Networking Opportunities Essay Discussion Paper

This week, you begin to lay the foundation for your academic and professional success. Your efforts begin with a vision, which includes your own definition of success. Your vision may vary from those of your colleagues, but this does not mean you have to take these first steps alone.

Walden University and the College of Nursing also have a vision and mission, which include helping you to make your own vision a reality. Members of your new academic community, such as faculty, support teams, and fellow students, can also be helpful. Current practitioners and other members of the professional community can also help you to clarify your vision.

This week’s Discussion asks you to consider how the Walden mission and vision as well as the College of Nursing’s mission and vision apply to your professional and academic goals. You will also begin to identify individuals and teams who can help you along the way as you begin designing the “blueprint”—your Academic Success and Professional Development Plan—that will guide you toward your own vision for academic and professional success. Finally, you will explain the importance of networking and how it can help you achieve your professional and academic goals.

Note: Unless otherwise noted, initial postings to Discussions are due on or before Day 3, and response postings are due on or before Day 6. You are required to participate in the Discussion on at least three different days (a different day for main post and each response). It is important to adhere to the weekly time frame to allow others ample time to respond to your posting. In addition, you are expected to respond to questions directed toward your own initial posting in a timely manner.
To Prepare:

Review the Walden and College of Nursing mission and vision statements, Walden’s goals and University Outcomes, and the MSN Program Learning Outcomes presented in this Week’s Learning Resources.
Reflect on your professional and academic goals as they relate to your program/specialization.
Consider how the information in these resources fit with your own goals and to your becoming a scholar-practitioner.
Also consider academic and professional individuals and teams with whom you may collaborate in support of your efforts as a student at the university and as a professional within your organization and career.
Consider the importance of networking and how it may help you achieve your professional and academic goals. Networking Opportunities Essay Discussion Paper

By Day 3
Post a brief introduction of yourself to your colleagues. Include an explanation as to how Walden’s vision, mission, goals, and social change initiatives relate to your professional and academic goals and to your becoming a scholar-practitioner. Also include an explanation for how the Walden MSN Program Outcomes and perspectives relate to your professional and academic goals and to your becoming a scholar-practitioner. Finally, explain why networking is important and how it may help you achieve your professional and academic goals.

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Networking Opportunities 

Post a brief introduction of yourself to your colleagues.

I have always intended to pursue a nursing career because of my interest in helping others. I get a high level of job satisfaction in a rewarding health care field through practicing as a nurse even as I provide practical support to those in need. The need to bring compassion to a diverse community of people even as I support them is a desire that has driven me to become a nurse from an early age. The fact that my personal quality embraces the ideals of competence, commitment, communication, courage, compassion and care reflect my suitability for the nursing profession and that I would be effective as a nurse. Besides that, I understand that although a have a passion for nursing, I must receive formal nursing education at higher levels in order to take on greater professional responsibilities and have greater impact in my efforts.

Include an explanation as to how Walden’s vision, mission, goals, and social change initiatives relate to your professional and academic goals and to your becoming a scholar-practitioner.

Walden’s statements (vision, mission, goals and social change initiatives) reflect recognition that individuals can affect social change through deliberate processes, and that the university is strategically positioned to equip individuals with the tools to transform themselves into scholar-practitioners so that they can effectively bring about positive social change (Walden University, 2021a). The statements are aligned with my professional and academic goals as well as intention to become a scholar-practitioner as the education program offered at Walden would equip me with the tools (knowledge, competence and skills) to effectively and efficiently apply myself in affecting social change. Besides that, the program will allow me to become a scholar-practitioner with the ability to reflect and assess how my work and efforts impact the society (Joel, 2018).

Include an explanation for how the Walden MSN Program Outcomes and perspectives relate to your professional and academic goals and to your becoming a scholar-practitioner.

The Walden MSN Program Outcomes outlines what the program hopes that the students will be able to achieve upon graduation. The outcomes are indicative of the intention to turn each graduating student into a scholar-practitioner whose professional excellence is grounded on research and theory (Walden University, 2021b). The program outcomes are aligned with my professional and academic goals, and intention to become a scholar-practitioner as the program will enable me to understand, question and generate nursing knowledge. Through the program, I will be able to understand the more obscure nursing concepts and knowledge, question the knowledge to reflect evolution in nursing, and generate new knowledge by presenting innovative and unique understandings of nursing concepts. Besides that, Walden is an accredited institution and authorized to deliver the program such that graduating from the program will improve my qualifications to take on greater responsibilities in clinical practice and nursing research activities (Joel, 2018).

Explain why networking is important and how it may help you achieve your professional and academic goals.  

Networking serves an important function in helping individuals to form relationships with the persons who can help them achieve their goals. In building a network, an individual gets into contact with persons who offer professional and personal support, such as internship leads, industry insight and career guidance (Finkelman, 2019). Through networking, I will be building connections that help in career growth. In fact, the connections will offer support for academic work as well as identifying and pursuing career opportunities, such as a fitting job opportunity that leverages my strengths or introduction to a team researching a topic of interest (Finkelman, 2019).

References

Finkelman, A. (2019). Professional Nursing Concepts: Competencies for Quality Leadership (4^th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.

Joel, L. A. (2018). Advanced Practice Nursing: Essentials for Role Development (4^th ed.). F.A. Davis Company.

Walden University (2021a). Walden and Social Change.  https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/social-change/mission

Walden University (2021b). Master of Science in Nursing (MSN). https://catalog.waldenu.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=40&poid=6995

Networking Opportunities Essay Discussion Paper