Professional Career Development Plan for Nursing Assignment

This essay elaborates on a Professional Career Development (PCD) plan for developing career goals that will facilitate easy transition into a registered nurse (RN). It includes SWOT analysis, learning plan, reflective practice, subject, course code, course name, and college/university.

Running head: NURSING ASSIGNMENT
Professional career development plan
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1NURSING ASSIGNMENT
Introduction- Professional career development (PCD) encompasses an attentive self-
assessment, career examination, scheduling and follow-through with initial employment
plans (Masters 2018). Thus, career development is a lifelong process that helps to manage
work, learning, transitions, and leisure, with the aim of accomplishing goals that are
personally determined, and help in future evolution. This essay will elaborate on a PCD for
developing my career goals that will facilitate easy transition into a registered nurse (RN).
SWOT analysis and learning plan- A SWOT analysis was conducted with the aim of
helping me recognise the domains where I need to improve, besides assisting me in the
identification of my strengths. The SWOT analysis is given below:
Strengths Weaknesses
 Zealous about my profession
 Capable of fostering effective
therapeutic communication with my
patients
 Quick learner
 Effective time management skills
 Able to prioritise work based on
levels of urgency
 Able to work under pressure
 Find it difficult to work with clients
and stakeholders who belong to
culturally diverse backgrounds
 Afraid of seeking help from mentors
(senior physicians and nurses)
 Lack of self-esteem
 Try to please all person
Opportunities Threats
 Scope for career development
 Option for continuing professional
education
 Enrolling in masters’ degree course
for gaining specialized academic
 Huge workload often leads to fatigue
 Shortage of nurses responsible for
burnout and decreased job
satisfaction
 Lack of appropriate communication

2NURSING ASSIGNMENT
knowledge
 Seeking help from the professional
support services that are available at
hand
 Attending workshops and
conferences for upgrading public
speaking skills
 Building network for more
employment opportunities
with culturally diverse clients
impedes the delivery of care services
 An increase in work pressure might
make if problematic to maintain
work-life balance
 Low self-esteem might create
challenges while delivering care
under acute situations that require
utilization of critical thinking skills
Table 1- SWOT analysis
An analysis of my strengths and weaknesses helped me formulate a learning plan that
will facilitate appropriate career development, while allowing me to improve my expertise,
and attain the intended goals. The learning plan formulated for future professional
advancement is given below:
Goals to accomplish Strategies to
achieve the goals
Timeframe Reflection
Seek admission in a
masters’/postgraduat
e course in nursing
Place a due focus on
ways by which
academic
knowledge,
pertaining to nursing
can be increased, in
order to ensure
presence of a hassle-
free transition from
I intend to
commence the
course within next
1.5-2 years
The two year
commitment will
acts a gateway to my
career development
and is often
considered as the
initial credentialing
process needed for
specialized nursing

3NURSING ASSIGNMENT
clinical placement to
the role of a
registered nurse
(RN).
practice.
Increase self-
confidence and self-
esteem
Being mindful of the
events occurring,
avoiding comparing
my actions and
capabilities with
others, practicing
acceptance, and
engaging in
moderate physical
exercise will boost
self-esteem and self-
confidence (Gerlach
et al. 2015).
This goal will be
continuous and will
not have any
predefined timeline
for completion.
An increase in self-
esteem will help me
love and feel proud
of my actions and
profession. I will
also be able to
participate in
decision making
processes, without
being overshadowed
by other’s views.
Enhance cultural
competence
Recognise that the
term culture extends
way beyond the
colour of the skin,
finding out about the
cultural background
of all stakeholders
(including
Commencement
within three months.
This process will
also be life-long
Demonstrating
cultural competence
will allow me to
interact and deliver
care services to the
patients in a manner
that is in alignment
with their values,

4NURSING ASSIGNMENT
employees), prior to
conversing with
them, determining
cultural
effectiveness of self,
making all clients
feel at home,
conducting
evaluation in a
culturally sensitive
manner, and
eliciting the
preferences and
experiences of the
patients will
increase cultural
competence
(Saunders, Haskins
and Vasquez 2015).
linguistic needs, and
culture. This will
improve their health
outcomes and
increase my job
satisfaction.
Learn stress handling Maintaining regular
journal, learning to
refuse people upon
reaching certain
limit, showing
compliance to a
Within two months,
and the process will
be continued
throughout life.
Stress handling will
make it easy to work
under pressure,
reduce mistakes,
decrease fatigue,
and prevent burnout.

