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Victoria Cabaleiro
LBAR 2020- EA1
Mrs. Katherine McKenzie
7 October 2023
Career Research Assignment.
As a child, whenever someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would
respond with a rainbow of possibilities: fireman, policeman, astronaut, doctor, etc. I knew I
wanted to be able to make a difference in the world, but I wasn’t sure how. It wasn’t until
starting at university that I began to understand the standards needed to achieve my dream of
becoming either an advanced practice psychiatric nurse or clinical psychologist. They are both
constantly working to break the stigma associated with mental health and treatment. However,
each career has its negatives and positives that make the other more appealing for my future.
Becoming an advanced practice psychiatric nurse entails a great amount of activities,
skills, education, etc. Gathering these characteristics comes from receiving a bachelor's, R.N.
license, master's, and finally, practitioner license. This education does not come at a cheap price
but could be made up with the starting annual $112,594.00 and making $54.13 an hour.
Although to be able to gather a job, most agencies/hospitals require an interview and physical
requirements (vision, motor function, speaking, hearing). I believe I will be able to easily
complete these and satisfy all the requirements and more: I conduct myself honestly, protect the
confidentiality of anyone I encounter, recognize my limitations, offer sincere sensitivity to
everyone, and work well with everyone. Compared to a psychologist, I believe I hold more
interest in this occupation, so it's my first choice in the future. Psychiatric nurse practitioners
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provide physical and psychosocial assessments, medication prescriptions for disorders,
emergency care, and treatment evaluations. I will be able to work first-hand with patients and be
their advocate. From personal experience, I understand the significance of it and the loss without
it. Undoubtedly, the work of psychiatric nursing can be challenging, but at the same time
rewarding. Seeing first-hand the strength of patients and their loved ones during such a hard time
is inspiring. It will give me motivation through the long hours of training because now I will be
held to a standard of breaking the stigma associated with mental illnesses.
Psychology and becoming a clinical psychologist also interest me as a career in the
future. They provide continuing support to individuals, families, and communities facing mental
health struggles. This is especially important now since suicide is the second leading cause in
young adults, which is completely unacceptable. Some are one clinical psychologist away from
preventing this travesty and getting the help they need. The first step to achieving this is to have
a bachelor’s degree, complete a 12-month internship, and receive supervised experience in the
field for two years. With their education, they will become critical thinkers, problem solvers,
active listeners, researchers, etc. Most clinical psychologists get paid $90,130 a year with around
$50 an hour. There are various specializations to choose from that require continuing education,
but I have yet to find one that interests me. Although, in general, clinical psychologists assess,
diagnosis, and treat mental and behavioral disorders. They can be found in various sectors like
hospitals, student centers, private facilities, law enforcement, etc. I find this especially important
since psychology can become a tiring position and change is good to prevent this. This is my
biggest concern with this field. Seeing patients every week and the devastation that might be
when they don’t get well might impact me emotionally and physically.
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Chapter 5 from You Majored in What? hold great significance to me and is a lesson that
applies to almost everyone. It shows the importance of having our options open and not sticking
to one career path. When I joined the university, I experienced a culture shock in both academics
and socially. It became very difficult to balance, something had never struggled in before. I
changed my major/career path multiple times and ultimately transferred schools to Auburn
University. It took me great patience and adjustment to realize that life isn’t always perfect.
Everyone will experience this at one point in their lives, and this chapter prepares those by
examining their thoughts, ideas, and plans for the future.