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Career Pathway Assessment

Rebecca Martinez

Old Dominion University

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Career Pathway Assessment

Entering the nursing profession wasnt always a career goal of mine. To be honest, I

never thought I would ever be on the path to become a registered nurse. It wasnt until I was in

my early twenties that I started to re-evaluate what I wanted to do professionally. I started to

volunteer weekly at a childrens hospital back in my hometown, and with in the first month of

volunteering I fell in love with the environment I was in. Observing the nurses on the unit and

seeing how they made such an impact on patients, it made me realize that I wanted to become a

registered nurse too. Not only did I develop a love for the nursing profession, I also develop an

interest in working with children. Since volunteering, I have had the idea of becoming either a

pediatric or neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse one day. Pursuing a career in nursing

eventually change my whole outlook on what I was suppose to do with my life, and Im grateful

that Im officially on that path today.

Educational Experiences

Since I am not a registered nurse yet, I have been through insistences were I have had

formal and informal educational experiences. The most pivotal formal experience has been when

Ive been put into a simulation room to demonstrate patient care. Simulation activities in my

nursing program have been a great educational tool that has helped me improve my nursing

skills. It has been extremely influential in my educational development, and it has also helped me

get out of my comfort zone. I have learned so much by doing simulation and demonstrating my

clinical skills in various medical situations. Ive gained confidence on educating patients through

simulation, and I have also gained experience on administering medicine properly. By having a

platform to practice on, various simulation situations has helped me achieve a better insight on
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how to provide nursing care to others. I have never felt more prepared to handle a real-life

medical encounter until being able to learn from simulation education.

An informal educational experience during my nursing program was when my fellow

peers and I had the opportunity to participate in a sexual abuse program. I got to fill boxes with

hygiene items and other products that were donated from different companies. The boxes were to

be transported by an ambulance and were to be given to sexually abused victims in local

hospitals. I was educated about sexual abuse by the program and got to interact with local

students and registered nurses who care for sexually abused patients daily. I was able to learn

how to provide care and communicate with patients in a state of distress and helplessness. All the

interactions and knowledge I gained from the program was very eye opening, and it was also a

pivotal moment in my nursing education. The event had a lasting impression on me and it would

be an experience I would never forget while I continue my nursing program.

Working Experiences

Since I dont have any work experiences as a nurse because I havent finished my

program, there have been other work experiences that I have had the opportunity to learn from.

Before entering my nursing program, I served in the United States Air Force for four years. My

position as an Airman for global supply was a high stressful job that entailed a lot of

responsibility. I worked with many people from various cultures, and had to continuously

collaborate with others as a team. My job was to provide high priority parts to fighter jets that

were completing missions around the globe. In order to do so, I was consistently resolving issues

regarding transportation, logistics systems, imports/exports, and numerous customer needs. I also

independently tracked the flow of assets using a web-based logistics information system that my

job provided.
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On a daily basis I also contacted military bases around the world, and was responsible for

each part I was in charge of that was en-route to their destination. By consistently interacting

with customers, I developed great communication skills that I can continue to demonstrate in the

BSN program. I also developed various training presentations, and got to teach them to my

fellow peer during mandatory meetings. I would discuss new and upcoming information needed

to complete the workloads, and with doing so I developed great leadership skills that I can

continue to demonstrate in the BSN program. I was able to learn how to handle stressful

situations, learn how to multi-task, and handle a job that entailed a large workload. All my

responsibilities I had in my supply job provided me with a great work ethic that I will continue to

use through the BSN program. Working with the Air Force provided me with high equality

professionalism that I can exhibit in the BSN program and in future working environments as a

future registered nurse.

Self-Assessment

Personally, I value having compassion, generosity, and humility in everything I do.

Having those values keep me grounded as a person and shows the love I have for caring for

others. I can be seen as a genuine person because I able to have compassion, generosity, and

humility for everything and anyone I encounter personally and professionally. I value in being

authentic and showing that anybody can be relatable to everyone and everything in life. In my

work ethic I value consistency, preparedness, and reliability. These values are important to me

because I always believe you should give your best, stay consistent and always be prepared in

order to be successful. Being reliable is also important to me because I like the fact that I can be

there for others, and be a future responsible health profession as well as a role model to patients

and peers. My interest consists of the love of helping people and making a difference in any way
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I can in my community. Im also interested in the beauty in things, for example, taking hikes

through landscapes and painting. Anything that consists of calmness and serenity is an interest to

me because I trust that you need those things in order to be a well-balanced registered nurse.

Some of my strengths consist of being a very reliable and punctual worker. My peers can

relay on me to get work done and completed at a timely matter. I also have great people skills,

communication skills, and integrity. In the nursing profession I will be able to show my skills on

how well I work with people and communicate with someone naturally. Aside from my

strengths, I also have weakness that I can improve on as I continue my journey in the BSN

program. I can at times be a little too talkative and strong-willed. I sometimes take to much work

at once and can easily get overwhelmed. But with time and experience as a future nurse, I know I

will overcome my weaknesses and show initiative to learn new skills that will help me to self-

improve.

