NURS 6003 Week 1 Discussion Networking Opportunities
NURS 6003 Week 1 Discussion Networking Opportunities
As a Registered nurse for two years, my passion for becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner continues to grow. I have a plan to work with children and adolescents who encounter mental health illnesses. Walden’s mission is related to my academic goals of becoming a Nurse-Practitioner by being an institution with a diverse community. “Walden University provides a diverse community of career professionals with the opportunity to transform themselves as scholar-practitioners so that they can effect positive social change.” (2011). It is critical in the nursing field to have nurses and nurse practitioners adapt to different communities and people of different backgrounds. I found a great way to adapt to diversity is by educating yourself upon the different cultures. Being educated on a different cultural background also helps with providing high-quality patient care. With Walden University being a university that allows for a diverse community, it positively impacts our academic careers.
“To provide an inquiry/action model of education that fosters research, discovery, and critical thinking and that results in professional excellence.” (2011). Research, critical thinking are daily components of being in the health care field. Researching helps advance the health care field by discovering new methods and exploring the reasoning behind different aspects. Critical thinking is the backbone of nursing. We are constantly critical thinking in complex situations to ensure our patients receive the quality care they deserve.
Walden MSN program outcomes and perspectives relate to my goal of becoming a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner by evaluating the health needs of diverse populations based on my nursing knowledge to help prevent illness and manage their health. As it is the year 2021, networking is critical in almost any and every field. I have learned how critical it is and how many positions I have been offered from the gift of networking.” “Both Yale University and Cornell University cite the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) when claiming that 70% of all jobs are found through networking.” (Schmidt, 2018) Networking in the academic field of a Nurse Practitioner is a crucial component not only for the preceptorship aspect of being in the program but also for landing a position after graduate school. In addition, networking is a brilliant way to engage with people. “Tens of millions of people use the internet, and social media is where you can find potential partners, mentors, and collaborations.” (Wofford, 2018)
“Walden supports positive social change through the development of principled, knowledgeable, and ethical scholar-practitioners, who are and will become civic and professional role models by advancing the betterment of society.” (2011) In life, my dream is to positively impact adolescents and children who encounter mental health illnesses. I plan to contribute my knowledge and help children and adolescents live a quality of life without battling anxiety and depression. I believe helping children defeat mental health illnesses when they are young will improve their quality of life in the long run.
NURS 6003 Week 1 Discussion Networking Opportunities References
Schmidt, K. (n.d.). 5 reasons nurses should engage in professional networking. Retrieved October 12, 2018, from https://blog.bluepipes.com/5-reasons-nurses-should-take-professional-networking-seriously/
Walden university. (2011). https://catalog.waldenu.edu/content.php?catoid=153
Wofford, P. (2018, May 24). 10 networking tips for nurses who hate networking. https://nurse.org/articles/tips-for-nurse-networking/
I have been a nurse for five years. I started my career as a neuro med surg nurse where I quickly learned neuro was more than just dealing with the nervous system. There were some patients that dealt with psychology issues as well. The last four years of my nursing career I did travel nursing to different states, as well as locally. During this journey I learned patient care does not change, and do to the pandemic more people are dealing with psych issues. My long term professional goal is to become a Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.
I participated in the AIM program at Walden which involved me getting my BSN degree with the completion of 3 Master classes. To reach this goal I just remained active and did not take any breaks to achieve this professional goal. As stated in Walden vision statement nursing, health, and related sciences will transform the provision of nursing services along the continuum of care and across the human life span to meet the needs of individuals and local and global communities. (2021a) I believe this is true. I have taken everything I have learned in previous courses with this university and use the knowledge I gained in my everyday nursing.
Since I am a returning Walden University student, I believe the mission speak value within itself, you do not just obtain knowledge you also utilize it in your everyday advanced profession as well, this is why I continued to further my education at this facility.
Incorporation of Social Change
In addition, Walden supports positive social change through the development of principled, knowledgeable, and ethical scholar-practitioners, who are and will become civic and professional role models by advancing the betterment of society (Walden University, 2021b, para. 4) I plan on becoming a mental health nurse practitioner and working in a practice where I am able to utilize my skills that obtain from this program. I hope to educate the community and be the resource for other communities. I also would not mind doing some telehealth for healthcare facilities.
