Creating a Nursing Professional Development Plan Paper Example

Introduction

There is a significant difference between being a good nurse and a great nurse: a great nurse will evaluate the practices of patient care. According to the American Nurses Association, the nursing practice is defined as a standard of professional performance that illustrates how a professional nurse should adhere to the standards of practice, complete the process of nursing and address other concerns and issues of nursing (ANA, 2010). Nurses worked in a technical and fast-paced environment where they have to make decisions about the care of patients and communicate effectively with other healthcare professionals. This development plan will include an area of focus, professional goals, influences, analysis, leadership roles, development plan and a reflection. The contemporary healthcare system places more emphasis on managed care, cost efficiency, prevention, and clinicians with leadership skills. Additionally, clinicians should have the ability to implement effective evidence-based solutions and solutions with nonclinical roles with the knowledge that can only be achieved from knowledge about the delivery of healthcare including MSN. Essentially, this essay will outline my professional development plan for a Master's of Science in Nursing (MSN) prepared nurse.

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Area of Focus

My specific area of focus is a public educator for chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and COPD. I believe that education, research and service provide the basic foundation for the professional practice of nursing. I am currently a nurse liaison which involves a lot of patient education n management of diseases. Nurses have a pivotal role in improving care for chronic diseases. By nature of their role as educators, nurses can transform life-long care. The main aspect of chronic care is centered on an informed, prepared, and activated patient and practice team this is proactive. Consequently, this is necessary to enable the community to become adequately activate and more informed (Bodenheimer, MacGregor & Stothart, 2005). A public educator for chronic conditions has the responsibility to address various issues such as treatments, lifestyle changes and interventions that can improve life and quality of living for patients suffering from various chronic diseases in the community.

In some communities where genetic, social or environmental factors lead to a prevalence of chronic diseases, a public health educator is expected to address general interventions. Every community has unique challenges: therefore, a public health educator will conduct lectures and workshops designed for that specific community. The job description of a public educator for chronic diseases will require me to conduct interactive models, lectures and outreach workshops (Bodenheimer, MacGregor & Stothart, 2005). I will be expected to work through and with hospitals, public schools, community clinics, and library series lectures. As part of the education, I may create workbooks and interactive kits for the public to obtain information. I may also spend some time in the office creating lesson plans, learning the material and providing answers for the public regarding chronic diseases. Additionally, a public nurse educator is expected to track the outcomes of the efforts and public learning process and draft reports based on this data (WHO, 2016).

Public nurse educators for chronic conditions should possess various competencies that allow them to perform their duties effectively. The public nurse educator should be skilled in public speaking as they will need to conduct themselves appropriately in front of groups of people as well and be engaging and clear. The nurse educator should also have interpersonal skills in order to build connection and trust with the community. Consequently, this will also require the use of various methods of interaction for different people in the community. Other core competencies include critical thinking which allows the nurse educator to evaluate the needs of the community and formulate ways to address issues that are pertinent. Professionalism is also required for a nurse educator; the style of teaching should be ethical and professional and show respect for culture and diversity (National League of Nursing, 2005). In addition, the public nurse educator should have an understanding of the contemporary educational models, principles, and theories that form the value and curricula of educations.

A public nurse educator should have an understanding of the theoretical and conceptual principles and foundations related to the public education in the health profession. Public nurse educators should have the current skills and knowledge in theory and practice based on the most effective evidence available. A public nurse educator should also reflect have skills to develop a critical inquiry, conduct research, and use findings and solve and identify practice-based and educational problems. A public nurse educator should demonstrate effective skills in partnership, collaboration, and communication. A nurse educator should practice effective communications skills and used them to foster team collaboration and partnership among public health educations and the clinical practice. Other competencies such as evaluations and monitoring are necessary for a public nurse educator. Nurse educators should also demonstrate skills in system management and leadership to develop maintain and create effective nursing programs for public education (WHO, 2016). A competent public health educator for chronic conditions is essential in promoting health among patients with long-term diseases.

