Personal and Professional Development Plan: Nursing Career Goals

This report presents a personal and professional development plan for a nursing student aiming to enhance their career and contribute to community health. The plan includes current educational status, nursing specialty, and future aspirations. The student aims to work in a medical-surgical unit to gain experience with complex disorders and critical care, alongside promoting health literacy. The plan also emphasizes engaging with professional organizations and developing leadership skills. A key focus is on continuing education through a Master’s Degree in Nursing to enhance knowledge, research capabilities, and evidence-based practice. The proposed plan outlines tasks such as enrolling in a master’s program, working in a medical-surgical unit, engaging in evidence-based practice, and exhibiting leadership skills. The report also includes a bibliography of relevant sources.

Running head: PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Current Educational Status and Nursing Specialty
The field of nursing has always been one that has significantly interested me and
supplemented my desire to contribute actively in the improvement of community health
outcomes. Hence, as a foundation stone for the fulfillment of my personal and professional goals,
I am currently my Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing. Further, as an addition to my nursing
experience and fulfillment of my interest in conducting evidence based clinical practice, I am
currently engaged in nursing services in the sub-acute unit of a healthcare organization, as a
Registered Nurse, where I am required to provide compassionate care and rehabilitation for the
purpose of management of multiple diseases and enhance disease recovery.
Plans for the Future
The field of nursing at present, is rapidly undergoing dynamic changes resulting in an
expansion of its scope. Nurses today, are not merely restricted to the alleviation of disease
symptoms, but are also required to engage in extensive research for successful evidence based
practice resulting in incorporation of the various scientific advancements in healthcare. Hence,
for the fulfillment of the same, I wish is to further explore the field of nursing and engage my
services in a medical surgical unit, which will provide me with a vast exposure associated with
the management of various complex disorders, patient profiles and the scope to exercise critical
care research and evidence based nursing practice in the treatment of critically ill patients.
Engaging myself in the medical surgical unit, will also encourage me to reach a step close in the
development of a healthier community, since I will be required to disseminate healthcare

2PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
education for the enhancement of health literacy and health promotion to my patients, in addition
to management of disease and symptoms.
Professional Organizations for Future Engagement
In addition to the eradication of patient disease conditions, the field of contemporary
nursing also requires to exhibition of adequate nursing and leaderships skills, which I am
required to perform as a part of my duties as a Registered Nurse. Hence, during my future
engagement in a medical surgical unit, apart from patient treatment, I will actively engage in
delegating necessary tasks and lead as well as guide associated nursing staff, for the purpose of
efficient management of critical medical emergency situation.
Educational Preferences in the Future
Dedicated adherence to research and education is of utmost importance for the fulfillment
of my goals to practice evidence based research. Hence, for this purpose, along with future
exploration of nursing practices, I also wish to continue my education by engaging myself in a
Master’s Degree in the field of nursing. This will further enhance my existing knowledge of
disease conditions, treatment procedures and patient management principles, along with further
motivating my fulfillment of conducting research and exploration of scholarly studies associated
with nursing education and professional clinical practice.
Proposed Professional Development Plan (As designed by the Author)
Tasks One to Two Years Within Three
Years
Three to Five Years
Enrollment in
Nursing Master’s
Degree

3PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Working as a
Registered Nurse in
Medical Surgical
Unit
Engagement in
Evidence Based
Practice
Exhibition of
Leadership and
Delegation

4PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Bibliography
Aydin, C., Donaldson, N., Stotts, N. A., Fridman, M., & Brown, D. S. (2015). Modeling
hospital‐acquired pressure ulcer prevalence on medical‐surgical units: Nurse workload,
expertise, and clinical processes of care. Health services research, 50(2), 351-373.
Hoffman, L. A., & Guttendorf, J. (2017). Preparation and evolving role of the acute care nurse
practitioner. Chest, 152(6), 1339-1345.
Melnyk, B. M., Gallagher‐Ford, L., Long, L. E., & Fineout‐Overholt, E. (2014). The
establishment of evidence‐based practice competencies for practicing registered nurses
and advanced practice nurses in real‐world clinical settings: Proficiencies to improve
healthcare quality, reliability, patient outcomes, and costs. Worldviews on Evidence
‐
Based Nursing, 11(1), 5-15.
Pittman, P., & Forrest, E. (2015). The changing roles of registered nurses in Pioneer Accountable
Care Organizations. Nursing outlook, 63(5), 554-565.
Smolowitz, J., Speakman, E., Wojnar, D., Whelan, E. M., Ulrich, S., Hayes, C., & Wood, L.
(2015). Role of the registered nurse in primary health care: meeting health care needs in
the 21st century. Nursing Outlook, 63(2), 130-136.