NURS 6003 Discussion: Examining Nursing Specialties

Sample Answer for NURS 6003 Discussion: Examining Nursing Specialties Included After Question

You have probably seen one or more of the many inspirational posters about decisions. A visual such as a forked road or a street sign is typically pictured, along with a quote designed to inspire.

Often decisions are not so easily inspired. Perhaps you discovered this when choosing a specialty within the MSN program. This decision is a critical part of your plan for success, and you no doubt want to get it right. This is yet another area where your network can help, as well as other sources of information that can help you make an informed choice.

To Prepare:

• Reflect on your decision to pursue a specialty within the MSN program, including your professional and academic goals as they relate to your program/specialization.

By Day 3

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.

Support main post with 3 of more current, credible sources and cite source within content of posting and on a reference list in proper APA.

By Day 6

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Be sure to offer support from at least 2 current, credible sources in each required response to classmates’ main post and cite per APA.

Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days, by sharing your thoughts on their specialty, supporting their choice or offering suggestions if they have yet to choose.

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:

Week 6 Discussion Rubric

A Sample Answer For the Assignment: NURS 6003 Discussion: Examining Nursing Specialties

Title: NURS 6003 Discussion: Examining Nursing Specialties

I choose to pursue my MSN degree in Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner because of my passion of wanting to help others. I am a very observant person and always am interested in why some behave in specific ways. I have realized that studying mental health is the one way to understand why some behave in specific ways and help them the most. I had a problematic conflict when deciding my decision on pursuing PMHNP or MBA. I was unsure if I wanted to continue as a health care provider or switch into a business profession. I chose PMHNP because my desire to continue studying human behavior and the human body has always fascinated me.

“Nurses should seek membership in organizations that will best fulfill their professional and personal goals.” (Echevarria, 2018) A professional organization affiliated with my chosen specialty is American Psychiatry Nurses Association. “Essential to a nurse’s professional development is active membership in 1 or more professional organizations.” (Cherry, et al., 2019) To become a member of the APNA, there is a signup fee of 135 dollars. APNA is “a member-driven community that advances the science & education of psychiatric-mental health nursing.” (APNA, n.d) There are educational resources that come with being part of the APNA organization.

My first choice in pursuing a career in the medical field was to go to medical school and become an obstetrician.  Marriage and children put that goal on the back burner, and many years later I decided to go to nursing school and work in labor and delivery, or NICU, or Couplet Care.  After graduating I somehow fell into public health working as a foster care nurse.  I found I loved working with this vulnerable population and realized there was a great need for nursing influence in statewide public health leadership.  It was this yawning gap in nursing leadership that compelled me to pursue my master’s in public health nursing.  My path may seem undirected, but I feel as if I was meant to serve in public health.

Professional Organization

Early in my public health nursing my supervisor connected me with regional and state foster care nursing organizations.  I truly could not have succeeded in my career without the support those networks gave me.  I was privileged to serve in multiple administrative roles in various organizations and attend trainings.  These experiences prepared me to navigate the ever-changing mandates and policies governing medical case management of foster children.

Very recently I was compelled to accept a position as supervisor in a completely different branch of public health nursing.  I have never worked with communicable disease and found myself in charge of the COVID-19 department operations center for disease surveillance.  One of the conditions of my acceptance was that the county reinstate the membership with the California Directors of Public Health Nursing organization.  After experiencing such great support from the foster care nurses’ organizations, I knew I needed the network connections available in the DPHN.  The dues are $700 a year and not something I can afford to maintain.  The county agreed to pay the dues, but the process is bureaucratically slow and membership has yet to be obtained.  I have browsed the organization’s webpage and am excited at the trainings and conferences they offer.  I find hope in their advocacy to improve public health nursing through education and policy development (Directors of Public Health Nursing, 2020).

I became a nurse to help others (Laureate Edcuation, 2018).  I never thought I would be serving as a nursing leader.  But if I’m going to be a leader in public health nursing, I want the best education, network, training, and preparation.  My new goal is to be an effective nursing leader and help my team find success in serving my community.

