Assignment: Creating a Professional Development Plan

Assignment: Creating a Professional Development Plan

Assignment: Creating a Professional Development Plan

Write a 6-8 page professional development plan for your work as a nurse educator.

Introduction
In this assessment, you will create a professional development plan that will support continuous improvement in your role as a nurse educator.

The Institute of Medicine has charged nurses to be leaders in health care change, and that requires educators to be at the forefront of those changes.

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Preparation
As you prepare to complete this assessment, you may want to think about other related issues to deepen your understanding or broaden your viewpoint. You are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community.

Note that these questions are for your own development and exploration and do not need to be completed or submitted as part of your assessment.

What are some approaches that nurse educators can use when encountering resistance to change?
How might effective leadership styles be the same or different for the following roles?
BSN nursing faculty.
Community health educator.
Staff development educator.
What are some ways that scholarship fits with nursing practice?
Nurse educators are regularly evaluated by students and administrators. There may also be peer evaluations of teaching skills. As an educator, how do you or would you view these evaluation processes? What can be most useful to faculty from student evaluations?
Instructions
Write a 6–8 page professional development plan for your career as an MSN-prepared nurse. The professional development plan should include the following:

Introduction – A brief introductory paragraph that clearly states the purpose of the paper. Do not use the heading introduction—use the title of the paper in a Level 1 heading format.
Area of focus – A description of your specific area of focus in nursing education, the position that you wish to obtain, and the educator competencies that you will need as an MSN-prepared nurse.
Professional Goals – A statement of your specific professional goals (a minimum of three) and discussion of their relationship to your nurse educator philosophy.
Influences – A brief description of any additional forces (social, economic, political, institutional) that may influence your nursing education role.
Analysis – An analysis of how you will carry out scholarship activities as an MSN-prepared nurse and a specific plan for scholarship based on a model.
Leadership Role – A discussion of specific ways (a minimum of two) that you will develop a leadership role in the area of focus you have chosen.
Development Plan – Specific plans for professional growth and any additional education, certifications, or training to be acquired.
Reflection – A reflection in a concluding paragraph on your abilities to meet goals and achieve your professional development plan and ethical practice.
Additional Requirements
Format: 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font, double spaced in Microsoft Word.
Length: 6-8 pages plus a title page and a references page.
Use correct APA format, including page numbers and a title page. Citations and references (if used) are to be in correct APA format.
Writing should be free of grammar and spelling errors that distract from content.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:

Competency 1: Analyze the historical evolution of nursing education.
Describe forces (social, economic, political, institutional) that may influence the nurse educator role.
Competency 3: Analyze professionally established nurse educator competencies and models.
Describe area of focus as a nurse educator, associated educator competencies, and professional goals in relation to nurse educator philosophy.
Competency 4: Apply knowledge of legal and ethical issues relevant to higher education and nursing education.
Assess abilities to meet goals, achieve professional development, and maintain ethical practices.
Competency 5: Articulate how nurse educator serve as change agents and leaders to help advance nursing education and nursing practice.
Discuss development of a leadership role in a chosen area of nurse educator focus.
Competency 6: Develop a plan for engaging in scholarship in an established area of expertise.
Develop a scholarship plan that includes analysis of how scholarship will be carried out in the nurse educator role.
Competency 7: Establish a plan for pursuing continuous improvement in the nurse educator role.
Develop specific plans for professional growth that identify any additional education, certifications, or training to be acquired.
Competency 8: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with the expectations of a nursing education professional.
Write coherently to support a central idea with correct grammar, usage, mechanics, and APA format and style as expected of a nursing education professional.

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Creating a Professional Development Plan

Healthcare is an ever-dynamic sector considering the influence of internal and external factors, including advancements in technology, changes in legislation, demographic aspects, and sociocultural contexts of care delivery. These changes prompt healthcare professionals to advance their knowledge, skills, and competencies. An ideal strategy for improving professional competencies is developing a plan for lifelong learning and knowledge enhancement. According to Mlambo et al. (2021), continuing professional development (CPD) is a profound strategy for enabling healthcare professionals to keep their knowledge and skills up-to-date. This approach entails various activities for bolstering knowledge and updating skills, including formal and informal learning, self-reflection, workplace informal learning, appraising literature for the best evidence, networking, and scholarship activities. The purpose of this paper is to elaborate on a professional development plan for my career as a nurse educator and an MSN-prepared nurse. The paper focuses on my area of specialty, professional goals, influential forces, scholarship activities, my leadership role, and a plan for professional development.

Area of Focus

As a nurse educator in an emergency care unit, my area of specialty and focus is promoting the incorporation of evidence-based practice (EBP) by educating clinical nurses on the tenets of nursing research and the assimilation of internal and external evidence. According to Brayer & Marcinowicz (2018), graduates of master’s programs demonstrate specialist knowledge in nursing that enable them to solve professional problems, conduct nursing research, monitor thresholds for care quality, and establish standards of professional care. Equally, an MSN-prepared nurse can develop and implement health education programs and select ideal teaching approaches that promote optimal knowledge acquisition consistent with clinicians’ learning needs. Implementing evidence-based practice (EBP) in emergency care units is among the most profound measures of care quality.

