NURS 6002: Transition to Graduate Study

NURS 6002: Transition to Graduate Study for Nursing

Academic and Professional Success Plan Template

This document is to be used for NURS 6002 Transition to Graduate Study for Nursing to complete Assessments 1-4. Just as importantly the document serves to organize your thoughts about planning for your academic and professional success.

For specific instructions see the weekly assessment details in the course or ask your instructor for further guidance.

Week 1 | Part 1: Developing an Academic and Professional Network

I have identified and secured the participation of the following academic (at least two) and professional (at least two) individuals and/or teams to form the basis of my network. This network will help me to clarify my vision for success and will help guide me now and in the future.

Directions: Complete the information below for each member of your network. For more than four entries repeat the items below with details of your additional network member(s) in the ‘ADDITIONAL NETWORK MEMBERS’ section.

NETWORK MEMBER 1

Name: Tina Bernstein

Title: Enrollment Specialist at Walden

Organization: Walden University

Academic or Professional: Academic

Why I selected this individual and/or team and how they will support my success in the MSN program and as a practicing nurse:

I have Selected Ms. Tina at Walden University is because she has helped me successfully get into this MSN program. She has showed me the goals and visions of this program and school and all the tools that I will need for this program. I am very grateful for Tina because she has been with me every step of the way.

Notes:

NETWORK MEMBER 2

Name: Candida Savice

Title: Advisor

Organization: Walden University

Academic or Professional: Academic

Why I selected this individual and/or team and how they will support my success in the MSN program and as a practicing nurse:

I have selected Ms. Candida because she will advise me throughout the rest of my journey of a Nurse practitioner. She will continue to help me with my goals of this program, and she will guide me in the right direction when I feel overwhelmed or need someone to talk to. She has the same end goal as me and that’s to be the best NP I can possibly be. I choose people who want me to be the best version of myself.

Notes:

NETWORK MEMBER 3

Name: Colleen Harding

Title: RN

Organization: Beaumont Hospital

Academic or Professional: Professional

Why I selected this individual and/or team and how they will support my success in the MSN program and as a practicing nurse:

Colleen was my preceptor through my last semesters of nursing school. She has guided me in ways no one else was able to do thought out my 16 months in nursing school. She let me discover myself and what goals I wanted to achieve while I was a student. She has showed me the correct techniques and procedures on how to fully take care of patients. She gave me the confidence to walk into a patient’s room and be able to communicate without doubting myself. She will continue to cheer me on through my MSN program and guide me when its needed.

Notes:

NETWORK MEMBER 4

Name:

Title: Pharmacist

Organization: Pharmacy

Academic or Professional: Professional

Why I selected this individual and/or team and how they will support my success in the MSN program and as a practicing nurse:

I choose Mr. Paul because I worked for him for years. He has supported me and trained me on how important patient safety is. He taught me how to be a safe nurse when handling medication administration. I took his advice throughout all my nursing career and when I was in clinical setting. His advice stuck in my head while I was dispensing medications to each patient in the hospital. He will continue to be there and support me when it is needed and will always help and explain when I have questions on medications. He is a great asset to my team and my network. I know he will strive to always get me to my goals and for that I will always be appreciative for him.

Notes:

Week 2 | Part 2: Strategies to Promote Academic Integrity and Professional Ethics

I have analyzed the relationship between academic integrity and writing, as well as the relationship between professional practices and scholarly ethics. I have also identified strategies I intend to pursue to maintain integrity and ethics of my academic work while a student of the MSN program, as well as my professional work as a nurse throughout my career. The results of these efforts are shared below.

Directions: In the space below craft your analysis/writing sample, including Part 1 (The Connection Between Academic and Professional Integrity) and Part 2 (Strategies for Maintaining Integrity of Work).

Part 1: Writing Sample: The Connection Between Academic and Professional Integrity

In the space below write a 2- 3-paragraph analysis that includes the following:

· Explanation for the relationship between academic integrity and writing

· Explanation for the relationship between professional practices and scholarly ethics

· Cite at least 2 resources that support your arguments, being sure to use proper APA formatting.

