Nursing Nursing assignment 2

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Nurs 4685 Module 7 Assignment 1

Synthesis of My Experience in the RN to BSN Program

Hotlips Hullihan

College of Nursing and Health Innovation, University of Texas at Arlington

NURS 4685: Capstone

Jeanean Boyd, DNP, MSN, RN

May 8, 2021

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Synthesis of My Experience in the RN to BSN Program

I am going to do a synthesis of my experience in the registered nurse (RN) to Bachelor of

Science in Nursing (BSN) educational program at the University of Texas at Arlington. I took

only one course when I began the program on March 16, 2020, to see how difficult the program

would be. After the first course, I took most of my junior-level courses two at a time. My senior-

level courses were taken one at a time because they were more difficult. I took classes every start

date because I did not want to delay finishing up the RN-BSN program and graduation in May

2021. A research study showed that students who did not fail or withdraw from any courses were

most likely to have retention and graduate from RN-BSN programs (Cipher et al., 2017).

Fortunately, I was able to pass all of my courses and did not need to withdraw from any of them.

Before the RN-BSN Program

Prior to being in the RN-BSN program, there were many aspects of nursing that I did not

fully understand. I graduated from the Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program at El Centro

College in May 2008. Soon after graduation, I found myself managing both licensed and

unlicensed healthcare staff, and I was inexperienced at this. My Nursing Leadership and

Management class helped me learn how to become a more effective manager (Norman, 2021).

Before the RN-BSN program, I had no idea that nursing research and evidence-based practice

even existed. My Nursing Research class helped me learn how to apply research and evidence-

based nursing interventions to my nursing practice (Dombrowski, 2020). Prior to being in the

RN-BSN program, I heard nurses discussing that they wanted to invoke Safe Harbor but I did not

fully understand what it was. My Health Policy and Legal Aspect class helped me understand the

many laws impacting nursing, including Safe Harbor and peer review (Bernasconi, 2020).

Lifelong Learning

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I would describe myself as a lifelong learner for many reasons. I barely even considered

getting a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree prior to entering the RN-BSN program. I

think the program has helped me realize that continuously improving my education level is very

important in my role as a professional nurse. Now, I plan to obtain my MSN in the field of Adult-

Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP). I may even get my doctoral degree in

this field eventually. Research has revealed that nurses with a master's or doctoral degree are

mostly satisfied with their job (Wang et al., 2019). The RN-BSN program has shown me the

importance of being in professional organizations, such as the American Nurses Association and

the Texas Nurses Association. I have now joined these organizations because they both provide

professional nursing journals that will keep me updated on new evidence-based healthcare

interventions, to implement at my healthcare facility. Continuously reading these journals and

organization websites will provide lifelong learning.

Novice to Expert

My transition from novice to expert RN has been an interesting journey that is still

continuing. I do not consider myself an expert nurse but I am a much better nurse than when I

was a new graduate from the ADN program at El Centro College in May 2008. I was unsure of

my skills and was very uncomfortable when I began working as a nurse at Baylor University

Medical Center in July 2008. I made many mistakes and requested that my nurse manager extend

my preceptorship. After using my nursing skills repeatedly, I became a better nurse and felt more

comfortable when collaborating with hospital staff. I did not think I needed a BSN because I did

not intend to be a nurse manager or leader. However, most hospitals started requiring nurses to

have a BSN because they either had Magnet status or wanted to obtain Magnet status. Therefore,

I decided to get my BSN from the University of Texas at Arlington. I think everything I have

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learned in the RN-BSN program has helped me become a better nurse. My nursing research

course helped me understand the importance of nursing research and using the latest evidence-

based nursing interventions where I work (Dombrowski, 2020). Having my BSN will allow me

to further my education and obtain my MSN in the field of AGACNP. I also hope to obtain my

doctoral degree in this field. Having my BSN also opens the door to many other new nursing

opportunities. Eventually, I hope to be an expert nurse.

