Running head: CAREER PATHWAYSASSESSMENT
Career Pathways Assessment
Huy Nguyen (Royce Dang)
Old Dominion University
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CAREER PATHWAYS ASSESSMENT
Career Pathways Assessment
I’ve decided to pursue nursing as a career after graduating with a bachelor's degree in
psychology from VCU. I firmly believe that being a nurse grant me the ultimate fulfillment and
enjoyment I seek in helping others to make a lasting impact in their lives. Currently I am a
nursing student at ODU/PVCC Concurrent Program.
VCU Medical Center was my first working exposure to healthcare as an intern during my
junior year in college. Under the Dean of VCU Pediatric Department Dr. Rubin, I worked as a
lab technician for the Department of Pediatric and test administrator for the VCU Department of
Psychology. I researched rheology, the study of mucus, I worked as a teacher assistance for
preschool, and I conducted stress study and artifact collection from brain wave scan, I am
certified to work with chemicals and handling animals in lab settings. Over the two years
working for MCV, I’ve gained valuable hands-on experience in several aspects of healthcare
administration including medical records management, client intakes, and laboratory procedures
under the direct guidance of my principal investigators. Internships were some of my best
undergraduate experiences. I learned so much and gained confidence and skills for managing a
wide range of professional situations.
My internships served me well, and I gained the confidence to advance my education.
Upon deciding on post-grad programs, I knew that I would like to be pursue a career that is in
health care but is heavily client-oriented. I knew research was not truly where I would like to be,
so I decided to seek inspiration to aid my decision by looking back within my own experiences. I
thought about people who have made a positive difference in my life and the first person came to
my mind (after my parents) was a nurse who helped me when I was eight.
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I was born in postwar Vietnam. When I was eight I had a very bad appendicitis. Both my
parents and I initially dismissed it as a stomach ache. When the symptoms became unbearable,
my horrified father rushed me to the hospital. The pain was so unearthly I lost consciousness
soon after we arrived. My mother says I almost died from the appendicitis. I woke up in the
hospital in a small room. The pain was now gone, but I was all alone, scared and confused. Soon,
a man came into the room. He tended & explained to me what happened with the surgery. He
said he was a nurse, and he was responsible for a lot of patients but he would come every hour to
check on me. He reassured me that I am safe and soon I will be reunited with my family.
He was kind, professional, caring and took the time needed to reassure an anxious boy
that everything would be okay. I remember that day like it was yesterday, and I’m reminded of it
daily, when I see my appendectomy scar. I want to leave an impression on people lives just like
how he made one on me; he was such a kind soul. And with that, my inspiration came; I decided
I wanted to be a nurse, a good nurse.
With fuel, my fire lit. I went out and spoke with nurses about their job satisfaction,
nursing school and clinical training. The more research I did the surer I am that nursing is the
career I want. They said nursing is demanding, but with proper dedication and the will, anything
is achievable. Working RNs told me to aim for perfection because patients are depending on
them, and often there is no second chance to get it right. But they all said that they are so
gratified that they are actively helping people every day they work. I found myself wanting that
chance; I want to achieve that reality.
What began with an exciting college career and a fond boyhood memory has led to a lot
of first-hand research of the job duties and satisfaction of working RNs. I gained a realistic
expectation of what it takes to become a nurse, and a good understanding of the job satisfaction
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nurses have. Nursing is the career that would fulfill everything I’ve been looking for: I’d be
helping people and making a positive difference, I’d be using my intellectual skills and
professional judgment, I’d never stop growing professionally. With that, I embarked to apply to
ODU/PVCC Concurrent Program.
I remembered clearly the day of Tuesday, 24th, May, 2014, in which the letter stated that I
was accepted into PVCC/ODU nursing program. I was overjoyed. Finally I felt the impact of
what to come, I earned the chance to turn my dream into a reality. I can become a registered
nurse! Becoming a nurse will have the second greatest impact on my life. The first was
immigrating to the United States at the age of nine.
