Nursing as a profession is critical to the healthcare industry. While physicians and other specialists are concerned with treatment, nurses have to provide the care that is essential to the healing process. As a nurse, I understand that I have the responsibility to foster quality care and treatment outcomes in the healthcare industry. Some of the ways are through learning and being driven with goals (Casey & Egan, 2010). The purpose of this professional development plan is to outline my education and professional background, professional goals, course orientation, and practicum goals after which a summary will be provided.
Education and Professional Background
I already possess a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and Healthcare, which I believe is the first step towards advancing my career as a nurse. However, it is not just education that identifies me as a nurse but I have worked in various healthcare facilities. During school holidays, I enrolled for internship programs a majority of which involved working with the local communities. While both at school and in healthcare centers, I learnt the importance of leadership and teamwork (Smith, 2011). On several occasions, I have been appointed to lead teams and I have realized that team work is essential in the organization and coordination of activities in the healthcare environment. Additionally, I have established that nursing is dynamic. For example, it is not just about offering medication to patients but involves offering a conducive environment for recovery. Nurses need to talk to patients, encourage and motivate them as well as provide a hygiene environment. One of the areas I need to improve in is caring and communicating with patients from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds because they have different needs. It is one of the driving factors for my enrollment in the graduate-level study.
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Professional Goals
The most significant professional goal is to complete the Master’s Degree in Nursing and Healthcare. I believe it will be the foundation for subsequent professional goals (Thompson, 2011). Nevertheless, the three professional goals I would like to achieve include: Fostering quality of care by devising ways to minimize hospital-acquired infections, advocating for community health, and promoting ethics and ethical practices in the healthcare industry. Completion of the Master’s program will equip me with the research skills and to some extent the avenues to address issues in the nursing profession. Besides, I believe that the Master’s degree will define me as a leader, which will give me a better chance to implement Walden’s objectives.
Course Orientation
In my undergraduate program and professional experience, there are three learning goals I accomplished. They include: Understanding the role of nurses in promoting healthcare, how to conduct research to foster and improve quality care as well as learnt the different care methods for patients. Nonetheless, one area I need to improve is communication with diverse groups. I feel that I need to understand people’s cultures more to be able to communicate properly. Presently, I have taken up the challenge of working in diverse neighborhoods and consulting with senior and experienced nurses to help me communicate better.
Practicum Goals
One of the most prominent things I aspire to do is to help minimize the rate of hospital acquired infections. These are infections that patients acquire within healthcare facilities and some of them can be very fatal. The project that I intend to develop is to sensitize nurses as well as other specialists in healthcare facilities to observe hygiene in every process. Healthcare facilities will need to adhere to cleanliness and use of disinfectants to reduce the risk of hospital-acquired infections.
Summary
Even though I have a Bachelor’s degree, I need to pursue my studies further to acquire more knowledge, skills and the opportunity to advocate and implement various issues in nursing. Since I have some experience in nursing, I seek to understand various pertinent issues as well as find solutions. One of such issues relates to hospital-acquired infections. I believe that nurses have a prominent role to play in minimizing or preventing hospital-acquired infections.
References
Casey, D. C., & Egan, D. (2010). The use of professional portfolios and profiles for career enhancement. British journal of community nursing , 15 (11), 547-552.
Smith, L. S. (2011). Showcase your talents with a career portfolio. Nursing2018 , 41 (7), 54-56.
Thompson, T. L. (2011). Electronic portfolios for professional advancement. Clinical Nurse Specialist , 25 (4), 169-170.
