After earning my BSN, I plan to seek employment in the state of Florida. One of the criteria that the Florida Board of Nursing has set forth for obtaining an RN license in the state is to have completed a state-approved or state-accredited nursing education program (Florida Department of Health, 2018). Another one of the criteria is to have passed the NCLEX-RN examination or have obtained an endorsement (Florida Department of Health, 2018). A third criterion is to have paid an application and licensing fee of $110.00 to the Florida Board of Nursing (Florida Department of Health, 2018).
As a newly graduated nurse in Florida, I could potentially seek a position as a medical surgical nurse at the Blake Medical Center in Bradenton, Florida (Job Compass, 2018). In order to apply for this position, I would need to have at least a BSN, as well as BLS and ACLS certification. A motivation for seeking this position is that it is a full-time position with daytime shifts. However, one detractor is that the shift length is not mentioned, so I cannot be sure of how the hours in my full-time schedule would be distributed.
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I could also seek a position as a full-time nurse in the Pediatrics unit of Plantation General Hospital in Plantation, Florida (Job Compass, 2018). For this position, I would need to have earned at least an associate’s degree in nursing (although a bachelor’s degree is preferred). I would also need a current Florida RN license and BLS certification. While PALS certification and a year of pediatric hospital experience are preferred, they are not required. One motivator for seeking this position is that a sign-on bonus is offered, but one detractor is that I would be working nights.
A third position I could seek is a full-time position as a pediatrics nurse at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, Florida (Liquid Compass, 2018). For this position, I would need to have a current RN license and a BLS certification. One of the motivators for this job is that the hospital has a good reputation and would offer me the opportunity to serve children and families facing a wide range of medical conditions. One of the detractors is that it would include 12-hour shifts, which could be a challenge for me.
I intend to maintain a holistic life balance in both my personal life and my professional life. After I get a job in my first year, I plan to develop a general personal schedule that ensures that I get enough sleep each night and have time for daily exercise, such as a brisk walk with a friend or a yoga class. In my first year, I also plan to read some of the holistic nursing articles offered on the American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA) website (AHNA, 2018). At five years, I plan to review my experience with holistic nursing and decide whether I want to obtain a postgraduate certificate in holistic nursing (American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation, 2018). At that point, I will also take stock of my life in terms of some of the major topics within holistic self-care – including hygiene, lifestyle, nutrition, environmental factors, socioeconomic factors, and self-medication (AHNA, 2018) – and decide if changes need to be made in any of these areas.
In my first year as a graduate nurse, I may face a variety of stressors. One common stressor for first-year nurses is scheduling (Lin, Viscardi, & McHugh, 2014). Depending on factors like shift length (eight hours vs. twelve hours) and shift timing (night vs. day), my schedule may be a source of stress. I may also have financial concerns if I am unable to find a position that offers full-time work. Another anticipated challenge for first-year nurses is burnout, which is known to cause inexperienced nurses to leave the profession (Beecroft, Dorey, & Wenton, 2008). One way to avoid burnout is to take advantage of social support resources through my organization, which may help me cope with occupational stress and avoid burnout (Jennings, 2008).
At the five-year point in my nursing career, burnout will likely remain a challenge (Jennings, 2008). If I experience burnout as a result of ongoing interpersonal conflicts within my organization, or if I find myself exhausted by long shifts and/or night shift work, all of which commonly contribute to burnout (Jennings, 2008), I may consider seeking a position at another organization. My goal is to have a fulfilling career and offer patients the best possible care. Since burnout has the potential to reduce the quality of nursing care (Jennings, 2008), I want to make sure that I take action to address this anticipated challenge.
After I earn my BSN, I plan to make educational development an ongoing part of my career. Within the first year, I plan to obtain Basic Life Support (BLS) certification, which is required for many entry-level nursing positions. Depending on the fields in which I work as a nurse within the first five years of my career, I may consider obtaining specialty certification in one of those areas. This would enable me to direct my career toward my specialty area of interest.
In my first year as a graduate nurse, I plan to join the American Nurses Association and participate in online community opportunities like message boards (ANA, 2018). Within my first five years as a nurse, I will also try to commit to attending at least one nursing conference per year. To support my professional development, I also plan to use ANA and other professional nursing resources to stay abreast with the latest advances in nursing research. Gaining more experience with the scholarly literature will enable me to better assess data that I can use to deliver safe and high-quality patient care.
