Professional Development Plan: Enhancing Nursing Skills and Leadership

This essay outlines a professional development plan for a nursing career, focusing on two key areas: communication skills and leadership abilities. The author identifies a need to improve both verbal and non-verbal communication to build better relationships with patients and colleagues, particularly in multidisciplinary teams and with patients from diverse cultural backgrounds. Specific actions include attending training classes to develop culturally competent communication skills. The plan also addresses the development of leadership skills to mentor new nurses and foster a positive work environment. Strategies for leadership development include consulting with experienced leaders, reading about successful nursing leaders, and attending leadership workshops. The ultimate goal is to provide efficient, quality patient care and motivate nursing professionals to reach their full potential.

Running head: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Two important arenas need to be focused as I enter into the professional nursing career.
The first one is proper training procedures for development of my communication skills.
Throughout my student phase, I have undertaken many reflective practices where I have realized
that I am not competent enough in my communication skills both with the patients as well as
with my colleagues and seniors. I have understood that I am quite an introvert in my approach
and therefore, I am often misunderstood. I cannot successfully convey my feelings and
suggestions and therefore I need to work on this aspect of communication. Moreover, I also
realize that I am not competent in exhibiting my non-verbal communication skills. I have seen
patient becoming uncomfortable where communicating with me and there had been time when
they have complaints about my approach. They stated that they felt that I was not genuinely
interested for caring them even when I was very serious about their health. Moreover, proper
communication skills are extremely important while working in multidisciplinary teams. Proper
communication in teams avoid medication errors, long waiting times for patients, development
of trust, effective discussion for betterment of health of patients, reduction of stress in workers
and others. Therefore, I need to develop proper communication skills. Moreover, I might have to
treat patients who come from different cultures and have different norms followed during
communication. Therefore, effective and culturally competent communication skills are very
important and therefore, I need to attend training classes on communication skills. With effective
training sessions, I will not only be able to develop proper communication attributes like proper
feedback sharing and receiving skills, active listening skills, getting over introvert attitude and
many others. I will be able to get idea of proper and culturally competent verbal and non-verbal
communication skills. With these, I would be able to develop therapeutic relationship with
patients, empower them and include them in decision making through person-centered care. It

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
would ensure safe care to patients through effective team working and increase patient
satisfaction.
Another important arena where I need to develop is my leadership abilities. I aspire to
develop my leadership skills in ways by which I will be able to lead new enrolled nurses as well
as licensed practice nurses. I will help them to develop their skills and competencies for serving
the citizens of the nation. I will help the nursing professionals to not only provide efficient and
quality service to the patients but will also motivate them in ways by which they can work
beyond their potential. I will always make myself involved in every of the task that I assign to
the nursing professionals to find out the different issues that are faced by them and accordingly
guide them with proper feedback. Evidence paper states that being autocratic can never help
teams to provide the best productivity and hence I will try to be transformational in nature and
would myself set an example which the nurses can follow to succeed in their careers. I will
always ask for suggestions from the nurses so that they feel loved and involved in the
organization. To be an effective leader, I will be professional, be a good mentor, draft a plan, and
invest in myself through continuous persuasion of education. I will be involved in every matters
of the team, be authentic, support others and acknowledge their contribution, take part in self-
management, develop a fun-filled and stress free environments and similar others. For these, i
will be consulting with stalwart leaders and learn from their experiences and suggestions, read
blood of great nursing leaders, go through evidence-based practices, attend leadership workshops
and others. All these would help me to develop as a better professional.