· Use Grammarly and SafeAssign to improve the product.

· Explain how Grammarly, Safe Assign, and paraphrasing contributes to academic integrity

PART 2: Strategies for Maintaining Integrity of Work

Expand on your thoughts from Part 1 by:

Identifying and describing strategies you intend to pursue to maintain integrity and ethics of your 1) academic work while a student of the MSN program, and 2) professional work as a nurse throughout your career. Include a review of resources and approaches you propose to use as a student and a professional.

Week 3 | Part 3: Research Analysis

I have identified one topic of interest for further study. I have researched and identified one peer-reviewed research article focused on this topic and have analyzed this article. The results of these efforts are shared below.

Directions: Complete Step 1 by using the table and subsequent space below identify and analyze the research article you have selected. Complete Step 2 by summarizing in 2-3 paragraphs the results of your analysis using the space identified.

Step 1: Research Analysis

Complete the table below

Step 2: Summary of Analysis

Craft a summary (2-3 paragraph) below that includes the following:

· Describe your approach to identifying and analyzing peer-reviewed research

· Identify at least two strategies that you would use that you found to be effective in finding peer-reviewed research

· Identify at least one resource you intend to use in the future to find peer-reviewed research

In identifying peer-reviewed research, I opted to use Google Scholar to search for articles related to my topic of interest. Once I identified a few articles, I checked to see if they were written by scholars. I checked the authors’ academic credentials and their affiliations to professional associations. I then checked to see if the journals that hosted the articles were peer-reviewed sources or not. I also checked the general structure of the research studies and whether the language used was technical and formal. There are two strategies, which I found to be effective in finding peer-reviewed research. First, there is the use of Google Scholar. This is a valuable resource for searching for scholarly articles from various databases. Second, there is the use of well-known databases such as PubMed and Elsevier, which only deal with scholarly peer-reviewed sources.

In analyzing the peer-reviewed research, I started by reviewing the logical reasons outlined for carrying out the study. I then evaluated the methodology description, which was applied in the research. Thereafter, I checked to see if there was a clear and concise report for the findings. Finally, I checked to see if there was a logical conclusion originating from the study results. Overall, one resource, which I intend to use in the future to find peer-reviewed research is Google Scholar. Although this is not a database, it is an effective search engine tools that directs one to articles from diverse databases.

Week 6 | Part 4: Finalizing the Plan

I have considered various options for my nursing specialty, including a close look at my selected (or currently preferred) specialty and second-preferred specialty. I have also developed a justification of my selected (or preferred) specialty. Lastly, I have examined one professional organization related to my selected or preferred specialty and considered how I can become a member of this organization.

The results of my efforts are below.

Directions: Complete Step 1 by writing 2-3 paragraphs in the space below comparing the nursing specialty you have selected – or the one you prefer if your choice is still under consideration – to your second preference. Identify each specialty and describe the focus and the role that graduates are prepared for. Identify any other differentiators you feel are significant, especially those that helped or may help you reach a decision.

Complete Step 2 by writing a paragraph identifying and justifying your reasons for choosing your MSN specialization. Be sure to incorporate any feedback you received from colleagues in this week’s Discussion Forum.

Complete Step 3 by examining and identifying one professional organization related to your selected or preferred specialty. Explain how you can become a member of this organization.

Step 1: Comparison of Nursing Specialties

Use the space below to write 2-3 paragraphs comparing the nursing specialty you have selected – or the one you prefer if your choice is still under consideration – to your second preference. Identify each specialty and describe the focus and the role that graduates are prepared for. Identify any other differentiators you feel are significant, especially those that helped or may help you reach a decision.

Step 2: Justification of Nursing Specialty

Use the space below to write a paragraph identifying and justifying your reasons for choosing your MSN specialization. Be sure to incorporate any feedback you received from colleagues in this week’s Discussion Forum.

Step 3: Professional Organizations

Use the space below to identify and examine one professional organization related to your selected or preferred specialty. Explain how you can become a member of this organization.