APN Professional Development Plan
A professional development plan is a planning tool that documents all the necessary objectives and skills needed to fulfill a specific goal. It is a continuous, rather than a static process of acquiring new skills and knowledge that relate to professional and specific job responsibilities. In Nursing, an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) is required to develop a personal development plan( PBP) before practicing.
An APRN development plan should cover three main parts. First, it should contain a personal assessment section describing the strengths, goals, objectives, and weaknesses of the APN. This plays a vital role in the implementation of actions enhancing both personal and professional growth. Secondly, it should contain the scope of the practice segment. In this section, the student should address and acknowledge guidelines and regulations, such as educational and training requirements for licensure needed in different states. Lastly, the PBP should describe various networking and marketing approaches essential to the dynamic and the continually changing nursing guidelines.
APN Scope of Practice
The scope of practice is the mechanism and guidelines followed when granting authority to practice. These include requirements for licensure, accreditation, certification, and education, commonly abbreviated as LACE, and are unique to each state. An APRN must understand and abide by the requirements of the state which they intend to practice. After selecting the area of specialty, the APN should access all relevant resources that describe the scope of practice for that particular state or region.
Self-assessment
Through the integration of learning skills into practice, the APN should conduct self-assessment and note the strengths, weaknesses, and goals in different areas. Self-assessment enables the APN to identify strengths such as leadership skills and learning needs and initiate efforts focused on addressing the weaknesses, achieving new knowledge, and enhancing professional growth.
Networking and Marketing Strategies
The marketing role of an APN entails the delivery of quality health care to people in society with diverse social, religious, and economic needs. An advanced professional nurse can be positioned to work in different institutions like hospitals or even schools. Therefore, he or she should be prepared to interact with different people. APNs are also involved in campaigns and advertisements that focus on improving the health status of the community at large.
Policies concerning the nursing field are ever-changing. These changes revolve around legislation rules and other aspects that influence access to quality health care. This calls upon the APNs to continually learn to keep up with the changes. The APN development plan is a proactive approach that ensures nurses identify a situation beforehand and address it accordingly. The PBP is also instrumental in ensuring that an APN meets all requirements required for employment and also maintaining a proper professional reputation.
