Professional Development Plan BSN

Introduction

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) provides nurses with a chance to obtain academic knowledge, experiences, and skills that are important for being a successful nurse. The education experience and training associated with the BSN degree give nurses various advantages in their professional activities. After completing my degree, my role in nursing would require more responsibility and I would also be trained to deal with more complex situations as compared to my present role. Furthermore, I have developed long- and short-term goals and have appreciated the role of my mentors who helped me deal with the challenges on track to achieve these goals.

Factors for Deciding on BSN Degree

Several factors influenced my decision for joining the BSN program. Firstly, I was informed by many friends and relatives that having a BSN would be required if I really wanted to pursue a nursing career in the future, and the latter had always been my aspiration. Secondly, I did some research and found that the skillset and knowledge acquired at the BSN degree course would offer me a better opportunity to be hired by the top-rated healthcare facilities in the future. If I had taken a shorter path of becoming a registered nurse (RN) by doing a 1-2 year diploma, I would have obtained less knowledge and skills as compared to acquiring a 4-year full-fledged degree in nursing. In the RN course, only the basics of clinical care are taught whereas BSN would offer me an opportunity to learn through actual critical thinking. Moreover, the leadership skills would be nurtured in me during the completion of the BSN program. Finally, I found out that it would be easier to advance in my nursing professional career if I chose BSN instead of a simple diploma in nursing.

The Differences Between the Baccalaureate Role and My Current Role

In my current role, I am mostly cooperating with other students and a supervisor, thus sharing the responsibility. Most of the times, I am engaged in observing the clinical practices, and I am not really involved in the decision-making process. Even in the cases when I am expected to take some trivial decisions, a supervisor is always there to help. On the other hand, once I complete the BSN, I will have to work in the capacity of a professional nurse. As a Bachelor, I would be expected to take most of the decisions by myself and I would also have to take a full responsibility for them.

Possible Opportunities

Having a BSN degree would offer me a wider set of opportunities to serve in the capacity of a professional nurse in the future, which I most likely would not get in case I did not have this degree. Firstly, the probability for a BSN holder to be hired by highly reputable public and private healthcare facilities and clinical settings increases exponentially. The focus of the nursing industry has shifted from registered nurses to the nurses with a BSN degree (Zittel et al 2016). By 2020, the Nursing Association of America plan to have 80% of the nurses with a BSN degree; therefore, even the registered nurses (RN) are inclined towards earning this degree as the competition among the nurses is expected to increase significantly. The competitive advantage will be based on their degree rather than their experience, which used to be the major decisive criteria in the past. In fact, there are certain nursing positions such as nurse midwife, nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, and nurse anesthetist, for which a BSN is an advantage increasing a specialist’s chances to be hired as compared to an RN without a degree.

Similarly, the salary rate of the nurses with a BSN degree is far higher as compared to the nurses without this degree. It has been observed by various clinical researchers and nursing supervisors that a BSN degree holder has stronger capabilities to perform complex procedures under the supervisor’s instructions as compared to an RN or AND holder. In addition, it has been found that a nurse with a BSN can serve as a better supervisor and leader for the other nurses when compared with the nurses without this degree. Based on these facts, I would get a chance to earn a higher income; clearly, I would be getting these opportunities due to the training I would receive during my degree program.

Models of Socialization

I am inspired by the model of socialization that was proposed by Patricia Banner (1984). This model defines the stages of a nurse’s professional advancement based on her career stage or experience. The stages of Banner’s model include novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient, and expert levels. I feel that this model of socialization is the most relevant one because all nurses can find it relatable and can fit any of its stages at this or that point of their carrier. Based on my current career stage and experience, I would consider myself an advanced beginner. At this level, a nurse is expected to take minor decisions by herself. I have gone through various real clinical situations and have observed my supervisors make decisions based on the conditions of the patients and, of course, with the consideration of the treatments suggested by the consultants. I would not categorize myself as a competent nurse because I am not yet able to take all the complex decisions by myself and most of the time, I need to seek guidance from a supervisor. Also, I am not a novice because I do have some clinical experience. Hence, in my opinion, the stage of an advanced beginner in the Banner’s model would characterize me best.

Professional Short and Long-Term Goals

After completing the BSN, I will fulfill the academic side of my education. I will be done with enough clinical rotations and hence, will be able to work independently in the clinical settings. My short-term goals include the ability to independently work in different situations. Also, I would have to acquire new skills through reading and analyzing the Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) related research articles and by attending workshops and seminars. In addition, I would also strive to develop the skills that I could use in future for working on a leadership or supervisory position. On the other hand, in the long term, I have a plan to work in the capacity of a leader, for which I should have the skills of team management, change management and implementation, quality management of the healthcare service delivery etc.

Expected Challenges to be Faced

One of the major challenges, which I am expecting to face particularly during my short-term nursing career, is to implement change. In case I identify some strategy, which is considered an evidence-based practice (EBP) but is not currently practiced at my clinic, it would be a challenge to convince the supervisors and other team members to implement that practice. Another challenge would be to implement the EBP practice myself because there is always a risk associated with applying a new practice mechanism on a new patient. In case my professional environment is open to changes, I will have a chance to explore various options; however, I would not want to risk the patients’ health and therefore I have to ensure that the practice which I attempt to try has already been gone through various clinical trials in random settings. Similarly, I also find it challenging at this stage to provide the required counseling services to a patient’s family. In my opinion, it is difficult to communicate with a patient’s family as they may face serious consequences due to the patient’s suffering.

Furthermore, I can foresee the challenges of the time management. I do not want to work as a nurse being only ruled by the knowledge I have already acquired; as previously mentioned, I intend to continuously learn and improve my skillset for which I would need to continuously learn through reading and attending workshops and seminars. Therefore, I would have to face the challenge of an efficient time management needed for my work and learning activities.

Roles of Mentors and Supervisors for Helping with Goal Achievements

The teachers and supervisors who have been working with us throughout the BSN course have been helping us not only to acquire up-to-date and accurate academic information but also introduced us to real-world clinical settings. In my opinion, it would be reasonable if these mentors continued to provide the consultation and help us in the cases when we may need their professional advice. For example, if I needed help regarding the treatment planning for a specific patient or I wanted to apply evidence-based findings to practice, I would take consultation from the present supervisors. In addition, it would also be important for me to develop good working relationships in a professional setting where I would work. Hence, the present and future supervisors would offer me the required guidance to improve my clinical practice.

Conclusion

This document detailed my strategic plan for the role of a professional nurse in the future. The degree of BSN would offer me various opportunities in the nursing industry due to the advanced level of training and skill set as compared to RNs with simple diplomas. I have identified my short- and long-term goals, which are mainly based on continuous learning. This plan would offer me a guidance to pursue my goals in my future career.