The baccalaureate program of science in nursing program has helped prepare me for my professional practice. Rather than bedside care, there was a bigger focus on health promotion, disease prevention, and community health as a whole. It presented further detailed discussions of legal and ethical issues that are often seen in the profession. The baccalaureate program in nursing has a variety of students, some who had been nurses for many years, others who have never worked as a nurse, and some who had just began their first nursing job. This allowed me to gain insight on many different areas, levels and aspects of the profession. I also gained insight on many of the issues faced in nursing on a daily basis (such as staffing issues), what causes them, and how they will affect the future of the profession. As an RN-BS student, I learned that politics play a very large role in the profession; however there are not many nurses active in public policy. I was encouraged to become more involved and contribute to the profession. For several assignments, I was forced to think as a leader. Education on advocacy and leadership has been the biggest parts of this portion of my education. During this program, I had the privilege of reviewing the program operations with a manager at one of my clinical sites, and giving my input on which policies should be addressed, added, or removed. This was the first time that I ever had a chance to play a role in policy-making, and it gave me the opportunity to advocate for my clients in a way that I had never done before. This was a milestone in my professional practice as a nurse so far.
When I first started the program, I had less confidence in myself as a professional. I was more nervous anytime I had to collaborate with other members of the team or advocate for my patients. Now, I am much more confident about advocating for my patients and even my fellow nurses. For this semester, I can proudly say that I was able to do a nurse advocacy project by contributing to Nurses House Inc, and spreading awareness of such program to other nurses. (Nurses House is an organization dedicated to helping registered nurses in need. For more information, visit http://www.nurseshouse.org/ )
