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Meagan L. Hardy

Dr. M. C. Ybarra

CPD 110

13 April 2017

Personal Essay #2: What Do I Want?

This essay is about my wants and needs. Throughout the course of the semester we have

been learning how to plan for our future goals and gauge what we need to achieve them. In this

paper, I will use various websites as well as my workbook, Career Choices and Changes, and an

online assessment to expand on what I wish to accomplish. Life is constantly changing, and we

need to be prepared for it. With these resources, I have been given tools to help navigate some of

lifes challenges.

The direction in life that I have chosen to research, and hopefully achieve, is becoming a

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. As a Nurse Practitioner (or NP) my job will be to diagnose and treat

illnesses and injuries for children, as well as order tests and medications. Most NPs practice

general medical or in specialty areas. Nurse Practitioners work in hospitals, surgery centers,

research centers, in a private practice or in an urgent care type environment. Depending on the

state you are licensed in, NPs can work under a doctor, as a team, or have their own practice. To

become a Nurse Practitioner, you need to be a Registered Nurse (RN) with working experience

and have completed at least a Masters Degree in one of the Advanced Practice Registered

Nursing (APRN) areas or an equivalent certification, as well as pass a licensing exam from the

state you wish to practice in. According to Onetonline.com, employment opportunities are

expected to grow 31% from 2014-2024. With an increase in demand for NPs, opportunities are

available in many areas or specialties. Some other areas I am considering are Pediatric
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Hematology/ Oncology, Cardiology, or Neo-natal care. If I decide not to complete my NP, I am

still able to continue as an R.N. or choose another route from my Career Backup Plan (page 227).

I am also able to further my education and receive a Doctorate of Nursing Practice Degree

(DNP) which will align me for a more leadership role in management of Nurse Practitioner type

positions.

According to Onetonline.com, there are certain attributes suggested for compatibility

with those who are considering the healthcare field. The top five suggested skills are: Active

Learning, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, and Social

Perceptiveness. I have made a list in my workbook of skills I currently have. Some of my skills

are: Caretaking, discipline, multitasking, management, observant, problem solver, perceptive,

nurturing, listening, leadership, creating, etc. (page 27). Three of the top work values needed for

NPs are: Relationships, Achievements, and Independence. After taking the Work Values Survey

(page 34), I can see that some of the most important things to me are to help others, knowledge

and truth, personal integrity, and courage. Onetonline.com suggests the top 3 areas of interest be

Social, Investigative, and Realistic. My online assessment from TestQ.com says I am gregarious,

kind hearted, and responsible. The test also says that I will shine brightest when I am helping

others and should have a career where I can make a difference in someones life, suggesting

doctor or pilot. Three of the suggested areas of knowledge are Medicine and Dentistry,

Psychology, and Customer and Personal Service. Although I am not knowledgeable in some of

these areas yet, I am determined to further my education to gain the knowledge and experience

necessary to achieving my dreams. After consulting my workbook and online assessments, I

have noticed that many of my needs, strengths and attributes align with those suggested.
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When planning for a goal, consider all the steps in that process. One of the first decisions

to make when choosing to further your education, is choosing a school. There are more

institutions for higher learning than the closest college to your house growing up. I took time

researching schools to find which were best suited to lead me in the direction I have chosen.

Another thing to keep in mind when looking for a school is outside funding from things like

scholarships, loans, and federal financial aid. Overall, costs for college can drop dramatically by

taking advantage of these opportunities. In the chart below you will see that Arizona State

University is the least expensive option per credit hour. The cost shown does not include the

price for tuition, insurance, books, supplies, or lab fees and other expenses of any kind.