NURS 6003 Week 1 Discussion Networking Opportunities References
Walden University. (2021a). About the school. Retrieved from
Walden University. (2021b). Vision, mission, and goals. Retrieved from
NURS6003 Week 1 Discussion Networking Opportunities
NURS6003 Week 1 Discussion Networking Opportunities
NURS6003 Transition to Graduate Study
Week 1 Discussion
Networking Opportunities
In this module, you begin laying the foundation for your academic and professional success. Your efforts begin with a vision that includes your own definition of success. Your vision may vary from those of your colleagues, but this does not mean you have to take these first steps alone.
Walden University and the College of Nursing also have a vision and mission, which include helping you to make your own vision a reality. Members of your new academic community, such as faculty, support teams, and fellow students, can also be helpful. Current practitioners and other member of the professional community can also help you to clarify your vision.
This Module’s Discussion asks you to consider how the Walden mission and vision as well as the College of Nursing’s mission and vision apply to your professional and academic goals. You will also begin to identify individuals and teams who can help you along the way as you begin designing the “blueprint”—your Academic Success and Professional Development Plan—that will guide you toward your own vision for academic and professional success.
To Prepare:
Review the Walden and College of Nursing mission and vision statements, Walden’s goals and University Outcomes, and the MSN Program Learning Outcomes presented in this Module’s Learning Resources.
Reflect on your professional and academic goals as they relate to your program/specialization.
Consider how the information in these resources fit with your own goals and to your becoming a scholar-practitioner.

Also consider academic and professional individuals and teams with whom you may collaborate in support of your efforts as a student at the university and as a professional within your organization and career.
By Day 3 of Week 1
Post a brief introduction of yourself to your colleagues. Include an explanation as to how Walden’s vision, mission, goals, and social change initiatives relate to your professional and academic goals and to your becoming a scholar-practitioner. Also include an explanation for how the Walden MSN Program Outcomes and perspectives relate to your professional and academic goals and to your becoming a scholar-practitioner.
I have been a Registered Nurse for just over 12 years. I have worked in various fields such as Rehab, Home Health and Dialysis. I have recently joined a team in the Electroconvulsion Therapy department on our Behavioral Health side of the hospital. I have always wanted to give more back to the community I live in. I also have always wanted to set a great example for my children. In 2012, my husband was in a tragic vehicle accident leaving behind a 5-year-old and a 1-year-old. I knew that if I constantly lived a positive life and set regular goals for myself and obtain them in front of my children, they could see that anything you desire and dream for can come true with hard work and perseverance. I completed by Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2018. I have regularly looked into programs to find the best fit for my busy schedule of now 2 growing children with active sports. Being that I am a single mother I find it important that my children can depend on me to be present. I came across Walden University because it is in a neighboring state of mine. I reached out to a colleague of mine from nursing school who attended Walden. She highly recommended the program and stated that she felt prepared and ready with her CNP after completion of the program.
I spoke with the enrollment specialist multiple times before accepting. Every question I had she answered readily with insightful recommendations. The Mission statement at Walden University has resonated with me but the Vision statement is what really had me at the point where I knew this is the right college for me. It states ‘… the contributions of nursing, health, and related sciences will transform the provision of nursing services along the continuum of care and across the human life span to meet the needs of individual’s and local and global communities.” Nursing is changing and evolving all this time. I find it important to stay up to date on new studies, best practices and improved quality of care. Being a nurse does not stop at the facility we work for. It is a profession that encompasses you. Whether its at the grocery store, your kid’s baseball game, or driving along the road. We are nurses and we are always changing and learning to better provide for our community.
By Day 6 of Week 1
Respond to at least two of your colleagues’ posts by suggesting additional individuals and/or teams with whom you wish to collaborate or by offering additional networking strategies.
You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.
Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.
Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.
The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.
ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS
Discussion Questions (DQ)
Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.
Weekly Participation
My name is Lindsay Barrientos, I have been an RN for 6 years now. I initially graduated from an ADN in 2014 and later obtained a BSN online in 2017. To say the least, my journey in nursing has taken many turns during these six years, I have dabbled in travel nursing and many different specialties. In 2020, I came to the conclusion that in order elevate the quality of my treatment I would have to get back to school and obtain my master’s degree. I’ve reviewed many universities and Walden seems like the right fit for me. Walden’s values revolve around advocating for the advancement of global health. “Walden University envisions a distinctively different 21st-century learning community where knowledge is judged worthy to the degree that it can be applied by its graduates to the immediate solutions of critical societal challenges, thereby advancing the greater global good (Walden University, 2020).” Needless to say global health is more important now than ever, and as a healthcare provider I agree. As far as the mission is concerned, I would like to also share my point of view that positive societal change will essentially fall in place when the world becomes healthier. And according to Walden University students, alumni and faculty are committed to improving the human and social condition by creating and applying ideas to promote the development of individuals, communities, and organizations as well as society as a whole (Walden Introduction, 2020).
