The healthcare system requires clinicians and nurses to constantly develop their skills and knowledge to provide high-quality treatment for patients. In order to continue my professional development as a nurse, I am considering joining particular medical organizations as a volunteer or seeking internship programs. Such activities will help me gain practical experience and make acquaintances with medical practitioners. Using the knowledge and valuable skill, I will gain during my volunteering, I will develop in nursing, which will open career opportunities.
One of the spheres I am interested in is Nursing informatics, which contributes to implementing emerging technologies in the treatment process. The first organization which I consider as a preferred opportunity to volunteer is the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses (AANN) (Career center, n.d.). This organization provides volunteer opportunities with the following membership after passing the examination tests (Career center, n.d.). Moreover, the organization offers the opportunity to take practical courses, which will be helpful for me to adjust to the particular working conditions more quickly. The main benefit of this organization is that its members constantly develop different health issues and conduct research to improve treatment quality (Career center, n.d.). This organization even has a special edition of the e-journal in Neuroscience Nursing, which is constantly updated. Moreover, AANN’s mission is to develop technologies to help nurses work more efficiently and increase patient safety. Such an approach is preferable for my professional views and complies with the sphere of my interests.
In order to become a ready-to-act nurse, it is essential to be put into extreme conditions. Various internship programs include not only theoretical education but also practical volunteering for people in need. One of the organizations providing such services is called VACorps (Medical internships in South Africa, n.d.). The main program direction is South Africa, with the student’s placement in Cape Town (Medical internships in South Africa, n.d). However, even though most of the education will be held in a pretty developed city, the programs imply volunteering trips in distant regions with clinicians as nurse assistants (Medical internships in South Africa, n.d). Such plans will help me to gain practical experience and help people who cannot afford any treatment. From my point of view, this program is the perfect opportunity to develop in the nursing sphere considering both aspects theoretical and practical. Analyzing the technological part of treatment is essential, but being experienced in conditions where you cannot rely on the technologies is also vital for nurses.
Speaking about the networking opportunities, it is essential to mention that they are primarily connected with the theoretical aspect of healthcare and are mainly oriented toward increasing people’s awareness. One of the profound organizations which strive for medical excellence through the collaboration of professionals and patients is the Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network (Au et al., 2020). This organization focuses on improving the quality of rural areas treatment quality. Considering the fact that it consists of at least 57 member organizations, the gained experience from communication with a lot of practitioners will be valuable. Becoming a network member is a simple process that can even include working on the site cooperating with the other participants, identifying the topics of conferences, and planning different events. The work is mostly volunteering and does not require the official certificates of nurses for performing such tasks. This experience will help me make vital for career development acquaintances and analyze the medical center’s working process insights.
Thus, various organizations and associations offer internships and volunteering or educational programs for nurses. Joining one of them will contribute to the stable development of treatment skills and clinical experience. Some associations even offer networking opportunities for young clinicians with a lack of practice. From my point of view, combining all the mentioned above activities will help me explore the diverse nursing sphere from different perspectives and gain valuable knowledge.
References
Au, G., Bursiek, A., Chlan, L., Engelmann, A., Fritsche, A., Johnson, P., Peterson, P., Striegel, L., & Tofthagen, C. (2020). Strategies to promote nurses’ engagement in clinical research. Nurse Educator, 36(3), 111–115.
Career center (n.d). American Association of Neuroscience Nurses.
Medical internships in South Africa. (n.d). VACorps Internships.