Creating a Professional Development Plan

Nurse educators equip future nurses on how they can provide quality professional care and thus hold a critical position in the healthcare industry. The Institute of Medicine notes that nurses will spearhead the change that is set to occur in the healthcare sector hence nursing educators require knowledge of these changes. I developed it in APA formatting style using the professional growth plan as a guide to accepting this challenging yet fulfilling position. This road map presents my purpose and vision for myself as a nursing instructor and gives direction regarding the future progress in my specialty area.

Nurse Educator Focus, Competencies, and Professional Goals

A nursing teacher, is a critical care nursing specialization, a demanding occupation, that needs skillful and experienced performers, fast decision-makers, and best of all, a good understanding of patients’ problems. The base concept is that when in the acute care environment, there’s a big difference where one is knowledgeable in critical illness (Graebe et al., 2022). I bring fundamental skills that are core to teaching critical care nursing which include advanced practice experience I had as an intensive care unit nurse. I also make my teaching to be more practical as I combine my experience from my clinics. In addition, future nurses will predictably obtain value from me, and my curriculum structure experience as they are preparing to deliver vital healthcare. 

Professional Goals

It is crucial for anyone who aspires to be a role model in that particular organization as a leader to wear an apron because it symbolizes preparation for the leadership role required by the nurse educator. As a change agent, I encourage and enhance my students to embrace change within the healthcare sector and foster the process of improvement. The idea of advocating for leading nursing education involves challenging and inspiring the students to do their best.

Throughout my work as a nurse educator, my passion for advocacy for patients and the promotion of continuing education interests me most. In the next, I would like to achieve the status of a highly effective teacher by applying concepts supported by research findings that apply to differentiation for teaching learning preferences and improvement of understanding (Embree, 2022). The main expert objective is to be one of the leaders in the field of nursing instructors. This means that to be a leader in nursing education one has to take the first step and encourage others to do the same. It means fostering conditions of growth, questioning, and raising standards. Also, I must strive to perform academic activities towards the advancement of the knowledge base of the subject.

A nursing knowledge base is an aggregation of the nurses’ knowledge. supporting the advancement of critical care nursing education to increase reliance on evidence-based practices by doing research and publishing in reputable nursing education journals. It is possible to state that the goals and focus areas are consonant with the current tendencies in nursing education (Graebe et al., 2022). For instance, the implementation of the simulation in education makes me commit to delivering excellent training. In a way of critical care teaching, the high-fidelity simulation may enhance students’ experiential learning and advance the gap between theory and practice.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth services have increased hence the need to incorporate them into the curriculum. It is therefore my intention to equip young nurses with the right tools to thrive in this rapidly growing model of healthcare provision (Rao et al., 2021). Altogether, I have stated that cultural competency training is something valuable for my future nursing education. For this reason, apart from providing caring, personalized, and considerate care, prospective nurses also have to accommodate diversity. as a means to cost-effectively examine and treat a heterogeneous client base.

Influences on the Nurse-Educator Role

The research identifies various factors that cause variation in the work done by a nursing instructor. It is for this reason that multicultural education has to be integrated into nursing courses because of the growing traditions among patients and students in the social sector (Cummings et al., 2021). This diversity is open to learning how to expand paradigms and impart to students to deliver care that is culturally appropriate and sensitive to the patients. Socioeconomic status conflicts in health facilities mean that nursing education has to prepare students for that in an endeavor to eliminate these disparities in society.

Thus, changes in educational funding affect nurse educators in terms of finances, especially for aspects of health. Most institutions work under limited funds, thus power needs to look for cheap intervention strategies that have an influence. Unfortunately, authentic manikins required for simulation learning can be rather costly, so institutional funding such as a grant may have to be sought (Cummings et al., 2021). The political environment influences the responsibilities of the nurse educator to a great extent. Modifications in the curriculum may be necessitated by the changes in nursing rules and health care policies to ensure that students acquire skills to meet the required changes as they graduate. This makes value-based healthcare, which centers on patient results, a theory that nurse educators must adopt the current trend to teach.

Due to changes made in the institutional policies and accrediting standards, the duties of nursing educators are not left unaffected (Hakvoort et al., 2022). Trends observed in student-to-faculty ratios, or changes in the pass rates among minority candidates on licensing examinations may require changes in class sizes, strategies of teaching, and assessment frameworks. Maining the principles of equity in a classroom entails understanding one’s assumptions and biases. An evaluation.

Scholarship Plan

In my view, any student enrolling in a course on critical care nursing is already conversant with the general concepts of nursing. The students’ basic knowledge levels differ hence it is always appropriate to tailor the teaching methods to meet this difference (Pinto et al., 2021). Professional development that focuses on self-awareness and how one views or perceives other people or things can assist in the elimination of bias and prejudices. I assure learners that each of them gets the best opportunity to learn by observing that my instructional practices are effective and accommodate all students.

In crafting my scholarship plan as a critical care nursing educator, I will ensure that I engage in research activities and publications as well as giving presentations. Research forms the foundation on which academic study is developed. I would like to know more about the outcomes of various methods of teaching strategies used in the teaching of critical care nursing and how simulation-based learning affects students’ ability to make clinical decisions (Pinto et al., 2021). To achieve this, equally important and worthwhile activities are journal submission and publication, particularly in scholarly journals. The publication of research findings enables educators to enhance their teaching practices and increases the pool of knowledge in nursing education. I plan to publish the results in some peer-reviewed journals like Nurse Educator or Journal of Nursing Education. 

