Developing Educational and Professional Goals
Rebecca Capehart-Freire, RN
Macon and Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University
NURS 401: Introduction to Professional Development for Baccalaureate Nursing
Dr. Holly Tenaglia
October 14, 2025
Developing Educational and Professional Goals
I’m an excellent salesperson. I can easily persuade an indecisive person to buy a product or adopt idea and help them feel confident about their decision. I wanted to use this superpower for good. So, I honed it while working for a nonprofit fighting to save homeless children in Los Angeles from 2009-2011. In 2013, I wanted to find a job I could take with me wherever I moved with my husband, who joined the US Navy. That year, my grandmothers were battling cancer. My dream of becoming a makeup artist in Hollywood recently came crashing down. One of the nurses taking care of my grandmas suggested that I might make a great nurse. It fit all my criteria! I even love education. Back when I was a nurse aide, a nursing manager nicknamed me her “favorite sponge” because of all the extra workshops I signed up for. Nurses are always learning new skills, the career can be taken anywhere in the world, and what better way to use my superpower than to talk a patient into completing their therapy or taking their medications?
Now, I’ve been a nurse for a little over one year. I’ve had many wonderful and new experiences. It is a good time to re-examine my educational and professional goals.
Examination of Journey
I only have two healthcare professionals in my large family: my grandma’s wife, Dr. Maureen Mackey, and my mother’s youngest sister, Aunt Joanie. Grandma Maureen lost her battle with cancer in 2014, and I know that she looks down on me with love and support. For practical advice, I turn to Aunt Joanie. My aunt encouraged me to become a nurse aid before becoming a nurse. I’m glad that I followed this excellent advice. My aunt also advised me that an increasing number of nursing jobs require a bachelor’s degree for employment, which was my first prompt to earn a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN). My second prompt came when I learned that it might be easier to travel overseas with a BSN than an RN.
Specific Educational and Professional Goals
I already know that I want to become a wound care nurse soon. Looking at the broad picture of wound care, excoriating eschar to dig deep and discovering the healthy tissue underneath looks like the most exciting part. Nurses are not allowed to excoriate wounds, so I would need to become a Nurse Practitioner. From a BSN program, I hope to learn how to become a better leader and communicator. I will need these skills if I ever get to help run a Wound Care Clinic. Every time I apply for a job in the world of nursing, I feel I would have an edge over the competition if I had a BSN, to show that I value education and am better prepared to educate my patients.
I also want to become involved in art therapy research someday. I want to be the one presenting specific statistical information to show that a program works, does not work, or needs improvement. For that, I’ll need to improve my charting, communicating, and research skills.
Self-Assessment of Strengths and Weaknesses
I’m honest and I do not lie to patients. I need to work on tact. I have a good support system, but I do not always know when to ask for help. I try to be respectful of other people’s cultures. People describe me as nonjudgmental, which I’m proud of. I don’t lose my patience easily. I code-switch easily. Friends describe me as having a big, dramatic personality, which can be a strength and a weakness. One of my managers at my old Medical-Surgical unit told me that her favorite quality of mine is that I genuinely care, which cannot be taught. I get intimidated by large projects and procrastinate. I’m inaccurate at estimating how long a task may take. I’m not as good at charting as I would like to be. I used to be bad at listening and being emotionally vulnerable, but I’m actively working on it.
I’m empathetic towards patients who do not do what their doctor prescribes because they are scared. I have had good results with listening and educating patients who are afraid.
Self-Care
This is one of the most depressing and anxious periods in my life. Outside of my educational and professional life, I see corporations that do not care if their employees live or die. I see two political parties that have both had the opportunity to pass aggressive gun legislation and social programs, but have not. I see women’s rights slipping away. The latter two are especially tough because I have young daughters. I am politically and socially active, but it feels like nothing works.
I have had previous lower back injuries that keep my pain at a constant 1-3 out of 10. I should perform my physical therapy exercises more often. I have trauma left over from an abusive ex-husband. I have signed up for therapy, but I wonder if I’ll get any results before my student status or health insurance changes. I see myself making poor diet choices when I am stressed. I have recruited my partner to help me improve. I was recently let go from a Medical-Surgical unit where I worked for six months. It was a bad fit, and I had regular panic attacks, so it is probably for the best that I do not work there anymore. However, I am still depressed that I tried so hard to make that job a good fit for me, and I feel like I failed.
Conclusion
I will probably not be continuing at Old Dominion University next semester. Though a good fit for my long-term goals, it is not the right move at this moment in time. I have always wanted a nursing degree from ODU because I regard it as having the best school of nursing in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Unfortunately, I no longer work for a company that will reimburse my part-time tuition costs. I think my immediate time will be better served by obtaining a Wound Care Certification and finding employment in that niche field.
Honor Pledge
I pledge to support the Honor System of Old Dominion University. I will refrain from any form of academic dishonesty or deception, such as cheating or plagiarism. I am aware that as a member of the academic community it is my responsibility to turn in all suspected violations of the Honor Code. I will report to a hearing if summoned.