Concept Map

Running Head: APN PROFESIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

APN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN 3

APN Professional Development Plan

Raven Jinks

Chamberlain College of Nursing

NR510: Leadership and Role of the Advanced Practice Nurse

August 2019

Introduction to the APN professional development plan

Advanced practice nurses are some of the highly qualified nurses in the healthcare setting, considering they have advanced knowledge and skills in different healthcare conditions and can implement various treatment plans in the healthcare setting. The advanced practice registered nurses require a professional development plan to guide them in applying their skills and knowledge gained for professional growth. The professional development plan aids advanced practice nurses set and achieve various goals, objectives, and positions in their medical profession (Matthews, 2012). The healthcare industry keeps diversifying with the rising of new healthcare challenges. The nurses have to improve their education and skills from time to time to address the health issues that frequently arise in the healthcare sector. Development of a professional development plan is a personal initiative considering different nurses have different career objectives (Matthews, 2012). Furthermore, different states have different professional requirements for one to qualify to be an advanced practice registered nurse. To assure success and longevity of a professional career, it is critical to generate a strategic plan that centers on training and growing as a professional.

APN scope of practice-State of Florida

States across the United States have different demands that nurses must fulfill for licensure, accreditation, certification, and education. The Florida Nurse Practice Act Section 464.003 defines the scope of practice for the nursing profession in Florida. Florida has classified the scope of nursing practice in three categories, namely registered nurses, licensed practice nurses, advanced registered nurses practitioners, and clinical nurse specialist and medical assistants. The nurses have different levels of qualification and play different roles in a healthcare facility.

Registered nurses in Florida are persons licensed to execute the nursing profession. Registered nurses are allowed by the Florida nursing laws to perform actions that require considerable specialized knowledge judgment and nursing skills. Registered nurses have various limitations in their nursing practice considering they have limited qualifications. This assignment will consider the scope of Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners in the state of Florida. Registered nursing practice is highly regulated in Florida. Nursing practice is classified into full practice, reduced practice, and restricted practice. Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners are operating under restricted practice and are obliged to be under supervision by advanced medical personnel to provide patient care (American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2019). APN are authorized to execute medical diagnosis, provide treatment, prescriptions, and operations. Florida law requires every nurse practitioner to be managed by physicians, and must be stated in a written protocol and must clearly state the requirements of the APN and physician.

In Florida, all individuals wishing to become an APN must have a registered nurse license, a graduate degree in nursing, and national certification from an approved nursing institution. All nurses in Florida are required to renew their licenses and finish up the prescribed ongoing education every two years in order to stay in practice. The act stipulates that up to 30 hours of continuing education must be required.

Personal Assessment using Benner’s Self-Assessment Tool

Considering the Benner’s self-examination Novice to the Expert Model, I will consider myself as a novice since I am not knowledgeable with the new role of an APN. The primary areas I will center my career on to become an expert APN include developing leadership skills, as with many people, growth is a never-ending process. I want to focus on developing my leadership skills throughout my career. Excellent leadership skills are essential in engaging with fellow professionals and progressing in my place of work. One of the most effective ways of developing better communication skills is through accepting criticism and opinions from others as well as taking courses on leadership.

Additionally, what I look forward to the most about the new role as an APN is the prospect of being able to increase my salary. It will help me become more independent and flexibility as an adult and a professional nurse. Also, as a new APN, I expect to have more autonomy as well as opportunities to develop my decision-making skills.

I also have my fears about the terrifying aspect of the transitioning process, although I am confident in my abilities, I am fearful of falling short during the transition phase and letting my patients down. I am getting into a new chapter in my life, and I am not sure what to expect from it, but just like coming out of nursing school into working as a registered nurse all nurses begins as a novice and transitions into an expert.

I am expecting to improve my experience as an APN, which will help me develop into an expert later on in my career. According to Benner (2001), as an expert, I should have the knowledge to handle most situations I face in my practice such as, handling the new patient load and caring for individuals in critical conditions.

I am aware that adapting to the new position is somehow stressful and overwhelming. Therefore, the first way to handle stress in the workplace is developing various coping mechanisms to prevent it from affecting my work. Another solution of handling excessive stress is by avoiding any potentially stressful situations before they manifest (Park et al., 2016). Lastly, I can ensure I am always well rested, which translates to better tolerance for such situations.

My goals during the first month, I want to work on getting a good rapport with my fellow professionals in the workplace. For my second month, I want to be more independent in the workplace and operate with minimal supervision. I should be able to take on more demanding tasks by the third month. For the rest of the first year, I want to become a leader among my peers.

