Continued Professional Growth In Nursing

I am pleased to state that I have been a registered nurse for forty years. At this moment, I continue working in nursing while pursuing my Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. My intended month of completion is October 2012. My experience in nursing education has motivated me to continue my education and pursue a Masters degree in a nursing related field commencing in 2013. Thus, in terms of my career planning, my education is a crucial part to my professional development. Extending and deepening one's education, especially within the career field of one's choice, can only bring upon additional professional opportunities as well as opportunities for personal growth. My career planning includes building upon my decades of experience in obstetrics, my particular area of specialty, expertise, and passion, with the assistance and addition of higher education. I believe in terms of career planning, my strengths include foresight, preparation, internal motivation, and focus.

A career trajectory is a formalized plan for a successful transition into a career path that an individual has chosen. Likewise, the goal of nursing is to improve health through the advancement of knowledge therefore, improving the safety, effectiveness, and the access for healthcare. In combining these two definitions, a career trajectory in nursing advancement is to allow for clarity of direction and expected outcomes in a career by meeting the goals to advance in the healthcare field. In order to build a successful career as an advanced practitioner an individual must consider the requirements of the position and make strategic decisions in order to facilitate progression towards this goal (Feetham & Doering, 2015).

From a very early age I have had a passion and drive to help people. I was first inspired to go in to a nursing career by my grandmother who would tell me stories about her experiences as a midwife. One that stood out to me was when she travelled through a snowstorm to deliver a baby, and it is this level of commitment, care and compassion that I aspire to have. I have also found inspiration from my mum who is an ICU nurse and has always shared her experience and advice with me. This has been something that has resonated with me throughout my life and has always served as an inspiration.

According to Chater and Litchfield's study done on new graduate nurses who work in a neonatal unit at an Australian hospital, five themes: "knowing, planning, support, fulfilment, adapting and being flexible" can be utilized to help student nurses and new graduate nurses to better manage their clinical time (Chater & Litchfield, 2007).

In furtherance of a lifelong desire to become an advanced practice nurse, I herewith articulate my professional development plan (PDP) based on Walden University’s program of study (POS), in alignment with my personal and professional goals. I welcome this opportunity to begin the development of professional portfolio of evidence documenting my course of nursing practice. I am equally hopeful that this will be a springboard for recording my career progression as an electronic portfolio (e-portfolio). The e-portfolio gives added benefits of conciseness, confidentiality, portability, and ease of access over traditional paper portfolio. Also, it gives the benefit of career mapping to organizations intent on helping to shape and advance my professional career path (Thompson, T. 2011). I intend to leverage upon these benefits to showcase my competencies, professional attainment, and lifelong learning as I articulate my value to the healthcare industry.

There is no doubt that nursing is an ever changing field. Although nursing always has been about caring for others, at the present time, this field is more sophisticated and respected than in the past. Currently, there are standards of nursing practice and professional performance developed by the American Nurses Association (ANA) for American nurses to follow. However, there is some controversy about whether nursing is a profession or not. Also, in order to learn these standards as well as other norms, values, and behaviors of nursing, nursing students and nurses follow a lifelong process called socialization which is affected by many factors. Moreover, a way to learn more about these topics is to compare real nurses’ thoughts and experiences with what literature suggests. Therefore, after interviewing an experienced nurse and report on her demographics, I have been able to contrast her perspectives on nursing being a profession, the ANA standards of practice, and the socialization process to literature as well as reflect on my own thoughts and values.

The IOM committee calls for stronger leadership on the part of nurses. They feel this is critical in order to “implement the changes necessary to increase

A committee on Robert Wood Johnson foundation collaborated with the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to develop a project on the future of nursing back in 2008. In 2010 the IOM released a report on the initiative named The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. Part II of the report describes the needed changes of the nursing profession in order to advance the whole health care system. The IOM “envisions a future where primary care and prevention are central drivers of the health care system, inter-professional collaboration and coordination are the norm, and payment for health care services rewards value, not volume of services, and

1. My first goal that I would like to see personal growth on as a nurse is with my communication skills when talking to a patient. I would like to have a caring and helpful relationship with my patient. I want to improve my verbal and nonverbal communication skills so that I appear as if I know what I am taking about, and that I ensure that my facial expressions and body posture are appropriate for the situation.

I once heard someone say, “Find something you love to do and you’ll always be successful.” If you want to be in a field where you are continually learning, nursing would be the top pick. This paper will reflect the journey I have taken from Registered Nurse (RN) to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) with the incorporation of my learning objectives from my clinical course.

Upon reflection of this assignment, I must refer to my personal journey as an RN to BSN student. Currently, there is an influx of nurses returning to school at the same time and none of us have graduated yet. During my journey as an RN to BSN I have learned that changes are not as easy to implement. In addition I have grown to appreciate that I can no longer make a statement, or ask why a change is being implemented. Furthermore I have developed a sense of appreciation to learning new policies and procedures. I have become more flexible. Prior to my RN to BSN program I had no desire to be apart of any nursing committees. Over time I have developed a sense of awareness as to time management and ways to decrease feelings of burnout.

My career objectives are to advance my nursing career through professional development of self by engaging in long life learning through continuing education in graduate school. Also, to assume leadership role in the use of evidence based research in healthy public policy and contribute to population health. Nursing is a field that keeps unfolding and requires updated knowledge to provide quality care, meet the professional requirements and challenges. Hence, long life learning would increase my professional values and competencies required to deliver quality care to diverse population. As a Public Health Nurse, by pursing Masters in Nursing, I will be able to build on my capacity to enhance and advance the field of nursing as a science.

The idea of returning to school to master new skills to compete in the workplace is an excellent goal for any working adult. However, it is important for the working adult to understand success is base upon the journey taken and the path chosen by someone. One must realize there will be many barriers and difficulties along the way; however, with dedication, ability to prioritize, and motivation to stay focus, I will succeed and graduate with my Master degree in Nursing in October 2017. For me to be successful in achieving this goal, there are different pathways that I must chose and followed. These are assessing my learning styles, finding ways to manage my time, money, and stress, and setting S.M.A.R.T goals.

Ethics is a set of values that guides many practices and decision throughout personal and career development. Ethics plays a major role in the nursing community. Nurses are to determine what choices will help their patients, and encourage decisions that will improve the outcome of treatment, along with taking care of the family members of the patient. Do to different cultural backgrounds and religion, moral dilemmas arise. One debate in particular relates to whether or not to tell the patients and their loved ones the truth about the patients’ diagnosis or tell the patients a different diagnosis that has the same symptoms because it will go over smoother. Telling the patient the truth is dictated by the nurse and the physician perception of what is most beneficial for the patient.

I am striving to achieve professionalism and growth in roles and values while going through the bachelor’s degree in nursing program. I plan on taking each class one at a time, try to do my best, and gain the knowledge needed to grow in the nursing profession. By October 2010, I should obtain my bachelor’s degree in nursing, which will provide new opportunities, such as management, and educator positions. A bachelor’s degree in nursing will provide the opportunity to further my education to a master’s degree level.