I chose to pursue mental health in my MSN program. Taking care of people suffering from mental illnesses, come up with solutions to the various problems they encounter and advocating for policy changes are the reasons as to why I chose the specialty. One out of every four people suffer from a mental health problem such as depression, bipolar disorder etc. (Nadkarni et al., 2015). Mental health illnesses affect the way a person thinks, feels and their moods. As a result, people suffering from mental health disorders find it difficult to associate with other people and function in a normal way (Nadkarni et al., 2015). They experience stigma and discrimination in the society.
I believe that by providing them with the appropriate care, mentally ill patients can recover and lead normal lives. However, there are no many specialists in this area and therefore most mental health patients do not have access to the care they need. I also intend to establish a psychosocial rehabilitation program that will help chronically ill mental patients and this is another reason as to why I chose the specialty. They require specialized care but since it is not accessible, they end up suffering unnecessarily. In addition, after recovery, most mental health patients find it hard to get integrated back into the society and therefore, by specializing in this area, I can help in their transition and lead normal lives (Nadkarni et al., 2015).
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Another factor that drove me into making this decision is that just like other areas in the nursing field, mental health requires evidence based practice in its implementation. In most cases, the traditional practices are applied in treating mental health conditions and very few practitioners apply evidence based practices. By gaining more knowledge in this area, I will be able to identify and develop new evidence based practices that will help mentally ill patients.
Despite the fact that I have a profound interest in the area of mental health, deciding on pursuing it was not an easy decision. I reflected on the demanding nature of dealing with mentally ill patients on a daily basis and found it much of a challenge. Most chronically ill patients are in most cases aggressive, out of control and exhibit behavior that can at times become irritating. Handling them would require more than just interest. Self-motivation is paramount in this case. I had to critically analyze the whole situation that would involve dealing with mentally ill patients on a daily basis. In addition, I reflected on my strengths and weaknesses to determine if I would be able to handle mentally ill patients. After a thorough assessment and self-evaluation, my desire to help mental health patients outweighed my concerns/worries and I decided to pursue the program by all possible means. I realized that I have an innate desire to help and seeing their well-being would give me satisfaction.
I intend to join the International Nurses Council and become an active member. I am planning on becoming a member of the International Nurses Council after completing my MSN program. I chose the organization because by being a member, I will be able to collect updated information related to nursing and interact with other nurses from around the globe. The knowledge and experience gained from interactions on this platform will be a major step in nurse leadership opportunities. The intention for leadership is to abolish the existing healthcare disparities especially in mental health services provision and advocate for changes in existing policies. Good policies ensure that patients receive quality care and guarantee safety ( Shamian & Ellen, 2016).
References
Shamian, J., & Ellen, M. E. (2016, May). The role of nurses and nurse leaders on realizing the clinical, social, and economic return on investment of nursing care. In Healthcare management forum (Vol. 29, No. 3, pp. 99-103). Sage, CA: Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications.
Nadkarni, A., Silva, M. J., & Patel, V. (2015). Developing mental health interventions. Oxford Medicine Online . doi:10.1093/med/9780199680467.003.0003
