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Running head: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Professional Development Plan

Ashley Borowiak

Ferris State University

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Abstract

The nursing profession binds its goals and values by the standards set by the American Nurses

Association (ANA). In this professional development plan, I have discussed how the standards

set by the ANA have shaped the way I practice and treat my patients. I have identified my

strengths as supported by the ANA; however, I have also discussed the aspects of my practice

that the standards of the ANA will help me in improving by evaluating the way I practice and

what I value as a nurse. Furthermore, outlined in this plan are the five- and ten-year professional

goals that I have set for myself and hope to achieve in the timelines mentioned.

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Professional Development Plan

Though all nurses are capable of retaining a set of skills and information learned in

school, the medical field is ever-changing and requires us as practitioners to seek knowledge and

skills to maintain a safe and healthy environment for our patients in order to promote healing and

wellness. The American Nurses Association (ANA) outlines a set of standards that nurses

should follow in order to remain a sound educator and advocate for their patients. You will find

below the nursing standards as outlined by the ANA which I feel I incorporate, or should more

so, into my everyday practice.

Standards of Professional Practice

Standard 7. Ethics

The nursing code of ethics is used to guide practice to ensure that care is delivered in a

manner that protects patient autonomy, rights and beliefs while maintaining patient

confidentiality and protecting the patient against unethical behavior that might jeopardize his or

her best interest (ANA, 2010). I abide by this standard by looking at each patient as an

individual and respecting his or her beliefs and wishes. I have found to struggle with this

standard as I sometimes do not agree with patients’ wishes regarding whether to prolong or end

life, but I consistently remind myself that it is not my decision to make, and the patient has valid

reasoning for their decisions, just as I do with my own. I did not begin to struggle with this until

floating more to the intensive care unit (ICU) and caring for patients who are mechanically

ventilated in vegetative states. It was difficult for me to see the skin breakdown, frequent

pneumonia, and anxiety some of these patients had to endure. Though regardless who is making

this decision, whether it had been the patient’s wish or their family’s, it is only in my scope to

treat the patient in a nonbiased way and respect the decisions being made.

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In addition to respecting my patient’s beliefs, I am always honest with my patients

regarding their care, medications and treatments, explaining their rights as a patient. In my

practice, I make all efforts to maintain a therapeutic yet professional relationship with my

patients and their families, and I advocate for them when I deem necessary.

Standard 8. Education

Maintaining and furthering knowledge is essential is today’s field of nursing. According

to the ANA (2010), nurses must achieve higher knowledge that reflects current practice by

participating in ongoing educational activities. Currently, I am furthering my education to obtain

a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, not only hoping to one day further my own career, but

continuing to educate myself to provide my patients with the care they deserve. Furthermore, I

am looking to join a professional organization to seek out more information and remain up-to-

date on my facility’s and state’s requirements to maintain my nursing licensure. In the last 9

months, I have been cross-trained to the ICU and have obtained my advanced cardiac life support

certification to ensure that I am safe and knowledgeable when working in this type of

environment. Finally, in the last year I have attended a wellness conference covering many

different subject areas to improve patient care and have also attended a teleconference on

catheter associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) and how to prevent them in my own facility.

Attending these conferences not only increases my knowledge base, but it also allows me the

opportunity to spread this education to my patients and coworkers alike.

Standard 9. Evidence Based Practice and Research

ANA (2010) explained that nurses who utilize evidence-based practice and research

should integrate their findings into their everyday work and employ the best available evidence

to guide them. At my facility, I am a member of a committee which works to decrease CAUTIs.

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In the last year, we have collected data regarding indication for catheter use, average length of

catheter use, and the number of infections associated with this. Our correlations showed that

some catheter use was unnecessary, if not initially then after a specified length of time. By

educating staff in all departments, our facility has decreased our infection rate to zero through

carrying our interventions required to decrease CAUTI. By completing research and collecting

data headed by our infection control personnel, we were able to find correlations in research and

share this information with our staff to education them.

In a group, I can perform research quite well with direction, though it is difficult for me

to do this on my own, mostly due to lack of time. Much research is done for us as nurses, and

we have many resources to turn to, though it is a matter of finding the time to sort through these

vast resources for me. I will work on this and try to set aside time during my work day to do so,

and joining a professional organization will also help me to improve in this area by having this

type of resource material more readily at hand.

