Graduate_Study_Challanges

Graduate Study Challenges and Strategies for Success Going back to school after years of working was a difficult choice. There are major challenges that will affect my studies during my aspiration to achieve a higher education. These challenges will be effective time management, family, and financial. Strategies will be explained for managing each of these challenges to achieve success while pursuing my graduate degree. Personal Goals Short-Term Goals My short-term personal goal is to learn how to write a graduate level paper in the American Psychological Association format. I hope to achieve this goal within six months of beginning my graduate education. “Although a good idea or study can promote success, poor writing can easily undermine it (Milosevic & Radomsky, 2009). To succeed I have to be clear, short, and have an appropriate style with my writing. In order to meet my goal of mastering the APA writing format, I will use the Center for Writing Excellence to check my paper. Each paper will be submitted to the Plagiarism Checker and WritePoint to improve my writing and research skills. Long-Term Goal My long-term personal goal is to graduate from the University of Phoenix with a graduate degree in nursing. I plan to achieve this goal the end of the year 2013. The steps I will use to achieve this goal will be to study daily. I will also plan ahead and complete homework prior to the due date. Lastly, I will seek assistance when needed to complete course work. Professional Goals My short-term professional goal is to become a nurse educator to student nurses within a year of completing my graduate degree in nursing. My long-term professional goal is to become a nursing supervisor. I plan to achieve this position within 15 years. The milestones I will take to achieve this goal will be to work in my current hospital facility and obtain for faculty adjunct positions at local schools or work as a clinical nurse specialist. I plan to advance my career to be a charge nurse for a few years then to apply for an assistant manager position. After working as an assistant manager, I would seek a nurse manager position. Lastly, I would obtain to a nursing supervisor position. Challenges to Meeting Goals My first challenge is to balance my home. As Doucette (2005) said, I have to evaluate my squad, get the right people onboard the bus, all going the same route. I have to set my priorities and complete tasks in a timely manner. My husband and my son are going to share with me the tasks that I complete around the home. The tasks they complete will open time on my to-do list and I can dedicate that time to my studies. Time management is my second challenge. A graduate students’ success is dependent on managing my time. “If you can’t, describe what you are doing as a process, then you don’t know what you are doing” (Clark, 2010). A good strategy for effective time management is to first establish SMART goals, Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time bound (Clark, 2010). I am organizing my work space so that I don’t waste time looking for materials and I need created a list both short and long-term goals and daily agendas to prioritize what needs to be done. Lastly to stay on task, I am keeping a journal. The final challenge to pursuing my graduate studies would be financial. Being in graduate school is very expensive. Working allows me to take care of personal expenses. I am able to finance the miscellaneous dues associated with studying by saving at least ten percent of my pay. I may take advantage of my employer's tuition reimbursement program. Another option is to make full use of my tax benefits. Surely, all these strategies would help me financially. Strategies for Improving Communication Communication is key with any relationship. In order to have a healthy relationship, one must know how to communicate. Besides balancing work and family, the potential student must also manage interaction with professors, current graduate students, and counselors (Kramer, 2007). Three strategies to improve communication with faculty and students would be to utilize the phone numbers we have for our professors. Email the instructor to ask questions about assignments. Lastly, interact with other students to develop a better understanding of lessons being taught in the class. Conclusion It can hardly be disputed that making the decision to continue education beyond undergrad is challenging. There are quite a few challenges have become customary to overcome such as family, time management, and financial. I have discussed my short-term and long-term personal and professional goals in preparation to succeeding in the journey to obtaining a graduate degree. References Clark, R.(2010). Ten time management tips for 2010. Hudson Valley Business Journal, 20(1), 3. Retrieved from MasterFILE Premier database. Doucette, J.(2005). Tips for top challenges: Create a superior work culture. Nursing Management, 36(3), 64. Kramer, L. W. Kramer. (2007). A personal reflection: Graduate study challenges and     strategies. SourceDimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 26(4), 158-159.   Retrieved     June 22, 2011, from EBSCO database. Milosevic, I., Radomsky, A.(2009). Review of "Effective writing in psychology: Papers, posters, and presentations." Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne, 50(3), 214-216. doi:10.1037/a0016627.