Hcs 301 – Personal Goals

Judy Ceppaglia Personal Goals It wasn’t that long ago that I had those new graduate nurse’s hopeless feelings of fear and despair, as to whether or not I was ever going to be a competent nurse. Wondering whether I was ever going to feel like I know exactly what I am doing and why. Was I ever going to stop being nervous when starting an IV or inserting a Foley catheter? Was I ever going to handle a full assignment of four patients, in a busy Emergency Room (ER), without the help of a preceptor? As fast as those feelings overwhelmed me, they have disappeared. These days, the feelings of fear and despair aren’t as noticeable. “Goal setting plays a prominent role in social-cognitive learning models of academic achievement”. When I can accomplish my goals I feel as though the sky’s the limit. The time has finally come, for me to reach to the stars and grab one, taking my world by storm. According to Weber, “Every goal you set is a life goal, whether it’s a business goal, a relationship goal, a health goal, a spiritual goal, or a financial goal, every decision you make every goal you set has a personal consequence.

We all know our goals need to be smart goals. Specific, measurable, achievable, results-oriented, and time defined”. Sometimes personal and professional goals are very similar and may even become intertwined due to the outcomes and decisions made by the individual. A decision made in one area may have effects on another. At present my short professional goal is to become certified in the insertion of external jugular (EJ) IVs. Because of the socio-economic class of patients, I work with, and the patient’s presentation with almost no peripheral IV access from poor circulation, to uncontrolled illnesses, or IV drug abuse, this skill few are certified in. The entire process entails taking home the hospital policy and accompanying the learning packet, taking an in-class test, and acquiring six chaperoned insertions of EJ’s with a nurse who is already certified. My plan is to have this goal achieved, “Short term goals are reachable in one to three years. Short term goals are often a stop along the way to our long term goals”. My second professional goal being long-term is to go from a registered nurse (RN) level II to a level III RN. The hospital that I work for offers room for advancement through a three-level tier program. Starting with my basic RN license, moving toward level II, and then onto level III, each advancement comes through educational and specified guidelines established by the hospital and set forth in hospital policy.

Prior to going back to school, I was able to attain my level II status. However, the requirements for a level III require the achievement of a Bachelor’s degree and certification in a specialized field. This means acquiring a Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) certificate. I anticipate my graduation from the BSN program to be in May 2012 and then giving me six months to study for and mastering the CEN test. At that time I will obtain an updated copy of the policy and requirements and revisit the application process to becoming a level III RN. According to McKay (n. d. ), “Long term goals can take about three to five years to achieve” (Planning for the future, para. 3), and with “Goal clarity, increases persistence, making individuals less susceptible to the undermining effects of anxiety, disappointment, and frustration. In setting personal goals, I tend to struggle more with these. Even the simplest of things can be a large obstacle to overcome. This leads me to a short-term personal goal of just being able to keep up on the laundry although I am in school.

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So often the laundry can be one of those things that are easily overlooked. In the past, I would dedicate one day of the week, usually Sunday to do all of the laundries but that became overwhelming and consumed my entire day, usually resulting in laundry being left in the dryer and a load or two not folded and properly put away. Because of that I eventually just slowly stopped doing the laundry until we, were in desperate need of something. I began having feelings of guilt and eventually I started to try to do a load here and there, but I felt that it was a never-ending battle. For these reasons, I want to establish a better relationship with the laundry monster and do at least one load of laundry a day, which includes washing, drying, and putting it away. "Today’s preparation determines tomorrow’s achievement, Author Unknown”. “Striving for personal goals assigns meaning, structure, and direction to an individual’s life”.

Looking to the future, I believe that to be a good example for not only my children but my prospective students, I need to lose 55 pounds and establish the healthier lifestyle I once had, making this my long-term personal goal. In April 2005 I had begun eating healthier and exercising that subsequently led to a loss of about 65 pounds. After being accepted to the nursing program in August 2007, I slowly lost the energy and time it took to continue eating healthy and exercising, therefore losing those good habits that were adopted as my everyday living and eventually resulted in gaining back about 50 pounds. In an article written by Wood and Neal, they state, “Habits are learned dispositions to repeat past responses. They are triggered by features of the context that have covaried frequently with past performance, including performance locations, preceding actions in a sequence, and particular people. After reading this article I found the solidification that I needed and was reminded that I can accomplish my goals. Moving forward, I want to have regained my healthier weight and exercise routine before the completion of the BSN program. In conclusion, with the establishment of clear, concise, and attainable goals the work required to achieve those goals makes them easier to aspire toward. With continued success, motivation, and upward movement toward a person’s goals, the less likely they are to become unmotivated, disappointed, and frustrated. “Well defined goals appear to help individuals discover and use ever more efficient strategies and modes of thought and perception”.

References

1. Conrad, N., Doering, B.K. , & Exner, C. (2009, October).
2. Looking beyond the importance of life goals. The personal goal model of subjective well-being in neuropsychological rehabilitation. Clinical rehabilitation 2010; , (24), 431 - 443.
3. McKay, D. R. (n. d. ). Goal setting - increase your chances for success.
4. http://careerplanning. about. com Morisano, D., Hirsh, J. B., Peterson, J. B., Pihl, R. O., & Shore, B. M. (2010).
5. The setting, elaborating, and reflecting on personal goals improves academic performance.
6. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(2), 255-264. DOI: 10. 1037/a0018478 The New York Times Company. (2010).
7. About. com. Retrieved from http://quotations. about. com/cs/inspiration quotes/a/Success1.htm Weber, S. (2009, December 24).
8. Have a plan and goals. Redland Daily Facts. Retrieved from http://proquest.umi.com. Wood, W., & Neal, D. T. (2007).
9. A new look at habits and the habit-goal interface. The American Psychological Association - Psychological Review, 114(4), 843-863. doi:10. 1037/0033-295X. 114. 4. 843

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