...Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Success Suzanne D. Bamfield Instructor Marilyn Ketchum HCS/504 University Of Phoenix Abstract Graduate School can be very intimidating for an individual who has been out of school for quite some time. In this paper I will discuss the personal challenges and tools for success. Introduction: Reasons for Pursuing Graduate Studies Success is measured by how motivated and hard one works to achieve their goals. In his journal, (David H. Lyman( 2004) he states that there are a few key tips to success. They are passion, setting goals, high self -esteem, persistence, mastering your craft and talent. These major tools are what drive an individual to be successful. These tools are also driving me to succeed. I decided to maintain a level of discipline within myself. My reasons for pursuing Graduate studies are very simply. I want a sense of accomplishment because I was out of school for many years i became stagnant...
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...Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Personal Success The decision to enter graduate school has been years in the making. Choosing to take time from my family to return to school is a difficult decision. Just as employers need employee buy in for successful performance. I too had to buy into the decision to enter the master's program. Health care is always evolving with information and advancements in various realms of the health care industry. Nurses are challenged to stay current by continually learning and advancing their skills (Houston, 2012). My purpose for pursuing a graduate degree is to grow as an individual and a professional. In three years, my employment status will likely change and acquiring a master's degree will open the job market. My professional goal is to work on the technical side of health care, perhaps writing my own ticket, while continuing working from my home office. Obtaining a master's degree will provide me with an edge in the job market. One of my biggest challenges of entering the master's program is pushing past the fear of committing to a two year program. Feeling at peace with my decision includes answering questions and addressing concerns. My concerns are performing to the best of my abilities and meeting deadlines, putting in the time for studying and writing papers, dealing with what seems like never-ending student loans again, and receiving a valuable return on investment. These concerns plus more fill my thoughts. My current...
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...Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Personal Success Langa V. Gibson HCS/504 September 1, 2014 Janet Booker Introduction My name is Langa, and I have been a Registered Nurse since 2010. It has been my lifelong dream and passion to be a nurse. Initially, I felt just being a nurse would be satisfaction enough. A career, a profession that would allow me to help others, nature others, and help heal people. After graduating with my Associate’s degree in nursing, the reality of the real world set in when I realized, no hospitals would give me an opportunity to work. Having a two year degree was not enough. After a few months of searching for work, I was finally afforded two opportunities and landed my first two nursing jobs. The following year I enrolled in an on-line BSN Program and graduated with my Bachelors in Nursing in May 2013. I was able to get a greater career opportunity and that opportunity has allowed me to do so much more for others. I feel as though my career and personal development are not complete though. Now on to my graduate degree that will allow me to do even more for others. Personal and Professional Goals I would have to say my primary reason for pursuing a graduate degree is to be able to do more in the field of nursing. It became quite clear to me, early on, that obtaining an advanced degree can take me more places than my Bachelor’s degree can. My main focus is to become...
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...Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Personal Success “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” This famed quotation by one of the most influential American essayist and poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson, inspired me toward my journey to pursue graduate study. Taking the first step toward this journey is the most difficult. I understood that challenges will be inevitable in this path and implementing strategies to face these challenges is crucial for my success. I gained significant experience in both my academic and professional career over the years. I realize that I have the determination to accomplish goals and the necessary means to envision success. I have a variety of reasons I chose to pursue graduate study, both personal, and professional. Personally, I want to teach my children the importance of education in one’s life and to inspire them to aim for academic excellence. Professionally, I am very passionate about Nursing and about improving the quality of care given to patients. My ultimate goal is to influence change in the health care field as an educator or as an administrator. I want to inspire others to be excited with Nursing and be more involved in creating best practices that affects health care. I also want to ensure that I am more marketable to advance in my career. Graduate study paves the way toward the realization of these aspirations. Three Challenges that I will face in Meeting my Goals ...
