Even though my BSN program is drawing to an end, my nursing journey is far from over. I truly believe that in order to be a competent, patient centered nurse, one must continue learning throughout their career and be open to change. Prior to this program I would have told anyone who asked that the buck stops here, meaning that I had no plans to continue my nursing education journey upon graduation,but thanks to this program my paradigm has shifted. While I do not plan on immediately entering a master's program, I do feel that I will find myself there someday. For now I want to focus on bedside nursing and focus on holistic care. One area where I think there is a great need is being able to communicate patient teaching, goals , and discharge instructions to our Spanish speaking population. My plan is to enroll in a Spanish course this fall, as my high school Spanish is a little rusty, and go from there. By being able to communicate with patients in their own language you not only gain their trust but also are able to help them understand their plan of care.

           When I do re-embark on my scholastic journey, I plan to focus on Nurse Midwifery. Prior to this I would like to accomplish these other goals in order to better support the Mother-Infant Dyad:

• Become a Doula
• Become a Labor and Delivery Nurse
• Become a Board Certified Lactation Consultant
• Volunteer monthly at a Pregnancy Center
• Work with underrepresented populations - i.e. pregnancies resulting from rape, pregnant mothers who suffer substance addiction, mother's wishing to give their babies up for adoption