Professional Goals and Objectives (SMART)

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Professional Goal and Objectives: (SMART)

· Professional goals and objectives are related to this course's clinical rotation (practicum). 

· During your clinical practicum, you will have the opportunity to work side-by-side with an expert (RN preceptor) to meet specific learning goals in a chosen area of interest.  Thus, your professional goals and objectives will relate to your PDSA's "identified problem" and/or "your clinical experience" at your clinical site.

· For this reason, your professional goals and objectives will be due the first week of your clinical experience.

· This practicum offers opportunities to apply leadership skills and gain deeper self-awareness through reflection and skill building.

· The outcome is measured as a result of established evidence-based interventions to improve the overall quality of healthcare delivery regarding your PDSA project.

· This assignment should be  a minimum of 2 to 3 pages of the body with 1-2 scholarly references in APA 7th edition format.

· Please see student paper example posted in Canvas (Module 2) to see how you need to develop your SMART goals and objectives

SMART Goals & Objectives (Guidelines)

· All professional goals and objectives MUST be written using the SMART format.

· SMART stands for the following: (Educational Blueprints, LLC, 2012)

· S = Specific (Objectives should be concrete and easily defined. Ask why, when, where, who, what, and how this objective will be accomplished.

· M = Measurable (Learners should be able to quantify, whether or not they meet their objectives, either in numbers or by comparison.  Has something been done that will show that a change has occurred?

· A = Attainable (Have smaller objectives to complete first. Make small goals add up to a larger goal, making it more attainable.

· R = Relevant (How realistic or relevant are the objectives based on the resources readily available? Are the objectives relevant to the topic (i.e., PDSA project and/or NUR 4945 Clinical experience)

· T = Timely (Make a deadline. By when should the objective be accomplished)

· Use Bloom's Taxonomy verbs for all the observable, measurable actions.  

· Click on this file to view Bloom's Taxonomy :  Blooms Taxonomy - NUR 4945.docx

Examples:

· For examples of SMART goals/objectives, please go to Module 1 and click on the available web links.

Grading Rubric

· Please refer to the grading rubric  and above guidelines before starting this assignment.

 TurnItIn

· When submitting your assignment in Canvas, please note that your work will be reviewed by TurnItIn for similarities to other published work.  Any work that scores 20% or higher in TurnItIn will receive a grade of 0 points. If your score is 20% or higher, please review to see where your total similarity percentage is coming from.  Then, revise your work and resubmit until your score is less than 20%.

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Title of Paper Student Name Benjamin Leon School of Nursing, Miami Dade College NUR 4945C: Advanced Concepts Practicum Professor’s Name Due Date

My name is XXXXXX, and I will work with an ER nurse at XXXXXX for my practicum experience. To begin with, it is worthwhile to note that practicums are vital for nurses since they bridge the gap between theory and practice, offer hands-on experience, skill development, and exposure to real healthcare scenarios (Liu et al., 2022). For instance, XXXXXX is a reputable healthcare provider offering a wide range of services, including a Level I trauma center and an ER staffed by board-certified trauma surgeons at various locations throughout the state. This healthcare system comprises several hospitals, including XXXXXX, where I’ve been assigned to do my leadership practicum. Notably, this facility's emergency department has a diverse, specially trained staff to handle critical illnesses, injuries, and life-threatening conditions. As such, that makes it an ideal setting for my leadership practicum experience. Here, I will work with my preceptor to improve emergency responses as a service to humanity that aligns with the center's goal of promoting saving and quality of life (XXXXXX, 2023). Additionally, it will contribute to my leadership skill development by honing communication, conflict resolution, empathy, and self-awareness, which are essential attributes for effective leadership in various settings.

Setting SMART goals and objectives for a nursing practicum offers clarity and accountability, guiding nurses to define, measure, and achieve their objectives, ensuring practical learning and professional growth. As such, this paper outlines the specific goals and objectives I aim to achieve during my leadership practicum at XXXXXX.

Main Goal

My primary objective in my practicum is to improve the ER experience for patient. Here, effective leadership is critical to ensuring individuals in need of emergency care receive top-quality support and compassion. Improving the patient’s experience relies heavily on implementing leadership skills to coordinate a diverse care team and harmonize it with the unique needs of patients and their families. For instance, by observing how the ER team aligns with the diverse needs of the patient and family, I can gain insight into delivering exceptional care and support that covers the patients’ physical, emotional, and psychological well-being during their stay ((Liu et al., 2022).

SMART Goals & Objectives

To achieve my primary goal, I've outlined the following goals and objectives including:

· Learn How to Foster a Safe and Caring Environment

· Observe and interact to create a safe and non-judgmental space within the ER for patients, their families, and staff.

· Develop an understanding of the impact of stigma on patients' mental health and well-being.

· Promote emotional healing and self-acceptance by addressing anxiety.