Evidence-based practice has gained popularity as a strategy for proper decision-making and problem-solving solving. Koota et al. (2018) contend that EBP entails integrating the best evidence from robust studies, clinical expertise, and patient values to solve problems and inform decisions. In emergency care settings, clinicians must incorporate information from external and internal sources to foster patient-centered care and deliver quality care amidst predicaments that compromise care delivery mechanisms, including time pressure, overcrowding, and the overarching need to adhere to strict clinical guidelines. As an MSN-prepared nurse, I intend to promote the integration and incorporation of EBP in clinical practices by educating nurses on effective research methods, coordinating efforts of interdisciplinary teams, and operating as a “knowledge worker.” According to McGonigle & Mastrian (2018), knowledge workers are innovative, specialized, and have advanced education that contributes to a high degree of autonomy. As a knowledge worker, I target to contribute knowledge and provide expert opinions that promote the integration of evidence-based practice into clinical practices and decisions.

Professional Goals

The initial stage of creating a professional development plan is understanding personal and professional goals. In this sense, understanding professional goals enables MSN-prepared nurses to encourage life-long learning and continuous advancement of clinical skills. As a nurse educator, my first goal is to utilize knowledge, skills, and clinical experience to cultivate ideal environments for therapeutic, patient-centered, and quality care. In the current healthcare systems, translating theoretical knowledge and experience into practice is a daunting endeavor, considering the varying contextual factors. According to Wensing & Grol (2019), knowledge translation enhances the usefulness of nursing research by enabling healthcare professionals to actualize and enact research findings and recommendations. Theoretical knowledge can assume various forms, including healthcare delivery models, technology, and evidence-based guidelines. By effectively translating theoretical knowledge into practice, it is possible to provide evidence-based care that promotes sound decisions and solutions to clinical problems.

My second professional goal is to influence the incorporation of evidence-based practice into clinical practice by teaching clinicians about the standards of effective nursing research. Brayer & Marcinowicz (2018) argue that MSN-prepared nurses influence the hospital’s organizational culture and behaviors by cultivating the habit of continuous learning and the normalcy of utilizing information to inform decisions and practices. I intend to promote nursing research and evidence-based practice by creating a culture of inquiry and actively participating in disseminating and assimilating evidence. According to Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt (2019), developing a culture of inquiry entails developing foreground questions and using them as a guide to research activities. As a nurse educator, I will teach clinicians on developing research questions, selecting and appraising evidence sources, and leveraging findings to guide practices and solve problems.

Finally, my third professional goal is to develop leadership skills that will enable me to operate as a change agent. Change is inevitable in healthcare, considering dynamics in social, economic, political, and institutional contexts. According to Poindexter (2022), nurse educators can play a forefront role as change agents by transforming nursing education to prepare an agile, competent, and confident nursing workforce. Equally, they demonstrate adaptability to implement experiential clinical models, advancing healthcare technologies, and rapid designs for program delivery. As a leader and change agent, I can promote innovation and creativity, influence the implementation of quality improvement initiatives, and understand benchmarks for success. Equally, I can address the restraining factors for change and motivate clinicians to embrace change.

Influences

Undoubtedly, various external and internal factors influence the trajectories of nursing education programs and the role of nurse educators. Influential forces can be either social, economic, political, or institutional aspects. Social factors that influence nursing education programs include the overarching need to improve cultural competency, ensure social justice, and apply knowledge to address poor social determinants of health (SDOH). On the other hand, political factors, including policy failures and limited government involvement in career development affect nursing education by limiting opportunities for knowledge acquisition and skill advancement. Thirdly, the economic environment affects nursing education by defining the demand for qualified healthcare professionals and justifying the need for appropriate employee retention policies and practices. Finally, organizational issues like the internal culture of talent retention, workplace invincibility, education patterns and models, and opportunities for career development determine how nurses advance their knowledge, competencies, and skills. As a result, a successful nursing education program relies massively upon positive inputs from political, economic, sociocultural, and organizational environments that provide opportunities for knowledge acquisition, skill advancement, and life-long learning.

Analysis of Scholarship Activities

The scholarship is one element of the tripartite model of nursing education. According to Dolan (2017), the scholarship role of nurse educators includes various aspects, such as spearheading research practices, presenting scholarly works, obtaining grants, and public scientific materials. The primary objective of these scholarship activities is to advance professional knowledge and develop a scholarly foundation of clinical care and future nursing practices. Therefore, it is a fundamental concept that enables healthcare professionals to adapt to the dynamic nature of the healthcare sector and improve knowledge of the scholarly and theoretical underpinnings of the nursing profession.

