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Professional Philosophy

The overall goal for my career path is to become a pediatric nurse specializing in oncology. In order to reach this goal, I plan to confirm my career goals as I begin clinical in the fall, obtain a nurse internship, and finish out my Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at Rutgers. As I am completing my undergraduate degree, I plan to begin to look into hospitals that have programs that will align with my goals, such as the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, New York-Presbyterian, or St. Jude. My next step is to pass the NCLEX and apply for jobs. Once I begin working, I am very interested in returning to school to specialize and advance my degree, so I will eventually look into the hospital-funded opportunities for that. Also, I might be interested in looking into types of DNP programs and possibly going back to teach at a university in the future. 

To achieve my goals, I will work hard in every aspect and take advantage of available opportunities. I will also make sure to continue to focus on growing my knowledge base and always be open to learning. I am going to do as much as possible within the specialties that I am interested in and keep taking steps in the right direction so that I end up working in the field that I am most interested. I am also going to try to maintain a balance between my personal life, physical health, and career goals so that I do not become overwhelmed or burned out. I will keep my mental health a priority and remember that some things are out of my control, such as negative patient outcomes. 

I will measure professional effectiveness by taking on more responsibilities and learning from my mentors. This includes also learning from both positive and negative experiences in the field. Positive patient outcomes are an important part of my professional effectiveness and the level of comfort and trust I am able to build with new patients. I will work on this and continue to expand my ability to care for patients and form relationships. Eventually, I strive to take on a mentoring role of my own to teach younger nurses, which will again, be a measure of my professional effectiveness.  

I have wanted to be a nurse for as long as I can remember, it has been my passion and my calling. No one else in my family is in the healthcare field, so it was something I came up with on my own. I want to help others and be an advocate for those who are at a vulnerable state in their lives. I want to be able to provide comfort and care for patients that need positivity and friendliness during a hard time. At a time when I may feel overworked and undervalued, I will come back to remember the lives that I am affecting by doing the work that I chose to do. I will remember why I chose nursing and the hard work that it took to achieve my goals. I will remember that there are people who need help and I am someone who can provide them with care. I will remember that there are patients who greatly appreciate the care they are receiving, even if they do not know how to express it. And I will remember that no matter what, I am making a positive difference in the lives of others.