Networking and Marketing Strategies

Marketing and networking are instrumental in professional development, considering they expose an individual to various opportunities in the job market. The nursing profession is lucrative, considering the demand for registered nurses is insatiable across the globe. Aspiring nursing practitioners should network broadly while in college by researching on the various professional nursing organizations that advertise employment and internship opportunities (Matthews, 2012). Some of the local professional nursing organizations in Florida include Florida Nurse Practitioner Network, and the Florida Association of Nurse Practitioners. Attending seminars and conferences organized by a professional nursing organization gives a nurse an efficient platform to meet with senior individuals who can connect them with better employment opportunities. One of the best national professional organizations that a nurse can join to achieve national certification is the American Nurses Association (Matthews, 2012). It is the largest national nursing body across the United States. It has provided vast opportunities for career development in nursing. Furthermore, being a member of the professional body is an added advantage for an individual seeking employment. In addition to the nursing organizations out there one can use the social media platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn to reach out an extensive social connection, which at times can be a source of job opportunity. My first step during the job search process will be to find out which areas I qualify for to work as an APN. The next second step would be to assess my abilities and match them with the positions advertised. The third step would be to apply for the job whether it be in person or online.

Conclusion

Nurses play an instrumental role in healthcare facilities considering they spend most of their time attending to patients. Professional development is crucial to advance patient safety in healthcare facilities. Florida has developed efficient nursing laws that define nursing practice in the state. Aspiring nurses should enlighten themselves with the laws to know state expectations. Freshly graduated nurses should network broadly to familiarize themselves with various opportunities in the job market. They can achieve it by researching widely in their professional nursing organizations and attending the seminars and conferences they organize. Understanding the requirements of the APNs scope of practice in your state, making the self-analysis and acknowledging the networking strategies along with developing an individual curriculum vitae is a good start to transforming into the professional role of an APN.

Curriculum Vitae

Raven Jinks BSN, RN, FNP-S

3420 Bahama Drive

Miramar, FL 33023

[email protected]

Education

Master of Science in Nursing

November 2018-Present

Chamberlain University and College of Nursing

3005 Highland Parkway, Downers Grove, IL 60515 

Bachelor of Science

September 2014-2016

Chamberlain University and College of Nursing

2300 SW 145th Ave, Miramar, FL 33027

Associates of Arts

January 2012-2014

Broward Community College

1930 SW 145th Ave, Miramar, FL 33027

Professional Employment:

July 2019-Present

Kaiser Permanente San Leandro Medical Center, San Leandro, CA

Registered Nurse:

· Responsible for safe and high-quality nursing care on a 10-bed Labor and Delivery Unit

March 2017-July 2019

Memorial Regional Hospital, Hollywood, FL

Registered Nurse:

· Responsible for safe and high-quality nursing care on a 15-bed Labor and Delivery Unit

· Participated in nursing leadership and team building roles

Licensure and Certifications:

Registered Professional Nurse

RN9450202

Florida

01/03/2017

772666

New York

07/10/2019

RN95196232

American Heart Association

BLS 1/22/2019

ACLS 1/22/2019

American Academy of Pediatrics

NRP 5/21/2019

AWHONN

Advance Fetal Monitoring 6/15/2019

Public/Community Service:

International Service Nursing Project Fortaleza, Brazil

May 2016

· Home Visit (Patient/Environmental Assessments)

· Maternal/Newborn patient care

· Health Fair (vaccinations, immunizations, weight/height measurements, BP/glucose monitoring)

· Nursing Home (wound care)

References

Available Upon Request

References

American Association of Nurse Practitioners. (2019). Florida. Information and resources for Florida NPs. Retrieved from https://www.aanp.org/advocacy/florida

Benner, P. (2001). From novice to expert: Excellence and power in clinical nursing practice.

Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall Health.

Florida Board of Nursing. (2019). Licensing and registration. Retrieved from https://floridasnursing.gov/licensing/

Indest, G.F., Patrou, J. & Nursing Law Manual LLC. (2008). The Florida Nursing Law Manual. Altamonte Springs, Fla: Nursing Law Manual.

Matthews, J., (2012) "Role of professional organizations in advocating for the nursing profession" OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. 17(1).

Park, C. L., Wright, B. R., Pais, J., & Ray, D. M. (2016). Daily stress and self-control. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 35(9), 738-753.