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NURS 6003 Transition Discussion Board Week 8

NURS 6003 Transition Discussion Board Week 8

NURS 6003 Transition Discussion Board Week 8

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Professional development is a concept for career-based nurses. In professional development, nurses take the steps necessary to advance their practice through education, volunteering, networking, attending seminars, and gaining credentials. Nurses should keep a portfolio to document their achievements to market themselves for professional organizations and jobs in professional development. Portfolios are a way of charting your progress and achievements in nursing. According to an article by Margaret Burns (2018), there are two different types of portfolios, one that showcases the nurse’s specific achievements and another that is broader than documents everything the nurse has accomplished. A specified portfolio of accomplishment is more conducive for job and professional organization applications, while the more common portfolio keeps track of the nurse’s clinical, educational, and volunteer experiences (p. 15).
For my undergraduate degree, a nursing portfolio was required to be completed before graduating. I constructed my portfolio on a website and included my background, current nursing position, future goals, and artifacts from each of my courses that people who reviewed my portfolio could read. I have used this portfolio during interviews, especially for travel nursing agencies, because it encompasses all of my time and experiences as a nurse.

Travel Nursing Experience

My first strategy for building a sound portfolio is to document my experience as a nurse. To do this, I have joined a travel nursing agency to become a temporary nurse at different facilities. I have a background in medical-surgical, intermediate, and critical care nursing so that I can float between these three disciplines at various facilities. This will help articulate my vast experience as a nurse when I become a nurse practitioner and apply for a job. Each hospital organization is set up differently, so I will learn their competencies, nursing workflow, and different management styles of disease processes. In future practice, I will be able to use these skills when I manage a patient’s plan of care. An article by Jan Daubener (2001) provides anecdotes from different travel nurses to explain the pros and cons of the career field. One account from a nurse demonstrated their increased competency and comfort level managing critical drips and ventilators in an ICU that differed from their home unit. As such, the nurse was adaptable and learned the processes at the new hospital he traveled to and was successful. As a result, he gained more experience and comfort level handling a different management style and could use this knowledge in future travel contracts. Traveling to new agencies means that I will have to be comfortable with not knowing everything and adapt quickly to new situations. This measurement of self-assessment relates to a critical aspect of nursing portfolio development.

In an article by Casey and Egan (2010):

Evidence used within the portfolio can be used to undertake a personal review of where a practitioner currently is in terms of their development and consider where they want to be. A SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis can be a simple but useful tool to analyze professional strengths, skills, knowledge, and ability) and weaknesses (areas for development.) These can then be considered in the context of the opportunities for development and the potential threats or barriers to development (p. 550).
Travel nursing will require me to constantly assess my current knowledge and experience level, narrow down what I need to improve, and then reflect on what I have learned. This skill will be used constantly in my future practice as a nurse practitioner.

Greetings, fellow Walden Colleagues; I have been a registered nurse for the past 14 years and presently enrolled in the Adult and Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner program. Foremost, I believe that the curriculum set out by Walden will satisfy the necessary academic requirements I need for certification as an Adult and Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner. In addition, Walden’s vision, mission, and social change initiatives can satisfy my professional and academic goals and path in becoming a scholar-practitioner.

I chose to major in Adult and Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner because of the desire to provide care to individuals across the human life span. Walden School of Nursing envisions the same, “contributions of nursing and its’ related disciplines at Walden will be seen as a source of education to satisfy the need for nursing services for every individual throughout their life span at an individual, societal, and global level. (Walden University, 2015).

In an ever-changing society, nurses would face situations requiring a critical thinking approach to finding a resolution. One of my professional goals is to be a critical thinker, in which I can provide valid and applicable solutions to different clinical and social situations that may arise. After reading Walden’s Vision statement, I believe they can help me attain my professional goal to be a critical thinker. “Walden believes that knowledge gained at the institution would allow students to affect solutions to societal challenges and by extension global society” (Walden University, 2018).

