NURS30031 Essay: Lifelong Learning and Professional Development

This essay examines the critical role of lifelong learning in the nursing profession, emphasizing its positive implications for enhancing professional performance and improving patient care. It explores the concept of lifelong learning, its justification within the healthcare context, and its alignment with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) standards for Continuing Professional Development (CPD). The essay identifies various barriers to lifelong learning, such as financial constraints, time limitations, and lack of support, while also suggesting effective strategies to overcome these challenges, including practical independence, collaborative learning, and the development of a supportive learning environment. Furthermore, it discusses the purpose of a professional portfolio in documenting continuous clinical practice, education, and professional development, as per NMBA guidelines, and concludes by highlighting the importance of lifelong learning in fostering effective nursing practice and achieving positive patient outcomes. The essay underscores the necessity for nurses to continuously learn from their experiences and implement new knowledge to ensure high-quality patient care.

Introduction
The concept of Lifelong learning has been identified as a requirement for the nursing
profession. Every nurse must be involved in a lifelong process to ensureeffective practice.
Evidence suggests that nurses who have adhered to the principles of lifelong learning have
ensured an effective and improved outcome. Evidence also show that implementing lifelong
learning strategies in nursing can lead to an increased quality of patient care and thus, every
nursing schools and institutes must promote lifelong learning practices required for the provision
of high-quality care. Therefore, this paper will discuss on the positive implications of lifelong
learning, including its barriers and strategies to counteract these barriers adhering to the
'NMBA'sRegistration Standard for continuous professional development (CPD).
Discussion
Concept and justification forlifelong learning:
Lifelong learning enhances the professional performance of the nurses and ensures the
delivery of improved nursing care. Although every nurse working in the clinical settings possess
the adequate skill set and the competencies required for professional practice, continuous
learning will help them in accomplishing additional skills and knowledge that will have a
positive impact on the care of patients. Every nurse should continue to learn from their
supervisors, leaders, managers and also from their own experience irrespective of their academic
qualification and experience (Fletcher, 2016). Nurses need to facilitate an ongoing learning
attitude and support a learning environment by learning and giving education to other nurses.

McMaster, Lopez and Cleary (2018) suggest that Lifelong learning is, thus, an active and
enduring process involving sharpening the existing education otherwise they will be at risk of
their skills and knowledge becoming reluctant. Lifelong learning activities are vast and
encompass in-service training, self-directed learning and professional development courses
which is considered to be necessary for achieving a quality outcome. Provided the diversity and
complexity of the health care needs of patients and the continuous increase in the severity of the
diseases, it is highly required that nurses involve themselves in lifelong learning to meet their
individual learning needs. Not only nurses but also all other healthcare professionals must be
aware that increasing information literacy is the fundamental aspect of learning which must be
implemented in order to achieve a high-quality nursing care (Slatyer et al., 2016). Thus,
healthcare organizations must focus on the implementation of lifelong learning and teaching
strategies for enhancing the professionalism of the nurses (Sharma, 2017). Nursing Midwifery
Board of Australia (NMBA) suggests that lifelong learning is considered to be a mandatory
professional development requirement. Therefore, every Australian nurse practice by adhering to
the NMBA standards for nursing that ensures Continuing Professional Development (CPD) by
facilitating lifelong learning. CPD aims at sustaining and maintaining competence and
knowledge and introduce new skills as required for CPD (Ross, Barr & Stevens, 2013).
According to NMBA standards, CPD helps in maintaining, broadening and improving the skills,
knowledge, competence and expertise and assist in developing both personal as well as
professional qualities required all through their professional life. NMBA standard states that
CPD occurs throughout the lifetime of nurses or midwives and is an essential foundation of
lifelong learning that helps both nurses and also the midwives to maintain and improve their
skills and competence. CPD enables nurses to take an active part in enhancing the skills that will

help them in achieving an outstanding outcome, thus reducing errors and allowing the provision
of higher quality care (Kroning, 2016). NMBA suggest that CPD involves evidence based
strategies for practice and thus it is associated with positive and effective outcomes. Nurses
working in the clinical settings practice by adhering to the nursing standards and evidence based
guidelines for achieving a quality outcome and thus, nurses who practice CPD are more likely to
ensure a high quality care (Saylor & Graber, 2016). CPD also involves planning and reflection
which benefits and enhances nursing practice and the 'nurse's ability to meet the obligation of
providing safe, ethical and competent care that will have a positive impact on the 'patient's health
and eventually their health outcome (Nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au, 2020).
Barriers and strategies for lifelong learning
Qalehsari, Khaghanizadeh and Ebadi (2017) suggest that any problem arising in the
development and implementation of lifelong learning programs act as a barrier to lifelong
learning. The authors suggest that no single curriculum or a personal program can influence
lifelong learning; there is a need to develop and implement a lifelong learning program that will
affect self-directed learning. Therefore, lack of the existence of such programs can act as a
barrier and inhibit the practice of lifelong learning. Other factors acting as a barrier to lifelong
learning include financial problems, resource unavailability, time shortage, and family problems.
The strategies or programs promoting lifelong learning include introducing among the nurses
both the existing skills and new skills and increase their self-confidence by the acquisition of
skills and knowledge through appropriate programs. Therefore, a lack of implementation of a
proper lifelong learning program can hamper the ability of the nurses in accomplishing
continuing education which is considered to be compulsion by the NMBA Standards (Qalehsari,
Khaghanizadeh&Ebadi, 2017).