5NURSING ASSIGNMENT
healthy dietary
pattern, learning
relaxation
techniques, and
developing a style of
forgiving will help
to handle stressful
situations (Tetrick
and Winslow 2015).
Table 2- Learning plan
Reflective practice- Prior to enrolling myself at the baccalaureate nursing course, I did not
have a sound awareness of the fact that continuing nursing education (CNE) is imperative for
meeting the state requirements of nursing licensure. My clinical placement allowed me to
work in close collaboration with disabled patients at rehabilitation units. I also have the
experience of working as an anaesthetic nurse and mental health professional at St. Vincent’s
Hospital and Concord Mental Hospital, respectively. Although I gained hands-on exposure to
different aspects of nursing such as, reviewing patient history, working with multidisciplinary
team, conducting comprehensive patient assessment, and participating in wound care
management, I realised that transition to the role of an RN encompasses anxiety and fear,
besides excitement and happiness. Hence, I was able to identify the several issues that might
be encountered during the transition period, which in turn made me develop a learning plan,
to progress my professional capabilities. Some major strategies that will assist me in
following the prepared PCD plan are as follows:
 Remaining responsible for my actions and deeds
 Scheduling goals based on their urgency and importance

6NURSING ASSIGNMENT
 Maintaining log book to note down happenings, challenges, thoughts, and perception
 Rewarding self, on accomplishing the goals will act as a form of encouragement
Three strategies for supporting PCD- The major three strategies that will allow me
achieve professional development are:
1. Increasing clinical knowledge by conducting extensive search of evidences, prior to
administration of any therapeutic or non-therapeutic intervention to the patients
(Chinn and Kramer 2014).
2. Seeking mentors from different healthcare departments to explore new avenues of
health and social care. This will increase knowledge and help in gaining exposure to
novel opportunities.
3. Asking for feedback from family and friends will help in identifying the areas that
need improvement and provide an unbiased view of the skills or strengths
(Woodhead, Northrop and Edelstein 2016).
Conclusion- To conclude, my nursing philosophy is to care for all clients, regardless of
their background, and the prevailing situation. The project proved advantageous in providing
an account of the strategies that need to be adopted for career advancement. Showing
adherence to the goals and objectives will facilitate easy transition to professional practice.

7NURSING ASSIGNMENT
References
Chinn, P.L. and Kramer, M.K., 2014. Knowledge Development in Nursing-E-Book: Theory
and Process. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Gerlach, C., Mai, S., Schmidtmann, I., Massen, C., Reinholz, U., Laufenberg-Feldmann, R.
and Weber, M., 2015. Does interdisciplinary and multiprofessional undergraduate education
increase students' self-confidence and knowledge toward palliative care? Evaluation of an
undergraduate curriculum design for palliative care at a German academic hospital. Journal
of palliative medicine, 18(6), pp.513-519.
Masters, K., 2018. Role development in professional nursing practice. Jones & Bartlett
Learning.
Saunders, J.A., Haskins, M. and Vasquez, M., 2015. Cultural competence: A journey to an
elusive goal. Journal of Social Work Education, 51(1), pp.19-34.
Tetrick, L.E. and Winslow, C.J., 2015. Workplace stress management interventions and
health promotion. Annu. Rev. Organ. Psychol. Organ. Behav., 2(1), pp.583-603.
Woodhead, E.L., Northrop, L. and Edelstein, B., 2016. Stress, social support, and burnout
among long-term care nursing staff. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 35(1), pp.84-105.