Reply to the following introduction and use APA in text citing:
MY VISION AND WALDEN’S VISION, MISSION, & SOCIAL CHANGE INITIATIVES
Hello to my fellow classmates. I am so excited that we are all taking this journey together. My name is Courtnie Decker. I am a wife to a King, the mother of two amazing boys, a published author, and an evangelist. I have been a nurse for the past 8 years. I began my career in med-surg but most of my background is in hemodialysis as well as one year of oncology nursing. I transitioned back to the medical surgical unit just a couple months ago. I am eager to get my master’s degree in education to contribute to the future of nursing. The help of great teachers, mentors, coworkers, and a wide range of experience have molded me and will continue to be a major part of my growth and development. When I think about success, I think about it in a wholistic approach. Not everyone who is wealthy, who has great titles, or has influence is successful in my opinion. Accomplishing goals that you set for your life is great, but to accomplish those goals even while sustaining your moral excellence is success in my book. One of the things I constantly pray is that I don’t obtain success at the expense of my family, at the expense of my relationship with God, or at the expense of my own personal values. If I must compromise or do things that are not in agreement with those morals, that is not true success to me. The world we live in today has many different routes to success. I choose to do things the right way, no matter how long it takes or how unpopular it may be. My vision is to achieve the highest level of success in nursing and to be able to form systems and structures to instill that into the future generation of nursing through becoming an educator. I know this will not happen overnight. Through the help of Walden University along with a compilation of successful professionals in my network, I know that this goal is achievable.
Many people say that knowledge is power. However, the truth is that knowledge alone is not powerful unless and until it is applied. When I read Walden’s vision, mission, and goals this is what stood out to me the most. The initiative of helping students to apply knowledge is a great foundation of which Walden is established upon. This very foundation will make great impact in my own professional and academic goals. According to Walden University (2019b), “Walden University envisions a distinctively different 21st-century learning community where knowledge is judged worthy to the degree that it can be applied by its graduates to the immediate solutions of critical societal challenges, thereby advancing the greater global good.” I am a major fan of not only having knowledge but being able to apply it and see its impact. I recently wrote a 30-day devotional, and I did a Facebook challenge that I called, “30 days to a better you challenge”. The challenge was centered around bringing the best out of us as individuals, thus creating better communities and better societies. The biggest part of the challenge was not only to read the devotional, but to apply the daily tips to see the impact that it would have on our lives. It is clear to me that Walden’s mission and goals directly correlate to my personal goals, as well as my professional and academic goals. I had a discussion with a family member of one of my patient’s the other day, and we talked about why it’s important to not chase money but to chase purpose. I love nursing because I have a passion to help others. I know that I will evolve into who I was called to be at every level of influence and Walden is the next bridge to take me there. I am an agent of change and as I read Walden’s social change initiative, I see another piece of the blueprint of my destiny coming into place.
MSN PROGRAM OUTCOMES AND PERSPECTIVES
My goal for becoming a scholar practitioner is clearly outlined in the MSN program outcomes. I am always willing to learn and gain a different perspective other than my own. I know how dangerous it is to be wise in your own mind or to think that you know it all. There are still so many areas that I need to grow in, and effective communication is one of the most important ones to my academic and professional goals. According to Walden University (2019a), by the end of this program, I will “demonstrate ability to effectively communicate using audience-specific oral, written, and information technology for professional delivery of specialist nursing care.”
WHY NETWORKING IS IMPORTANT
Networking is very important to both my academic and professional goals. Schmidt (2018) cites that “the UCLA career guide claims that over 80 % of all jobs are obtained through networking”. It was networking with one of my nursing school classmates that got me the job I am in now that is offering me benefits and opportunities I never would have imagined. It was the self-scheduling at this job that enabled this opportunity of taking full time courses along with balancing my day-to-day schedule. I look forward to networking even more to help me toward my academic goals. I am sure most of us are working full-time, and some of us have children and spouses that also demand lots of time and care. My hope is that as I continue to network, it will open many doors to my career and academic goals. Wofford (2018) said it best, “it’s not what you know, but who you know!”