But how do we reach that? Well, this university has put a roadmap called outcomes. I believe these outcomes will inevitably bring communities closer to health. The outcome that resonates with me more is the ability to demonstrate a commitment to lifelong learning (Walden University, 2020). To practice this commitment every day would help mold any of the future practitioners in this class, we could never be unprepared. This is so applicable to the nursing word, I see it day in and day out. During the pandemic nurses have had to quickly adhere to new protocols and learn new treatments. I have nothing else but to continue to remain open to knowledge as I continue to dive deeper into this degree.
It also stands to reason that global health would have to take into consideration multi contextual education. Graduates who fully engage with multicultural communities gain a broader understanding of health disparities and social determinants of health. (Bryan-Moore, Williams, 2018). Along with this understanding I believe my many experiences as a traveler nurse would help me become a more well-rounded and humble practitioner.
NURS 6003 Week 1 Discussion Networking Opportunities References:
Introduction. Walden University. Catalog (2020, September). Retrieved from:https://catalog.waldenu.edu/content.php?catoid=168&navoid=58167.
Vision, Mission, and Goals. Walden University. Catalog (2020, September). Retrieved from: https://catalog.waldenu.edu/content.php?catoid=153&navoid=49950.
Bryant-Moore, K., Bachelder, A., Rainey, L., Hayman, K., Bessette, A., & Williams, C. (2018). Use of service learning to increase master’s-level nursing students’ understanding of social determinants of health and health disparities. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 29(5), 473–479. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1177/1043659617753043
Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.
APA Format and Writing Quality
Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.
Use of Direct Quotes
I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.
LopesWrite Policy
For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.
Late Policy
The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.
Communication
Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:
Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.
Nurs 6002-Discussion week 1
As a Registered nurse for two years, my passion for becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner continues to grow. I have a plan to work with children and adolescents who encounter mental health illnesses. Walden’s mission is related to my academic goals of becoming a Nurse-Practitioner by being an institution with a diverse community. “Walden University provides a diverse community of career professionals with the opportunity to transform themselves as scholar-practitioners so that they can effect positive social change.” (2011). It is critical in the nursing field to have nurses and nurse practitioners adapt to different communities and people of different backgrounds. I found a great way to adapt to diversity is by educating yourself upon the different cultures. Being educated on a different cultural background also helps with providing high-quality patient care. With Walden University being a university that allows for a diverse community, it positively impacts our academic careers.
“To provide an inquiry/action model of education that fosters research, discovery, and critical thinking and that results in professional excellence.” (2011). Research, critical thinking are daily components of being in the health care field. Researching helps advance the health care field by discovering new methods and exploring the reasoning behind different aspects. Critical thinking is the backbone of nursing. We are constantly critical thinking in complex situations to ensure our patients receive the quality care they deserve.
Walden MSN program outcomes and perspectives relate to my goal of becoming a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner by evaluating the health needs of diverse populations based on my nursing knowledge to help prevent illness and manage their health. As it is the year 2021, networking is critical in almost any and every field. I have learned how critical it is and how many positions I have been offered from the gift of networking.” “Both Yale University and Cornell University cite the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) when claiming that 70% of all jobs are found through networking.” (Schmidt, 2018) Networking in the academic field of a Nurse Practitioner is a crucial component not only for the preceptorship aspect of being in the program but also for landing a position after graduate school. In addition, networking is a brilliant way to engage with people. “Tens of millions of people use the internet, and social media is where you can find potential partners, mentors, and collaborations.” (Wofford, 2018)
“Walden supports positive social change through the development of principled, knowledgeable, and ethical scholar-practitioners, who are and will become civic and professional role models by advancing the betterment of society.” (2011) In life, my dream is to positively impact adolescents and children who encounter mental health illnesses. I plan to contribute my knowledge and help children and adolescents live a quality of life without battling anxiety and depression. I believe helping children defeat mental health illnesses when they are young will improve their quality of life in the long run.
