Personal Essay Example: My Career Goals and Plans

As a professional in the nursing field, I have a duty to do my best to ensure the safety of my patients. I have set goals that propel me to work extra hard and smart to pursue my career and become successful. Success to me is not all about the money rather putting a smile on every patient's face at the end of my duty. My professional goals are thus:

Short-term goals

Complete my course with good grades, get employed in an excellent facility to practice my career, and establish a team of nurses to mentor young aspiring nurses.

Long-term goals

Coach recruits especially on night shift skills, enroll for a master's degree in organizational leadership and nursing management and get a promotion to be a head-nurse in my work place.

Five-year plan

As a nurse, I want in the next five years to be an icon and inspiration to many aspiring nurses. I, therefore, aspire that by then, I will have established a mentorship program for these young people. This program will be run in liaison with healthcare programs in nursing training institutions and high schools. Additionally, I plan to work hand in hand with NGOs, and the government to give back to the society through a program I will dub as "Our children, our future" to care for the less privileged children in the society and advocate for safety and hygiene in all households.

There are many factors I have in store to help me achieve my professional goals. I am working very hard on my studies to get the best grades come graduation date; I am positive that stellar performance will earn me a good job in an excellent facility. I am a member of the nursing union in my college; I plan to use this as a stepping stone to mobilize others within my working station to form a team of mentors for young aspiring nurses. I know night shifts are problematic for nurses especially recruits, in this respect, therefore, I will coach recruits on proper planning to enable them to cope with the demands of night shifts. I will additionally save enough money to pursue my master's degree. With a master's degree, getting a promotion will be smooth and even becoming a nurse-doctor.

In assessing my progress towards achieving my goals, I have noted my goals and plans down in my notebook. I will be monitoring the targets obtained and highlighting them. Similarly, I will be noting down the stumbling blocks to achieving my goals, handle them efficiently to scale my plans higher. I have pinned my objectives and plans on the wall in my room. This serves as a constant reminder to me of what I am set out for in my career life so that I do not lose track. Assertiveness is always my strength-drawing point, I therefore fully utilize this trait to do whatever I put my heart into without double-standards. Additionally, I am social, committed, open-minded, and time-conscious. These strengths are my score cards; they will ultimately help me meet my goals.

In my pursuit to achieve my plans and goals, I know the hurdles are going to come in handy. They are going to be more than the rosy seasons, but I am more than ready to overcome them through determination and hard work. The challenges I know I will face are; demotivation due to failure in some exams, the pressure to achieve more with a lot of work to do, financial constraints, limited leisure and single moments due to an ever-busy schedule, and shifts hours.

The opportunities that would play significant roles in my career goals are networking, carrying out research projects, engaging in club/union activities, opening a social networking blog to mentor young nurses and look for investors for my philanthropy program, and volunteer in medical facilities as a nurse before getting a formal employment (&NA;, 2005).

This nursing program has sharpened my skills in nursing. Throughout my tenure, my knowledge on the dos and don'ts in nursing have been articulated to me quite clearly. Besides the knowledge, I have learned the art of patience, determination, empathy, and giving back to the community. My grades have improved, and am still doing better with the skills and attitude I have achieved. During my program, my grades have improved a lot. Unlike in the past, my attendance in class has also improved since I have become conversant with most of the concepts in the course and can relate to them. I have also made friends in the program who have helped me in my academics. Through our school club programs, I have received several certificates of participation. As at now, my achievements are at par with the outcomes and essentials of this program. I am well baked and skilled for the job market.

In the course modules, we touched on areas such as reproductive health, water, and sanitation, life style matters, personal hygiene, food, and nutrition. These topics were very influential in shaping my perception of health and nursing as a profession. As a nurse, my philosophy is "Establishing a healthier, safer, hygienic, friendly environment for patients and the community is the best service to humanity." This theory strengthens my resolve to a better nurse and to help the community enjoy healthy and long lives.

References

&NA;. (2005). 2006 National Patient Safety Goals announced. Nursing, 35, 2. doi:10.1097/00152193-200510001-00003

Donagan, A. (1983). Collected Philosophical Papers. Vol. 1: From Parmenides to Wittgenstein. G. E. M. AnscombeCollected Philosophical Papers. Vol. 2: Metaphysics and the Philosophy of Mind. G. E. M. AnscombeCollected Philosophical Papers. Vol. 3: Ethics, Religion and Politics. G. E. M. Anscombe. Ethics, 93(4), 801-804. doi:10.1086/292497

Ferrell, B. R. (2008). What is the Nature of Suffering and What are the Goals of Nursing. The Nature of Suffering and the Goals of Nursing, 100-110. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195333121.003.0005