Discuss two (2) professional career goals, identifying how your professional experiences to date have prepared you for graduate study at Pace University and how the graduate program will assist you in meeting these goals.
Describe your plans to alter your professional and/or personal obligations to have the time needed for graduate study, including the required clinical experiences.
Identify one issue in the United States health care system and discuss the role of advanced nursing practice in addressing this issue.
- Discuss two (2) professional career goals, identifying how your professional experiences to date have prepared you for graduate study at Pace University and how the graduate program will assist you in meeting these goals.
- Describe your plans to alter your professional and/or personal obligations to have the time needed for graduate study, including the required clinical experiences.
- Identify one issue in the United States health care system and discuss the role of advanced nursing practice in addressing this issue.
Psychiatric Nurse practitioner Certificate program
Using a primary health care and lifespan focus, you’ll learn advanced techniques in health promotion, disease prevention, assessment, and treatment of psychiatric diseases and disorders lifespan, with particular attention to health disparities and the care of vulnerable populations. The program is offered as a master of science, for those wishing to take their career to the next level, or as a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS) for those already master prepared as advanced practice nurses.
Tatiana Uguru, DNP, MSN, RN, FNP, CCRN
Personal Statement
My professional goals are the primary sources of my motivation to apply for the Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Certificate Program as a Master of Science course at Pace University. After completing my Doctor of Nursing Practice in December 2021, my professional goal was to become a nurse leader who would apply the systems thinking approach to accomplish both organizational and systems leadership functions aimed at improving healthcare quality. As more and more complex diseases continue to emerge, healthcare organizations need to utilize new health care delivery models founded in contemporary nursing science to eliminate health disparities and promote patient safety. As a doctorally-prepared nurse, I possess the skills and knowledge that I can utilize to lead healthcare systems through change to enable them to provide care that meets the needs of patients with various diseases and from diverse cultural backgrounds.
My professional experiences as a Nurse Administrator at the New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center/ Burn Unit adequately prepared me for the role of a Nurse Leader. Those experiences also prepared me for graduate study at Pace University. The position of a Nurse Administrator at the institution gave me an opportunity to learn numerous leadership skills from organizational managers and leaders of the institution. I believe that the graduate program at Pace University will help me to meet my professional goal of becoming a Nurse Leader of a large healthcare organization by increasing my ability to conceptualize and apply leadership approaches that are aligned with the mission and vision of contemporary psychiatric settings.
My other professional goal is to become a Nurse Educator who also engages in nursing research to generate new knowledge to inform nursing practice. Research and clinical practice standards are crucial paradigms that shape nursing practice and that nurses in their advanced practice roles need to understand. Additionally, nursing education helps to prepare nurses who can perform their roles effectively to promote patient safety and improve healthcare quality. My professional experiences to date have equipped me with the knowledge and skills to effectively serve the role of a Nurse Educator and a Researcher. They have also prepared me for a graduate study at Pace University by enabling me to learn key areas to focus on when educating both newly-hired and experienced nurses. In my Nurse Administrator role at the New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center/ Burn Unit, I ensured that nursing practice was informed by evidence-based research. Additionally, I inspired, educated, and guided future nurses through hands-on experiences to improve their practice competencies. The graduate program at Pace University will assist me in the roles of a Nurse Educator and a Researcher by allowing me to learn advanced techniques that are required to effectively care for vulnerable populations including those with different types of mental illnesses.
I adequately understand that I will have to make adjustments to my personal and professional plans to have enough time to complete my graduate program at Pace University. In order to have the time needed for the graduate study and that required for clinical experiences related to the graduate program, I will create a timetable that separates time for accomplishing personal and professional obligations and for learning. I will manage my time effectively to ensure that neither my personal/professional obligations nor my education is compromised.
Advanced practice nurses should be in a position to identify nursing practice issues that are affecting healthcare systems in their countries. They should also be able to devise and guide the implementation of strategies to address those issues. An issue in the United States healthcare system that needs the attention of advanced practice nurses is the Opioid Crisis. Managing and controlling opioid abuse/overdose is a great issue in the country’s healthcare system. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the United States reports approximately 130 deaths per day due to opioid overdose. These statistics capture deaths that have occurred from both prescribed and unprescribed opioids. Opioid abuse and overdose and causing a huge economic burden on the United States healthcare system. Additionally, it is associated with negative patient outcomes and poor quality of life. Addressing the Opioid Crisis in the United States requires the collaborative efforts of various stakeholders in the healthcare field.
To address the Opioid Crisis, advanced practice nurses have the necessary qualifications required to assess, diagnose, and manage patients who are suffering from complications related to opioid abuse and overdose. Advanced practice nurses also play a key role in educating prescribers to offer the right doses to patients. They also educate patients to use the prescribed drugs appropriately to prevent abuse and overdose. Advanced practice nurses contribute to the development of clinical practice guidelines and policies to direct the use of opioids among healthcare professionals and patients. The graduate program at Pace University will enhance my advanced nursing practice competencies in psychiatric nursing practice thereby allowing me to contribute to addressing the Opioid Crisis in the United States. I believe that I am adequately prepared for the graduate program and I am motivated to develop my skills in mental health practice.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Tatiana Uguru.