Assignment Problem: Creating Your Personal Nursing Legacy
When one thinks about a legacy, he or she could interpret that in a variety of ways. It is often thought of as monetary sum that is written into a will or as an heirloom passed down through generations. A legacy can also be thought of as a set of actions and activities that makes a company, a profession, or even a country a better or more productive place. Pamela Hind et al., define a nursing legacy as "a plan to contribute knowledge, practice changes, or other aspects of healthcare to benefit those who receive nursing care (2014)." A nursing legacy, in essence, is what a nurse intends to improve within the healthcare field.
In this assessment, you will answer a series of question in an effort to identify and work toward a legacy of your own. You will consider those topics and issues that you feel most passionate about as well as those social actions you are willing to work toward. Social action, which includes the steps you take toward improving something that you feel is wrong in our society and introducing new ideas and processes, is a large part of drafting a declared legacy.
Determining Your Declared Legacy
1. Describe at least two professional nursing organizations you are affiliated with or hope to be affiliated with in the future. Include professional organizations that pertain to nursing or health, nursing and honors fraternities, and any other organized group that works toward the betterment of nursing as a whole.
2. Assess two areas of your nursing practice that you would like to improve upon. For example, you might like to increase your confidence when making decisions about patient care, or you may want to improve upon your patient education-related skills.
3. Analyze what social action or improvement of human and/or social conditions you would like to be best known for by others. Consider the topics or issues that motivate you, and think about those areas within your specialty that might need improvement. For example, perhaps you are very passionate about lowering readmissions by making sound recommendations and helping patients follow through on their continuing care.
4. Based on your answers to these questions, develop a "declared legacy" statement. Consider how you might use your identified improvement areas along with your passions in nursing to improve healthcare overall. For example, you could declare that your legacy will be to "increase knowledge and confidence among fellow nurses to make efficient and effective decisions in patient care as well as to recommend reasonable and meaningful follow-up care."