Standard 10. Quality of Practice

In my approach to nursing, I demonstrate quality of practice by enhancing the

effectiveness and quality of the care that I deliver, which is outlined by the ANA (2010). Quality

of practice can be demonstrated also by documenting the application of the nursing process,

implementing activities, and participate in minimizing costs among many other things (ANA,

2010). I currently sit on a committee that reviews the discharge process at my facility, which

assists staff to find failures and to provide more positive and attainable outcomes. We attempt to

find barriers in the process and monitor how and why particular steps in the process are carried

out as they are. With this research, the facility hopes to improve the discharge process to

improve nursing practice and outcomes.

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I find this particular standard to be a weakness of mine, as I fall into a habit of becoming

accustomed to barriers and ineffective techniques. I figure ways to function with this these,

instead of looking at how I can change them. I try to personally be aware of being cost effective,

but do not particularly think of the big picture or ways that all of us together as a facility can be

more cost effective. I will work on looking at things as how we can change them, rather than

how I will deal with them.

Standard 11. Communication

In all areas of practice, the ANA (2010) discussed the ways in how a nurse communicates

effectively. I have learned in my short time as a nurse that communication is not just spoken

words, but it is also done through gestures, expressions and tone. Nurses have an important job

of consistently communicating with individuals including fellow staff, patients, and their

families. I feel that I do a superior job at this, continually providing education to my patients and

keeping members of the interdisciplinary team up to speed on what is occurring with each

patient. While communicating through report, I try to utilize the SBAR (situation, background,

assessment, recommendation) tool kit, which has been shown to positively affect patient care and

safety. The Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association (2013) found in research that 70-80%

of medical errors are related to failures in interpersonal interaction and communication, and

using the SBAR technique can improve quality of care by implementing effective

communication.

The type of communication that I struggle with is the communication between coworkers

which is negative in nature. I understand the importance of getting things “off your chest” in this

field and being able to move on and remain positive, though I often times find myself being the

one who is listening to another coworker’s constant negativity and unhappiness. I find it difficult

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to break away from this without offending my coworkers, but often find that this type of

communication leaves me with nothing but negative feelings. I need to become a stronger

communicator in finding a way to appropriately communicate my feelings regarding this

negativity.

Standard 12. Leadership

In my own current practice, I take steps to promote and demonstrate leadership,

something the ANA (2010) described as something that should be practiced in the professional

setting. The ANA (2010) discussed that leadership can be demonstrated through a number of

things, such as serving key roles, working to create and maintain a healthy work environment,

and teaching others to succeed through mentoring, among other things. I have found that I

demonstrate leadership most by mentoring student nurses and new employees. I am one of few

nurses on my unit who is a new employee mentor, and I have frequent nursing students who

view me as a preceptor during their time at our facility.

I see the leadership role as a strength to me, as I enjoy taking on thirsty learners to teach

them about the ever-changing field of the nursing and patient care. I try to always maintain a

positive attitude toward my facility and take pride in the type of work that I do. I do not,

however, belong to a professional organization, which the ANA (2010) explained provides

advancement of the profession. I have, however, looked into professional organizations and as

discussed further later on, will be joining one in the near future.

Standard 13. Collaboration

Collaboration is an important piece to the puzzle and care for the patient is complex in

nature, involving many different people of the health care team. The ANA (2010) explained that

the nurse should collaborate with not only the patient, but also their family members and others

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involved in the nursing practice. I currently work most of my shifts in the medical/surgical unit,

where many of our patients are orthopedic patients requiring physical, occupational, and

respiratory therapy at some point during their stays, and they also need arrangements for home

equipment and care. A patient like this alone requires me to collaborate with at least 5

individuals, not including the patient, their family, or the physicians. In determining safe care,

both inpatient and at-home, many members of the health care team must collaborate to ensure the

patients’ needs are being met at all points in their recovery.

Initiating discussion with members of the team is a strength of mine, as much of it is

being able to effectively communicate with others, which as stated above, I feel comfortable

doing. With all members of a team contributing different things to the patient, everyone needs to

be in agreement on treatment plans and how to carry out interventions. My facility will soon be

implementing brief team meetings each morning where the nurse, care coordinator, physician,

and any other team members involved in care will get together to discuss patients and the course

of action. I believe this will only strengthen communication and provide positive patient

outcomes.