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...Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Personal Success HCS/504 August 6, 2012 John Dean Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Personal Success According to Linda Weston Kramer “Retuning to graduate school is a major decision in one’s professional life. Although there are many benefits to returning to school to earn a graduate degree, it is also very challenging” (Kramer, 2007, p. 158.). This essay discusses various challenges faced by graduate students, and strategies to overcome the challenges, from personal perspective. Personal and professional goals It is important to set personal and career goals before pursuing graduate study. Students need to discover the various courses offered, and select the one suit for them. This contributes a great deal of success because they choose what they want to, and where they want to reach. Goal setting and working toward achieving the goal is the key for success. My main long-term goal is career development. I want to complete my program within two years and find a job in Nursing/Informatics and go up in the ladder. When considering my short-term goal, I want to keep my GPA above 3.5, and acquire as much knowledge from this program by using the resources available. I want to improve my communication skills both written and verbal, and graduate study is the best platform for achieving that goal. It is important to prioritize the goals and choose the right path. Self-assessment and closely checking the measurable...
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...Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Success Conrad Cordova HCS/504 January 24, 2013 Kathy Watson Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Success I have made three monumental decisions in my life. The first was to join the military, which led to a very rewarding and exciting military career, where I refined the core values I live by today. The second life-changing decision, and greatest accomplishment, was getting married and starting a family, which I value most in my life. My decision to return to graduate school and pursue my Master’s degree and become an advanced practice nurse is the third most challenging decision of my life. As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Do one thing every day that scares you” (Moncur, 2012). Starting graduate school, I felt the same fear, nervousness, and excitement I experienced with my other major decisions. Interestingly, I feel more nervousness going into this program than when I volunteered for a tour in Iraq. After 15-years as a nurse, I feel compelled to make a greater difference. I am very passionate about nursing and feel a “calling” to make a difference in my patients’ lives. As a critical care nurse, I can help save patients’ lives and make an immediate difference in their acute medical crisis, but once they leave my unit, they disappear, and I never know their long-term outcome. I yearn to develop the knowledge, skill, and expertise not to just care for them, but their whole family as a unit, and promote...
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...Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Personal Success XXXXXXXXXXX HCS 504 January 22, 2012 Dr. William Weeks Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Personal Success The unchecked block that has plagued like a festering boil on the derriere of life for the last decade as a requirement for rank is how I have viewed graduate school. Until this point in my life I lacked the direction necessary to know what I wanted to study in graduate school, it is that simple. I dabbled and knew, by past performance, I did not want to blindly follow, like a lemming, the paths taken by most of my colleagues: Anesthesia, family practice, critical care, or psychology. Like everything in my life, I had to be unconventional and find my own path and in my own time. This is but a brief introduction, my personal and professional goals, methods of coping with life, the ability (or inability) to communicate, and why I chose this advanced time in my life to pursue a graduate course of instruction. Professionally, I am a Lieutenant in the Nurse Corps (NC) of the United States Navy and a 24- Navy man. Personally, I am the loving and devoted husband to Debby, doting father to Millie and Mike and grandfather to Zack. If truth be told, I sometimes forget myself and have difficulty separating the military man from the family man, a problem my wife quickly remedies. My goals follow a semi-rigid construction professionally, I am anything but a conventional NC officer, but I desire...
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...Answering a Calling to Graduate Study: Challenges and Strategies for Personal Success Considering the pursuit of a graduate level education is a decision that should be well thought out. Success, whether academic or professional, is something desired by everyone at some point in life. It is important to decide carefully what goals one wants to accomplish and how a graduate degree will help. Once the goals are set, and the decision is made to go back to school, additional research and careful consideration is given in deciding what type of program to attend. There are basic considerations, including program and cost, but the future student should also consider that not all programs are created equal. Graduate study programs often have different objectives and focus (Kuther, PhD, 2013). It is the responsibility of the individual to ensure that the program of choice matches his or her desired learning preferences. I knew I wanted to be a nurse from the time I started college, and it did not take long working in the field to determine that I was meant for health care management. My BSN and management ability has enabled me to work my way up to a senior management position, as the Chief Nursing Officer, at a rural hospital. I believe that by obtaining the MSN/MHA dual degree, doors will continue to open in health care administration. For this reason, I have found my way back to school and I am a proud virtual student at University of Phoenix...
