Professional Development

Chelsey Steen
NURS 479 Transition to the Professional Nursing Role
 Direct Patient Care
● Strengths: Critical thinking, pediatric nursing skills, and
therapeutic communication
● Opportunities for improvement: Grouping nursing care,
starting IV’s, and medication knowledge
● Short-term goal (present-2yrs): I will feel comfortable taking
on full patient care within a year. I will also become certified
in pediatric advanced life support (PALS) within a year.
● Long-term goal (3-5yrs): I will receive training and work in
the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) within 5 years.
 Integrative Modalities
● Comfort care:
○ Procedure room
○ Sweeties
○ Distraction with toys or arts and crafts
● Deep breathing techniques
● Guided imagery
 Unit Leadership
● Strengths: Interprofessional communication, prioritization,
and empathy
● Opportunities for improvement: Delegation, being a team
player, and calling the provider
● Short-term goal: I will act as a unit leader by displaying
leadership qualities and delegating appropriately within the
healthcare team after a 2 years of starting as a nurse.
● Long-term goal: I will receive training and begin to work as a
charge nurse within 5 years of starting on the unit.
 Professional Development
● Short-term goal: I will join the American Nurses Association
(ANA) within two years of starting my professional career.
● Long-term goal: I will receive certification as a certified
pediatric nurse (CPN) within four years of starting my
professional career.
 Nonviolent Communication; a
Leadership Development Book Language of Compassion by
Marshall Rosenberg
● Strengths:
○ Two-way compassionate and understanding
communication
○ Express yourself honestly and actively listen
● Opportunities for improvement:
○ Four elements of nonviolent communication:
observation, feelings, needs and requests
● Benefits in terms of my professional growth:
○ Effective nonviolent communication even in disagreement
○ Identifying the needs of the person communicating
(Rosenberg, 1999)
 Leadership Role Paper
● Charge nurse
○ Rationale for choice:
■ Future leadership opportunity
○ Enhanced knowledge:
■ Responsibilities of a charge nurse
■ Leadership and management qualities
 Professional Activities
● BLS CPR Certification
○ Enhanced knowledge:
■ Recertification in basic life support CPR
■ How to react when a patient requires CPR
● COVID-19 webinars offered by CIDRAP
○ Enhanced knowledge:
■ How to test and treat patients with COVID-19
■ Starting professional career during the COVID-19 pandemic
 Educational Plan
● Personal aspirations:
○ Working with women and children
○ Pediatrics: Pediatric unit or PICU
○ Women's health: Labor and delivery or mother baby unit
● Potential opportunities:
○ Certified pediatric nurse (CPN)
○ Pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP) or family nurse
practitioner (FNP)
○ Certified nurse midwife (CNM)
 Educational Plan
● Short-term goal: I will start working on a pediatric unit within
two years of starting my nursing practice. I will also attend
Spanish classes to learn medical terminology in order to feel
comfortable acting as a bilingual staff member within 2 years of
starting as a nurse.
● Long-term goal: I will become a travel nurse within 3 years of
starting as a nurse. I will also enroll in either a pediatric nurse
practitioner (PNP) or family nurse practitioner (FNP) program
within 5 years of starting my professional career.
 Timeline of Goals
Comfortable Work in a Begin
Start (PNP)
with full pediatric Unit travel Charge
or (FNP)
patient care unit leader nursing nurse
program

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5

PALS Complete Join ANA Receive Work in a

Spanish CPN PICU
medical
terminology
classes
References

Rosenberg, M. B. (1999). Nonviolent communication; A language of compassion. Puddledancer Press.