Professional Development and Lifelong Learning

Professional Association and Certification Experience

To deepen my understanding of professional growth, I interviewed a practicing MSN, RN and certified in Medical-Surgical Nursing through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), named Sarah Martinez. Thus, specializing in this nursing discipline rewarded as much as presented a challenge on its way. She described how the process of preparing for certification requires a large amount of time to study and prepare but was quite helpful in building further her clinical skills and ramping up her professional credibility: Professional Development and Lifelong Learning.

Certification has afforded Sarah special resources, networking opportunities, and continuing education programs to date regarding the most recent evidence-based practices. Of more importance, however, is the respect from her colleagues and an improved belief in herself to make sound clinical decisions that certification has engendered. The story of Sarah epitomizes how professional certification can become a driver of career growth and improved service delivery.

Personal and Professional Growth during the BSN Program

The process of working through the BSN program has indeed been transformative and quite character-building for both personal and professional development. Initially, I was driven into the program for the successful completion of BSN education and further pursuit of licensure as a Nurse Practitioner. This program helped me reinforce my critical thinking, develop an understanding of evidence-based practice, and extend my leadership perspective related to health care. It is this coursework that has driven me to look out of the box of direct patient care into the wide world of healthcare systems.

I have grown in the ability to systematically analyze healthcare problems and develop comprehensive solutions, as demonstrated through various projects and clinical experiences. The program has also strengthened my communication skills and the ability to work effectively in interdisciplinary teams-essential competencies for advanced practice nursing.

Professional Goals and Implementation Strategies

My one-year goal is to complete the BSN program and to begin to get ready for a Nurse Practitioner program application process. It will include research into suitable NP programs, collection of materials for application, and additional clinical experience, if required, in my area of interest. My five- to ten-year goals include completion of a Master’s degree in Nursing with a specialization as a Nurse Practitioner, acquiring certifications in the field, and establishing a practice in primary care. I also would want to contribute to nursing education and mentorship programs, giving back to the profession that allowed me to grow.

To achieve these, I have devised a plan of action. This includes keeping an excellent academic record, establishing relationships with experienced nurse practitioners who will mentor and eventually recommend me, and gaining relevant clinical experience. I would want to attend conferences in professional organizations relating to my intended area of specialty and join while I am in graduate school.

According to Yoder-Wise (2019), career progression in nursing requires both formal education and strategic professional networking. I also plan to seek leadership opportunities in my current workplace to develop management skills that will be helpful in advanced practice.

The main challenges to achieving these goals include financial considerations for advanced education, time management between work and studies, and the competitive nature of NP program admissions. Additionally, the evolving healthcare landscape may present new challenges and opportunities that require adaptability in my career planning. Mlambo et al. (2021) establish that the increasing complexity in healthcare delivery systems dictates that nurses have to develop and update knowledge and skills continually in order to remain effective practitioners. Against this backdrop of challenges, I will be seeking scholarship opportunities, developing strategies for effective time management, and being flexible with my career goals to meet the ever-evolving needs of the healthcare workforce.

Mentoring Experience and its Impact

The mentorship relationship that most accurately describes my nursing career was one between an advanced practice nurse educator and myself as she guided me through the early part of my clinical practice. The most valuable features of this mentorship were the pragmatic wisdom she imparted relative to the care of patients, guidance in developing clinical judgment and support with difficult workplace issues. She showed me how to establish professional boundaries while building therapeutic relationships with patients, which was an invaluable skill throughout my career. Her mentorship also helped me understand the importance of evidence-based practice and continuous professional development.

The mentoring experience would have been complete with more frequent, formal sessions of feedback and clear goal-setting processes. However, because of the organic nature of our relationship, there were plenty of opportunities to learn authentically. According to Busby (2021), effective mentoring relationships in nursing are often created from a balance of formal guidance and informal support. This balance offers both structured learning and spontaneous sharing of knowledge.

