NR 510 Week 6 APN Professional Development Plan Paper

Sample Answer

Advanced Practice Nurses (APN) are primary care providers who provide necessary healthcare and preventive care services to patients. APNs are licensed to diagnose and treat illnesses, advise patients about their health concerns, manage and treat chronic diseases, and write prescriptions for certain illnesses and diseases. An APN must have obtained a bachelor’s degree in nursing, the licensing required for all registered nurses (RNs), and a master’s degree with the required licensing to practice within his or her state.

APNs are expected to continuously educate themselves on technological, methodological, and medical developments in the field. The purpose of this paper is to review the role of the APN, understand the specific regulations that guide advanced practice within a particular state, develop a professional development plan, and identify networking and marketing strategies that will help secure my first APN job position.

A big part of this paper is to instruct APN nursing students how to develop an APN professional development plan (PDP), which is a written plan of the goals and objectives a nursing professional has outlined for his or her career. The PDP is a written summary that helps to clarify one’s professional focus and clearly identify career and education goals (Gould, 2017). A professional development plan is a visual S.M.A.R.T goals outline that includes one’s interests and dislikes, values and skills, strengths and professional experience.

It is an overall snapshot of how one’s education, work experience, goals, and personality align with a desired job role. Some professional development plans may include short and long-term career goals, as well as a statement of purpose, any qualifications or skill one may be working on, and job requirements of any promising positions (Gould, 2017). The most important aspect of this assignment nursing students should consider is the role professional development plans have in helping APN nursing students see where they are in their careers and envision and actualize what they need to do to further their educational and professional goals.

APN Scope of Practice Guidelines in Georgia

The scope of practice guidelines for APNs vary according to each state. As of now, 21 states and the District of Columbia allow APNs “full practice” authority, which allows them to assess, diagnose, interpret diagnostic tests, and prescribe medications independent of oversight from a physician (NCSL & ASTHO, 2018). The remaining 29 states have restricted APN practice guidelines (NCSL & ASTHO, 2018). In order to be effective in their roles, APNs must memorize and follow the regulations and policies that guide APN practice in their states.

In the state of Georgia, APNs must practice in agreement with a written code of behavior or set of rules that guide practice authority and prescriptive authority, as well as defines if the APN role is recognized as a primary care provider (NCSL & ASTHO, 2018). This protocol agreement must be under a licensed physician who appoints authority to the APN to perform specific medical services. The APN practice authority and prescriptive authority in Georgia is codified under Ga. Rules & Regs. §410-11-.14 and states a physician-based affiliation is required to consult patients and to prescribe medications for patients (NCSL & ASTHO, 2018).

Ga. Rules & Regs. §410-11-.14 does not include a clear definition of the role of the nurse practitioner as the primary care provider; since the APN role is not recognized in policy, it is considered “restricted” practice environment in the scope of practice. Prescriptive authority allows for APN to prescribe up to Schedule V Controlled Substances as long as the APN is authorized by the supervising physician (NCSL & ASTHO, 2018). Other guidelines that regulate APN scope of practice in Georgia are APNs must complete a specified number of regulated relationship practice hours with a physician or fully licensed independent NP before being allowed to practice or prescribe medications independently.

Licensure and educational requirements include an RN license, a graduate degree, and a national certification. Both the undergraduate and graduate degrees must be issued by an approved nursing education program from an institution meeting criterion established by the Georgia Board of Nursing. After receiving a graduate degree, an APN must become certified in the specialty he or she wishes to practice. The Georgia Board of Nursing recognizes four APN specialties Nurse practitioner (NP), Certified nurse-midwife (CNM), Certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), Clinical nurse specialist in psychiatric/mental health (CNS/PMH).

APN must register with an independent national certification agency that facilitates the licensing process, as each one establishes its own requirements regarding education, professional experience, and examination information and costs. After earning a nursing graduate degree, acquiring a national certification in one of the approved specialty areas, and receiving background and fingerprint clearance from the Georgia Crime Information Center and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, an APN in Georgia can file an application with the Georgia Board of Nursing located in Macon, Georgia for authorization as an advanced practice nurse.

Personal Assessment

According to Benner’s Role Self-Assessment Model, I would classify myself as a “proficient” nurse who is working on becoming an “expert” nurse. As a proficient nurse, I observe clinical situations as “wholes.” My nursing skills are a combination of education and experience. I have developed a “holistic” method of managing illness and disease, and I recognize clinical situations and how treatment plans should be applied or modified to better serve my patients.

My MSN specialty track is FNP, and my future goals include securing a position as a nursing manager over an LTC facility, becoming an active member of the Georgia Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association (GAPNA) and The Georgia Association of Nurses in Long Term Care (GANLTC), and eventually advocating for organizations like the International Council of Nurses (ICN) that shape nursing and health policies on an international level. Achieving these goals will not be easy; it will take obtaining more health specialty certifications and possibly a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in Nursing Leadership & Innovations in Health Care.