Standard 14. Professional Practice Evaluation

In order to provide quality and safe care, a nurse must continually evaluate his or her own

practice regarding professional practice standards, relevant statutes, rules and regulations (ANA,

2010). In addition to formal yearly reviews from the nurse manager, nurses at my facility must

complete a self evaluation and have another team member of the same job description complete

one on them. Evaluating myself and practice and taking the time to improve it is something that

I need to work on. Completing a professional development plan and evaluation as I am doing

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now is helpful in that it forces me to think of my current practice and my strengths and

weaknesses which encompass it.

Standard 15. Resource Utilization

In practice, a nurse must consider factors which are related to safety, effectiveness, cost

and their impact on practice in the planning and the delivery of nursing services, such as

identifying resources for patients and families, assisting the patient in becoming an informed

consumer, and evaluating safety, cost and benefits and efficiencies among others (ANA, 2010).

This is something that in my own practice I definitely need to work on, though I have come a

long way in providing information to my patients. I have learned to utilize the knowledge of

care coordinators and social workers in order to gather information for my patients regarding

community support. I had a patient recently who was in need of a walker, though did not have

insurance to cover the cost of going through a home health agency. I collaborated with the care

coordinator, and after much research, we discovered an organization in our town which loans

people medical equipment. While collaborating with one another, and doing some extensive

asking around, we were able to provide our patient with a resource that we were unaware they

had access to, and now can refer future patients to this same organization.

Standard 16. Environmental Health

By practicing in an environmentally safe and healthy manner, we can reduce

environmental health risks for not only patients, but fellow staff members as well (ANA, 2010).

In my own current practice, I take precautions when coming into contact with all patients, using

standard precautions, such as hand washing between patient contact and wearing gloves if there

is a possibility of contact with blood or bodily fluids (Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, 2011). I also take special precautions when caring for those patients who are

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isolated due to a specific condition or infection by donning personal protective equipment when

necessary and adhering to my facility’s policies regarding what type of equipment is necessary

(CDC, 2011).

At my facility, we have many different types of disinfectants which are meant for

different organisms. I have become much more aware of what cleaner kills what bacteria or

virus by reading the label on the bottle before use. This aids in actually stopping the spread of

the germ by using the correct disinfectant, rather than using something that may not kill the

organism.

Professional Goals

Five-Year Goals

I do have a few goals that I wish to achieve in the next five years, academically and

professionally. I currently do not belong to any professional organizations and I would like to

become a part of a group of interest. Belonging to an organization will provide me with

resources to study evidence-based practice, in turn improving my own practice. I am currently

on track to receive my Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN) in the summer of 2014. This will

allow me to expand my career options and improve my overall practice as a registered nurse.

Ten-Year Goals

Upon completion of my BSN next year, I would like to eventually return to school to

achieve a Master’s degree in nursing, but the specific type I am not yet sure. With the hospital in

where I am employed being a teaching institution, I have piqued an interest in education at the

Master’s level. With that being said, I have also considered obtaining a Master’s degree in

administration. While these two particular things do not interest me at this point in my career

because of my love for bedside nursing, I do anticipate wanting to make a career change at some

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point during my life, and I want to be prepared when this happens. I hope to have my Master’s

degree by the end of the year 2020, possibly having found a specialty which has caught my

interest, and I can then further obtain education in this.

I have browsed through a few MSN level programs, and so far I have been happy with

the program at FSU and think I would like to continue with this university for MSN. According

to the FSU website, 36 credits are required to obtain an MSN once the BSN is achieved, and

coursework must be completed within 5 years, along with passing a comprehensive exam (FSU,

n.d.). FSU offers three concentrations in the MSN program including nursing education,

administration and informatics, which provides bachelor-prepared nurses to seek career mobility

options and prepares said nurses for advanced leadership roles (FSU, n.d.).

Evaluation of Goals

After the completion of this semester, I will have 25 credits to complete at FSU to obtain

my BSN, and I am still on track to complete my degree by the end of Summer 2014. I am

enrolled in six to seven credits per semester, and though at this point in my life that amount of

coursework is achievable, I am trying to remain flexible in the event that I need to decrease the

number of courses I take. I have been looking into professional organizations to join to enhance

my practice, and have now narrowed it down between the ANA and the Michigan Nurses

Association. Furthermore, with my recent increase in hours worked in the intensive care unit

(ICU), I may consider joining an organization geared towards the critical care nurse.