As stated earlier, I grew up in post-war Vietnam, and here I am, adapted to a new country
as a college graduate US citizen with a letter of acceptance in my hands. I’ve come a long way
overcoming diversity and the language barrier. Being an only child and as an immigrant, I felt so
privileged and proud to be able to attend an American University Nursing Program. Graduating
nursing school will fill my parents with pride more than words can describe, for it was them who
gave up so much for me to have a chance of a better education. The impact on me upon
becoming a licensed RN would be tremendous; knowing that I’d honored my parent’s sacrifice
and achieving my dream of a career in health care.
I’ve seen first-handedly how nurses made giant impacts on the lives of patients they came
in contact with. Nurses are the patients’ first access to a provider of care. Being a nurse is
physically, mentally and emotionally demanding. Nurses can have people's lives in their hands
while caring for them. Good nurses need to be able to assess-critically-think-act, and interact.
Patients deserved good nurses.
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I feel the key to excelling in nursing’s demanding career is building a foundation
education which is then further developed with clinical experience. I’ve seen many jobs in
nursing that include a social component when interacting with patients. I’ve gained knowledge
and understanding of the human psyche and hands-on medical experience while earning my
bachelor’s degree in Applied Science Psychology and during my internships at the VCU Medical
Center. I have a heightened awareness and I feel confident to try and deal with people who find
themselves in difficult situations. Good nurses can make a huge positive impact by just relating
to the patient, sympathizing and providing emotional comfort through interaction. I feel that part
of nursing is often underappreciated and neglected, which is a shame since it is the first
accessible comfort to patients.
Nurses are the patient’s first provider of care. They have to always be in constant alert. I
can’t think of another professional field that would constantly provide chances to meaningfully
impact the lives of others on the daily basic as exciting as nursing. A Nurse would have people's
lives in his/her hands and tend for them, but a GOOD nurse needs to be able to assess-criticallythink -act, and interact. Someone's life may be in limbo based on my actions, and for that
severity, it is important for me to obtain proper education & training so that I’d be accordingly
equipped for the challenging demand that is nursing. I feel the key to excelling in such a demand
is gaining adequate education that coincides with experience.
While waiting for the Fall Semester to start, I was working as child caretaker for a single
dad with two adopted sons, eleven years old Leon and seven years old Ilo. Before hiring me, Mr.
Urbaniak informed me that he had been through 12 child caretakers in four years. Though I had
little child caretaking experience, I was confident this would be a great opportunity for me to
obtain the experience I sought since this was the most responsibility I’d ever been given. Ilo is an
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average seven year old and he’s into things most kids his age are into. He’s well mannered,
mature beyond his age and I had no difficulty caring for him. Leon is intellectually challenged
and has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Leon needed to be monitored at all
times due to his ADHD; he was always one blink away from disappearing from sight. For his
safety I became Leon’s shadow. I learned to balance following him closely while treating him no
differently than Ilo. There were times however when Leon needed extra attention. An easy
homework assignment or a playtime game could turn into a meltdown, and that’s when Leon
really needed me. I helped him learn to use tailored constructive coping strategies. I would stay
late, or often overnight till the next morning to complete the assignment. (I did not charge for
overtime. It was reward enough to seeing Leon independently complete his assignments and his
self-esteem increase after receiving positive teacher feedback.) Leon is now progressing well in
school and is usually calm when with me.
Leon, at an early age was fully aware of the discrimination he faced from his classmates.
He often told me of his hurt feelings when being laughed at by classmates. It was truly a
humbling experience being with him, seeing the world through his eyes. We communicated
openly and I learn it was helpful for Leon to discuss ADHD with him. It’s a part of him and I felt
it was important to educate him on how to best manage it. He felt so different from everyone
else. He thought being born with ADHD was a disadvantage and the feeling of being different
would continue throughout his life, and people would always look down on him, laugh at him. I
Googled “famous people with ADHD” and showed him the results. His eyes lit up when he saw
Will Smith, Abraham Lincoln, and Robin Williams (Mrs. Doubtfire, our favorite pastime movie)
had ADHD. I explained his future is not limited by what others say, a tough time during
childhood is a common experience and he’s not any different. I stressed the importance of
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always taking his medication, and that he should never feel second-class to anybody. I’ve
managed (slowly) to build trust with Leon, and he now confides in me things he never used to
disclose. I respect Leon and want the very best for him.
