Running head: Master’s Prepared Interview 1

Master’s Prepared Nurse Interview

Karen Hutchinson

Grand Canyon University: NUR 502

September 30, 2015

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Master’s Prepared Nurse Interview

The objective of this paper is to synthesize and expand upon the information obtained

from personal communication during an interview with a Master’s Degree prepared nurse in an

effort to gain insight into the field of graduate nursing and advanced practice nursing. Key

elements of this paper which are covered within it’s context are the interviewee’s, T. T., overview

of career, personal experiences and positions, graduate education, how a graduate degree applies

to their present position, as well as this writer’s application of the information to the American

Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essential’s of Master’s Education For Advanced

Practice Nursing.

Overview of Career

Having a strong foundation in the Christian faith, the interviewee, T.T., entered the field

of nursing in the year of 1990. The interviewee’s faith in large part guided this individuals

journey to nursing, thus, T.T. made the choice to attend a faith based organization and school

named, Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. At this institution, the individual earned a

baccalaureate degree in nursing. When asking the interviewee about unique personal experiences

throughout her time at the university, she stated that due to the school’s strong faith based

tradition, women and men were both expected to be in full dress throughout the duration of the

program. The guidelines by which this requirement was met was such that women were expected

to be in all dresses and men in a suit and tie to all school functions and classes. As an

introduction to the nursing workforce, the interviewee worked as a nursing assistant while

working toward her degree in nursing. This experience was gained at the City of Hope Hospital

owned by the university at the time. It was through this experience and her education that the
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interviewee stated she gained an appreciation for nursing as a profession and art form rather than

just a career T.T. (personal communication, September 27, 2015).

Graduate Education

Although the interviewee had a great appreciation for graduate level nursing, she stated

that it was not until 23 years after earning her undergraduate bachelor’s of science in nursing

(BSN) that she returned to school to work toward her graduate degree. While it had been a long-

term goal, T.T. stated “I met and fell in love with my husband. Having and enjoying a family

was most important during that time. Also I don’t think I had a well enough understanding of

adult learning at the time” T.T. (personal communication, September 27, 2015). Upon venturing

into the world of graduated education, T.T. opted toward an online education program through

Chamberlain College of Nursing located in Chicago Illinois which is a school also affiliated with

Devry. What encouraged this transition, was the interviewee’s wanting a change in career and

status. It was up until this point, that the individual had primarily worked in an acute care setting,

however, T.T. had a strong interest in education ultimately leading to an emphasis of nursing

education during the interviewee’s graduate work. T.T. stated that she found her coursework to

be interesting and stimulating to the mind rather than overwhelming T.T. (personal

communication, September 27, 2015). The interviewee accredits this mindset to her wide range

of life and career experiences prior to this education such as leadership roles, informatics, and

working alongside nursing students in the clinical setting T.T. (personal communication,

September 27, 2015).

Present Position Usefulness of Graduate Education

Presently, T.T. works as an Assistant Professor of Nursing in Maternal-Childbearing

Nursing in addition to the continuation of her long term acute care setting career of 18 years
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working in a labor and delivery unit. Alongside these two roles, T.T. also spends some of her

time in the acute care setting working as a certified lactation educator. Upon her graduation from

her master’s degree program, T.T. immediately assumed the role of full time nursing faculty at a

nationally accredited and recognized university, however, she has chosen to continue working in

the clinical setting on a part time per diem basis in effort to maintain current practice and

application of evidence based interventions which she also attributes to the ability to make her

teaching relevant T.T. (personal communication, September 27, 2015). Having the opportunity to

assume the faculty position right out of graduate work did not prove overwhelming due to a

strong background in the nursing education arena working as a clinical instructor and guest

lecturer, however, it was through obtaining her graduate degree that her career expansion were

able to take place T.T. (personal communication, September 27, 2015).

Pearls of Wisdom and Conclusion

The greatest insight gained from this interview was in regard to experience level and how

that either effects or can be guided by the furthering of education and the application of best

practice into the field of nursing. When implemented, this attempt to gain further knowledge

base aligns with the AACN’s Essentials of Master’s Prepared Nursing whereby scholarship is

translated into practice and nurses are encouraged to incorporate research into practice through

the questioning of evidenced based principles and ethical values (AACN, n.d.). Having this

experience and mindset was a highlight of the interview, whereby the interviewee emphasized

the importance that adult learning differs as it incorporates both personal and professional

practices and experiences, thus, enhancing the learning process and stimulation of discussion and

communication with both classmates and professors T.T. (personal communication, September

27, 2015). The selection of an interviewee in the field of nursing education was intentional in an
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effort to gain insight into how graduate level nursing education applies to the progression of

nursing education as a whole and how it advances nursing practice. Conclusive ideas from this

interview are such that while experience is valuable, higher education has the ability to advance a

desired career status along with the broadening of one’s perspective into the application of

advanced level nursing practice. One must be proficient in this matter to be able to prepare

nurses through education and to be able to advance the field of nursing both on a personal and

professional level.
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References

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (n.d.). The Essential’s of Master’s Education For

Advanced Practice Nursing. Retrieved from:http://www.aacn.nche.edu/education-

resources/MasEssentials96.pdf