Professional Career Development For Future Nurse Practitioners

SWOT analysis and learning plan

Professional career development (PCD) encompasses an attentive self-assessment, career examination, scheduling and follow-through with initial employment plans (Masters 2018). Thus, career development is a lifelong process that helps to manage work, learning, transitions, and leisure, with the aim of accomplishing goals that are personally determined, and help in future evolution. This essay will elaborate on a PCD for developing my career goals that will facilitate easy transition into a registered nurse (RN).

SWOT analysis and learning plan- A SWOT analysis was conducted with the aim of helping me recognise the domains where I need to improve, besides assisting me in the identification of my strengths. The SWOT analysis is given below:

Table 1- SWOT analysis

An analysis of my strengths and weaknesses helped me formulate a learning plan that will facilitate appropriate career development, while allowing me to improve my expertise, and attain the intended goals. The learning plan formulated for future professional advancement is given below:

Table 2- Learning plan

Reflective practice- Prior to enrolling myself at the baccalaureate nursing course, I did not have a sound awareness of the fact that continuing nursing education (CNE) is imperative for meeting the state requirements of nursing licensure. My clinical placement allowed me to work in close collaboration with disabled patients at rehabilitation units. I also have the experience of working as an anaesthetic nurse and mental health professional at St. Vincent’s Hospital and Concord Mental Hospital, respectively. Although I gained hands-on exposure to different aspects of nursing such as, reviewing patient history, working with multidisciplinary team, conducting comprehensive patient assessment, and participating in wound care management, I realised that transition to the role of an RN encompasses anxiety and fear, besides excitement and happiness. Hence, I was able to identify the several issues that might be encountered during the transition period, which in turn made me develop a learning plan, to progress my professional capabilities. Some major strategies that will assist me in following the prepared PCD plan are as follows:

• Remaining responsible for my actions and deeds
• Scheduling goals based on their urgency and importance
• Maintaining log book to note down happenings, challenges, thoughts, and perception
• Rewarding self, on accomplishing the goals will act as a form of encouragement

Three strategies for supporting PCD- The major three strategies that will allow me achieve professional development are:

1. Increasing clinical knowledge by conducting extensive search of evidences, prior to administration of any therapeutic or non-therapeutic intervention to the patients (Chinn and Kramer 2014).
2. Seeking mentors from different healthcare departments to explore new avenues of health and social care. This will increase knowledge and help in gaining exposure to novel opportunities.
3. Asking for feedback from family and friends will help in identifying the areas that need improvement and provide an unbiased view of the skills or strengths (Woodhead, Northrop and Edelstein 2016).

Conclusion- To conclude, my nursing philosophy is to care for all clients, regardless of their background, and the prevailing situation. The project proved advantageous in providing an account of the strategies that need to be adopted for career advancement. Showing adherence to the goals and objectives will facilitate easy transition to professional practice.

References

Chinn, P.L. and Kramer, M.K., 2014. Knowledge Development in Nursing-E-Book: Theory and Process. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Gerlach, C., Mai, S., Schmidtmann, I., Massen, C., Reinholz, U., Laufenberg-Feldmann, R. and Weber, M., 2015. Does interdisciplinary and multiprofessional undergraduate education increase students’ self-confidence and knowledge toward palliative care? Evaluation of an undergraduate curriculum design for palliative care at a German academic hospital. Journal of palliative medicine, 18(6), pp.513-519.

Masters, K., 2018. Role development in professional nursing practice. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Saunders, J.A., Haskins, M. and Vasquez, M., 2015. Cultural competence: A journey to an elusive goal. Journal of Social Work Education, 51(1), pp.19-34.

Tetrick, L.E. and Winslow, C.J., 2015. Workplace stress management interventions and health promotion. Annu. Rev. Organ. Psychol. Organ. Behav., 2(1), pp.583-603.

Woodhead, E.L., Northrop, L. and Edelstein, B., 2016. Stress, social support, and burnout among long-term care nursing staff. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 35(1), pp.84-105.