Goals & Learning

My current career goal is to become an OB/GYN nurse practictioner where I provide trauma-informed care to women in vulnerable positions. In order to achieve this goal, I intend on applying to IU Advanced Nursing program in the Fall of 2026. I want to become an NP because I've always had a strong passion for the healthcare field since I was a young girl. My mom suffered from eye cancer when I was only 7 years old and I assisted her in her treatment/recovery. This experience, while traumatic, was very enlightening and confirmed my intention of becoming a healthcare provider. 

My goal became more specialized when I endured a traumatic situation in the OB/GYN field at the age of 13. Ever since that day, I have been determined to provide that trauma-informed care of which I was deprived to other women in need. This experience drives me towards my goal each day and makes me confident in that decision. 

I have now completed my internship where I conducted research on the birth experiences of women while they're still in the hospital. Additionally, I plan to apply for an OB/GYN patient care tech job in the summer where I can closely observe the major and minor aspects of the career/field. Through these experiences, I can gain realistic exposure to the field which will help me determine if it fits with my strengths and preferences. 

My internship experience changed my initial career goal of becoming an Obstetrician/Gynecologist to a NP. I found inspiration in this because I would still be able to care for women in vulnerable positions, endure less schooling, make a more than reasonable wage, and have time to start a family while doing what I love...making people feel better. From this shift in my career path, I feel more confident in using my self-knoweledge because I was/am able to analyze the various challenges of medical school and understand why this alternate path was a better fit for my life and career goals.

Reflecting back on my goals set in the LHSI application, they have changed somewhat significantly, as I'm choosing to pursue the NP track instead of medical school. When applying for this internship, I was fixated on becoming a doctor, but the time management skills I've developed through this internship has allowed me to recognize when too much is well...too much. While working here, I've identified how to prioritize my mental health while balancing other priorities in life, such as school, my second job, and my sorority executive position. However, my goals within the workplace have remained the same given that I've determined what kind of peers/supervisors I prefer to work with depending on their communication style. In addition to the work environment I thrive in, whether that be slow or fast paced. I found that I prefer peers/supervisors in the workplace that have a descriptive communication style meaning that when they provide instructions, it is in a step by step procedure format. I also found that I prefer a medium paced work environment. I was blessed with a colleage, Kylie, and a supervisor, Dr. Miller that provided both for me. I feel as though the three of us worked wonderfully together and I learned new things I never thought were possible.

This summer I intend on applying for a position at a local hospital, most likely Riley because I love the positivity exemplified by the employees there. I also will start planning my study abroad trip using my Honors college stipend to travel somewhere in Europe where I can learn about healthcare systems in other countries. Lastly, I plan on taking a gap year in between my senior year and starting the accelerated nursing program that way I can save for tuition and potentially a more permanent place to live. 

Learning Goal #1: I hope to learn how to manage Microsoft Teams, RedCap, and other digital tools in this internship, given I have no prior experience with these.

Relevance: This goal fits into my career journey because as I progress onto my career as an OB/GYN NP, there will be various digital tools that I need to conceptualize to foster top performance in that position.

Action Plan: 

1. I will be assisting patients in completing informed consent forms and a 5 minute questionnaire through RedCap which is a new digital tool I’ve never used before.

2. After completing the questionnaire, I will enter their responses into a secure excel sheet in Microsoft teams which also includes their eligibility for the study.

3. Lastly, I will have Cerner/Oncore access which contains private medical information for patients. In this internship, I’ll be viewing their data and managing it on these sites.

Progress: I've mastered each of these databases through significant practice and application of each. I struggled at first to learn what each of the different buttons did on each site, but eventually I mastered them. Specifically now, I'm able to manage Microsoft teams and make excel sheets for our research within it. This goal has altered some, as I am now pursuing a career as a NP instead of an OB/GYN, but these technological skills are still useful.

Learning Goal #2: I hope to be a trauma-informed person towards the women I am recruiting for the study, as they just recently gave birth and may have had a traumatic experience.

Relevance: This goal will assist me in becoming a well-rounded OB/GYN NP because I can comfort women in need while also completing required tasks in the workplace.

Action Plan: 

1. Women who just gave birth may not want to participate in the study and I will learn how to navigate these situations in a positive and empathetic fashion.

2. I will gain knowledge on traumatic birth experiences and be able to apply this in my future career as a NP.

3. I will be responsible for distributing trauma resources for patients based on their eligibility for the study and will learn the proper way to present these resources.

Progress: At first I was hesitant when speaking to these women, as I knew that they were in a vulnerable place. However, after a lot of practice with supervision and indivdual practice I have accomplished this goal. I recall one success of mine was comforting a mom who started crying during the qualitative interview just because she was overwhelmed. This goal has slightly changed, as I am now pursuing a career as a NP instead of an OB/GYN, but these trauma-informed skills are still applicable for my future career.

Learning Goal #3: I hope to hone in on my organization and time management skills, as I will be juggling various aspects of life with school, sorority, work, and the internship.

Relevance: As a NP, I will have various aspects of my life to manage all at once, such as a family, bills, and my profession. By improving my organization and time management skills, I can increase the efficiency in completing each task and handling stress.

Action Plan: 

1. I work Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at my internship and have class until 1:15 on Monday and Wednesday. In order to arrive by 2 PM, my business casual clothes and lunch must be prepared so that I can arrive on time.

2. In order to best succeed at this internship, I need to be as present as possible while talking with patients and entering data, so completing other homework tasks prior to my shift will be beneficial.

3. In order to recruit individuals for the study, I need to quickly review their chart to determine their eligibility. This will allow me to recruit more participants in one shift while also doing a thorough job.

Progress: At the start of my internship, I was extremely overwhelmed with my various priorities such as my sorority executive position, the internship, and difficult courses like Organic Chemistry II. However, as time progressed I learned how to balance my time and commitment to each priority. My key success related to this goal was making the Dean's List this past fall despite the significant amount of stress I was under. This goal has also slightly changed, as I'm pursuing a career as a NP rather than an OB/GYN, but I will still need these same time management skills to balance a career, family, etc.