Post an explanation of your choice of a nursing specialty within the program. Describe any difficulties you had (or are having) in making your choice, and the factors that drove/are driving your decision. Identify at least one professional organization affiliated with your chosen specialty and provide details on becoming a member.

Standards of Practice: Examining Nursing Specialties

Nursing is more than a profession; it is a calling. In the early years of my career, I remember carrying that innate desire to provide care for my family and I have always had compassion for those who are sick and suffering. Completing my bachelor’s degree in nursing has helped me conceptualize the feelings I had and gave more meaning and purpose to providing care to patients and their families. The nursing profession is very dynamic, we must keep pushing forward carrying an organized plan and keep pushing through (Laureate Education, 2018). This has always been my mantra that drives me to move forward and progress in what I do. The first decade of my career was the transition phase. I ventured into the different aspects of the Nursing profession seeking for the specialty that I really want to put my heart into.

Challenges. The journey in advancing my career has been long and interesting. It took me almost a decade to decide what field of specialty I really wanted to focus on. I started my career in the Philippines and I can say the work condition has made my choice challenging. There was shortage of staffing, and the workload was tremendous. This pushed the nurse turnover rate to be high because of poor working conditions. The turning point of my career was when I got active in joining nursing organizations. Echevarria (2018) said that professional organizations promote improvement in a profession and heightens the interest of the members it serves. When I worked in the operating room, the surgical organization I attended gave a lot of opportunities to learn and grow in that specialty. It was then that I realized the relevance of joining nursing organizations in further enhancing my knowledge and skills. Cherry, et al. (2019) supported this idea by emphasizing that professional organizations support nursing practice by improving nursing values and stimulate self-regulation. The article further said that the membership in an organization serves as an investment in professional development. My membership to professional groups has indeed propelled my career to greater heights, focusing on the field of specialty I am really interested in.

In the course of my career, I had numerous opportunities to provide education to students and colleagues. I soon realized that teaching and education is the field of nursing that I got really interested in. This drove me to work as a clinical instructor in a local nursing school, and that was the culmination of my specialty in Nursing education. The National League for Nursing (NLN) is one organization that fully supports my field of interest in nursing education. NLN seeks to improve nursing education by focusing on professional advancement activities, research, certification, and networking (National League for Nursing, 2019). The second half of my career has been spent specializing in teaching in the baccalaureate and graduate level. The mission and vision of NLN fully supports my personal goal to improve my teaching strategies. The organization currently has 40,000 individual and 1,200 institutional members from different nursing programs across the nation. This will give me a great opportunity to network with colleagues in the field of nursing education. The NLN website offers individual membership opportunities with a very minimal fee. Membership benefits provide opportunities for growth and promotes excellence in nursing education. I will work on being a member of this organization to further enhance my specialty in nursing education.

References

Cherry, B., Caramanica, L, Everett, L. Q., Fennimore, L., & Elaine, S. (2019). Leveraging the power of board leadership in professional nursing organizations. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 49(11), 517-519.

Echevarria, I. M. (2018). Make connections by joining a professional nursing organization. Nursing, 48(12), 35–38.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). The Walden Journey to a Masters in Nursing: Standards of Practice [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

National League for Nursing. (2019). Nurse educator core competency. Retrieved from http://www.nln.org/professional-development-programs/competencies-for-nursing-education/nurse-educator-core-competency

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