Informing other professionals during conferences is one of the ways that knowledge can be shared and professionals be updated on the latest trends and practices. To achieve my goal, I plan to regularly submit abstracts to conferences such as the National League for Nursing (NLN) annual meeting conference and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Some of the requirements that were put forward for My academics are informed by the AACN and NLN (Melandar et al., 2020). Based upon the Nurse Educator Competencies formulated by the NLN, the nurse educator is supposed to embrace the spirit of continuing education and give something back to the profession through publications and research. Several researchers have gone further to confirm the significance of the AACN scholarship in enhancing nursing education as well as health care delivery. I develop my scholarship approach from these professional competencies and expectations. 

Building of Leadership Role

Leadership development in my position as an instructional nurse is chiefly made up of forming and implementing sensitive care nursing programs. It also reflects in my leadership development plan that I am an aspiring nurse educator; thus, education and learning are tremendously significant to me. From the above position, I appreciate the need to keep on learning and this is something I try to do by attending leadership development workshops and training (Nogueira et al., 2021). The platforms are intended to provide me with current information on the theories of nursing education as well as leadership practices in the industry. 

Besides attending workshops and organized training, I seek guidance from veteran academics and other experienced nurses. This lets me receive personalized coaching tips and experiences that increase the conceptual knowledge that I receive in conventional learning (Druse et al., 2022). Moreover, I also try to maintain a learning conducive environment for both myself and my students and counterpart employees. In other words, I would like to enhance my leadership skills further and make a meaningful contribution to enhancing the growth and success of the nursing profession by maintaining participation in professional development and advocating a learning culture.

Make a Professional Development Plan

As a nurse educator, advising entails obtaining more knowledge and skills, which may be obtained through extra classes or programs, and certifications, among others. My first step towards the enhancement of my career was to apply for a post-master’s nursing education program (Gonçalves et al., 2023). Earning this postgraduate degree will also assist me in my efforts to become a more effective nursing educator since it will equip me with knowledge of curriculum development, teaching and learning methods, and assessment strategies

In the future, I would like to get the National League for Nursing’s Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) ‘A’ certification. This certification will go further to show my dedication and professionalism of the highest tally as well as show certification of competency in the field of study. In the dynamic society and with the development of research, instructional modes, and trends that are present in healthcare and nursing education knowledge updates are crucial. I try to attend webinars and conferences related to nursing education at least once in a while (Gonçalves et al., 2023). These platforms will give me such an opportunity to explore new trends and practices in teaching, new scientific discoveries, and most importantly topical issues within the field.

Being active in activities to enhance professional development Is there any chance that I can show that I do know? The programs themselves revolve around online learning, the explanation of simulations, or student evaluation; they consist of valuable ideas and methods that can be applied in the teaching practice immediately. In my opinion, having an experienced nurse educator to set a pace or guide you can help one understand the finer details of the endeavor of becoming a nursing educator. It will be possible to benefit from such knowledge, learn about the best practices in action, and, therefore, keep away from the risks. Finally, I try my best to engage in groups for professional nurses. 

Self-Assessment and Addressing Gaps

Evaluation of performance is crucial in ensuring high ethical standards in practice besides achieving the set professional development goal. At the same time, I reinforce my satisfaction with the acquired skills still noting the areas of possible improvement (Martin et al., 2021). In this regard, I apply reflective teaching, continuous learning, and appreciation of criticism. More often, I plan to fully utilize opportunities for learning throughout my life, for example, workshops, additional degrees, certificates, etc. Teachers need to constantly update themselves, especially given the advanced knowledge in the healthcare field to prepare their students for the future. Mentors’ feedback, fellow students and classmates, is an input that I have considered as a critical ingredient of the development strategy. It reveals the areas that want change, and it offers perspectives on my teaching that are different from my own. In an attempt to come up with a good strategy, I ensure that I request feedback and ensure I am willing to employ the use of reflective teaching in enhancing my weak areas.

It helps because I can recall different teaching experiences, determine what was good or what failed, and the possible reasons why such an outcome was arrived at (Martin et al., 2020). This way I will be in a position to make necessary changes to enhance the accomplishment of students’ goals while at the same time being influenced to enhance self-improvement to become a better teacher. I promise to act in a manner that does not violate any stipulation of the NLN’s Code of Ethics. This implies portraying and promoting humility, courtesy, and courtesy, and displaying respect for the privacy and worth of every learner. To develop strategies that can assist in dealing with any type of ethical challenges that may come with the teaching profession the following measures should be taken; Consult with mentors and colleagues often on the ethical issues.

Conclusion

The identified professional development plan involves also excellent thorough instructions for my professional advancement as a nurse educator. This paper identifies my domain of interest, addresses the various elements that affect my job, gives a detailed proposal on scholarships, explains how I would develop my leadership skills, and encompasses a detailed career progression plan (Graebe et al., 2022). It emphasizes the need to appraise one’s performance and plug any loopholes left open regarding competency to enhance ongoing improvement and maintain high ethical standards. This is a very dynamic industry and as such, this plan has to be a live document that will be reviewed and adjusted as frequently as possible. I am optimistic that through this approach, I will be able to assist upcoming nurses and steer them on the right track toward the profession of skillful, innovative, and most importantly compassionate nursing practice.

References

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Embree J. L. (2022). Teaching nurses how to create a personal and professional development plan. Journal of Continuing Education In Nursing, 53(10), 438–441. https://doi.org/10.3928/00220124-20220907-04

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Gonçalves, I., Mendes, D. A., Caldeira, S., Jesus, É., & Nunes, E. (2023). The primary nursing care model and inpatients’ nursing-sensitive outcomes: A systematic review and narrative synthesis of quantitative studies. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(3), 2391. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032391

Hakvoort, L., Dikken, J., Cramer-Kruit, J., Nieuwenhuyzen, K. M., van der Schaaf, M., & Schuurmans, M. (2022). Factors that influence continuing professional development over a nursing career: A scoping review. Nurse Education in Practice, 65, 103481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2022.103481

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