Free «Master’s Prepared Nurse Interview » Essay Sample

Introduction

A master’s prepared nurse in this interview has been recently appointed an assistant director of nursing in a mid-level health care facility. The nurse has been selected for an interview because she is a hardworking individual who believes in continuing education as a way of being the best at what she does and advancing her career. This appointment is her first administrative role and the one I wish to achieve some day. Administrative roles may remove an individual from active nursing practice, but they enable the nurse to train and direct other nurses, supervise and ensure that patients are offered adequate and accurate nursing care, and generally mentor young nurses in their chosen career path. An important function in the position of a director of nursing is conducting research and interpreting information that can make nursing practice better and more effective not only within the facility, but also in the whole field of nursing. 

Overview of the Master’s-Prepared Nurse’s Career

The interviewee started a career as a junior nursing practitioner in a small health care facility. At that time, she was merely a nursing assistant with a college degree in nursing. However, her work gave her a lot of practice, since she had to deal directly with patients as an assistant to doctors in the facility. She then advanced her education and attained certification to practice as a nurse. Eventually, the interviewee was promoted to the position of a nurse within the same health facility. A few years later, she had to leave and pursue further studies in the nursing field, first acquiring a bachelor’s degree and then a master’s degree. Primarily, her career started from a simple entry into the medical field, and her commitment to studies enabled her to join the ranks of the executive nursing personnel within a mid-level healthcare facility. Her career is an example of a situation where a combination of education and experience worked in favor of the individual’s position (Alligood & Tomey, 2006).     

Reason for Seeking Graduate Education

The interviewee stated that she had sought graduate education in order to advance her career after being fascinated with her initial experiences in the entry-level position. As a junior nurse with a college degree, she was mainly exposed to simple work within the nursing field. She pointed out that the limitations of her level of education meant that she could only work within restricted parameters while dealing with patients. At that time, the interviwee was in charge of the patient history and records, and the backroom in terms of ensuring it was organized all the time. Thus, advancing her education opened up new career opportunities, first allowing her to deal with patients in a more engaging context. For example, after attaining a BSN degree, she was in charge of administering medication and even providing home care services to some of her patients. It meant that she could be trusted to offer adequate nursing care because she had been prepared adequately. After a few years as a BSN prepared nurse, she got interested in continuing her education in order to expand her horizon in terms of knowledge and career opportunities. Thus, the main reason for seeking graduate education was to be able to know more and advance as a nurse.       

Description of the Present Position and Role

As an assistant director of nursing within a mid-level facility, the interviewee works directly under the control of a director of nursing services. It means that the position comes with the responsibility to direct and inform of activities of the health care nursing personnel within the respective organization. Usually, the assistant director of nursing works in place of the director of nursing services, meaning that the former will be undertaking most of the fieldwork and reporting to the DNS. The first role of the ADN is to collaborate with the DNS in planning, evaluating and implementing relevant policies and procedures within the health care facility. It implies working closely with the DNS and the rest of the staff in the organization. The DNS office is generally in charge of most if not all activities within the health care facility.

Another important role in this position is the recruitment and selection of the required nursing staff within the facility. Therefore, the assistant director of nursing has to evaluate work processes within the organization and determine staffing needs in order to formulate a human resource management and training strategy tailored to the specific requirements of the health care facility (Barker, 2009). It generally implies that the interviewee plays the role of an HR specialist within the organization.

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An assistant director of nursing is also expected to provide support and help to a registered nurse within the facility as required. It may be manual indulgence or offering guidance depending on the situation at hand. RNs often get overwhelmed owing to the demands of their role within a health care facility and require support.

Usefulness of Graduate Education for the Present Role

One of the greatest roles of the ADN is offering guidance and assistance to the RN. Without her prior education and experience, both under a BSN and MSN program, the nurse would not have had the knowledge required to offer accurate guidance or assistance in the medical field. Currently, she has to spend most of her time researching topics that are relevant to health care. Without her graduate education, she may not have been able to find the right resources for the research and to offer accurate and adequate guidance to be followed when RNs are overloaded with work within the facility. Despite taking on an administrative role, the interviewee stated that she found herself practicing her nursing education in many different contexts, especially when planning activities, finding nursing staff for the organization and providing assistance to RNs.