Synthesis of Role Transition to Professional Nursing

When I began my RN-BSN journey, I wrote my personal philosophy of nursing for my

Transition to Professional Nursing course, and I will reflect on it here. My personal philosophy

of nursing stated that patients should be treated with human dignity, worth, and respect. A

patient’s self-worth should not be affected by illness, obesity, physical ability, or proximity to

death. Patients have the right to have a nurse with good values, which include fidelity, veracity,

beneficence, and advocacy. Everyone has an equal right to quality, safe healthcare, both

preventative and sick. A patient should be holistically cared for. I must respect and consider the

patients’ culture, values, religion, sexual orientation, literacy level, and language spoken. It is

important to support patient health and well-being and respect their decision-making. I should

address any problems, goals, treatments, and care in a mutually trusting relationship. I should

ensure a patient’s privacy and be their advocate at all times (Bernasconi, 2020). According to

Nightingale’s environmental theory, I should enhance my nursing practice and manipulate the

environment, to improve patient recovery. The patient should have a safe, effective environment

that allows as much healing, independence, and autonomy as possible (Idrees & Shah, 2017).

My philosophy of nursing has become broader due to the knowledge I acquired in the

RN-BSN nursing program. The program has also changed some of my behaviors and attitudes in

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my role as a professional nurse. I now make sure I am aware of the latest evidence-based

healthcare interventions and laws by reviewing the American Nurses Association website, the

Texas Nurses Association website, and reading nursing research journal articles published within

the past five years. I have developed lists of community resources that are available outside the

hospital for vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, poor, and minorities. I use better

communication skills to collaborate with interprofessional teams, patients, and families. I mentor

other nurses by suggesting educational and career advancement opportunities. I strive to create a

hospital environment, in which employees do not feel threatened if they speak up. I try to

holistically take care of myself and continuously improve my education. A research study

showed that factors such as the Affordable Care Act and the aging population are increasing the

demand for increased nursing education at all educational levels (LeFlore et al., 2016).

Evaluation

I enjoyed the RN-BSN program at the University of Texas at Arlington and would highly

recommend the program to all nurses who do not have their bachelor’s degree. I would

recommend the program because nurses are able to work and still pass the classes if they take

one class at a time. Also, nurses usually need to have a BSN if they want to work at a Magnet

hospital. One aspect of the program that worked for me was that when I had questions, there

were plenty of staff members available to answer them. One aspect of the program I would not

want to change is the convenience of the classes being online and easy to navigate. One aspect I

would like to see improved is the use of Teams or Zoom at the beginning of each module for a

question-and-answer session. My Nursing Research class used Teams in this way and it was very

helpful (Dombrowski, 2020).

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References

Bernasconi, M. (2020). Health Policy and Legal Aspect. University of Texas at Arlington.

www.uta.edu

Cipher, D. J., Mancini, M. E., & Shrestha, S. (2017). Predictors of persistence and success in an

accelerated online RN-to-BSN program. The Journal of Nursing Education, 56(9), 522-

526. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20170817-02

Dombrowski, T. (2020). Nursing Research. University of Texas at Arlington. www.uta.edu

Idrees, S. & Shah, N. B. (2017). Bridging gap between theory and practice. International

Journal of Endorsing Health Science Research, 5(4), 1-6.

https://doi.org/10.29052/IJEHSR.v5.i4.2017.01-06

LeFlore, J. L., & Thomas, P. E. (2016). Educational changes to support advanced practice

nursing education. The Journal of Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing, 30(3), 187-190.

https://doi.org/10.1097/JPN0000000000000201

Norman, S. (2020). Nursing Leadership and Management. University of Texas at Arlington.

www.uta.edu

Wang, Y., Zhang, L., Tian, S., Wu, J., Lu, J., Wang, F., & Wang, Z. (2019). The relationship

between work environment and career success among nurses with a master's or doctoral

degree: A national cross‐sectional study. International Journal of Nursing Practice,

25(4), 1-8. https://doi-org.ezproxy.uta.edu/10.1111/ijn.12743

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