I have been in the healthcare field since I was 16 years old and have worked in various areas for the past 14 years. I started my career working as a Certified Nursing Assistant and continued my education by obtaining my Licensed Practical Nursing degree, Associate in Nursing, Bachelor’s in nursing and am currently working through my Psychiatric Mental health Nurse Practitioner program. Through my years in healthcare, I have worked in several different areas of medicine as well as several different states, concluding that mental health was my true passion. Living in a rural area I know the obstacles associated with mental health care and I am perusing my future education with the goal of providing more easily accessible mental healthcare services to those residing in a rural setting.  

My goals align with Walden’s vision and goals as I hope to provide a positive social change in the communities and with the patients I will be serving. It is my hope that I can provide more easily accessible mental health care to my community by furthering my education through various educational opportunities, while also forming professional relationships. With the program outcomes, I will be able to deliver high-quality healthcare and identify the needs of my community while providing patient-centered care (Walden, 2022).  

Professional relationships have encouraged me to advance my education because of the experiences travel nursing has provided me through the contacts I have made. Working in various fields of medicine has provided me with, “the transmission of information through social and professional interaction within and across networks to improve patient care” (Cunningham FC et al.,2012). Because of the different fields, I have worked in, I have seen the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration for positive patient outcomes. While hospitalists may be versed in the medical needs of patients, they may not be as well versed in the emotional and mental health needs of their patients. Multidisciplinary care and networking have assisted in patient outcomes by creating alliances between departments and building a more trusting work environment (Hamlin, 2022). With Walden’s help, I will be able to better deliver patient care through scholarly education and encouraging confidence to build professional relationships.  

References

Cunningham FC, Ranmuthugala G, Plumb J, et al. (2012). Health professional networks as a vector for improving healthcare quality and safety: a systematic review. BMJ Quality & Safety 2012; 21:239