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...Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Personal Success Stacy Maahs HCS/504 Jill Grundy June 6, 2014 Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Personal Success My personal plan for success as I pursue my master’s degree in the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Program is multi-leveled. Among other things, I believe stubbornness is one of my attributes; this in itself may turn out to be quite helpful to me over the next three years. “With self-regulated learning, students use several specific subprocesses to achieve self-directed learning goals in real-world contexts. Effective self-regulated learners select, structure, and create environments that optimize their learning” (Kumrow, 2001, p. 140). To me, this simply means that my success in this program is up to me. My ability to control my feelings of stress and anxiety, as well as juggle being a mother, wife and full-time employee will determine my success to an extent. I am certainly motivated to succeed. I plan to discuss my goals, challenges to meeting them, and ways to improve my communication skills in my pursuit of being a master’s degree prepared FNP. Personal and Professional Goals I have never prioritized setting personal or professional “goals” for myself, yet I would not profess to have wandered haphazardly through life either. I have an internal set of high standards that I maintain for myself and those around me. I was raised by two parents in the Midwest with an incredible work ethic; being taught...
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...Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Personal Success Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Personal Success Up until a few months ago, I thought my formal educational challenges were behind me. As I draft this first paper of my continuing studies, I look back to those nights I spent in the computer hall at the University of Maryland in the early1990’s, waiting for an open computer and writing paper upon paper. I remember the stress, tears, and heartache, but I also remember my achievements, and the sense of accomplishment I felt when I finally earned my degree. There were many challenges back then, but I achieved my personal and professional goal of becoming a Medical Technologist and working in the laboratory field and this has served me well. Now begins a new chapter of my life, with new goals, new strengths and weaknesses, and a fresh understanding of what I need to do to move forward in both my life and my career. Personal and Professional Goals My personal and professional goals are intertwined, and motivation is what drives those goals in order to help me succeed. Scientists have observed and documented “reasons why individuals choose to engage or disengage in different activities, and how individuals’ beliefs, values, and goals relate to their achievement behaviors” (Eccles & Wigfield, 2002, Conclusion, para. 1). I have experienced first-hand what it felt like not to have a goal when graduated with my Bachelor’ and entered the professional...
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...A Personal Reflection: Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Success Returning to graduate school is a major decision in one's professional life. Although there are many benefits to returning to school to earn a graduate degree, it is also very challenging. This article discusses the challenges of graduate school as well as several tips for success. Keywords: Education, Graduate school, Masters' programs [DIMENS CRIT CARE NURS. 2007;26( 4):158-159] The decision to pursue graduate studies should not be taken lightly. Decisions should be made after serious consideration of personal and professional goals. One must evaluate the variety of programs offered, whether traditional on campus versus online classroom, cost of continuing education, financial aid availability, employment while in school, time allotment to complete studies, computer program technical skills, and computer/library access, to obtain a master's degree. Graduate programs should help the student acquire 3 core competencies. Woolcock[ 1] lists these 3 skills as detective (data collection, analysis, and interpretation), translator (reframing given ideas for diverse groups), and diplomat (negotiation, conflict mediation, and deal making). Benefits of a master's degree include intellectual improvement, personal development, acquisition of enhanced verbal/writing skills, advancement in career positions, and networking with peers and colleagues. According to Leung,[ 2] graduates of master's degrees are...
