anything because I knew I had so much free time available, I was thinking that I should just do it later. But I finally encouraged myself to stop being lazy and do something productive. After I did my homework it felt great knowing I had done all my work. I didn’t have to worry about not having anything done on time. I should try to remind myself that getting things done earlier is better than procrastinating and rushing to do things.

I don’t think I really pay mind to how little things like homework affect my future. I mean I know it does, but at the moment when it comes down to actually doing it I don’t have the energy or motivation to do so. But reflecting back on my thoughts, I know that homework is essential to my education therefore to my career. If I don’t do homework then that will obviously affect my grades. However, I simply remind myself that just a little bit of my time isn’t going to hurt me, because it will be worth it in the end and put me where I want to be.

The last thought I chose to write about was about my job. I wrote down “I don’t want to go to work tomorrow morning,”(Betsymartinez par.21.) I’ve been working in a bakery for almost three years. This is something I’m quite proud of because I know for many people it’s hard to balance work and school. I think I’ve done a pretty good job at accomplishing that. It was a lot easier to balance it out when I was in high school because I got less work. But now that this is my first year at City Tech, I’ve had to cut back on work so I can focus more on school.

From this job, I’ve developed a lot of skills that I didn’t have before. I was a very quiet girl who really didn’t like talking to new people, but since I work at a bakery I’m constantly helping customers and talking to them which have helped me a lot. Like every worker there are going to be a few customers that you come across with that might give you attitude or are just simply rude. Patience is key, because as a worker you should always remember that the customers are important. I don’t think I really come across people that give me problems at work but every once in a while I do. I’ve learned that you can’t get mad over everything and you have to try to be understanding towards other people. My future goal is to have a job in the neonatal nursing field. Working in a bakery obviously isn’t the same environment as a hospital but I’ve learned so much that I feel it well help me in the future.

Everything that I think about right now has a role in my future. Even though at the moment my thoughts might seem irrelevant to my future they aren’t. After reflecting over some of my thoughts, I’ve come to realize that everything I’m doing in the present is helping me prepare for the kind of person I want to be. Thoughts about my pets, school work, and my job have all impacted my life in a better way. I’ve learned how to be responsible from all three of those things. My dog has taught me how to take care of somebody, while on the other hand my school work has taught me how to be determined and motivated. My job has given me skills that I think are important in a working environment and has prepared me to be a better and responsible person in the future. I don’t have to be thinking about my future every minute because I’m self-consciously doing it. Thinking about little things like work is me thinking about my future without realizing I am.

Works Cited

Betsymartinez (Betsy Martinez). “Re: Project 1: Thinking in Writing.” Open Lab. ENG 1101 D346 English Composition 1, FA 2014, 21 Sept. 2014. Web. 5 Oct. 2014.

Martinez, Betsy. “Lilly.” Flickr. 26 Sept. 2014. Web. 5 Oct. 2014.

Martinez, Betsy. “My Job.” Flickr. 26 Sept. 2014. Web. 5 Oct. 2014.

Martinez, Betsy. “Textbooks.” Flickr. 26 Sept. 2014. Web. 5 Oct. 2014.