SMART Goal #1

By the end of my leadership practicum at XXXXXX’'s ER, I aim to ensure that 80% of patients, their families, and staff experience and acknowledge a safe, non-judgmental environment where I'll have effectively addressed the impact of stigma on mental health and promoted emotional healing and self-acceptance by addressing anxiety.

Subsequently, involvement in such Leadership Practicum experience will allow me to create strategies that fulfill personal, civic, and social responsibilities. For instance, by actively contributing to the healthcare team and promoting quality care, I can positively impact the lives of patients and the broader community.

· Enhance Communication and Collaboration Skills

· Improve communication between healthcare providers and patients to ensure effective and empathetic care.

· Collaborate with the ER team to develop strategies for efficient patient care and improved patient outcomes.

· Develop leadership skills to contribute to the overall team effectiveness and patient satisfaction.

SMART Goal #2

By the end of my leadership practicum at XXXXX’s ER, I aim to achieve a 30% reduction in communication-related incidents (based on incident reports) and a 20% increase in patient satisfaction scores in communication and collaboration.

This may result from improved provider-patient interactions, implementing efficient patient care strategies with the ER team, and enhancing leadership skills for better team effectiveness. For instance, through interactions with patients, their families, and healthcare providers, I can develop and refine my communication skills, including listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Effective communication is crucial in providing compassionate and empathetic care (Buljac-Samardzic et al., 2020). Additionally, such interactions with diverse patients and healthcare professionals may also advance my knowledge and understanding of diverse cultures, including global and historical perspectives, thus providing culturally sensitive leadership for patient-centered care.

· Provide Quality Emergency Care

· Gain competency in assessing and prioritizing patients' needs within the ER setting.

· Learn critical thinking skills required for making timely decisions during emergencies.

· Follow evidence-based practices to deliver the highest standard of care to patients.

SMART #3

By the end of my leadership practicum at XXXXXX’s ER, I aim to have consistently learned how to observe and achieve a 90% accuracy rate in assessing and prioritizing patients' needs within the ER settings and develop advanced critical thinking skills to make timely decisions during emergencies, reducing decision-making time by 20%.

Typically, shadowing in such a fast-paced and unpredictable ER environment, I can enhance my critical thinking skills and scientific reasoning. These skills will be essential for solving various leadership problems, such as making timely emergency decisions.

SMART Goal: Breakdown

Specific

Create a supportive environment within the ER by focusing on providing compassionate and effective care by reducing leadership issues associated with emergency medical conditions.

Measurable

By the end of the practicum experience, evaluate my understanding of ER leadership for over 80% success rate by conducting pre- and post-participation surveys.

Achievable

Conduct the practicum experience in collaboration with the ER team at XXXXXX once a week.

Relevant

The goal is to learn how to enhance patients' and staff's well-being in the ER by providing a supportive and empathetic environment through effective leadership, thereby improving overall patient outcomes and satisfaction.

Time-bound

The practicum experience will span two months, divided into weekly milestones. Regular evaluations and feedback sessions will be conducted to ensure continuous improvement and support.

In conclusion, this Leadership Practicum experience at XXXX's ER department offers a valuable opportunity to learn and apply leadership skills, gain self-awareness, and contribute to improving healthcare delivery. By fostering a safe and caring environment, enhancing communication and collaboration, and providing quality emergency care, I can learn how to impact patient outcomes and satisfaction positively. For instance, the practicum experience will help me achieve important leadership learning outcomes, such as effective communication, critical thinking, cultural competence, personal, civic, and social responsibilities, and effective use of technology, and where setting SMART goals ensures the achievement of my objectives.

References

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Rubric for Practicum SMART Goals and Objectives

Rubric for Practicum SMART Goals and Objectives
Criteria	Ratings	Pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeSpecific	20 pts Proficient The goal is concrete and defined. 10 pts Acceptable The goal is stated but lacks a specific language to inform the reader of what is going to be achieved. 5 pts Needs Improvement The goal is not stated clearly and is too general for focused practice.	20 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeMeasurable	20 pts Proficient The goal is measurable either by numbers or by comparison. 10 pts Acceptable The goal is measurable but it is not clear how. 5 pts Needs Improvement The goal lacks measurable indicators.	20 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeAttainable	20 pts Proficient The goal is attainable for the clinical practice environment. 10 pts Acceptable The goal is manageable for the clinical practice environment. 5 pts Needs Improvement The goal is too board or too narrow for the clinical practice environment.	20 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeRelevant	20 pts Proficient The goal is realistic and directly correlates to the course's clinical practicum. 10 pts Acceptable The goal is realistic but may lack clarity in its relevance to the course's clinical practicum. 5 pts Needs Improvement The goal is not realistic and does not relate to the course's clinical practicum.	20 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeTimely	20 pts Proficient The goal states by when the objective will be accomplished. (i.e., due date). Due date must be within your clinical practicum hours. 10 pts Acceptable The goal is accomplished outside the clinical practicum hours. 5 pts Needs Improvement The goal does not state when it will be accomplished.	20 pts
Total Points: 100