My Goals and Walden University Vision and Mission, Essay Example

Walden University’s mission is to “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”. I believe that this mission parallels my own because I want to be a nurse mainly due to my increased ability to help those in need. As a scholar-practitioner, I believe that it is essential to become continuously engaged in learning and this activity should not only occur during nursing education, but throughout my entire career as a nurse as well. Additionally, I think one of the most important social aspects of nursing is to “Support diversity and multiculturalism within their profession, communities, and society”. Scholar-practitioners have the unique ability to observe and define problems in our community, including healthcare disparities on the basis of race, and are responsible for addressing these issues and developing reasonable solutions.

The vision, missions, and goals of Walden University helped put my education into context. I plan to incorporate these goals into my daily learning experiences and hope that I meet each and every one of them by the time I graduate. Ultimately, it is my responsibility to do my best academically and ensure that others are getting the best healthcare both I and the other nurses can offer. The three values of Walden University, “quality, integrity, and student-centeredness” also tie in to success in nursing. I believe that quality, integrity, and student-centeredness should not only occur in the classrooms, but also in the wards throughout my rotations and in my chosen career. Quality ensures that the patients are receiving the best healthcare possible, which includes a full understanding of their case in addition to the options available to them. Integrity means being honest and admitting to mistakes when they are made; this is important in nursing because it ensures accountability and therefore enhances work performance. Lastly, student-centeredness refers to the fact that a nursing student is still learning and because the university is placing time and resources in the student, the student needs to do his or her best to integrate these lessons into daily practice. As stated earlier, student-centeredness is applicable to the work force because one nursing school is complete, nurses are not done learning. Rather, they must continue to read research journals, talk to their peers, and attend meetings to ensure that they are aware of all new medical advances that have the ability to direct practice.

If I do my best to adhere to Walden University’s goal and vision, my own goals and visions will be achieved as well. These statements closely reflect the overall goals of nursing described by the American Nursing Association. To succeed, I understand that I will be required to facilitate positive social change, use my knowledge to positively impact the field, demonstrate commitment to lifelong learning, and apply my knowledge to problem solving in the field, among others requirements. I will take advantage of the fact that this information was presented clearly on the Walden University website and refer back to it when I am lost or need drive during my time in the program. If I do so, I know I will be a great nurse.

Resources 

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

Walden University. (2012c). Walden University: Academic integrity for undergraduates. Retrieved from http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/1022.htm