$70 $687.50/hr
0 $675/hr

$60
0
$500/hr
$50
2017 Price per Credit Hour

$40
0

$30
0

$20
0

$10
0
Arizona State

Chamberlain

University-
University
College of

College of
Nursing

Nursing

Nursing

Canyon
Grand
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Colleges/Nursing Schools

With some professions, there are associations you can participate in. Some of those

associations offer student discounts or licensing incentives and can be very helpful for your

career. For a Nurse Practitioner, I found three associations that looked beneficial. I also found

their pricing, regulations for membership, and if they offer any special licensing initiatives or

student discounts. The associations I found are American Nurses Association (ANA), American

Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), and Arizona Nurses Association (AZNA). With

ANA, you must be an RN or nursing student living in the state you wish to practice in. Their

pricing is $120 per year for students and $191 per year for professionals. The requirements for

AANP are to be a student currently enrolled in an NP program, have successfully completed an

NP program or have a current NP certification. For AZNA students pay $120 a year, while

professionals pay $174 a year. AZNA requires you to be a registered nurse or an enrolled nursing

student to be a member. Neither of the associations I found offer official certifications or

licensing through their membership, but AANP and AZNA offer a few incentives. AANP gives

discounts off your certifications as well as grant and scholarship opportunities, while AZNA

offers classes for certification test help and renewal courses.

At some point in life we may choose to move, so knowing ahead of time what steps to

take and things to plan for when relocating is important. For the purposes of this paper, I have

picked three metropolitan areas around the United States to find employers for my desired

profession. I chose the Phoenix/Mesa, Seattle, and Houston areas to explore. With each area, I

chose two or three companies to fit my desired career path as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner.

Along with finding employers who are hiring, I found their locations, contact information,

website, and target clientele. Here in Arizona I found: the private practice of Jerry Owensby,
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MD, Phoenix Childrens Hospital-Emergency Department, and MY DR NOW. MY DR NOW is

newer to the medical field. It is a cell phone app that people can directly contact a medical

professional through. In Houston, I found Texas Childrens Hospital, and RediClinic. At Texas

Childrens Hospital, I could be part of the pediatric Orthopedic Surgery program. RediClinic is a

quick visit for non-emergency related things like colds or flu shots inside of Rite-Aid. Seattle had

a completely different set of options. I found Seattle Childrens Hospital and the Fred Hutch

Cancer Research Center. At Seattle Childrens I would be providing support for patients with

Leukemia who receive Stem Cell transplants. While at Fred Hutch I would be providing in and

outpatient care for pediatric patients who receive blood and bone marrow transplants. Seeing the

variety of options available is very eye opening, and has expanded my view of direction for

medical care.

While doing job market research in the three locations stated above, there were other

things worth taking note of. The most promising job board I encountered was

Healthecareers.com. Even though all the postings werent specifically for a Pediatric Nurse

Practitioner, it had the most postings for NPs in general. The board I found catering specifically

to NPs was on AANP. Monster also had quite a few job listings, and the option to upload your

resume. When comparing locations to current availabilities, Phoenix/Mesa had 10, while

Houston had 3, and the only listing in Seattle wasnt a pediatrics position. I would have

compared salaries offered, but they werent listed. When considering cost of living, I compared

the locations to where I am locally, which is Phoenix/Mesa. According to the US Bureau of

Labor Statistics, from Mesa to Seattle, a 46.3% income increase would be needed to sustain the

lifestyle I wish to have. When going to Houston from Mesa, I could take a decrease in pay up to

5.21% and maintain my desired lifestyle. This means its more expensive to live in Seattle than
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the Phoenix/Mesa Metro area, and Houston is only slightly less expensive. Ultimately, if I were

moving to Houston, I could keep my desired lifestyle, where moving to Seattle, I could not.

By delving deeper into what it will take to achieve my goal of becoming a Pediatric

Nurse Practitioner, my perspective has expanded. Its so much easier to be standing at point A

saying, Here, point Z, thats what I want. And I want R, Q, and F along with it, than it is to put

the time, energy, money, and hard work towards that goal. When you have the right tools in your

toolbox of life, it just might be possible. End of story, be prepared. If you want something, do the

work to logically go after it. Becoming a Nurse Practitioner is going to take a lot of work. There

will be days I want to quit, and maybe I will. But no matter what I end up achieving in life, I

know that having a realistic perspective grounding me, determination pushing me on, and

passion encouraging me, Ill be successful wherever I end up.

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Accessed 2 Feb 2017.