answerdiscussion.docx

bout Me and Walden’s Goals and Vision  
My name is Kaylee, and I have been an RN on a cardiac step-down unit for two years now. Prior to working as a nurse, I also had prior experience in the medical field. I was a nursing assistant on a telemetry unit, and I worked as a medical assistant in both a Cardiology and Dermatology Clinic. My goal after graduating from this program is to become a Cardiac Nurse practitioner. I recently moved to North Carolina to be a cardiac nurse at Duke Regional Hospital, which was a noticeably tremendous change from being in Queens, New York. I was only a nurse for about six months when COVID ravaged our hospital; although being a new graduate through the first wave of COVID was difficult it taught me many valuable skills such as time management and clustering care. COVID taught me valuable organization skills. Through my time as a bedside nurse, I realized that there were still many topics that I did not know and needed to learn, being a bedside nurse has made me want to continue my education.  
One reason that attracted me to Walden was our mission statement. Walden’s vision, mission, goals, and social change aligned with my academic and professional goals. Similarly, to Walden, I believe that knowledge should “effect positive social changes.” (Walden University Catalog, 2021, Vision) Positive social change is defined by “improvement of human and social conditions”. (Walden University Catalog, 2021, Vision)  Knowledge may be power but without application knowledge is obsolete. Without the application of what we have learned, then positive social changes will not be achieved. As a pre- scholar-practitioner, one must understand how our research or knowledge can be translated into practice to help improve policies and patient care. Much like Walden’s Vision Statement my program’s learning outcomes and my goals as a nurse practitioner also align. As an Acute Care Practitioner, I would love to be able to provide excellent care to the underserved and uninsured. Being able to provide “strategies that reduce health disparities by patient/population” (Walden University Catalog, 2021, MSN Outcomes) will align with my professional goals. I would love to improve the health literacy of many low-income families in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. I believe that health education is the best way for prevention.  
Importance of Networking 
Networking is a crucial tool for us as nurses. “70% of all jobs are found through networking” (Schmidt, 2000, para 7). A good connection is sometimes the difference between starting a position in a field that you love or starting a position in whichever field is available. Hospitals “thrive on employee referrals” (Schmidt, 2000, para 9) meaning that a sizable part of the staff is hired through staff that is already working at the hospital. This also means that knowing somebody within the hospital you want to work in will improve your chances of being hired. Networking is not only crucial for the recruitment process but a nurse with excellent interprofessional networking will also greatly improve patient-centered care. Not anyone role can provide all the care that a patient will need which makes networking and communicating with your peers an essential part of nursing.  
Networking will help me achieve both my academic and professional goals by boarding the number of connections I will have with different people from various places. As Walden mentioned being a part of Walden allows me to network and connect with people from all around the world leaving me with endless possibilities to obtain a position as an Advanced Practitioner in the future.