        Incorporation of Social Initiative/Change

No one individual is a team, nor can they individually affect social change. Therefore, I believe that communication and interaction with other professionals will improve my professional goal of affecting social change. Walden University affords social and professional networking through its student café initiatives, discussions, and projects. In addition, Walden School of Nursing holds my same belief of “positive social change can lead to an improvement in both the human and social conditions” (Walden University, 2015).

Additionally, due to the nursing field’s dynamic changes, there will always be a continuous expansion of knowledge. Therefore, “Both the development and maintenance of professional networking relationship would allow for ideas and information exchange to keep nurses knowledge base relevant” (Schmitt, n.d.).

References

Schmitt, K. (n.d.). 5 reasons nurses should engage in professional networking. BluePipes Blog.

https://blog.bluepipes.com/5-reasons-nurses-should-take-professional-networking-seriously/

Walden University. (2018, March). Vision, mission, and goals. Walden University – Acalog     ACMS™. https://catalog.waldenu.edu/content.php?catoid=153&navoid=49950

Walden University. (2015, March). School of nursing mission and vision. Walden University –

Acalog ACMS™. https://catalog.waldenu.edu/content.php?catoid=117&navoid=32441

Professional Certifications

My next strategy for constructing a solid portfolio of my nursing practice is to gain credentials or competencies in my chosen practice area. Currently, I am pursuing a specialization in acute care practice for adults and geriatrics. My eventual goal is to work as a nurse practitioner in endocrinology and diabetes management. One specific nursing credential I am actively trying to achieve is certified diabetes educator (CDE). This is awarded to nurses who have the required amount of hours managing and counseling patients on diabetes and successfully passing the proctored exam. If I have this credential, it will represent my interest and passion for diabetes management and supply me with the knowledge necessary to make critical decisions when managing this disease. According to an article presented on the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses (2019), certified nurses gain more respect, possess increased knowledge and competency, have more job opportunities, are more reliable and make fewer errors, decrease healthcare costs, and provide better patient outcomes, (pp. 2-3). By gaining a credential, shows my commitment to the profession and drive to advance my knowledge.

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Social Change

My strategies to obtain my goals of nursing excellence relate to Walden University’s social change initiative. According to Walden University (2021), “ …Walden supports positive social change through the development of principled, knowledgeable, and ethical scholar-practitioners, who are and will become civic and professional role models by advancing the betterment of society” (para. 6). My experience from different nursing facilities and my credentials from my CDE exam will allow me to have an advanced perspective on nursing. I will have more knowledge and experience caring for patients, be more credible based on my certifications, and be able to transition into the nurse practitioner role where I can use my knowledge to act ethically and advance the health of my community, thus creating positive social change.

Conclusion

Nurses use professional portfolios to showcase the critical aspects of their career journey as proof for career development. A strong portfolio will give a background of nursing experience, education level, credentials, and letters of recommendation so that employers and professional organizations can assess the nurse’s abilities. By gaining expertise from travel nursing and achieving certifications, I can add these to my portfolio as evidence of my nursing expertise to eventually create positive social change.

References

American Association of Neuroscience Nurses. (2019). Impact of nursing certification on nurses, healthcare employers and patients [PDF]. American association of neuroscience nurses. Retrieved October 17, 2021, from https://aann.org/uploads/Meetings/2020/WhitePaper_ACU_Certification.pdf
Burns, M. K. (2018). Creating a nursing portfolio. Ohio Nurses Review, 93(3), 16–17. Retrieved October 17, 2021, from https://doi.org/https://eds-b-ebscohost-com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=5&sid=4ee231f2-c0ff-440a-9d82-4c18e2e9ee28%40sessionmgr102
Casey, D., & Egan, D. (2010). The use of professional portfolios and profiles for career enhancement. British Journal of Community Nursing, 15(11), 547–552. Retrieved October 17, 2021, from
Daubener, J. (2001). A look at travel nursing: Two sides to the coin. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 27(5), 507–510. Retrieved October 17, 2021, from https://doi.org/10.1067/men.2001.118574
Walden University. (2021). Mission, vision, and goals. Walden University catalog. Retrieved 2021, from https://catalog.waldenu.edu/content.php?catoid=181&navoid=66193

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Name: NURS_6003_Module01_Week01_Discussion_Rubric

Excellent Good Fair Poor
Main Posting
45 (45%) – 50 (50%)

Answers all parts of the discussion question(s) expectations with reflective critical analysis and synthesis of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module and current credible sources.