It will also take networking and volunteering in state, national, and global health organizations. Obtaining an award or two for outstanding nursing and community service is also another goal. My strengths and weaknesses have often changed throughout my lifetime and over the course of my career as a nurse. I have made a continuous effort to hone my strengths and improve upon my weaknesses. One of my strengths is patience. I primarily work with older patients or patients living with chronic diseases who are struggling to let go of their independence.

I have learned to listen to patients’ and help them adjust to their current health situations. I have learned to really talk to them about their life experiences, joys, and fears. On any given day, I am confronted with dementia care, urinary incontinence, pressure ulcers, or simple refusal of care. In order to be an effective and compassionate nurse, I had to develop a deeper understanding of the clinical conditions of the patients I serve and how these conditions affect them on every level. Other strengths I have developed are emotional and physical endurance, an attention to detail, flexibility, and problem solving.

My weaknesses are being too direct and not asking for help when my workload becomes too heavy. Working on my weaknesses is a goal because as a future nursing leader, I must learn to delegate responsibilities and communicate well.

Networking and Marketing Strategies

Networking and marketing myself are essential to my professional development. The best way for me to network is to begin at my current educational institution. I can attend connect with fellow students and alumni who are involved in campus organizations. Once I have established a reputable presence on campus, I can join a professional nursing association or two that align with my nursing specialty and interests. These associations host formal and informal networking functions. I can attend webinars and join virtual chat and message boards that encourage discussion about nursing and health related topics.

One national organization that I will join is The American Association of Nurse Practitioners, and a state organization I am interested in joining is The Georgia Association of Nurses in Long Term Care. Marketing myself includes attending conferences where I can pass out business cards that include my LinkedIn profile link and other links to sites that showcase my involvement in the community, nursing organizations, and campus events. Securing a job as an APN may seem easy because of the “nursing shortage,” but competition is high among nurses to secure their dream job.

Specialty nursing jobs are rarely found on saturated jobs boards like Indeed and Monster. Local and national professional organizations that advertise employment opportunities that may interest me are the Georgia Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association (GAPNA), the Georgia Association of Nurses in Long Term Care (GANLTC), the United Advanced Practice Registered Nurses of Georgia, and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. These organizations have established career centers for nursing professionals.

Each of these organizations have job boards, resume assistance, and articles on interview pointers. These organizations also have Student Resource Centers that post scholarships and grants for graduate students, ways to connect with other APN nursing students and professionals, and information on how to negotiate salary and obtain nursing certifications.

Curriculum vitae

• Name, Credentials. Fride Wandji RN/BSN/CWON.
• Home address. 245 Hurts Street Suwanee GA 300159
• Work address. 1000 Medical Center Blvd, Lawrenceville GA 30046
• Phone 770-333-4466
• Email address. Edfrida1@gmail.com

Education.

• Master in French literature July 2000
• Notre –Dame- De – France
• 63 Rue de la santé 75013 Paris, France
• Bachelor in Science
• Chamberlain College of nursing Illinois Chicago

Professional employer

• Bedside nurse 2017 till present
• ADON assistant director of nursing 2012 till 2017
• Staff development 2006 till 2013

Licensure and Certification.

• BSN Bachelor in science
• RN Register Nurse
• CWON certified Wound Nurse
• BLS CPR Basic Life Support
• WCOC. Wound Care and Ostomy certified
• Public/community service Habitats for humanity volunteer in summer 2015 in Georgia

Conclusion

An APN professional development plan is a valuable resource for an APN student. A professional development plan is a written outline for a nursing student to follow that identifies the student current professional and personal status, defines future educational and professional goals, and allows students to assess their interpersonal skills. In creating my PDP, I have learned about the scope of practice guidelines for APNs in Georgia. Nurse practitioners in Georgia practice under restricted authority and must complete a specified number of hours with a physician or fully licensed independent NP before practicing independently.

After assessing my strengths and weakness and outlining my short and long-term goals, I have a clearer view on what I have to do to reach my goals. The key to my success takes more than getting an education from Chamberlain; it also means I should network and marketing myself by nursing organizations that will widen my contacts and resources.

References

• Chamberlain School of Nursing. (2018). Guidelines for advanced practice nursing role self-assessment Benner’s novice to expert model. Retrieved from Retrieved from Chamberlain Student Portal
• Gould, J. (2017). Career development A plan for action. Nature International Weekly Journal of Science, 548(7668), 489-490. doi 10.1038/nj7668-489a
• National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), & Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO). (2018). Georgia scope of practice policy State profile. Retrieved from http //scopeofpracticepolicy.org/states/ga/