References

California Directors of Public Health Nursing. (2020) https://directorsofpublichealthnursing.wildapricot.org/

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

A Sample Answer 2 For the Assignment: NURS 6003 Discussion: Examining Nursing Specialties

Title: NURS 6003 Discussion: Examining Nursing Specialties

I began working in the emergency department a year into my career as a nurse.  When I began working there, some of the most helpful people were the nurse educators.  They assisted clinically and took the time to explain the reasons we performed different tests on people, gave them different medications, and assisted on how to perform detailed assessments.  The emergency department that I work in has a high acuity, as well as high volume, so for them to take the time to explain helped tremendously in my orientation process.  There was one educator in particular who was very hands on, answered any and all questions I had, and taught me how to think critically.  She was the person who helped me how to think like a critical care nurse, working in the high paced environment.

This was when I decided that I wanted to become a nurse educator.  I knew that before I pursued this career choice I would need to become an expert in the field.  Nurses with a high-level professional knowledge and skills are needed for appropriate education and training of nursing personnel (Satoh et al., 2020).  I worked on the floor as a staff nurse as well as a nurse preceptor to sharpen my skills, and to begin to learn how to teach newer nurses as they begin their journey in the emergency department.

One of the difficulties I found in making my decision was if I should continue to pursue the education track, or if I should look into the administration track.  Ultimately, I decided to go with the Masters of Nursing with a concentration in Education because I felt this was more suitable for my future career.  I have recently taken on the role of assistant nurse manager, but as a clinical role, I feel that the education track will help me be able to teach young nurses the way a nurse educator would.  It will also help me keep the staff engaged, facilitate learning, and assist others in developing their learning techniques.

My career goal are to excel in my new role as an assistant nurse manager, and to teach nursing students during their clinical rotations.  I can do both of these things by getting the most out of my education at Walden University.

A professional organization that will help me advance my career is the Emergency Nurses Association, or ENA.  The ENA is a professional organization that represents emergency nursing addressing issues relevant to emergency care, provides education, issues a peer-reviewed journal, and publishes professional guidelines (2021).  Joining the ENA is a simple process and is available for both nurses and nursing students.  The membership fee for a registered nurse is $115 annually.  One will have the option to pay in four installments or in full.  This organization will help as a nurse educator stay up to date with all of the latest research in emergency medicine.

References

Emergency nurses association (ENA). enaorg. (2021, December 3). Retrieved November 18,

2021, from https://www.ena.org/.

Satoh, M., Fujimura, A., & Sato, N. (2020). Competency of academic nurse educators. SAGE 

Open Nursing, 6, 237796082096938. https://doi.org/10.1177/2377960820969389

A Sample Answer 3 For the Assignment: NURS 6003 Discussion: Examining Nursing Specialties

Title: NURS 6003 Discussion: Examining Nursing Specialties

The health care system is overcrowded with more patients and insufficient health care providers, the need for advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) to fill this gap. Many areas in America are affected by the shortage of medical professionals. The shortage is based on limited medical schools and training facilities, and doctors tend to practice where they studied (Goral, 2016). Using Nurse practitioners will cover the health care gap, address the shortage of primary care physicians, reach out to more patients, and offer a cost-effective approach to both patients and the state (Liu et al., 2020). My desire to become an adult gerontology acute care nurse practitioner (AGACNP) was drawn from growing up in a rural area with limited and insufficient health care opportunities. Also, working with a nurse practitioner who was a nurse, inspired me to further my education. Her patient interactions and involvement in the community outreach program were inspiring. My career choice as an AGACNP allows me to support and serve my community to treat both acute and stable patients of varying ages (13 and older).

It is easier said than done. It is not an easy pathway to be a nurse practitioner; the struggles and challenges that come with it can only be experienced, not imagined. The program requires commitment, self-discipline, time management, and devotion. It was easier in high school and college, where work, family, and school were not juggled together. Finding a balance with all these create a challenging process in completing schoolwork. Time management and self-discipline are my two most important driving forces in completing schoolwork promptly. Self-discipline is a characteristic needed in graduate education level given the level of academic demands is higher and the need to push beyond our limits. Another struggle is finding preceptor sites linked to my specialty. An increase in the number of nurse practitioners completing their educational programs poses a challenge for universities and health care organizations providing good training sites (Bazzell & Dains, 2017). My desire to practice in rural areas is problematic; they are limited to no facilities to complete preceptorship in these areas. There is an improvement in students’ clinical reasoning when a structured preceptor method and location are part of the clinical practice (Bazzell & Dains, 2017). Clinical experience in areas of interest helps promote community understanding and care needs (Brommelsiek & Peterson, 2020). The challenges do not stop my drive; knowing I can do good and change the lives of the few I encounter increases my passion to keeping pushing forward.

