BSN C493 Portfolio Assignment 2021.

BSN C493 Portfolio Assignment 2021. Professional Mission Statement Being a nurse was always a goal of mine, and it was a dream come true to be able to achieve that goal finally. I started as a new graduate on a step-down intensive care unit. I learned many things while caring for neurological, cardiac, trauma patients, and other acute illnesses. Being a nurse is a gratifying job, but I knew that I wanted to advance further in my education to provide better patient care and have a more significant knowledge base. Soon after I finished my ADN, I knew that I wanted to pursue my Bachelors of Science in Nursing. A bachelor's degree would make me the first person in my family to achieve this goal and open up more opportunities for me as a nurse advancing in my career. Working through my BSN has shown me how to study effectively and the type of study environment I need to succeed while also having a great support system. I want to be the best version of myself that I can be, not only for myself but for my daughter. I want to be someone she looks up to and want her to pursue whatever makes her happy regardless of how hard it may be at times, and that starts with pursuing my dreams. As I grow closer to achieving my BSN, I have set my sights on pursuing my MSN with a concentration in Family Nurse Practitioner. I will provide quality care to maintain health and wellness in the community by providing compassion, respect, and keeping up with the most current evidence-based practice information. I feel it's important to educate my patients while building those trusting relationships to provide exceptional patient care. Midlevel providers have become a vital part of healthcare today and truly make a difference in patient outcomes each day. This mission statement will remind me that the most rewarding things in life are often the hardest. Getting my BSN has been a challenging time regarding the pandemic, having a baby, and working. I know that furthering my education will have hard times, but with hardships comes personal growth. I want to continue to evolve personally and professionally and hope to impact the community positively. 2) Professional Summary My portfolio is a combination of my most excellent works through the WGU RN-BSN program as a healthcare professional by showing competency and professional growth. A2A) Portfolio Representation of a Learner & Healthcare Professional Throughout my time here at WGU, I have learned a few things about the type of learner and healthcare professional I am. I am resilient when it comes to things that I want to accomplish. I have had setbacks in my education, which has never stopped me from getting back up and trying again. That was no different when it came to some of my assignments. A few times, I had papers sent back for revisions due to lack of information or support in some areas, and it's discouraging at times, but after resubmitting and passing, it shows that hard work pays off. I've also learned through some of my assignments how vital communication is and how ethics is a huge part of nursing care. In C820 Professional Communication and Leadership: Task 3, I was able to show how I have grown in regards to my communication skills. Before this program, I didn't realize that some of my actions were causing me to have conversations that were described as cycles of waste. After learning how to adjust my reactions and emotions while taking a step back has allowed me to grow as a professional nurse regarding my communication skills. Communication will always be an essential aspect of nursing. Whether that means speaking with providers regarding patient care or communicating with patients about disease education, this class has allowed me to grow. C304 – Professional Roles and Values: Task 2 allowed me to explore my feelings about facing a morally challenging situation. Due to a terminal diagnosis, Mr. Newcomb requested some time away from his wife to spend with his mistress. This assignment showed me that sometimes you would be faced with situations that potentially you may disagree with, but how you act will set you apart. I learned that it's not our job as nurses to judge the choices our patients have made in their lifetimes, but it is our job to provide compassionate, empathetic care while advocating for our patients. A2B) Portfolio Professional Strengths This program has allowed me to grow in many aspects, but some of my work that represents strengths starts with C493- Leadership and Professional Image: Task 1. This assignment allowed me to propose a process change. I recognized staff on our unit exhibiting increased anxiety, depression, and irritability due to the increased patient loads, leading to nursing burnout. This affects more aspects than just patients, and it will also affect reimbursement for the hospital through patient surveys, staff retention, and, most importantly, patient safety. I collaborated with my nurse manager to develop a change solution to increase staffing to maintain safe nurse/patient ratios. Another professional strength is C489 – Organizational Systems and Quality Leadership: Task 1. I pride myself on providing safe, competent care to each patient I care for. This assignment allowed me to identify quality improvement ideas to prevent avoidable events such as pressure ulcers. Frequent turning, daily skin assessments, and preventative padding to prominent boney areas are simple measures that can be taken to prevent pressure injuries in the hospital setting. These simple changes increase patient outcomes, but they are simple enough to be incorporated into the daily assessment of the patient. A2C) Program Progression Challenges/Overcoming Challenges Many challenges come with continuing your education. My first challenge started with finding a suitable space to study away from my daughter where there would be no interruptions. My husband and I started building a room in our attic to accommodate my need for a quiet study place. The next challenge was figuring out a work/life balance that was functional enough to allow me to work, spend time with family, and still progress promptly through my program. I figured out that I do my best work in the evenings and would often work on schoolwork after my family went to bed in the evening and if I had downtime at work and was surprisingly able to get quite a bit done. Another challenge I had while working through this program was motivation. When I started this program, I had a mental goal of completing my BSN in one term. As the end of my first term was coming to a close, I was three classes away from being done, and my motivation faded. With the help of my program mentor and some pep talks, I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and need a reminder of how far I have come in one term. While these struggles have made getting through this program a bit more challenging, I know that this goal is important to me, and I will persevere through the struggles. A2D) WGU BSN Program Outcomes 1. Communicate effectively in oral, written, interpersonal, and electronic modes. Working through C820 – Professional Communication and Leadership: Task 3 allowed me to show how I have learned how to communicate effectively. In this task, I evaluated my energy report to determine my work environment versus environments requiring more energy and focus on completing a task. This task allowed me to identify areas where I was deficient to improve