NEED 2 REFERENCES FOR EACH RESPONSE

Post 1

My choice of nursing specialty within the program is Psychiatric Mental Nurse Practitioner. To grow my career in this field, I intend to leverage the benefits of a professional nursing organization affiliated with my chosen field. Echevarria (2108) explains that “Membership in a professional organization helps to make nurses more marketable… Those who take advantage of these professional development, leadership, and volunteering opportunities can include them on their CVs or résumés to demonstrate a commitment to lifelong learning, growth, and service to the profession”. One professional organization I would like to join is the International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses, which “aims to promote advanced practice psychiatric-mental health nurses to deliver care and education to patients across their lifespans and to strengthen their voices regarding standards of care, curriculum, and policy”.

Before deciding to go into this specialty, I planned to advance my nursing management and administration career. Psychiatric mental health nursing was never an area I planned to go into when I originally transitioned into nursing as a 2nd career. As a child, I had always wanted to be a medical doctor and practice as an intensivist, or an emergency physician. I did that when I transitioned into nursing because I believed I could become an acute care practitioner, which would be the closest thing to my dream career. As the years went by, I found myself in nursing management and decided that was a path I would want to grow in.

My thought process changed after the pandemic, when the healthcare system took a different turn, and the gaps in mental health focus reared their head. Over the last 2 years, I have seen a rapid decline in the general well-being of society’s mental health, and this is what prompted my interest in this specialty. I registered for the post-graduate program as I had already earned a master’s in nursing informatics. The criteria evaluation of NP programs describes post-graduate certificate programs as going through a formal graduate-level certificate program successfully to attain the same didactic objectives and clinical competencies of a graduate degree-granting NP program (National Task Force, 2016). One difficulty, I had in finally taking the step towards starting the program, was the time, effort, and financial strain it’ll take to embark on this journey. I considered getting a certification in counseling as an alternative to enrolling and becoming an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN), but I knew that would not fulfill my career goals.

Post 2

Pursuing a graduate degree was a difficult decision. While researching, I found there were several specialties I could choose from. Early on, I knew the Family Nurse Practitioner would not be a good choice since I did not want to work with children. Walden University offers the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner AGACNP) program and an Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP) program. Initially, I applied to the AGPCNP program; however, after talking to the Nurse Practitioners on my unit and a former colleague who became an AGACNP, I realized I wanted to specialize in AGACNP. AGACNPs care for late adolescents and adults with acute, chronic, critical, and complex illnesses (Adult-Gerontology NP Competencies Work Group, 2016). This degree will create more opportunities in the future.

One difficulty I had in choosing between the two programs was being unclear about my options when it came to a job. I have always wanted to work at a nursing home, so I initially chose the primary care program. However, I quickly learned that some facilities prefer an acute care degree, and I would have a better chance of finding a position where I currently work after graduation. Studies show that AGACNPs are in high demand due to the increase in critically ill patients (Heusinkvelt, & Nelson, & Langer, 2022).

Finding a nursing organization can be beneficial. Nurses must find an organization that aligns with their professional goals (Echevarria, 2018). The Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurse Association aligns with my professional goals. To become a member, you can fill out the online application and choose from a student, corporate, or associate membership. Once the application is accepted, you can access several resources such as scholarships, education, and networking opportunities (The Wisconsin Chapter of GAPNA | ENP Network, n.d.).

Becoming an APRN has always been my dream. I never thought I would have the time or resources to pursue my degree. Walden University’s AGACNP program is flexible and allows me to balance my work and family life while focusing on getting my master’s degree.