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...becoming registered nurse became my focus in life. My journey began at the local community college. After completing forty credits I transferred to a bachelor degree program. Attending evening classed while working two jobs, with no family in the country was difficult. With a strong work ethic and determination, I successfully handled the challenges that I faced and became more resilient. Having worked as a registered nurse for almost four years, I have decided that I am ready to further my education. Health care is constantly evolving are with a greater need for advanced degree nurses. Throughout my time working in the hospital setting, education had become an area that interests me. All aspects of education within the hospital interest me, whether it involves patients, nursing students or new employees. Unfortunately, with constant financial cuts within health care, nurses often find themselves with very little time to spend educating their patients. I have decided to peruse my MSN in education so that I can eventually teach at a college level. Working for only six months in my first position as a registered nurse, I was faced with the challenge of being the charge nurse. Being in a leadership role seemed to come naturally. Some staff member’s refuse to take the role of charge nurse because they fear having more responsibility. Being challenged within my...
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...Challenges of Graduate Studies & Strategies for Success Challenges of Graduate Studies & Strategies for Success The modern job market makes advanced education necessary, but graduate studies are never an easy task. Distance learning, while it does add a layer of convenience, can also cause additional issues for some graduate students. A study performed by the Babson Research Group found that over seven million higher education students opted for online learning options in 2013 (Blair, 2014). However, as Reiss points out, “It’s one thing to start your online degree, but it’s another to finish it (2014)”. If distance learning graduate students are to succeed and overcome the challenges of graduate studies, they must devise an effective strategy for meeting these potential issues. Potential Issues Many of today’s online graduate students are faced with various educational and external challenges that can hinder successful completion of their studies. These issues could, and at ties do, lead to lower grades and lack of drive. Balancing multiple obligations, struggles with adapting to the online learning processes and environment, and internal battles are just a few of the issues that online graduate students are likely to face. The Juggling Act Balancing obligations can be a challenge for online graduate learning. Modern students must juggle the responsibilities to family and home, work, friends, and self in addition to school work. Quite obviously, this...
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...Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Personal Success Grace Edwards University of Phoenix Introduction to Graduate Study in Health Science/Nursing (HCS/504) Kirk Davis February 3, 2013 Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Personal Success Pursuing a graduate degree creates many opportunities and comes with many challenges, such as balancing work and attending school and adjusting to the increase workload of school (M. Schlemper, 2011). Utilizing the right coping strategies will help in overcoming these challenges. As I make this important decision to pursue the Masters of Science in nursing degree there are several questions that need to be answered. The aim of writing this paper is to give the reasons for pursuing a graduate degree including my short and long- term goals. The challenges I will face achieving these goals and the strategies I will use to overcome them. I will be analyzing my strength and weakness in regard to personal communication and strategies to improve my communication skills. Each individual have differ reasons for pursuing a graduate degree. These reasons can be personal or professional, which include a feeling of achievement and personal success and increasing their competency (Plunkett, Iwasiw & Keer, 2010). Acquiring new knowledge and skill has been imperative in my nursing career, as providing evidence base care requires me to keep abreast of the current trends in nursing...
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...Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Success Twenty one years ago I started my nursing profession, which I do not regret any minute of it. Today I found myself back to college embarking a new journey pursuing MSN degree with much excitement and many challenges. In order to be successful in graduate study, I have to come up with strategies to overcome the anticipated challenges. The three main obstacles I face that would affect my study are writing, time management, and stress. Reason Health care industry has been evolved immensely over the past 10 to 15 years. When I graduated as a nurse 18 years ago, regular diploma or bachelor’s degree was what required. Health care professionals could advance career with clinical experiences. It is so different in our field now. The minimal requirement for higher managerial position is master’s degree. It requires not only the clinical skill and experience but also the management knowledge. I have great passion in my profession. I want to enrich my skill sets and qualification so that I can better prepare myself to serve the public and to move upward in my career ladder. Short-term Goal Within the first month I will familiarize myself with available resources in OLS and maximally use what the university can provide me to flourish my learning experience. Milestone. By the end of February, I will complete two writing workshops. I will follow each course syllabus closely to stay on top of weekly reading and assignment. Long-term...
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