About My Professional Development Plan

As I continue my journey in becoming an MSN graduate, it is important to align what program of study we are interested in and the professional development plan we have for ourselves. Our professional and personal goals become crucial as this will determine if we are to become successful in our journey of becoming an MSN graduate.

My name is Joan Sanchez and I want to begin by presenting some information about my personal life. I currently live in Winnetka, California in a rented house with my parents and younger brother. I am single and currently have no children. I was born in Chosica, Peru and moved to the US in 1999. I obtained my high school degree from Hicksville, New York in 2002. I’ve always wanted to be a nurse when I was younger because most of my aunts from Peru were also nurses. The only problem I had at that time was the lack of money to continue with my formal education. Both my parents were working as caregivers and the money they earned was usually not enough for our daily expenses.

After we moved to California, I decided to continue with my dreams of becoming a nurse by working and going to school at the same time. I took most of my nursing pre-requisites at Los Angeles Pierce College because it’s the school closest to my home. I finished my Associates Degree in Nursing (ADN) at Shepherd University in Los Angeles, California in 2014. I graduated with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in 2017 from Chamberlain University. Working two jobs and going to school at the same time were the most difficult yet most rewarding years of my life. I was able to look at life in a different but better way because of the hard work that I did.

I currently work at Motion Pictures Television Funds Center behavioral unit. I provide hands-on nursing care to movie actors and their families and work as a case manager ensuring that all their appointments are scheduled. I currently hold a Basic Life Support (BLS) certification and Management of Assaultive Behavior (MAB) certificate.

I’ve had my share of different experiences working as a nurse. During most of my professional life, I’ve worked in psychiatric or behavioral department unit. I’ve taken leadership roles such as being charge nurse of the unit, being proactive when something needs to be done, always responding to patient’s requests, learning how to delegate appropriate tasks to other healthcare staff, and volunteering my time to any hospital committee or advisory boards. My involvement in these activities made me want to be a nurse leader.

My personal goal is simple. All I want from myself is to the best that I could do. I believe that if I do that, everything else falls into place. I’ve experienced it all my life. One thing I’ve discovered is that if you work hard, all your dreams will come true.

My professional goal is to become a better nurse by becoming an MSN graduate with a specialty in Mental and Behavioral Health. I believe with my current background at work and my future degree and knowledge, I would be able to help more people live better with whatever mental health disorder they may have.

Being an adult coming back to learn again was a challenge for me. With the help of Walden. I was able to learn how to grasp the concept of online learning by learning how to manage time and using the different resources available to all students, managing time through planning, communicating using different avenues and technology, and creating discussion posts that consist of academically credited resources.

Despite all these, I still need to continue to learn more things as the months go by. I still get deductions whenever I use APA formats. My grammar is still not acceptable at times. With the tools such as Walden’s Writing Center and Turnitin, I will be able to gain more knowledge in how to write APA style.

I’d like to think of practicum as a work experience away from the classroom setting. I got excited when I found out that we were going to have a practicum because it’s my way of applying things that I have learned in the classroom to the real world. I submitted my request to a previous co-worker of mine, Kim O’Conner, who currently works at a psychiatric urgent care. I’ve been dealing with chronic psychiatric patients in my daily work. I think working with acutely ill psychiatric patients will test my abilities to be a better nurse leader and provider. It will become a challenge for me because I’m entering an arena that I’ve never been before.

I am frightened at the same time excited in my upcoming voyage towards an MSN degree. The combination of my personal and professional goals will help me in achieving my goal because it will give me the needed experience to handle certain obstacles. The knowledge that I will get from attending online classes at Walden will give me the tools to help me understand why I must attain my goals. If the experiences and knowledge are not enough, I will rely on Walden’s Writing Center to enhance my skills. I will be graduating in February 2021 and I’m hoping to get the best education that I can get through Walden University.