Professional Development Plan

Professional Development Plan: Critical Care Nursing

Krishna Amin

Rush University College of Nursing

Professional Development Plan: Critical Care Nursing

Nursing is a constantly shifting healthcare field in theory and in practice. Given current events, changes in legislation, rising rates of chronic conditions, and increase age of baby boomers, nursing continues to be an essential and necessary field (American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2014). I greatly anticipate my start in nursing during this critical time, and I hope to influence positive change in the field. 

Environmental Scans

Each field of nursing requires a heightened set of skills, critical care nursing is no different.  A critical care nurse must excel in communication, have exceptional critical thinking skills, and the ability to be an engaging and responsible member of a team. These abilities allow a nurse to remain focused and decisive while under strenuous situations. In addition, the ability to prioritize tasks to provide safe patient care is of importance. Through my prior clinical and work experiences I have learned and developed the aforementioned skills. I have had the opportunity to apply these skills successfully and therapeutically in practice.

The nursing market is currently in an upswing; the previous aphorism “nursing shortage” is not a principle issue in the United States. The current reality persists as a shortage in baccalaureate or master’s prepared nurses.  The U.S Bureau for Labor Statistics (2014) calculated the expected RN job growth rate between 2014 to 2024 is 16% compared to the average growth rate for all occupations of 7%; implying an increasing demand for nurses. Additionally, a landmark report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) on “The Future of Nursing” called for over 80% of nurses to be educated at the baccalaureate or masters prepared nurses (Campaign for Action, 2016). The 2016 nursing workforce falls short of this goal with only 60% nurses prepared at baccalaureate or masters level (AACN, 2014). The AACN released information to new graduates of nursing programs, addressing the national trends in nursing employment. They stated that new graduates should apply as early as possible and expect to search harder for employment. Although, they also state that hiring preferences are being applied to those with advanced baccalaureate or master’s degrees (AACN, 2014). 

My professional goals are to be geographically located in the greater Chicagoland area. Therefore, it is important to assess the nursing needs and employability in the location I wish to work. Hospitals in Chicago have a greater need for critical care nurses solely based on the six level-one trauma centers located around Chicago (Illinois Department of Public Health, 2017).  For example, the University of Illinois Health System filled 122 new graduate registered nurse positions in the 2014-15 fiscal year (Jimenez, 2015). There are evident hiring needs in the Chicagoland area, I plan to utilize my resources, skills, and aptitude to fill those needs in order to begin my first CNL position.

Self- Assessment

            Through my work and clinical experiences, I have identified key values that greatly benefit myself in a nursing role. The fundamental values I have incorporated into my personal philosophy of nursing are respect, integrity, altruism, competency, human dignity and teamwork (Shahriari et al., 2013). I am detail-oriented, organized, and efficient; these strengths support my time management skills. I am able to remain focused and decisive in high stress situations in addition to being effective at multi-tasking. These values will continue to help strengthen my nursing foundation, and will guide my patient care.

            I am aware that there are limitations to my personal development plan. I have not gained much nursing experience in a critical care setting, but I believe that my strengths will aid in minimizing this limitation. I am adaptive and flexible, therefore when put in an environment I can adjust easily to the necessary needs of the population.  My strengths allow me to quickly pick up information and skills necessary to thrive in a critical care setting, and my passion for critical care will keep me motivated and driven to remain proficient and competent in that field. Although there are limitations, I am prepared put forth effort to evolve deficits to fit my professional development needs.

            There is always room for professional growth, the areas that I have personally identified are in sharpening my clinical skills, more actively engaging in interdisciplinary care, and enhanced delivery of health education to patients. These are all areas in which I will continue to develop throughout my practice. The specific clinical skills I hope to advance during immersion are hemodynamic monitoring, nursing care of a mechanically ventilated patient, and interpreting EKG strips. I plan to capitalize on the opportunities presented to me during immersion in order to advance my skills and add to my employable critical care nursing skills.  Constructive feedback is crucial in progressing in any professional field.  Therefore, constructive feedback will be interpreted and applied positively in my practice, doing so will increase my nursing abilities and confidence in care.  In order to effectively utilize feedback; I will have to maintain a personal strength of mine, flexibility in providing care.

