Nursing Practice Competencies: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Career Goals, Assignments of Nursing

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Week 1 Discussion Career Goals: Strengths and Challenges Related to Nursing Practice Competencies Main Post Expectations My expectations for this course have changed quite a bit over the last month. Due to COVID my clinical site was cancelled at the last minute and I am proceeding with the didactic portion only. Although it was a disappointment, I am still excited to be able to continue on and further my education and not come to a complete halt. I hope that what I learn from this course will directly be put to good use when I am able to do clinical later in the fall. Nursing Practice Competencies The NONPF is an organization that is dedicated to ensuring high quality education for NP’s to promote the health and safety of patients (NONPF, n.d.) It’s inherently important that those who are directly responsible for taking care of the lives of other people have the best education possible for the best outcomes. There are nine core competencies recognized to ensure NP students have the knowledge, skills and abilities in order to practice independently that include; scientific foundation, leadership, quality, practice, inquiry, technology and information literacy, policy, health delivery systems, ethics and independent practice (NONPF, 2012.) Strengths Three of my strengths related to nursing practice competencies include leadership, scientific foundation, and ethics. I believe that I am a natural leader in and out of the work-place and this a good quality for a Nurse Practitioner. Nurse leaders must be role models and use creative approaches to problem solve, innovate, and use education to empower others to solve problems in practice (Snow, 2019.) Having a solid education built on scientific principles is key to providing the best and most up to date care for patients. I take pride in what school I attend

and my work and always strive to do my best. As a future NP it’s important for me to not only receive an education, but a quality education as I will be caring and responsible for patients and their outcomes. Ethics are morals and principles that each person has, when it comes to medicine ethics can make things complicated. As nurses, we have a responsibility to advocate for the human rights of patients, their families, and communities (Stievano & Tschudin, 2019.) I always strive to put the needs and wishes of my patients and their families first while staying true to myself. Weaknesses Three weaknesses I have identified for myself related to nursing practice competencies include policy, technology, and health delivery systems. Policy regarding nurses can be seen at all levels whether it be policies at your local hospital or a national policy. I know the importance of policy, as the people who create policy have a direct impact on my job. I self admittedly need to work on this and become more involved. When it comes to technology, change can be scary and intimidating. Technology however can be so useful in patient care. Nurses should strive to set a good example and welcome technology with open arms and recognize that it has the ability to improve patient outcomes. Technology also poses a risk however and safeguards should be in place to protect patient health information. I am sometimes reluctant to change a process or adopt a new technology, however I am working on this by educating and familiarizing myself with new technology as it is introduced in order to overcome. The third weakness I have chosen to discuss is health delivery system. According to the NONPF, health delivery systems is the competency of applying knowledge and complex systems to improve health care delivery, minimize risk to patients and providers, and facilitates development of systems that address culturally diverse populations, providers, and other stake holders (NONPF, 2012.) This is something I could stand to work on as it directly impacts not only patients but myself as a provider.

References The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. (n.d.). National organization of nurse practitioner faculties. https://www.nonpf.org Snow, F. (2019). Creativity and innovation: an essential competency for the nurse leader. Nursing administration quarterly , 43 (4), 306-312. Stievano, A., & Tschudin, V. (2019). The ICN code of ethics for nurses: a time for revision. International nursing review , 66 (2), 154-156. The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. (2012). Nurse practitioner core competencies. https://www.pncb.org/sites/default/files/2017- 02/NONPF_Core_Competencies.pdf The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. (n.d.). National organization of nurse practitioner faculties. https://www.nonpf.org Reply 1 Karol Merrifield, I also agree that I am a little nervous about the transition from RN to FNP as diagnosing and prescribing are foreign to us as you said. I remember being so nervous about graduating from my BSN and feeling like I wasn’t ready to be a nurse, yet here we are persuing our dreams of becoming an FNP! Finding a preceptor that provides a nurturing environment for learning is an effective strategy for increasing self-confidence and ensuring a successful transition

(MacLellan, Levett-Jones & Higgins, 2015.) While we may not always have a choice when it comes to preceptors as they are few and far in between, especially with COVID there are other good ideas I have come across are to establish a good knowledge base, form successful workplace relationships and join a novice NP support group (Fitzpatrick & Gripshover, 2016.) Having others to lean on and ask questions during this transition can help greatly. Developing personal attributes such as resilience, tenacity, fortitude and determination are also highly recommended when making the jump from RN to FNP (MacLellan, Levett-Jones & Higgins, 2016.) References Fitzpatrick, S., & Gripshover, J. (2016). Expert nurse to novice nurse practitioner: The journey and how to improve the process. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners , 12 (10), e419-e421. MacLellan, L., Levett‐Jones, T., & Higgins, I. (2015). Nurse practitioner role transition: A concept analysis. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners , 27 (7), 389-

MacLellan, L., Levett-Jones, T., & Higgins, I. (2016). The enemy within: Power and politics in the transition to nurse practitioner. NursingPlus Open , 2 , 1-7. Reply 2 Lauren Covington, I enjoyed reading your detailed post. Reflecting on your weakness of leadership I think it’s a great idea to join professional organizations to help develop that role. Nurse leaders should use creative approaches to problem solve, innovate, empower others to solve problems in

practice (Snow, 2019.) In addition to developing leadership qualities, professional organizations can also lead to professional development, career growth, advocacy and mentorship (Echevarria, 2018.) All of which can enhance leadership competencies. I also think it’s important to remember where we all started when working with students of our own someday. It will be our role as nurses to lead the next generation to carry on quality care. Today’s healthcare environment can be characterized by volatility and complexity which makes initiating positive change a challenge (Best, 2020.) Developing habits of a good leader can carry over into progressing our profession. References Best, C. (2020). The nurse leader as a coach: Is the tide turning?. Practice Nursing , 31 (7), 300-

Echevarria, I. M. (2018). Make connections by joining a professional nursing organization. Nursing2019 , 48 (12), 35-38. Snow, F. (2019). Creativity and innovation: an essential competency for the nurse leader. Nursing administration quarterly , 43 (4), 306-312.