Professional goals

A career is a lifetime investment that facilitates service and self-actualization. A nurse educator should continuously identify weaknesses and strengths, set goals and use resources available to achieve these goals in order to advance through the stage of career development (Billings & Kowalski, 2008). I believe that nursing is an overall rewarding occupation where one can achieve great things. As a public educator for chronic diseases, my primary professional goal is to incorporate various lessons I have learned from my previous roles including the practical application of theory, clinical assessment, monitoring and evaluation in advanced practices in nursing. I aim to motivate patients living with chronic diseases and various communities to embrace healthy living in order to manage life-long conditions and have a better quality of life. I will use a holistic approach to integrate the fundamental values outlined in the National League for Nurses (2005) scope of practice for nurse educators. These values include advocacy, quality, inquiry, trust, accountability, autonomy and knowledge. Through the application and learning, communities will expand their knowledge on the chronic diseases and have a better quality of life.

My second professional goal is to achieve excellence as a nurse educator. According to the Department of Health (2011), excellence is used to represent quality. The hallmarks of excellence outlined in the National League of Nursing (2011) will guide me in achieving this goal. Achievement of excellence in my profession is dependent on various key features such as quality, support, user, knowledge, skills, collaboration, involvement, empowerment, and networking. I acknowledge the fact that the prospect of nursing care will be affected by various cost-effective conditions, deviations in policies and politics, climatic disaster and changes in social factors. Excellence in nursing is achieved by making individuals exploit their prospective and facilitating collaboration between various groups to form partnerships by operating together and embracing a collective functioning association (McSherry et al., 2012). I aim to achieve excellence in research, education and service, which form the basis of the nursing profession.

My third professional goal is to achieve life-long learning through the scholarship of application which is concerned with systematic approaches that describe, categorize and resolve clinical complications. Through scholarship of application, I will be able to solve any clinical problems that are concerned with chronic diseases in the community setting. The scholarship of application truly supports partnerships between the community and academics that is more than just research of conduct in the community. Knowledge generated from a scholarship of application is given to the public where it is open to evaluation from the wider public and peers. In addition, knowledge derived through the scholarship of application is effective in creating stronger bonds and bridging the gap between practice and theory (Limoges, Acorn & Osborne, 2014). By embracing the scholarship of application I will be able to use knowledge acquired for the full benefit of the patient and engage in effective research

Influences

Various factors are likely to influence my nursing educator role. The healthcare system has experienced various changes due to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Consequently, it has become daunting to monitor the current trends and changes and it required all faculty members to adopt a comprehensive approach. The ACA affects insurance coverage and impacts various economic factors such as the cost of re-reimbursement to colleges and universities, interests on students' loans and cost of healthcare.

Analysis

My development plan will be based on Boyle's scholarship model. Scholarship in nursing is defined as activities that develop research, practice, and teaching of the nursing profession through rigorous inquiry which is documented, relevant to the profession, can be elaborated or replicated, peer-reviewed and is creative. scholarships allow generation of information in the nursing profession. Boyer's model of scholarship described the production of knowledge through integrations, research, applications, and teaching. The nurses' commitment to effective patient care and scholarly practice are facilitated by the use of research and theory to advance the nursing practice. As these inventions are evaluated and implemented, innovative information and understanding are developed. Through the achievement of scholarship, nurses are able to demonstrate the significance of their contribution to providing healthcare through peer review, documentation, and dissemination. Boyle's model of scholarship has three domains; these include scholarship of discovery, Scholarship of teaching, scholarship of integration, and scholarship of discovery. Essentially, the scholarship of discovery involves validation of existing knowledge or generation of new knowledge. "The scholarship of integration refers to making connections between disciplines, interpreting existing knowledge and generating new understandings. The scholarship of teaching involves the use of creativity in developing teaching materials that are innovative and development of knowledge on curricular issues. The scholarship of application is concerned with the application of knowledge in services and communities with the outcome of benefit to the whole community" (Limoges, Acorn & Osborne, 2014).

Scholarship in nursing consists of three activities; which include conceptual processes such as thinking and rationality, clinical processes that are achieved through practice and empirical processes that are achieved through sensory perception (Wilkes, Mannix & Jackson, 2013). Through my role as a public educator, I will engage in these activities and achieve a nursing scholarship.