August 5, 2014

Nathan Duffey
324 E. Broad St. STE 214
Griffin, GA 30223

Executive Summary
My name is Nathan Duffey and I have been a nurse for two and a half years. I graduated
from Frederick Community College in Frederick, Maryland. During school I worked as a
certified nursing assistant (CNA) for a non-profit mental health organization. This experience
gave me an overview of nursing basics and working with patients from all cultures. As a nurse I
have many goals and aspirations for my career. What follows is an overview of my professional
accomplishments, strengths as a nurse, and professional goals.
As stated previously I was working as a CNA for the Way Station Inc. where I worked
primarily as home health nursing assistant. In this role I was able to develop (with the help of a
registered nurse and a social worker) a home health service program for the population that Way
Station served. This was a grant project sponsored by Dartmouth University and one of the first
in the state of Maryland at the time. The goal was to reduce to frequency of missed appointments
with primary care physicians, emergency department visits for minor complaints (such as
psychiatrist adjustments and minor injuries), and increase overall health and well-being. Once I
became a registered nurse, my group was able to finalize our new team and transitioned our
program into what is now known at the Health Home model for Sheppard Pratt Health System.
In my very young career as an RN I was able to do some training out in Seattle, Washington at
the University of Washington to help with the institution of Health Home. Shortly after the
development of this department I relocated to Georgia. I began working on a medical-surgical
floor that was a step-down ICU and oncology. During my time the past year I received my
chemotherapy certificate, which provides me with the ability to administer chemotherapy drugs.
I administered chemotherapy for the past year at this hospital until a change was needed. I now
work at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) in Atlanta, GA. I am working in the
urgent care facility and could not be happier. As of right now the Way Station and CTCA have
been the highlights of my career.
No nurse is the same because some nurses have different strengths and weaknesses. My
strengths as a nurse is my patience, respect for both my patients and their families, and my
critical thinking skills. I have always been a very patient person and very calm. I was always told
that I am very mild mannered and my ability to not get to excited when patients over-react about
certain things and ability to defuse the situation has always been a strength. Growing up I always
heard the horror stories from my grandparents and parents about how rude some nurses can be to
not only the patient but also to the family. As a person I always feel that when you see a patient
you need to introduce yourself to the patient and the family present. I like to talk to both
individuals to make both feel comfortable and welcome to the hospital. Hospitals can be very
overwhelming places for people and by showing your patients respect and make them feel
welcome then they almost always feel more comfortable. Working as a case manager, step down
ICU nurse, oncology nurse, and now urgent care nurse, I would like to think that I have a good
basis of critical thinking. I have my Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification and at
my old hospital have run many code situations and feel comfortable with these intense situations.
I think that these three qualities are my strengths as a nurse.
As I continue in my nursing career I have set some lofty goals for myself. In August
2014, I will graduate with my Bachelors of Nursing degree from Frostburg State University.
Once completed I plan on working in the urgent care area for two or more years and learning
more about the process of acute medicine and nursing. As I gain my knowledge I will build my
rsum for graduate school. I would love to attend Emory University and receive my Master of
Nursing Acute Care Nurse Practitioner license. I would then like to continue to working as a
hospitalist, urgent care, and even intensive care unit at the current hospital if given the chance.
That would be my biggest professional goal as of right now. I would also in the next few years of
working earn some leadership positions amongst the hospital and be a great leader.
In summary, I have set some lofty goals for myself that I plan on executing within the
next few years. I also feel like I have developed nicely as a nurse and have made some great
strides since I graduated in 2012. Just merely two years ago and already I feel like I have learned
so much. On the flip side I also feel like I have so much more to learn and feel very
inexperienced at times when around nurses that have been doing it for years. I hope to one day
be a great nurse that people respect, admire, and trust.