Nurse Educator: Visualizing My Career in the Next 5 Years - Essay Sample

Introduction

When I look at my career development in the next five years, I visualize a picture of a nurse educator who has a tangible impact in the academic realm. As a nurse educator in the next five years, I would love my communication and listening skills to be at a higher notch. This is because they are essential in my career line. I would love to serve as a role model in the nursing profession, and this will have to come with a price like taking up other positions such as being a faculty clinical instructor where I will interact with many new graduate nurses, and engage in technical and assessment of skills development. Moreover, being a role model will require me to be approachable, loving, caring, and have the ability to assess and articulate the information I want to share with the students and peers. I will have to improve in these areas so that I become a better role model without messing up my career. I will also need to work on my time management skills so that I can plan my lessons and finish up the syllabuses on time (Kalb, &Skay, 2016).

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Potential Challenges and Opportunities for the Achievement of Goals

Transitioning from a clinical practice role to a teaching role is a difficulty and, at the same time, a rewarding journey that needs one to have a new level of professionalism and commitment. In the five year journey, lack of preparedness could be the most significant challenge ill face, and as a result, I have to work on preparedness. I will be mostly engaged in ensuring that the students are well prepared for contemporary practice and that they achieve their goals. I will have to know how to set higher yet achievable goals for my students. All these will require a lot of commitment from me, and because it's my goal in the next five years to be a better educator, I'll have to cope with the challenge of preparedness and get committed to achieving better.

Formal and Informal Professional Development Activities

As a nurse educator, being updated with what is happening around the area of my professionality will be very important in the next five years as I seek growth and development. For informal professional development, I will keep myself updated by reading books, articles, and journals based on nursing education and nursing generally. I will also participate in different project improvements and also mentor colleagues and students. On the formal professional development, I will try as much as possible to invest in advancing my education by joining other part-time schools and doing short courses that offer certificates for things such as infection control nurse. Moreover, I will concentrate on activities that help me develop my skills, knowledge, and performance.

Networking Plan

Networking is also an essential part of career development for a nurse educator as it helps one to develop a professional identity and also to be in the apposition to access resources that one needs (Billings, & Kowalski, 2008). For a better start on networking, I will ask my current network for referrals from where I will progress. Then, I plan to get to know other people who have the same interests as I do, and hope that the interaction will bear fruits of mutual benefit. Also, I plan on becoming a member of various committees, appropriate professional organizations, and task forces. Moreover, I will attend different conferences, and workshops that will help meet people of my type and who have more experience, and who I am assured of mutual benefit. Additionally, I will seek volunteer opportunities in my community, where I will get to know more people.

Plans for Developing a Professional Relationship With a Mentor

To fully develop and grow professionally, having a mentor who has the experience and is successful in the field to guide and facilitate one's socialization is very important (Billings et al., 2008). In my case, I will be newly employed and seeking career development and growth. As a result, I will need a mentor from where I can also be a mentor later in life and keep growing. As a result, I will develop a professional relationship with a mentor who will sail me throw the journey. The people I will meet when attending the conferences and workshops together with my colleagues, one of them will make a good mentor for me.

References

Billings, D. M., & Kowalski, K. (2008).Developing your career as a nurse educator: The professional portfolio.The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 39(12), 532-533.

Brown, T., & Sorrell, J. (2017). Challenges of novice nurse educator's transition from practice to classroom. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 12(3), 207-211.

Kalb, K. A., &Skay, C. L. (2016). Revisiting the "Nurse educator self-evaluation": Educating for excellence in nurse educator practice. Nursing Education Perspectives, 37(6), 307-309.