American nurses’ Association (ANA) is the largest nursing organization that is not limited to a particular state. This association offers its members unlimited research information on patient’s health wellness and recent updates or changes in the practice. It allows for nurse’s voice to be heard and promote changes in patient care. Another aspect is geriatric patients in rural areas have two or more comorbidities impacting their health, access to limited health care, and knowledge deficit on disease process and treatment plan (Amy et al., 2018). To enable me to understand the health challenges in these areas and gear me to meet their health care needs, joining Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association (GAPNA) will be a way to foster my care goals. The association focuses on health information on the geriatric population. As a member of both associations, I can access resources to expand my knowledge and expertise in meeting my patient care needs both the acutely ill and stable patients.

References

Amy Chanlongbutra, Gopal K. Singh, & Curt D. Mueller. (2018). Adverse childhood experiences, health related quality of life, and chronic disease risks in rural areas of the United States. ‐ Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2018. https://doiorg.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1155/2018/7151297 

Bazzell, A. F., & Dains, J. E. (2017). Supporting nurse practitioner preceptor development. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 13(8), e375–e382. https://doiorg.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2017.04.013 

Brommelsiek, M., & Peterson, J. A. (2020). Preparing nurse practitioner students to practice in rural primary care. Journal of Nursing Education, 59(10), 581–584. https://doiorg.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.3928/01484834-20200921-08 

Goral, T. (2016, September 1). Prescription for the doctor shortage: a medical college finds an innovative way to bring physicians to underserved populations. University Business, 19(9), 8.

Liu, C.-F., Hebert, P. L., Douglas, J. H., Neely, E. L., Sulc, C. A., Reddy, A., Sales, A. E., & Wong, E. S. (2020). Outcomes of primary care delivery by nurse practitioners: Utilization, cost, and quality of care. Health Services Research, 55(2), 178–189. https://doiorg.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1111/1475-6773.13246

Week 6 Discussion

Walden University MSN Core Nursing courses – Generic information for success:

1. Being graduate level adult learners – It is very unlikely that you will experience the quantity of or detailed guidance as in the announcements received in this course. Being so: Read the course announcements thoroughly and completely. Read the course announcements at least daily for any updates. Going forward the Instructors may post items at any time throughout the day or night. I have unfortunately received emails throughout this course with questions for which the information was previously addressed within the announcements. Again, reading the course announcements is imperative for your success.
2. The utilization requirement of APA within assignments will increase as you progress to courses that are considered “writing intense”. The APA requirement within discussions will remain as you experienced within this course. This course is not considered writing intense. Familiarize yourself with the correct usage of APA 7^th edition. It is within every graded item, within every Nursing course going forward. Familiarize yourself and utilize the Walden resources for APA assistance. I have diligently posted links to those resources several times during this course.
3. Use ONLY your Walden student email for communication with any Walden University representative. When communicating with your Instructor ALWAYS include your course number and section. Within this course I posted in the announcements numerous times your specific course number and section, as well asked that you include that information when emailing me. Sadly, I received emails that did not include this information, this delayed my assisting you as I had to request your course number and section. This alerts me that course announcements were not being thoroughly and completely reviewed. Going forward it is highly unlikely Instructors will respond to any email other than your Walden student email as email not in Walden origin routinely gets flagged as spam then deleted. Also be fully aware that Instructors required to respond to any email other than your designated Walden Student email.
4. Be mindful if you do not participate in any Walden course during the 1^st week (Day 1 through Day 7) – you will be removed from the course by Walden University regardless of your excuse. Your Instructor has no control over this – it is university policy!
5. The grading of any assignment cannot proceed by your Instructor unless you submit your assignments via SafeAssign, then in BlackBoard. Traditionally a -0- score will be awarded, with no resubmission availability. At the Graduate level, you are responsible for your work being submitted per instructions AND grading rubric parameters and due date/time. Again, I strongly encourage you to submit your assignments before Day 7 to ensure yourself sufficient time to seek assistance and correct the issue. Remember SafeAssign Drafts and SafeAssign are different!
6. For Discussions – There is a six (6) day period (Monday, Day 1 through Saturday, Day 6) allowed for the Discussion participation. No allowances for participation will be made outside of the six (6) Discussion active period. Any submitted post outside of the 6-day active discussion period will not be graded and you will receive a -0- score.
7. Faculty cannot accept or grade any assignment or discussion through email.
8. Do not wait until Day 7 to begin or submit your assignment. Assignments are due Day 7. At the Graduate level, you are responsible for your work being submitted per instructions, grading rubric parameters and due date and time. Being so = I strongly encourage you to submit your assignments well before Day 7 to ensure yourself sufficient time to seek assistance and correct any issue encountered. I have purposely made myself available to you each day including weekends and responded to you within 12 to 24 hours. Be mindful, Instructors are not required to respond to you on a daily basis. Going forward your Instructors will respond to your Contact the Instructor communications and emails within the required 48 hours’ time period.
9. As a graduate level student, Instructors will not reach out to you to ensure your assignments/discussions are completed and submitted correctly. As a graduate level adult learner, it is your responsibility to ensure that your discussions and assignments are completed and submitted timely and correctly. As an adult learner, you need to take the initiative and reach out to your Instructor immediately when you encounter an issue. You were offered an online orientation by Walden University – Did you participate in that orientation? If not, I strongly suggest you contact your advisor and make arrangements.
10. If you experience technical issues, please utilize your resources and contact the Walden Customer Care Team or Walden IT for assistance. Going forward you will encounter several PowerPoint presentations, Walden Templates within your future courses at Walden University, as well be required to submit multiple items with a single submission.
11. Understand the Time Zones at Walden University and the applicable conversion. Your course calendar is in Eastern Time as is the time/date stamp of submission/participation for your discussions and assignments. Going forward all of your future Nursing courses require that your Discussions, any Quiz or Assignment will continue to be due submitted in Mountain Time.
12. Have a computer and Internet backup plan. What will you do if your computer crashes or your Internet is not working?  Computer/Internet/work issues are your responsibility. Allowances will not be made due to these issues causing a lack of participation or missed deadline, rather a -0- score will be awarded. Save your work on a flash or hard drive. Know where you can go to access the Academic Skills Center as it is an excellent resource to assist in your success.
13. For Assignments – Only prior communication with AND Instructor approval will late assignments be considered for grading. Assignments submitted late will be deducted 4% daily until Day 5 OR may deduct the entire 20% regardless of time/day of late submission. This is at the discretion of each Instructor and will vary course-by-course. After Day 5, in any course, the assignment will be scored a -0-.
14. Be familiar with how to access and utilize the Walden resources. I posted the most useful and frequently utilized resources numerous times within the course announcements.
15. Ensure your discussions have a substance, depth and breadth, critical analysis, and reflection element within the grading rubric. In short – if your discussion Main Post does not closely compare to the discussion exemplar located within the course resources and announcements posted within this course your grade will be drastically reduced.
16. Know who and where to submit any documentation if necessary, for allowances for any late or missed assignments. Remember Instructors are not permitted to accept any medical documentation.
17. Know who your advisor is and how to contact them.
18. Know where and how to locate your student feedback. This course is 6 weeks in duration – In Week 5 I received emails inquiring as to “I see my grade but don’t know why points were deducted” – It was sadly apparent the feedback being provided was not being reviewed by those students. Your numeric score and student feedback are in different locations – this was addressed in the course announcements. If you cannot locate or have not located your student feedback for discussions and assignments – I strongly encourage you to contact the Customer Care Team as you have missed a tremendous amount of information.

Rubric Detail

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Content
Name: NURS_6003_Module06_Week10_Discussion_Rubric

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Excellent Good Fair Poor
Main Posting
Points Range: 45 (45%) – 50 (50%)
Answers all parts of the discussion question(s) expectations with reflective critical analysis and synthesis of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module and current credible sources.