According to Shahhosseini and Hamzehgardeshi (2015), some of the common barriers to
lifelong learning include huge expenses, unawareness of time, time consumption, lack of
managers and personnel,the heavy workload in wards and poor evaluation system that prevents
the nurses from allocating time for such programs. Also, the study has found the lack of holding
and carrying out educational programs due to inadequate fund or resources and a lack of interest
in participation in these educational programs. Other barriers include lack of awareness, support
and encouragement from the 'organization’s end and financial problems.
Some of the strategies for lifelong learning include practical independence, collaborative
learning, research thinking, and persistence in learning and providing a suitable learning
environment. Results of the study also shown that learning skills growth will lead to mental and
practical freedom. Students want realistic and real conditions to improve their abilities, which
cannot take place in just one lesson. Skills such as teamwork and technological competencies are
learned by clinical experience (Noohi, Abaszadeh& Maddah, 2013). Learning skills solving
problems will lead to the freedom of the mental and realistic. With the problem-solving method,
analytical thought in learning expands and allows individuals to consider, work, and search for
knowledge critically.Continuing education should involve all self-directed learning experiences,
rather than relying only on nursing aspects. Maintaining education services should be versatile
because continuing formal instruction will hinder self-directed learning. Reflective abilities,
creativity and analytical thinking required to turn information into reality are characteristics that
need to be emphasized in teaching. Team collaboration, learning from others, contact with
collaborating partners, cooperation and participation within the context of relevant community
procedures results in collaborative learning. Group research is beneficial for expanding students
minds, as other community 'leader’s views encourage thought. This is important to warn them

about their operating shortcomings by exchanging one's output with others. Also research is done
by observing other colleagues and their actions. The individual should know his / her position
within the company, and other sources of learning may be peers and teams of caregivers. Patient
treatment should be used as part of collaborative healthcare. New partnerships are regarded as
one of collaboration and one of life-long learning (Summers, 2015).The research study notes that
researchers’ thought involves experimentation, active cognitive function, research-based learning
engagement, asking, fostering interest, observation, the search for information and skills and
observation learning. Curious adventurers investigating the world are lifelong learners. They
respect fresh concepts and want to know different skills. They regularly engage as participants in
learning and represent points related to the relevance of education. Thus, nurses practicing this
will involve themselves in lifelong learning that will enhance their practice and lead to a
productive outcome (Qalehsari, Khaghanizadeh, & Ebadi, 2017). The improvement of expertise
and the creation of new credentials promote success in learning. These skills are learned via a
teaching method which aims to improve learning skills and accomplish new learning and not
scoring methods. Teaching skills in the real setting with a special focus on learning strategies
increase people's self-esteem in learning and inspires them to practice.The learning environment
is a framework in which the stress of the work process is reduced, professors are well conscious
of continuous and self-directed academic, the institutional system is conducive to learning,
related institutions engage in education, and teaching is carried out through qualitative
approaches and continuing education approaches (Qalehsari, Khaghanizadeh, &Ebadi, 2017).
Thus, implementing the above strategies will help in improving the practice of lifelong learning
for ensuring a better practice.

Purpose of a professional portfolio
The nursing professionals use their technical records frequently to show that they have
fulfilled their educational standards and that they maintain information for their research and
contemplation. To make it easier to track and deliver this, e.g. in performance evaluation and
career application situations, the portfolio will allow nurses to preserve and manage their
assessment and registration records at one venue. To retain, upgrading and enhance their skills
and practice, all nurses are expected to carry out regular professional development programs and
to document these practices utilizing the portfolio (Sinclair, Bowen &Donkin, 2013).An ordered
compilation of data that documents continuous clinical practice, preparation and growth of the
nurses is known as a portfolio. Details of professional training and work experience, previous
and present responsibilities and duties and associated experiences may be presented. The
recognition of portfolios as accessible and noticeable professional participation documents and
credentials within the nursing field is rising and appropriate as an effective means of recording
ongoing professional development activities. A portfolio will help in maintaining track of their
CPD activities. To ensure safety, this specifies that nurses will undergo the preparation required
before they continue to perform a new function and receive guidance from sufficiently trained
and qualified health practitioners, to carry out some operation or practice that is outside their
expertise(Kemh.health.wa.gov.au, 2020).Registered nurses will prove ongoing competence for
annual registration in Australia and revalidation in the UK after three years. The expertise of
nurses is recorded using an informal series of CPD participation certificates before the
implementation of qualified portfolios. Nurses have recently had to collect information to justify
their continued competence and have satisfied the criteria of their qualified regulatory authorities
(Cope & Murray, 2018).There are some advantages to building and managing a portfolio.

Evidence of the action, research, CPD and reflection can be held in one location and managed
efficiently,and the portfolio can be generated for performance evaluations, audits or revision
without any difficulties. Developing a portfolio of a specific layout increases efficiency and is
easy to navigate for readers (Cope & Murray, 2018).
Conclusion
Every health care professional working in the clinical settings must practice by
implementing their skill set, competencies, experience, and expertise, in order to facilitate a high
quality patients, care and ensure 'patient's safety. Nurses must continuously learn from their
experiences and implement that in their practice to provide an effective outcome. Through
lifelong learning, nurses can enhance their professionalism and expertise that will contribute to
effective care delivery; thus, decreasing the risk of morbidity and mortality among the patients.
However, there are various barriers to lifelong learning including lack of availability of
resources, lack of awareness, family problem, lack of support and others and to combat these;
various strategies can be used for improving CPD. Every nurse must record an ordered
compilation of data that documents their continuous clinical practice, preparation and
professional development with the help of portfolio. All of these above strategies will help in
improving nursing practice leading to an effective outcome.

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