Though I do not plan to obtain an MSN for quite some time, I am unsure of many of the

logistics, though will address and focus on these more after obtaining my BSN. As mentioned

above, I have been spending quite a bit of time working in the ICU and can see devoting myself

to this specialty. One of my ten-year goals is to find something that I would like to specialize in

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and focus on that for some time in my career. Currently working mostly in a medical-surgical

setting, I will offer my skills to other areas of healthcare to assist in the search for a specialty.

For now, I will continue to build my skills in medical and surgical setting and reevaluate these

goals upon completion of my BSN.

Conclusion

Completing a professional development plan has helped me in assessing what aspects of

the field of nursing I excel at and those in which I need to improve. Looking at the standards of

nursing has reinforced the need to continually educate myself and remain up-to-date on

processes, policies, rules and regulations at both my facility and national level. By assessing my

skills and my development for the future, I have been able to set realistic goals for myself

academically and professionally, which will only support me to continue to allow my knowledge

base to grow. With all of this being said, the care I provide for my patient will only improve

with the interventions I have planned for my future.

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References

American Nurses Association (2010). Nursing scope and standards of practice (2nd Ed.). Silver

Spring, Maryland: Author

Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association (2013). SBAR communication. Retrieved April

25, 2013 from http://www.azhha.org/patient_safety/sbar.aspx

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2011). Healthcare associated infections. Retrieved

April 25, 2013 from http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/settings/outpatient/outpatient-care-gl-

standared-precautions.html.

Ferris State University, (n.d.). Nursing MSN. Retrieved April 25, 2013 from

http://catalog.ferris.edu/programs/445/

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http://catalog.ferris.edu/programs/445/

http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/settings/outpatient/outpatient-care-gl-standared-precautions.html

http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/settings/outpatient/outpatient-care-gl-standared-precautions.html

http://www.azhha.org/patient_safety/sbar.aspx


CHECKLIST FOR SUBMITTING PAPERS

CHECKDATE, TIME, & INITIAL

PROOFREAD FOR: APA ISSUES

4/27/13 ab

1. Page Numbers: Did you number your pages using the automatic functions of your Word program? [p. 230 and example on p. 40)]

4/27/13 ab

2. Running head: Does the Running head: have a small “h”? Is it on every page? Is it less than 50 spaces total? Is the title of the Running head in all caps? Is it 1/2” from the top of your title page? (Should be a few words from the title of your paper). [p. 229 and example on p. 40]

4/27/13 ab

3. Abstract: Make sure your abstract begins on a new page. Is there a label of Abstract and it is centered at the top of the page? Is it a single paragraph? Is the paragraph flush with the margin without an indentation? Is your abstract a summary of your entire paper? Remember it is not an introduction to your paper. Someone should be able to read the abstract and know what to find in your paper. [p. 25 and example on p. 41]

4/27/13 ab

4. Introduction: Did you repeat the title of your paper on your first page of content? Do not use ‘Introduction’ as a heading following the title. The first paragraph clearly implies the introduction and no heading is needed. [p. 27 and example on p. 42]

4/27/13 ab

5. Margins: Did you leave 1” on all sides? [p. 229]

4/27/13 ab

6. Double-spacing: Did you double-space throughout? No triple or extra spaces between sections or paragraphs except in special circumstances. This includes the reference page. [p. 229 and example on p. 40-59]

4/27/13 ab

7. Line Length and Alignment: Did youuse the flush-left style, and leave the right margin uneven, or ragged? [p. 229]

4/27/13 ab

8. Paragraphs and Indentation: Did you indent the first line of every paragraph? See P. 229 for exceptions.

4/27/13 ab

9. Spacing After Punctuation Marks: Did you space once at the end of separate parts of a reference and initials in a person’s name? Do not space after periods in abbreviations. Space twice after punctuation marks at the end of a sentence. [p. 87-88]

