NRNP 6675: PMHNP Care Across the Lifespan II
Career Planner Guide
Your Nurse Practitioner Professional Career Planner is due by Day 7 of Week 10. It is highly recommended that you begin planning and working on this Assignment as early in the quarter as is feasible for you. The following checklists outline all of the items you should include in your Career Planner. Additionally, the resources below have been provided to Help you in its development.
Refer to the Walden University Career Center website for resources and information on how to create cover letters, resumes, and professional portfolios. You may also choose to make certain portions of your Career Planner accessible online to members of your professional network or potential employers through platforms such as LinkedIn. Sharing on social media is a useful way to network for many, but it is not a requirement for this assignment.
Checklist for Cover Letter
Cover letters are typically tailored to individual jobs and companies. For this Assignment, you will select a job posting you would like to or could potentially apply for and create a cover letter for it. Your cover letter should be:
• Presented and formatted in professional business manner
• Addressed properly
• Clear and concise (no more than one page) and include:
o Content introduction
o Content body
o Content conclusion
• Written in a professional tone and include:
o Correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar
o Clear and accurate sentence structure
Checklist for Resume
Your resume should be clear, concise, and well organized, and it should also include your:
• Name, location (city/town and state), business phone number, and email address (centered at top of resume)
• Objective: 2–3 sentences describing your goal/objective for employment
• Certifications & licenses
• Education
• Professional experience
• Honors/Awards (as applicable)
Checklist for Portfolio
Your Portfolio should be clear, concise, and well organized, and it should also include your:
• Personal philosophy statement (1-page)
• Personal goals (short term and long term)
• Self-assessment
The following items do not have to be submitted but should be available on request for employers:
• Achievements
• Letters of recommendation (2)
• References (list names, affiliation, and contact information) (3)
• Certifications and licenses
• Prior degrees
• Transcripts (Note: An unofficial transcript will meet this requirement.)
• Certificates of attendance for continuing education
• Publications
• Research
• Oral presentations and/or poster presentations
Learning Resources
Resume and Cover Letter Resources:
Canva. (n.d.). https://www.canva.com/
Canva has many resume templates and formats that may inspire your creativity. (Using Canva is optional.)
Cover Letter Advice (n.d.). Nurse practitioner cover letter sample 1. http://www.coverletter.us/nurse-practitioner-cover-letter/
DeCapua, M. (2019). A nurse practitioner’s guide to the perfect cover letter. Health eCareers. https://www.healthecareers.com/article/healthcare-news/np-cover-letter
Hicks, R. W., & Roberts, M. E. E. (2016). Curriculum vitae: An important tool for the nurse practitioner. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 28(7), 347–352.
Gibson, A. (n.d.). Nurse.org career guide series: Ultimate guide to nursing resumes. Nurse.org. https://nurse.org/resources/nursing-resume/
Walden University Career Services. (n.d.). Resumes & more. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/careerservicescenter/resumesandmore
Portfolio Resources:
Chamblee, T. B., Dale, J. C., Drews, B., Spahis, J., & Hardin, T. (2015). Implementation of a professional portfolio: A tool to demonstrate professional development for advanced practice. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 29(1), 113–117.
Clarke, M. (2019). The importance of a professional nursing portfolio. HealthLeaders. https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/nursing/importance-professional-nursing-portfolio
Nurse Practitioner Business Owner. (n.d.). This is why you want to create your professional portfolio today! https://npbusiness.org/professional-portfolio/
Portfolium. (n.d.). https://portfolium.com/
Portfolium is one example of portfolio software that you could use to create a portfolio. You may choose your own tool, and it may be online (Google Sites, Portfolium) or offline (Word, pdf), as long as you can easily submit the portfolio files or link to your Instructor.
To Prepare
• Review the Career Planner Guide. This document contains the requirements for the Assignment as well as resources to consult.
• Seek out other resources on cover letters, resumes, and other professional resources, as needed. The Walden University Career Planning and Development site has information on many topics of relevance.
The Assignment
Develop a cover letter, resume, philosophy statement, and other professional resources that meet the requirements outlined in the Career Planner Guide.
