Assignment: Incorporation of Social Change

I have been a nurse for five years and spent a great deal of time thinking about my future role in nursing. I debated the pros and cons from the available list of master’s degree specialty tracks in nursing. At first, I thought that I might do nursing leadership as I enjoy leadership, but I changed my mind after realizing that I could lead change in any master’s degree role. I am passionate about psychiatry and decided on the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner specialty track.

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Over the course of a few months, I researched different universities and was drawn to Walden University. I liked that they offered a master’s degree in my specialty track as many universities have moved to the doctorate level. Also, I noticed that Walden had all the required accreditations that I was looking for in a university. After reading the Walden School of Nursing (SON) mission and vision statement, I realized that we have commonalities. According to the Walden University SON (2012), their mission is to thoroughly prepare graduates to transform society. The mission statement speaks to me as I would like to transform individuals and the community by providing high quality, cost effective, and relevant care.

Also, the Walden University program outcomes state that graduates will “apply their learning to specific problems and challenges in their workplace and professional settings” (Walden University, 2011, para. 5). This statement aligns with my objectives. I would like to earn more than a degree; I would like to apply knowledge gained, synthesize new practices, and implement it into nursing practice.

Incorporation of Social Change

Positive social change is a process for improving the daily lives of individuals, communities, and society. According to Walden University (2011), positive social change results in an enhancement of human and social conditions. I concur with this position and I would like to do the same in my community. I have taken my nursing practice as far as I can with my current education and scope. My plan for positive social change in my future practice is to look at an individual holistically to figure out how I can address social conditions preventing effective treatment.

For example, “stable housing has been linked to recovery from addictions” (Knickman & Kovner, 2015, p. 165). This statement validates an existing hypothesis synthesized in my daily nursing practice. A lack of housing for chemically dependent individuals results in frequent inpatient readmissions. Positive social change will occur if the above-mentioned social condition can be addressed.

References

Knickman, J. R., & Kovner, A. R. (2015). Health Care Delivery in the United States (11th ed.). New York, NY: Springer Publishing.

Walden University. (2011). Student publications: Vision, mission, and goals. Retrieved from http://catalog.waldenu.edu

Walden University College of Health Sciences. (2012). About the school. Retrieved from http://www.waldenu.edu/colleges-schools/school-of-nursing/about

Assignment: Incorporation of Social Change