Supported by at least three current, credible sources.

Written clearly and concisely with no grammatical or spelling errors and fully adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style.

40 (40%) – 44 (44%)

Responds to the discussion question(s) and is reflective with critical analysis and synthesis of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module.

At least 75% of post has exceptional depth and breadth.

Supported by at least three credible sources.

Written clearly and concisely with one or no grammatical or spelling errors and fully adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style.

35 (35%) – 39 (39%)

Responds to some of the discussion question(s).

One or two criteria are not addressed or are superficially addressed.

Is somewhat lacking reflection and critical analysis and synthesis.

Somewhat represents knowledge gained from the course readings for the module.

Post is cited with two credible sources.

Written somewhat concisely; may contain more than two spelling or grammatical errors.

Contains some APA formatting errors.

0 (0%) – 34 (34%)

Does not respond to the discussion question(s) adequately.

Lacks depth or superficially addresses criteria.

Lacks reflection and critical analysis and synthesis.

Does not represent knowledge gained from the course readings for the module.

Contains only one or no credible sources.

Not written clearly or concisely.

Contains more than two spelling or grammatical errors.

Does not adhere to current APA manual writing rules and style.

Main Post: Timeliness
10 (10%) – 10 (10%)
Posts main post by day 3.
0 (0%) – 0 (0%)
0 (0%) – 0 (0%)
0 (0%) – 0 (0%)
Does not post by day 3.
First Response
17 (17%) – 18 (18%)

Response exhibits synthesis, critical thinking, and application to practice settings.

Responds fully to questions posed by faculty.

Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by at least two scholarly sources.

Demonstrates synthesis and understanding of learning objectives.

Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues.

Responses to faculty questions are fully answered, if posed.

Response is effectively written in standard, edited English.

15 (15%) – 16 (16%)

Response exhibits critical thinking and application to practice settings.

Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues.

Responses to faculty questions are answered, if posed.

Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by two or more credible sources.

Response is effectively written in standard, edited English.

13 (13%) – 14 (14%)

Response is on topic and may have some depth.

Responses posted in the discussion may lack effective professional communication.

Responses to faculty questions are somewhat answered, if posed.

Response may lack clear, concise opinions and ideas, and a few or no credible sources are cited.

0 (0%) – 12 (12%)

Response may not be on topic and lacks depth.

Responses posted in the discussion lack effective professional communication.

Responses to faculty questions are missing.

No credible sources are cited.

Second Response
16 (16%) – 17 (17%)

Response exhibits synthesis, critical thinking, and application to practice settings.

Responds fully to questions posed by faculty.

Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by at least two scholarly sources.

Demonstrates synthesis and understanding of learning objectives.

Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues.

Responses to faculty questions are fully answered, if posed.

Response is effectively written in standard, edited English.

14 (14%) – 15 (15%)

Response exhibits critical thinking and application to practice settings.

Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues.

Responses to faculty questions are answered, if posed.

Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by two or more credible sources.

Response is effectively written in standard, edited English.

12 (12%) – 13 (13%)

Response is on topic and may have some depth.

Responses posted in the discussion may lack effective professional communication.

Responses to faculty questions are somewhat answered, if posed.

Response may lack clear, concise opinions and ideas, and a few or no credible sources are cited.

0 (0%) – 11 (11%)

Response may not be on topic and lacks depth.

Responses posted in the discussion lack effective professional communication.

Responses to faculty questions are missing.

No credible sources are cited.

Participation
5 (5%) – 5 (5%)
Meets requirements for participation by posting on three different days.
0 (0%) – 0 (0%)
0 (0%) – 0 (0%)

Also Read: NURS 6003 Discussion Strategies for Academic Portfolios 1