Supported by at least three current, credible sources.

Written clearly and concisely with no grammatical or spelling errors and fully adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style.

Points Range: 40 (40%) – 44 (44%)
Responds to the discussion question(s) and is reflective with critical analysis and synthesis of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module.

At least 75% of post has exceptional depth and breadth.

Supported by at least three credible sources.

Written clearly and concisely with one or no grammatical or spelling errors and fully adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style.

Points Range: 35 (35%) – 39 (39%)
Responds to some of the discussion question(s).

One or two criteria are not addressed or are superficially addressed.

Is somewhat lacking reflection and critical analysis and synthesis.

Somewhat represents knowledge gained from the course readings for the module.

Post is cited with two credible sources.

Written somewhat concisely; may contain more than two spelling or grammatical errors.

Contains some APA formatting errors.

Points Range: 0 (0%) – 34 (34%)
Does not respond to the discussion question(s) adequately.

Lacks depth or superficially addresses criteria.

Lacks reflection and critical analysis and synthesis.

Does not represent knowledge gained from the course readings for the module.

Contains only one or no credible sources.

Not written clearly or concisely.

Contains more than two spelling or grammatical errors.

Does not adhere to current APA manual writing rules and style.
Main Post: Timeliness
Points Range: 10 (10%) – 10 (10%)
Posts main post by day 3.

Points Range: 0 (0%) – 0 (0%)

Points Range: 0 (0%) – 0 (0%)

Points Range: 0 (0%) – 0 (0%)
Does not post by day 3.
First Response
Points Range: 17 (17%) – 18 (18%)
Response exhibits synthesis, critical thinking, and application to practice settings.

Responds fully to questions posed by faculty.

Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by at least two scholarly sources.

Demonstrates synthesis and understanding of learning objectives.

Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues.

Responses to faculty questions are fully answered, if posed.

Response is effectively written in standard, edited English.

Points Range: 15 (15%) – 16 (16%)
Response exhibits critical thinking and application to practice settings.

Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues.

Responses to faculty questions are answered, if posed.

Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by two or more credible sources.

Response is effectively written in standard, edited English.

Points Range: 13 (13%) – 14 (14%)
Response is on topic and may have some depth.

Responses posted in the discussion may lack effective professional communication.

Responses to faculty questions are somewhat answered, if posed.

Response may lack clear, concise opinions and ideas, and a few or no credible sources are cited.

Points Range: 0 (0%) – 12 (12%)
Response may not be on topic and lacks depth.

Responses posted in the discussion lack effective professional communication.

Responses to faculty questions are missing.

No credible sources are cited.
Second Response
Points Range: 16 (16%) – 17 (17%)
Response exhibits synthesis, critical thinking, and application to practice settings.

Responds fully to questions posed by faculty.

Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by at least two scholarly sources.

Demonstrates synthesis and understanding of learning objectives.

Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues.

Responses to faculty questions are fully answered, if posed.

Response is effectively written in standard, edited English.

Points Range: 14 (14%) – 15 (15%)
Response exhibits critical thinking and application to practice settings.

Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues.

Responses to faculty questions are answered, if posed.

Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by two or more credible sources.

Response is effectively written in standard, edited English.

Points Range: 12 (12%) – 13 (13%)
Response is on topic and may have some depth.

Responses posted in the discussion may lack effective professional communication.

Responses to faculty questions are somewhat answered, if posed.

Response may lack clear, concise opinions and ideas, and a few or no credible sources are cited.

Points Range: 0 (0%) – 11 (11%)
Response may not be on topic and lacks depth.

Responses posted in the discussion lack effective professional communication.

Responses to faculty questions are missing.

No credible sources are cited.
Participation
Points Range: 5 (5%) – 5 (5%)
Meets requirements for participation by posting on three different days.

Points Range: 0 (0%) – 0 (0%)

Points Range: 0 (0%) – 0 (0%)

Points Range: 0 (0%) – 0 (0%)
Does not meet requirements for participation by posting on 3 different days.
Total Points: 100
Name: NURS_6003_Module06_Week10_Discussion_Rubric

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