Candace Harris, M.S.N., R.N., PCCN, said achieving and maintaining Nursing Career Advance Program (NCAP) Level VI — which requires a master’s degree — makes her a better nurse.
“Achieving and maintaining my Level VI requires me to be engaged in my work and proactive,” said Harris, who is in the cardiac rehabilitation unit at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth, where she started as a patient care technician 21 years ago. She has been a nurse for 19 years.
While she didn’t think so at the time, Harris said a long recovery from a broken femur after a car wreck when she was 16 was her inspiration for becoming a nurse, the only career path she ever pursued.
“I enjoy getting to know my patients and their stories and journey,” she said. “I also love that my education has allowed me to be the ‘nurse’ and resource for my own family.”
Harris also enjoys coaching other nurses through the NCAP process.
“I can show other nurses it really isn’t that difficult to put your portfolio together. Most, if not all, nurses are already doing the work, so why not get compensated for it!”
Since earning her master’s degree in nursing leadership, maintaining her Level VI hasn’t been difficult, Harris said. “It really doesn’t require that much more effort to fulfill the extra activities, so I say, ‘Why not just complete a Level VI.’ The compensation for a Level VI is well worth the extra activities.”
Harris is active in unit-based council and committee work. She also plans for every NCAP renewal cycle, working with a nurse scientist and Texas Health Resources University as needed.
She encourages other nurses to find an NCAP coach and partner with them to get started.
“The first time is the hardest,” Harris said. “I would encourage them to make a list of what they know will already count toward their portfolio and then map out a plan to obtain the remaining activities. Finally, don’t procrastinate. Set aside a couple of hours and complete it!”