Running head: BSN PLAN

BSN Plan Aaron Phillips NURS 320

2 BSN PLAN BSN Plan Deciding whether or not to obtain my Bachelor of Science and Nursing (BSN) was a difficult decision. I asked myself a few simple questions. Why do I want my BSN? To be honest, I could only come up with a couple reasons. The first reason was for personal satisfaction and recognition. I want to be able to tell people that I have my Bachelor of Science and Nursing. I do not want the stigma of someone looking from the outside in, thinking that I am not worth as much as an individual that has a higher degree than me. I know that my clinical knowledge is strong and I want to match that clinical knowledge with academic knowledge. The second reason is to open more doors in my job field so I may continue to pursue areas that interest me. It is common knowledge that the health care field is pushing for most nurses to obtain their BSN. Many jobs are only available to those nurses that have their Bachelor of Science and Nursing degree. Common sense tells me, a BSN is needed if I want to be considered for future advancement in my job field. It is important to point out that I am not obtaining my BSN for a financial reason. My decision is strictly for personal benefit. I believe this is an important distinction, because it allows me to keep a perspective on what is most important to me. Family is first and foremost, work is secondary, and school is third. As long as I can fulfill my duties in these first two areas, obtaining my BSN can be achieved. I believe I can finish my BSN by 2014 if I plan accordingly and continue to work hard. Strengths My strengths include dedication, perseverance, and hard work that I have honed over my adult life. These traits were first and foremost instilled in me when I served as a United State Marine. The Marine Corps stress the importance of planning and had phrases such as the five

3 BSN PLAN Ps (prior planning prevents poor performance). They also had another phrase that said, adapt and overcome. This phrase implies that all plans are subject to change and we must be able to adapt to these changes if we are going to be successful. Weaknesses I have many weaknesses. I sometimes like to procrastinate. There are always things that I would rather be doing other than working on homework. Especially if I feel it is not important or interesting. If I am studying something of interest or importance, I jump right on the task and complete it. If I do not find my assignments important or interesting, I may just decide to work on the honey do list, or work on my retirement portfolio. Another difficulty/weakness of mine is time management. I sometimes have a hard time realizing that not all things in life need to be perfect. Some things just need to be accomplished. Class outline To obtain my BSN, I have outlined the classes I need to complete. According to MyDegree in MyFSU, I only need my nursing major requirements (FSU, 2012). I took Mythology this summer at NMC and I am currently taking Socy 340, which completes the last of my general requirements. The only small hiccup is math. According to Ferris, I need math because my algebra math class was not sufficient for the BSN course requirements (FSU, 2012). If I cannot find my ACT or SAT records I will test out of math. I plan on being finished with my BSN no later than fall 2014. Listed below is a table demonstrating my class outline. Table 1 Spring 2013

Summer 2013

Fall 2013

Spring 2014

Summer/Fall 2014

4 BSN PLAN NURS 324 NURS 310 NURS 340 NURS 350 NURS 300 NURS 440 NURS 450 NURS 495

I may switch around a few classes if I decide to take two classes next summer. The one class I do not want to short change is NURS 300, so I will not take this class during the summer. Obstacles I foresee lots of obstacles. My biggest obstacle is family. I do not want my schooling to interfere with family time, so I am counting on my wife to pick up a lot of extra duties that I normally perform. I plan on doing the majority of my work while the kids are at school on my days off. I will also plan a few hours a week to do school work after the kids go to bed and a few hours on the weekends. I am sure I will be fitting odds and ends in here and there, depending on assignments. Summer classes are another big obstacle because the kids will not be in school. I will have to use daycare a few times a week to allow for homework. I do not have any family in the area, so using family to help out is not an option. Other obstacles are holidays and vacations. I will have to sacrifice a little family time in this area by doing homework while on vacation and on holidays. Obstacles that I cannot predict are illness and accidents. These types of incidents will have to be dealt with as they happen. My youngest son does have chronic kidney disease (CKD), which is a factor that I have to deal with if he gets sick. I am thankful that he has not been really sick in the last year. I am sure lots of different obstacles will arise, but I will adapt and overcome.

5 BSN PLAN Schedule The following is a generic schedule that I will use to help keep me on track. Table 2 Monday Work 630-1830

Tuesday Work 630-1830

Wednesday Thursday Homework 9:30-12:00 Work 630-1430

Friday Work 630-1830

Saturday Family time

Sunday Family time in morning

Family time

Family time

lunch

Family time

Family time

Homework 2000-2300

Homework after 1600 until complete

Homework 2200-2300

Homework 1300-1530 Class 1600-1900 Dinner Bowling 1930-2200 Homework 2230-2400

Homework 2130-2400

6 BSN PLAN References Ferris State University. (2012, October). MyDegree. Retrieved from: http://www.myfsu.ferris.edu