NURS 6003 Week 1 Discussion Networking Opportunities References
Schmidt, K. (n.d.). 5 reasons nurses should engage in professional networking. Retrieved October 12, 2018, from https://blog.bluepipes.com/5-reasons-nurses-should-take-professional-networking-seriously/
Walden university. (2011). https://catalog.waldenu.edu/content.php?catoid=153
Wofford, P. (2018, May 24). 10 networking tips for nurses who hate networking. https://nurse.org/articles/tips-for-nurse-networking/
It’s great that you found your calling of being a Nurse. I’m sure your experience as CNA, medical assistant, and lab technician broadens your overall view of healthcare even more which will definitely help you in the future as you will be working with these healthcare specialties as a nurse practitioner. All of us chose Walden University as a choice of school due to the fact that our mission, vision, and goals align with the ones Walden University holds, which includes preparing the students “for the greater good” to help the communities in need (Walden University, 2020). As you’ve mentioned that you want to help the minorities in need, there is a huge number of disparities within communities when it comes to access to education, healthcare, mental health, and addiction medicine help. I truly believe we can make a difference by becoming the providers within our communities as we hold a high sense of compassion that has been taught to us since the beginning of our nursing careers. As you’ve mentioned the importance of networking, I do want to mention that working on our networking at the beginning of our journey will help us transition to our new role easier. It all starts with our program advisor and extends to and beyond our clinical practicum. Expanding our networking to organizations, LinkedIn profiles, clinical preceptors during practicum, physicians and NP colleagues would greatly help up find the area where we can fit in and fulfill our vision and goal (Writers, 2020).
NURS 6003 Week 1 Discussion Networking Opportunities References
Walden University (2020). College of Nursing. Retrieved from
Writers, S. (2020). Professional Networking in Nursing – 2019 NurseJournal.org. Retrieved from https://nursejournal.org/articles/networking/
Professional networking opportunities emphasize development of relationships and interactions among nurse practitioners and scholars. I have been a registered nurse (RN) with a BSN and my intent is to specialize as a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner. Having a family and trying to advance one’s education can be complex but I believe that my resolve to go back to school is critical in changing my career advancement and attaining requisite qualifications to improve the quality of care outcomes. My goal is to specialize in psychiatric mental health as nurse practitioner to help individuals, households, and communities as well as the health system deal with the opioid epidemic and associated mental health issues. Through this, I can bring social change to families and patients. After reflection on furthering my education in nursing, I realized that getting a master’s degree as a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) will offer the education, knowledge and skills that I require to serve the population (ANCC, n.d). Therefore, my academic and professional goals entail getting a master’s degree and probably getting a terminal degree like Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) to position myself as a psychiatric-mental nurse practitioner who can practice independently. Through the incorporation of personal and professional values like compassion, empath, integrity and hard work, I will offer patient-centered care for better outcomes.
Getting the right school is essential to meet my professional goals. The Walden University’s School of Nursing (SON) (n.d) vision and mission statement inspires me to understand that I can attain these goals. The school’s vision is having a unique learning community where knowledge is considered valuable when it allows graduates to develop solutions to critical society problems to advance the greater global good. As a master’s student, the knowledge and skills I acquire in through this university and its nursing school should be applied to effect change in communities in different areas of healthcare provision.
The MSN program outcomes and perspectives relate to my professional and academic goals as they expect one to acquire skills as an advanced nurse practitioner to implement change in their communities. The program’s perspectives include having social change and deployment of skills to generate local solutions to local challenges (Walden University, n.d b). These relate to my goals of providing quality care to families and developing interventions based on evidence-based practices. As I become a scholar-practitioner, it implies that I should show more dedication and commitment because of the challenges of the combination. As such the MSN program outcomes and perspectives will help me understand what is expected and what lies ahead for effective adjustments.
Networking is important as it allows one to interact with goals, share best practices in care, and get the motivation and inspiration to pursue professional and career development paths. Networking will help me achieve my professional and academic goals through interaction with colleagues to develop inter-professional and multidisciplinary collaborations (AANP, n.d). Through the collaborations I will enhance approaches to patient situations and offer the best optimal care interventions.
NURS 6003 Week 1 Discussion Networking Opportunities References
American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) (n.d). Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse
Practitioner (Across the Lifespan) Certification (PMHNP-BC). https://www.nursingworld.org/our-certifications/psychiatric-mental-health-nurse-practitioner/
American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) (n.d). The Importance of NP Networking
and How to Get Involved. https://www.aanp.org/news-feed/the-importance-of-np-networking-and-how-to-get-involved
Walden University (n.d.) Social Change. https://www.waldenu.edu/why-walden/social-change
Walden University (n.d.b). Walden and Social Change.
https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/social change/mission
