NURSING 5: Reflective SWOT Analysis and Professional Development

This report presents a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis conducted by a nursing student, focusing on self-assessment and professional development. The analysis identifies personal strengths such as patience and a positive attitude, while also acknowledging weaknesses like self-criticism and moderate communication skills. The report further explores opportunities like completing higher studies and threats such as competition in the field. A reflective analysis is included, highlighting the importance of addressing weaknesses, particularly low self-esteem and people-pleasing tendencies, which can affect nursing practice and patient care. The report also outlines the student's nursing philosophy, emphasizing patient-centered, compassionate, quality, and ethical care, and proposes three strategies for professional development: engaging in CPD activities and volunteering, journaling, and self-care assessment. These strategies are designed to improve self-esteem, reduce people-pleasing behavior, and enhance overall well-being, ultimately contributing to the student's growth as a healthcare professional. The report also includes references to support the analysis and proposed strategies.

Running Head: NURSING
Nursing
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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SWOT analysis
Strength Weakness
 Patience, disciplined and honest
 Dedicated to nursing
 Hold positive attitude towards life
 Respectful of others values and dignity
 Too critical of myself and low self
esteem
 Forgetting about myself and trying to
please everyone
 Moderate communication skills
Opportunities Threats
 Variety of nursing roles
 Complete graduation and enrol for
higher studies
 Engage in research work
 Serve remote areas and communities
 Lack of self confidence and esteem
 Lack of experience in dealing with
diverse public
 Tough competition among nurses
 Hectic workplace
Reflective analysis
SWOT analysis has assisted me indentifying my weaknesses that can affect my careers in
nursing. Based on SWOT I have identified my personal learning needs. The areas need to be
developed are-
 Improve self-esteem and avoid self criticism
 Avoid pleasing people irrelevant manner
As per the NMBA standards Nurses must maintain the capability to practice. They must
be accountable for safe practice. Whenever, there is a concern nurses must undergo self

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management. The registered nurse must accept the accountability for the behaviours of self and
others whom they have delegated responsibilities (Nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au 2018). Low
self esteem and self-criticism can hamper the nursing practice. Self criticism in psychology is
considered negative personality trait (Steiger et al. 2014). This is the behaviour of holding
oneself responsible for past failures. It may hamper nursing because; I may hold myself
responsible for clinical errors committed by other nurse during delegation. Thus, it will affect my
chances to develop professionalism. It will hamper the safe and quality care delivery. According
to Sturm and Dellert (2016), nurses with high self-esteem can engage in better collaboration with
other nurses and patients. Self criticism will prevent a nurse to become effective leader and
manger. I remember having burn out due to low self esteem at the time of academic
presentations. It was because I criticised myself for not performing well even when I gave my
best. Therefore, I need to develop high self esteem and avoid too much criticism.
According to Slominski (2016), people pleasers neglect themselves. It may be affective in
terms of caring for others. However, it is considered a drawback as in pleasing others one may
fail to care for self. Taking care of personal needs will increase the motional awareness that is
important, to care for others. Suppressing personal feelings to please others may develop as
passive aggression, stress and depression. It may have high chance of being taken advantage by
others. Nurses must have high emotional reservoirs, to identify the care needs of the patients.
People pleasing due to fears and insecurities in life may negatively impact the patient safety.
Nursing philosophy
Every nursing student has a nursing philosophy. My nursing philosophy was developed
during my experience in bachelor degree. My personal philosophy of nursing is to deliver patient

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centered, compassionate, quality and ethical care. I believe in staying true to my moral, personal
and ethical values, at all times. I believe in holistic model of care and that healing is contingent
upon the health of all 3 components. This philosophy is developed based on what I believe is the
most important part of the nursing profession.
Three strategies to fulfil professional development
Professional development needs Strategies
 Develop high self esteem and
avoid self criticism
 Engage in CPD activities and
volunteer for committee
 Avoid people pleasing and
increase self care
 Involve in journaling
 Engage in self care assessment
and diagnose the self-care
deficit
Engage in CPD activities and volunteer for committee- Engaging CPD activities are
necessary for license practice (Pool 2015). I can work with positive attitude in my future as
accomplishing the CPD hours will give me feeling of achievement and enhance my self-esteem.
Active engagement and community participation will enrich with problem solving skills. Any
chance to care will increase the opportunity for professional development and increase leadership
competencies (Gerber 2016). When volunteering in community, I can work with diverse people,
which will increase methodical problem solving skills. It will increase the motivation and self
confidence. Using, this strategy may reduce my self-criticism behaviour.

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Involve in journaling- Journal writing is the documentation of human interaction with
personal tone and daily life events. Using the journals one can analyse the personal growth and
please themselves by understanding on self better. In my case it will help in reducing the people
pleasing behaviour. Using the journal one can look through the past and develop insights into
most important things in life. According to Taylor (2017), journaling aid in providing the safe
space for feelings, lower the stress levels, and enhance the self care. Journal writing is important
for mental well being as developing new insights on life gives confidence. The moments of
victory assist in dealing with stress during the need of encouragement. It may reduce the people
pleasing activities.
Engage in self care assessment and diagnose the self-care deficit- Assessment of
patient conditions is important aspect of nursing. Similarly, self care assessment is vital to
identify the self care need. The assessment may include reflecting on types of regular activities,
which impact the personal health and well being. There are various online tools or measurement
scales available that comes with set of items and options on five point Likert scale. Reflection
on eating habits, exercise and how care is taken for maintaining the emotional health and
spiritual health will help analysing the flaws in self care. Patient’s health assessment is followed
by diagnosis of the illness. Similarly, self care journey begins with diagnosis of the self care
deficit. This process involves admitting the personal problem and transparent examination of the
activities that does not promote self care, extent of the stress and burn out experienced due to
professional and personal life. This exercise will help identify the priority self care needs
followed by development of the plan of action (Zhu et al. 2015). This strategy is effective in
reducing the people pleasing and self criticism behaviour.

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References
Gerber, L., 2016. Finding new purpose through volunteering. Nursing2018, 46(11), pp.47-49.
Nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au (2018). Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia - Professional
standards. [online] Nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au. Available at:
http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Statements/Professional-
standards.aspx [Accessed 25 Jan. 2018].
Pool, I.A., 2015. Continuing professional development across the nursing career: A lifespan
perspective on CPD motives and learning activities (Doctoral dissertation).
Slominski, T.J., 2016. The Habits of Happy People: Twelve Important Life Lessons. BookBaby.
Steiger, A.E., Allemand, M., Robins, R.W. and Fend, H.A., 2014. Low and decreasing self-
esteem during adolescence predict adult depression two decades later. Journal of personality and
social psychology, 106(2), p.325.
Sturm, B.A. and Dellert, J.C., 2016. Exploring nurses' personal dignity, global self-esteem and
work satisfaction. Nursing ethics, 23(4), pp.384-400.
Taylor, E. W. (2017). Transformative learning theory. In Transformative Learning Meets
Bildung (pp. 17-29). SensePublishers, Rotterdam.
Zhu, Y., Liu, C., Guo, B., Zhao, L. and Lou, F., 2015. The impact of emotional intelligence on
work engagement of registered nurses: The mediating role of organisational justice. Journal of
clinical nursing, 24(15-16), pp.2115-2124.