Establishing Professional Identity Through Personal, Professional, and Leadership Development

From the perspectives of a learner-scholar and an expert nurse, DNP-prepared nurses are first able to actualize the translation of evidence into practice by leveraging their advanced knowledge and skills in nursing. They utilize such skills and knowledge to first critically assess and analyze the current state of clinical practices, identify gaps in such practices, review current research evidence on the subject matter, and then utilize such evidence to design the best innovative practices (Robinson et al., 2021): Establishing Professional Identity Through Personal, Professional, and Leadership Development.

They then implement such new and better practices into everyday practice and challenge others to adopt these evidence-based practices to improve current outcomes. It is only through the engagement of the other nurses with the right attitudes can such improved outcomes in patient care due to evidence-based practice (EBP) can be achieved (Chan et al., 2020).

AACN’s Position Statement on Defining Scholarship for the Discipline of Nursing (1999) defines scholarship as the generation, synthesis, translation, application, and dissemination of knowledge aimed at improving health, the nursing profession, and transforming healthcare. It is mainly hinged on research, practice, policy, and nursing education.

The four domains of professional identity in nursing are values and ethics, knowledge, leadership, and professional comportment. The evolving nature of the professional identity of a nurse is shaped by their experiences as such experiences expose them to new challenges, learning and education opportunities and allow for reflection, which further redefines the nursing roles (van der Cingel & Brouwer, 2021). Therefore, the dynamic nature of the nurse’s professional identity formation is able to align with the concept of professionalism as the nurse indulges in lifelong learning, adopts behaviors that adapt to changes in practice, and develops a sense of purpose as they remain committed to the core ethics and values of nursing (Fitzgerald, 2020).

Subsequently, the inclusion of professionalism as a domain in AACN’s The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education (2021) is based on the need to promote ethical behavior, accountability, and interest in lifelong learning and ensure nurses understand the high competence standards needed in the nursing profession.

A DNP-prepared nurse leader has many opportunities to advance the nursing profession through legislative and political advocacy by influencing policymakers to develop laws that focus on improving accessibility, care quality, and equity in healthcare; through education by mentoring others and improving the nursing education curriculum; certification to ensure competencies; and networking to build collaborative professional relationships that support knowledge and perspectives sharing and guiding changes in nursing practice. My preferred activities are legislative and political advocacy as they provide an opportunity to directly influence legislations that define nursing practice and healthcare in general. My least preferred is networking as despite the opportunities it creates, I prefer to be involved for prolonged periods rather than short-lived social interactions.

References

Chan, E. Y., Glass, G. F., & Ni Phang, K. (2020). Evaluation of a hospital-based nursing research and evidence-based practice mentorship program on improving nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and evidence-based practice. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 51(1), 46–52. https://doi.org/10.3928/00220124-20191217-09

Fitzgerald, A. (2020). Professional identity: A concept analysis. Nursing Forum, 55(3), 447–472. https://doi.org/10.1111/NUF.12450

Robinson, K. A., Brunnhuber, K., Ciliska, D., Juhl, C. B., Christensen, R., & Lund, H. (2021). Evidence-Based Research Series-Paper 1: What Evidence-Based Research is and why is it important? Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 129, 151–157. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JCLINEPI.2020.07.020

van der Cingel, M., & Brouwer, J. (2021). What makes a nurse today? A debate on the nursing professional identity and its need for change. Nursing Philosophy, 22(2), e12343. https://doi.org/10.1111/NUP.12343

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Discussion Board Guidelines:

• The questions from the readings are intended to engage the student and to demonstrate an understanding of the DNP Essentials and how each DNP Essential relates to practice, leadership, and scholarship.
• You are encouraged to share your worldview from the perspective of a learner-scholar, expert nurse, nurse leader, and/or struggling student in the discussion.
• Last-minute posts do not demonstrate your best work.
• Contributions are evaluated on the presentation of a meaningful ‘informed opinion, in which your ideas are supported by literature, and it includes a synthesis of your preparation on the topic, interaction with peers and faculty, and ongoing learning.
• Substantial posts may include and are not limited to:
  • Posting your ‘take’ on the issue, which is informed by your prep and not a gut reaction.
  • Asking critical thinking questions to the peers and/or faculty.
  • Inviting a collaborative learning experience for the entire group
  • Summarizing a discussion or argument or clarifying a point.
  • Offering alternate interpretations and additional insights.
  • Using at least one reference (i.e., course or outside text/article/resource) to support each posting:

Note: A link alone is not a reference. All references must be in APA 7th edition format.

Establishing Professional Identity Through Personal, Professional, and Leadership Development

Discussion Board Instructions:

• The Discussion Board assignment includes all three (3) postings.
• Initial postings are due by Thursday at midnight (23:59) and the second and third postings must be completed before Sunday by midnight (23:59) of each week.
  • Initial postings should be concise and thorough, in one to two paragraphs per question.
  • Peer Responses should also be concise and offer further insight, ask for clarification, support or challenge a line of reasoning, etc. Length should not exceed one or two paragraphs.
• Late postings without notice will result in no credit.
• Failure to post 3 times will result in a grade reduction.
• As a large part of the final grade, students are expected to participate regularly in Discussion Board assignments.
• Typically, grading with feedback on discussion boards will be completed within 3 days after the assignment due date.

Discussion Board Prompts:
Please address these prompts in your initial Discussion Board posting:

1. Explain how DNP-prepared nurses first actualize the translation of evidence into practice. (CO1, CO3, CO4)
2. How does the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Position Statement on Defining Scholarship for the Discipline of Nursing (1999) define scholarship? (CO1, CO3, CO4)
3. Describe the four domains for professional identity in nursing. How does the nurse’s experience shape an evolving professional identity? How does the dynamic nature of professional identity formation align with the concept of professionalism? (CO1, CO4)
4. Explain the thought process that included professionalism as one of the ten domains in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN) The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education (2021). (CO2, CO4)
5. Describe opportunities for the DNP-prepared nurse leader to advance the nursing profession through legislative and political advocacy, education, certification, and networking. Which activities are most appealing to you? What factors lead you to prefer those particular opportunities? Which activities are least appealing to you and why? (CO2, CO4)

Grading Rubric:

• Your assignment will be graded according to this grading rubric: DNP 802 Discussion Board Rubric.docx Download DNP 802 Discussion Board Rubric.docx

Supportive Resource:

• Substantive and Non-substantive DB responses. Links to an external site. Reyes, D. (2018). Sample Discussion Board Rubric LDT. Purdue University Repository for Online Teaching and Learning. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Learning Design and Technology Program.