Based on the need to improve my scientific knowledge and advance my professional skills through scholarship, I intend to participate in interdisciplinary activities, including nursing research and dissemination of research findings within and outside the organizational environment. I target to publish journal articles in reputable publication databases for peer reviewing and the subsequent knowledge contribution to different nursing topics and concepts. Another ideal scholarship activity is utilizing workshops and other platforms to present the findings of my research reports and improve networking opportunities. By publishing and disseminating the findings of my research reports in workshops and publication databases, it will be possible to offer recommendations and contribute knowledge to foreground questions and clinical practices.

Leadership Role.

As a nurse educator, I am responsible for facilitating and influencing positive change by educating nurses and encouraging creativity. According to Poindexter (2022), educating nurses can improve their agility, competencies, and confidence to provide quality and culturally responsive care. My role as a change agent necessitates the need to develop my leadership skills and competencies that would allow me to collaborate with interdisciplinary teams during the change process. The first strategy for improving my leadership role is enhancing my communication skills. In this sense, effective communication promotes teamwork, coordination of nursing activities, and collaboration. I intend to improve my communication skills by practicing active listening, addressing implicit biases, and incorporating emotional intelligence when interacting with colleagues and other clinicians.

Besides improving my communication skills, I should familiarize myself with leadership theories and models that align with different organizational contexts. Also, it would be essential to understand the characteristics of a successful leader, including behaviors, traits, and elements of personality. I intend to enroll in an online leadership course and conduct regular personal leadership skills assessments to understand my leadership strengths and identify areas of improvement.

Development Plan

Although I am an MSN-prepared nurse, adopting approaches for consistent knowledge and skills enhancement would enable me to thrive in ever-dynamic healthcare systems. As a result, my professional development plan includes the following steps: joining nursing associations, obtaining a doctorate in nursing practice (Ph. D), and emphasizing scholarship activities. Firstly, joining nursing associations like the American Nursing Association (ANA) is a profound step toward professional development. In this sense, these associations sponsor networking events and provide members with other multiple benefits and opportunities, including continuing learning, fellowship programs, and skill-based accreditation (Morin, 2021). As a result, joining such associations can provide opportunities for sharing knowledge, networking, and skill advancement.

Secondly, obtaining a doctorate in nursing and emphasizing scholarship activities are vital steps for advancing my academic knowledge and qualifications. For instance, obtaining a Ph.D. program would improve my leadership skills and provide opportunities for specializing in my clinical specialty (Dobrowolska et al., 2021). By advancing my education, I will gain insights into strategies for bridging the chasms in knowledge translation. Finally, engaging in scholarship activities like publishing scholarly journals in reputable databases and disseminating the findings of my research reports will improve my knowledge of clinical research and enable me to familiarize myself with different evidence-based models.

Reflection

As an MSN-prepared nurse, I have gained experience and knowledge of the theoretical underpinnings of nursing practices, organizational issues that affect care delivery, and communication skills necessary for promoting interdisciplinary collaboration. Also, I am aware of various thresholds for evidence-based practice, including strategies for developing clinical questions, selecting and appraising evidence sources, and translating knowledge to practice. However, I must encourage life-long learning amidst the dynamic nature of the healthcare environment. As a result, my professional development plan includes ideal strategies for ongoing and career-long learning, including obtaining a doctorate in nursing, participating in scholarship activities like publishing scholarly works in reputable publication databases, and enrolling in an online leadership course to enhance my leadership skills.

References

Brayer, A., & Marcinowicz, L. (2018). Job satisfaction of nurses with a master of nursing degrees in Poland: Quantitative and qualitative analysis. BMC Health Services Research, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-018-3053-6

Dobrowolska, B., Chruściel, P., Pilewska-Kozak, A., Mianowana, V., Monist, M., & Palese, A. (2021). Doctoral programs in the nursing discipline: A scoping review. BMC Nursing, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-021-00753-6

Dolan, D. H. (2017). The new nurse educator: Mastering academe (2nd ed.). Springer Publishing Company.

Koota, E., Kääriäinen, M., & Melender, H.-L. (2018). Educational interventions promoting evidence-based practice among emergency nurses: A systematic review. International Emergency Nursing, 41, 51–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ienj.2018.06.004

McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2018). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2018). Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare: A guide to best practice. Wolters Kluwer Health.

Mlambo, M., Silén, C., & McGrath, C. (2021). Lifelong learning and nurses’ continuing professional development, a meta-synthesis of the literature. BMC Nursing, 20(62), 1–13. https://bmcnurs.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12912-021-00579-2

Morin, K. H. (2021). Editorial: Contributions of professional nursing organizations. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 77(6). https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14808

Poindexter, K. (2022). Nurse educators as agents of change. Nursing Education Perspectives, 43(2), 71–72. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.nep.0000000000000948

Wensing, M., & Grol, R. (2019). Knowledge translation in health: How implementation science could contribute more. BMC Medicine, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-019-1322-9