Community Involvement

Since working for the Air Force I have always been involved in many community

activities. I have worked with Habitat for Humanity and Food banks in my local area, and have

been able to become a member of a student nurse association program. I have given many hours

of my time to help refill food and assist builders on constructing homes for people in need. My

time spent working with Habitat for Humanity and Food banks; I have learned the power of

giving and serving people in need. I have gained a brighter aspect on the lives of people less

fortune then me, and have had the pleasure to learn from people from various backgrounds.

Working with the student nurse association I have learned about how the nursing profession

impacts the community. I have even had the privilege to be apart of events that has helped fellow

nursing student with obstacles. I have also given advice to fellow nursing student and explain to
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them how and what helped me throughout my nursing program. Overall, all the experiences I

have had during my program and even before my program has made me a better student and has

benefited my nursing practice in some way.

Path Identification

By earning my BSN in nursing, I hope to gain knowledge from fellow nurses and be

challenged intellectually so I can be able to consistently grow in the field of nursing. I want to be

able to experience different environments and collaborate with various healthcare professionals

so I can have the opportunity to always learn something new. Professionally, I want to gain my

masters degree, which eventually will led me to more options in the career of nursing. I want to

get multiple certificates and become a specialist in pediatrics, NICU, or any type of maternal

care. After getting my BSN I can also have the opportunity to commission into a military nursing

corps if I chose to go that path. The options I have after getting my degree are endless, and Im

looking forward in gaining from any professional or personal endeavors that come my way.

Goal Setting

A goal I hope to achieve while enrolled in the BSN program is to gain more knowledge

about current trends in health care. With so much technology and health care information to

learn, I believe that the BSN program will provide me with a better insight on the trends,

concepts and theories in the field of nursing. The BSN program will help me initiate a better

understand how the nursing field operates. Learning key skills and educating me on health care

trends will also improve my nursing practice and help me expand my knowledge in different

fields of nursing. My second educational goal I would like to achieve is improving on APA

professional writing format. Enhancing my skills in writing will benefit the way I conduct any

notes I will be doing as a professional nurse. Becoming a better writer will ultimately improve
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future papers as I continue my graduate degree in nursing. Both of educational goals will

correlate into my nursing practice and will stay with me while I continue to further my

education.

Professionally, after I have completed the BSN program my goal is to become a pediatric

or NICU nurse. My areas of interest in pediatrics would be to work in an oncology unit. If I get

the opportunity to work in a pediatric oncology unit along the line, I would try to achieve a

certified pediatric oncology nurse (CPON) certificate. If I were able to work in a NICU I would

get a RNC Certification for Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing (RNC-NIC) in the later future.

Regardless of which unit I get the privilege to be part of, working with children in those areas

would be a dream some true, and I aspire to build my way up into higher-level positions in my

units of choice. Being a NICU nurse or a pediatric nurse would give me the opportunity to help

not only the patients but their families as well.

Goal Plan

To accomplish my personal goal of gaining more knowledge about current trends, I will I

have to get more involved in activities offered through out the BSN program. By doing so, I will

be able to communicate with other peers in the program and learn from various types of

situations. Getting more involved in the program will help me get a better insight of the world of

nursing and develop relationship that can benefit me as I continue my education. In order to

achieve my goal of improving my APA writing skills, I will need to keep practicing individually

and enter the writing center more frequently when trying to complete writing assignments.

Getting help from a writing center and using my APA manual more efficiently will enhance my

skill in writing as I continue to accomplish each course in the BSN program.

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To accomplish my professional goal in getting to work in a pediatric unit or NICU unit, I

would have to get a head start in applying before I graduate. I will take the initiative to research

the facilities I apply for and practice answering interview question on my spear time. To get an

advantage, I will sign up to volunteer at a children hospital again so I can be able to be in an

environment working with children. In order to research future employers and gain hands-on

experience I will have to reconstruct my daily schedule and family events. I will discuss with my

family the need to have at least five hours of studying time a day, get four to eight hours of

volunteer time a week, and still be able to travel for work three days out of each month. If I am

successful in completing my first goal, I will have to continue to work in the facilities of my

choice for at least two years before I can be efficient in taking and passing the certificates I want.

Overall, I will have to dedicate my time, gain more experience, and study material I need to

know for my future career as well as to pass any certificate test I take.

Conclusion

From this assignment I gained a better understanding of my determination, goals, and

values I have for myself. The introspection and self-reflection of this assignment helped me

discover my passion of the field of nursing and how far I have come to enter a BSN program that

will enhance my future nursing practice. I learned that professionalism has been a main factor in

my past career up till now while I continue my education. I also notice the passion I have for

working with children and my goals to accomplish to obtain a CPON or RNC-NIC in the future.

Ive gained a better insight of the person I am as a BSN student today, and how planning my

future will take everything in my power to achieve. This assignment has definitely opened my

mind to what I have learned from the past and how much I have to look forward to after getting

my BSN.
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I pledge to support the Honor System of Old Dominion University. I will refrain from any form
of academic dishonesty or deception, such as cheating or plagiarism. I am aware that as a
member of the academic community it is responsibility to turn in all suspected violators of the
Honor Code. I will report to a hearing if summoned.

Name: _____Rebecca Martinez_______________________

Date: _______10/16/2015____________________________