My time with Leon and Ilo served me well and before I knew it, the Fall Semester started
and I found myself with my first assigned patient in clinical at The Laurels in Charlottesville.
The patient is in his late forty, and he was administered to The Laurels for rehabilitation due to
his renal failure complications. While reviewing his medical record, I noticed that he was
prescribed for ADHD medications, I learned that he was recently diagnosed for ADHD and how
he wished he started treatment a long time ago because it made a huge progressive impact on his
work habits. However, due to the hypertensive medications for his renal failure, he had not been
able to take his ADHD medications. I shared with him the experience I had caring for Leon and
Ilo and that helped build rapport with my patient, he was able to relate to me and he appreciated
that establishment of connection. My time with my first patient made me realize that I would like
to make it my goal to be specialized in Psychiatric Nursing. I have the education (Bachelor in
Psychology), the experience (Psychology and Pediatric internships), and my strengths in my
skills to be relatable, to be empathetic, and compassionate… combined with my interest in
Psychosocial disorders, Psychiatric Nursing would be a perfect fit. Of course, I must finished my
RN program before that but it was a great feeling realizing early on, what I would like to be
specialized in. Thus, my other professional goal would be to successfully complete the RN-BSN
program and to pass the NCLEX exam.
I understand that nursing school is my top priority along with being a demanding
program, I must conquer one of my weaknesses and that is time management. Is it in my ability
to be able to competently complete the demands of nursing school while effectively balancing
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my work time and personal time? To be aware of one’s weakness is one thing, but to conquer the
weakness is another story. Unfortunately I am in the scenario in which I must work and go to
school at the same time to support myself. I know that this is a lot of work to juggle both so I set
education goals to discipline myself, one of the goals is to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA in nursing
school, and the other is to effectively manage my time. My plan to achieve stated goals is to
incorporate effective study skills. I should always study more than what is expected. I can study
more by doing further research on topics being discussed or being expected to know. I really feel
that my education is really what I’d make of it so by expanding my knowledge. One can always
know more! TIME MANGEMENT is the key to success. I should always stick to the plan and
track all of my assignments/projects/exams/hws and always be prepared. I can be more prepared
by doing all my works ahead of time. I should never wait till the last minute to accomplish
anything. Accidents happen, I might know when but I can prepare myself in case of mishaps
(family emergency etc…) by doing my works ahead of time. My plans to achieve my goals can
be measured satisfactory by maintaining at least a 3.0 GPA and being able to keep up with
school works and work enough to pay my bills during my time in nursing school.
Reflecting on the values I’ve learned, I realized just how capable I am and it is a great
feeling. I have a strong origin that initially led me to pursue a career in nursing, a formal
educational background that I am very fortunate to be able to receive. I was able to join the field
of health-care in college, and the experiences from my internship allowed me to test the water
that is health care and learned that health care and client oriented fields are exactly what I would
like to specialized in. I came to a clear concept of my strengths and weakness and identified
education and professional goals that led to development of a plan to achieve and evaluate those
goals.
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ODU/PVCC Concurrent Nursing Program is the perfect bridge from where I am to where
I’d like to be in two years. The program will provide the knowledge, structure and tools which,
combined with my hard work, will prepare me to be a registered nurse in Virginia. I believe a
nursing career offers the opportunities and rewards I’ve always been seeking. I’m excited that
after earning my bachelor's degree from VCU I’m now only two years away from becoming an
RN.
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Honor Code Statement
“I, Huy (Royce) Nguyen 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 violators of the honor system. I will report to Honor Council hearings if I
am summoned.” By attending Old Dominion University you have accepted the responsibility to
abide by this code. This is an institutional policy, approved by the Board of Visitors.