4/27/13 ab

10. Typeface: Did you use Times Roman 12-point font? [p. 228]

4/27/13 ab

11. Abbreviation: Did you explain each abbreviation the first time you used it? [p. 106-111]

4/27/13 ab

12. Plagiarism: Cite all sources! If you say something that is not your original idea, it must be cited. You may be citing many times…this is what you are supposed to be doing! [p. 170]

4/27/13 ab

13. Direct Quote: A direct quote is exact words taken from another. An example with citation would look like this:“The variables that impact the etiology and the human response to various

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disease states will be explored” (Bell-Scriber, 2007, p. 1).Please note where the quotation marks are placed, where the final period is placed, no first name of author, and inclusion of page number, etc. Do all direct quotes look like this? [p. 170-172]14. Quotes Over 40 Words: Did you make block quotes out of any direct quotes that are 40 words or longer? [p. 170-172]

4/27/13 ab

15. Paraphrase: A paraphrase citation would look like this:Patients respond to illnesses in various ways depending on a number of factors that will be explored (Bell-Scriber, 2007). It may also look like this: Bell-Scriber (2007) found that…… [p. 171 and multiple examples in text on p. 40-59]For multiple references within the same paragraph see page 174.

4/27/13 ab

16. Headings: Did you check your headings for proper levels? [p. 62-63].

4/27/13 ab

17. General Guidelines forReferences:A. Did you start the References on a new page? [p. 37]B. Did you cut and paste references on your reference page? If so, check to make sure they are in correct APA format. Often they are not and must be adapted. Make sure all fonts are the same.C. Is your reference list double spaced with hanging indents? [p. 37]

PROOFREAD FOR GRAMMAR, SPELLING, PUNCTUATION, & STRUCTURE4/27/13 ab

18. Did you follow the assignment rubric? Did you make headings that address each major section? (Required to point out where you addressed each section.)

4/27/13 ab

19. Watch for run-on or long, cumbersome sentences. Read it out loud without pausing unless punctuation is present. If you become breathless or it doesn’t make sense, you need to rephrase or break the sentence into 2 or more smaller sentences. Did you do this?

4/27/13 ab

20. Wordiness: check for the words “that”, and “the”. If not necessary, did you omit?

4/27/13 ab

21. Conversational tone: Don’t write as if you are talking to someone in a casual way. For example, “Well so I couldn’t believe nurses did such things!” or “I was in total shock over that.” Did you stay in a formal/professional tone?

4/27/13 ab

22. Avoid contractions. i.e. don’t, can’t, won’t, etc. Did you spell these out?

4/27/13 ab

23. Did you check to make sure there are no hyphens and broken words in the right margin?

4/27/13 ab

24. Do not use “etc.” or "i.e." in formal writing unless in parenthesis. Did you check for improper use of etc. & i.e.?

4/27/13 ab

25. Stay in subject agreement. When referring to 1 nurse, don’t refer to the nurse as “they” or “them”. Also, in referring to a human, don’t refer to the person as “that”, but rather “who”. For example: The nurse that gave the injection….” Should be “The nurse who gave the injection…” Did you check for subject agreement?

4/27/13 26. Don’t refer to “us”, “we”, “our”, within the paper…this is not about you and

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ab me. Be clear in identifying. For example don’t say “Our profession uses empirical data to support ….” . Instead say “The nursing profession uses empirical data…..

4/27/13 ab

27. Did you check your sentences to make sure you did not end them with a preposition? For example, “I witnessed activities that I was not happy with.” Instead, “I witnessed activities with which I was not happy.”

4/27/13 ab

28. Did you run a Spellcheck? Did you proofread in addition to running the Spellcheck?

4/27/13 ab

29. Did you have other people read your paper? Did they find any areas confusing?

4/27/13 ab

30. Did you include a summary or conclusion heading and section to wrap up your paper?

4/27/13 ab

31. Does your paper have sentence fragments? Do you have complete sentences?

4/27/13 ab

32. Did you check apostrophes for correct possessive use. Don’t use apostrophes unless it is showing possession and then be sure it is in the correct location. The exception is with the word it. It’s = it is. Its is possessive.

Signing below indicates you have proofread your paper for the errors in the checklist:

Ashley Borowiak DATE: April 27, 2013

A peer needs to proofread your paper checking for errors in the listed areas and sign below:

________________________________________________________DATE:_______________

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