Professional nurses can promote the nursing workforce for the future by seeking opportunities to share their knowledge and experiences. This includes volunteering as a preceptor, participating in nursing education programs, and providing supportive environments to new nurses. Nurses can also support formal mentoring programs within organizations and show the value of lifelong learning by engaging in professional development activities. Fostering a culture of mentorship and continuous learning strengthens not only the individual nurse but the profession as a whole.

References

Busby, K. R. (2021). Exploring mentoring relationships among novice nurse faculty: A grounded theory (Doctoral dissertation, Indiana University). Indiana University ScholarWorks. https://scholarworks.indianapolis.iu.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/4c6a6d6e-3fd5-4f62-ae46-b9b649e8b8a3/content

Mlambo, M., Silén, C., & McGrath, C. (2021). Lifelong Learning and Nurses’ Continuing Professional development, a Metasynthesis of the Literature. BMC Nursing, 20(62), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-021-00579-2

Yoder-Wise, P. S. (2019). Leading and managing in nursing (7th ed.). Elsevier.

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

We’ll write everything from scratch

Getting Started

A career in professional nursing requires an ongoing investment of critical thinking, time, energy, and lifelong learning.  As you continue to develop your career, your overarching focus will be the achievement of your short term and long term goals.  Just as you carefully and methodically developed a strategic plan for your organizational project, you will shape an ongoing strategic plan for your professional career. You will identify and implement proactive strategies to keep your goals on a positive trajectory. 

Learning opportunities, formal and informal, will add to your expanding bank of experience.  Your options and opportunities within the nursing profession are almost limitless and include traditional and new ever- emerging roles.  The goals established today and the plan created to accomplish them, will be reflected over the course of your career.   

Upon successful completion of the course material, you will be able to:

• Discuss the influence of professional development and learning activities on a nursing career.   
• Analyze goals for and challenges to professional development and lifelong learning.

Resources

• Textbook: Leading and Managing in Nursing
• Website: American Nurses Credentialing Center

Background Information

Specific elements critical to a successful nursing career are highlighted in the assigned readings this week.  Among these elements are the value of self-knowledge, the acquired skill of position assessment, and career development through experience, ongoing education, and mentorship. Active engagement in professional organizations, continuing education and scholarship, professional certification, and community service enhance competence and versatility in the workplace and often serve to expand opportunities for professional nurses.

Professional Development and Lifelong Learning

Instructions

1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.
2. Read Chapter 27 in the textbook, Leading and Managing in Nursing.
3. Explore professional certifications at the American Nurses Credentialing Center website at: https://www.nursingworld.org/our-certifications/
   You can also find a listing of certifications available at Johnson & Johnson’s Discover Nursing website at: https://www.discovernursing.com/explore-specialties#no-filters
4. Identify a colleague or nursing professional who is an active member of a professional association related to health care or one who has attained a nursing certification. Navigate to the threaded discussion and respond to the following:
   1. With this person, discuss his or her active experience in the professional association or his or her experience in becoming certified.
   2. Describe benefits received in relation to being actively engaged in the association and/or possessing a professional certification.
5. In your first course, NUR-320, you developed academic goals to achieve by the end of this program and goals to achieve in your lifetime.  Reflect back on these goals, pondering the ones you met, and the challenges you faced.  If these goals are not available, reflect upon achievements and milestones from your nursing career.  Contemplate where you desire to be professionally in the future.
   1. Briefly summarize what you believe your personal and professional growth has been throughout this program.
   2. State your professional one year and five to ten year goals.
   3. How do you plan to accomplish your goals?
   4. What are the challenges to your goals?
6. Reflect upon a mentoring experience in your nursing career or personal life.
   1. Describe the most valuable aspects of this experience.
   2. What could have been improved or strengthened?
   3. What can professional nurses do to encourage those who come behind?
7. Your initial post is due by the end of the fourth day of the workshop.
8. Read and respond to at least two of your classmates’ postings by the end of the workshop.  You are encouraged to respond to follow-up instructor questions directed to you
9. Your posting should be at least six sentences in length and be well developed by providing substantive feedback, specific suggestions, with evidence of critical thinking.