Transition From Nursing Student To Professional Nurse

Becoming A Professional
Jordan A Oxford
Chamberlain College of Nursing
Professor Borror
NR: 452 Capstone
January 2018

Becoming A Professional
Nursing school teaches you the foundational knowledge needed to practice as a nurse, but the transition from nursing student to professional nurse is where you learn ‘how’ to be a nurse. Making this transition is time consuming and full of emotional ups and downs as applications are filled out, interviews are completed, state licensures are applied for, and boards are taken. Although the process is often similar for each nursing student, the specific steps taken, and the emotions experienced are particular to each person. The biggest thing to remind ourselves of through everything is the reason we started,

Louis. That is 24 hospitals with several floors each, that offer jobs for new graduates.” (Oxford 2017, p 2) SSM Health was the first place I applied to. They have seven entities in St. Louis with one application that works for all entities. The application is for the Graduate Nurse Residency program. The residency program is offered three times a year and gives the option of choosing my top three hospitals I would like to work at. My top three choices are Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, DePaul Hospital, and St. Mary’s Hospital. The process for my application is different than other applicants because I am an internal employee with SSM. The requirements for the residency program are to be a graduate from an accredited nursing school, eligibility to sit for boards within 90 days of graduation, current American Heart Association BLS certification, and professional references. The second hospital I submitted an application to is Mercy. Mercy offers a Graduate Nurse Fellowship specific to each unit, however, not all units are hiring for fellowship positions at the same time. Currently the Transitional Care Unit (TCU) is offering a fellowship, which I applied for. The requirements for this application are a resume, a Bachelor's degree from an accredited nursing program, Missouri RN License, and a current American Heart

At five years into my career I would like to maintain both certifications above, as well as hold a position among the rapid response and skin teams for Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. (Oxford, 2017, p 4). After five years I would like to see myself enrolled in a program to further my nursing degree.
Educational Development Plan My ultimate goal has always been to become a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP). In the first year of my nursing career, I plan to gain as much experience as a pediatric nurse while starting to look at different program options for becoming a PNP. In looking at different program options I would ideally get applications in for at least three to four programs to keep all options open. After five years of working as a nurse, I would like to be admitted to a PNP program with a scheduled start date. (Oxford, 2017, p 4)

Professional Contributions:
Contribution to the professional nursing community at the first year Contribution to the professional nursing community at five years Contribution to the student’s general community in the healthcare professional role at the first year Contribution to the student’s general community in the healthcare professional role at five