Academic and Professional Success Plan Template
Prepared by:
Tracey Epperson Puckett
NURS 6002:
Transition to
Graduate Study for Nursing
Week 1 | Part 1: My Academic and Professional Network
I wish I could say that I have always known I wanted to be a psychiatric mental health
nurse practitioner (PMHNP) but that is not the case.
I graduated from an associate degree in
nursing (ADN) in 2009 and went straight into emergency medicine.
I just knew that was where
my heart was and that I would work here while I furthered my career by pursuing my BSN then
masters in general nurse practitioner so I could continue to work in this environment as a mid-
level provider.
As time went on realized that while I loved my job and the skills I was allowed to
do each day along with the making a difference in the patients’ lives burn out was real.
Having
been in the same department for the last ten years I had started to dread going to work and
dealing with the everyday hustle and bustle of the ER.
This is when I began researching and
considering other options out there.
I have truly never considered PMHNP until the last year or
so.
I started noticing the lack of education and help that is offered to those who are in need of
mental health evaluations, treatments and counseling.
It bothered me that so many people are
taught to take care of their physical beings but not the mental aspect of their body.
In my opinion
there should be a balance between our physical and emotional states.
Being a psychiatric mental
health nurse practitioner I will work to emphasize the importance of the therapeutic relationship
between patient and provider and making positive behavioral changes and giving them access to
proper treatment, counseling and medications if needed (Bickford, 2014).
Walden University has many goals but the one that stood out to me the most is the goal to
produce scholarly practitioners that can bring about positive social change (Walden, 2019, para
2).
This falls right in line with my personal goal of helping to promote and educate the
population on mental health awareness and to provide information on what all is available to us
as individuals to make beneficial changes for ourselves or those in need.
The mission statement
of Walden University also falls right in line with this statement as Walden University is providing
us with the opportunity to change our train of thought from a registered nurse to a provider that
can bring about positive change in society (Walden University, 2019, para 2).
Following this introduction of myself and my goals you will find the four people that I
plan on including in my network that I feel will provide me with support, encouragement and
direction while reaching my aspirations of becoming a PMHNP.
Having a network, or support
system, is imperative and a crucial part of any nursing career because it helps us with advancing
ourselves and working towards the job or position we are striving for while being on this path
towards our masters (Wofford, 2019).