Vision

            One year after completing the CNL and GEM program, I envision myself settling into my first position as a registered nurse on a adult critical care or medical-surgical unit. I realize the limitations on obtaining a position in critical care as a new graduate; therefore, I’ve set flexible goals. If unable to begin in critical care, I envision myself using the first year on medical-surgical to gain an increased confidence and valued experience. I hope to progress my education by completing continuing education credits and attending conferences pertinent to my demographic of practice. Additionally, in a critical care setting, I will become a member of the American Association of Critical Care Nursing (AACcN), through this organization I will have access to evidence-based education specific to critical care nursing.  I will be utilizing the CNL competencies in my daily practice, especially utilizing background in practice of science and humanities (AACN, 2013). Specifically utilizing this CNL competency will allow me to effectively quantify and evaluate trends in subjective/objective data thereby articulating greater health outcomes for patients. I believe the CNL education I received will help me demonstrate leadership skills, and guide me in being a strong advocate for my patients and a valued member of an interdisciplinary healthcare team.

            Three years after completing the CNL and GEM program, I hope to be established in registered nurse position on an adult critical care unit. I will be using my CNL competencies to positively affect patient outcomes as an outcome manager and clinician (AACN, 2013). I will also be a patient advocate and effective health educator in order to increase health outcomes and reduce exacerbations of chronic illnesses. I hope to be specifically applying the CNL competency for quality improvement and safety on my unit, thereby promoting a culture of safety (AACN, 2013). Implementing quality initiatives will benefit the unit-patient culture and meet safety goals. During the three years, I will accumulate patient care hours in a critical care setting, for a total of 1750 hours. I will use those hours to obtain my Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN) certification from AACcN (American Association for Critical-care Nurses, 2016).  After three years as a critical care nurse, I envision myself being confident in my position and hope to begin to advance towards a DNP degree.

Strategic Plan

            My primary professional goal is to obtain a nursing position in critical care unit. In order to achieve this goal, I will continue to build my nursing foundation, increase my critical thinking skills and advance my abovementioned areas for growth.  During immersion, I hope to build on skills, demonstrate independence and autonomy, and increase my preparedness for my first position as a registered nurse. In order to achieve my goal, I hope to take the NCLEX in early Fall of 2017, I plan to have finalized resumes and an electronic portfolio prepared prior to taking the NCLEX in an effort to be as prepared and efficient as possible. I hope to be able to obtain my first position as a registered nurse before the close of 2017. I believe that flexibility is important when setting timelines to personal goals, but my primary professional goal remains true.

            The first indicator of success will be obtaining my first position as a registered nurse in a critical care setting. I understand the limitations to obtaining a new graduate critical care position, I am open to the benefits of solidifying my foundations and skills in an adult medical-surgical unit. Another indicator of success would be to effectively implement CNL competencies and demonstrate leadership.  The continuing indications of success would be to assume a leadership role in an interdisciplinary team, engage in shared leadership on a unit and on a more personal level obtaining positive feedback from colleagues would solidify confidence as a member of the nursing profession.

References

American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). (2016). Initial adult ccrn certification.

Retrieved from https://www.aacn.org/certification/get-certified/ccrn-adult

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2007). White paper on the education and role of the clinical nurse leader. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/publications/white-papers/ClinicalNurseLeader.pdf

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2013). Competencies and Curricular Expectations for Clinical Nurse Leader Education and Practice. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/cnl/CNL-Competencies-October-2013.pdf

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2014). Nursing Shortage. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/media-relations/fact-sheets/nursing-shortage

Campaign for Action (2016). Transforming Nursing Education. Retrieved from http://campaignforaction.org/issue/transforming-nursing-education/

Illinois Department of Public Health (2017). Trauma centers by region. Retrieved from http://www.dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/emergency-preparedness-response/ems/trauma-program/centersByReg

Jimenez, S. (2015). Nursing job market heating up. Retrieved from https://www.nurse.com/blog/2015/09/14/nursing-job-market-heating-up/

Shahriari, M., Mohammadi, E., Abbaszadeh, A., & Bahrami, M. (2013). Nursing ethical values and definitions: A literature review. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research, 18(1), 1–8.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2014). Registered Nurses. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/registered-nurses.htm