Professional Development Portfolio in Nursing Practice - Essay Example

Development of Professional Development Portfolio Based on National Competency Standards Nurses play an important role in any health care system. They play a major role in the assessment and treatment of patients. They promote the emotional well being of a patient because of their sense of empathy and caring feeling. They work with people suffering from various types of illnesses in diversity of roles and actions demanding expert skills and professional knowledge. The situations are many a times complex requiring an understanding of the complexity of the situation. Every nurse-patient encounter is unique and there are no fixed solutions to many nursing problems (David, 2005). Due to these demands and requirements, some professional standards and skills are expected from the nurses. The standards are used to assess professional competency levels both for obtaining and retaining license to practice as a registered nurse or midwife in the US, UK, Australia and other countries in the world. It is very important for a registered nurse to maintain standards of competence to survive in the profession and also to do justice to the patient. There are basically four domains under which the National Competency Standards for Registered Nurses are organized (ANMCI, 2005). They are professional practice, critical thinking and analysis, provision and coordination of care and collaborative and therapeutic practice. In this essay, understanding and development of professional development portfolio based on national competency standards will be discussed. The portfolio will be attached under appendix. Domain: Professional Practice Standard: Practices in accordance with legislation affecting nursing practice and health care. Element: Practices in accordance with legislation affecting nursing practice and health care. Professional practice domain relates to ethical, legal and professional responsibilities of the nurse which are imparted through adequate knowledge, accountability of practice, protection of the rights of individuals and groups and also functioning as per the guidelines and expectations of legislations of healthcare and nursing (ANMC, 2006). I understand that as a nurse, it is my duty to practice as per the rules, regulations and laws governing nursing and health care. This element is very important as I graduate, because more responsibility will be shouldered on me as a registered nurse and it my my duty to excise nursing within legal limits. I know that I must adhere to legal requirements concerning administration of various medications. At the same time, I must be able to identify unprofessional practice with regard to privacy legislation and confidentiality. Domain: Critical thinking and analysis Standard: Practices within an evidence-based framework. Element: Identifies the relevance of research to improving individual/group health outcomes. Critical thinking and analysis refers to research for practice which is possible through thorough professional development and value for evidence (ANMC, 2006). Nurses play an important role in the health promotion of an individual due to their direct contact and proximity with the patients. The 3 basic roles of a nurse are that of a practitioner, leader and researcher. As a practitioner, the nurse attends to all the medical needs of the patient and as a leader she takes decisions which relate to, influence and facilitate the actions of others with an aim to achieve a particular goal. As a researcher, the nurse aims to implement studies to determine the actual effects of nursing care and to work towards further improvement in nursing care (Nettina, 2006). Evidence based practice is very essential in every role of a nurse in nursing practice and contributes to better patient outcomes. Through out graduation, I was taught about the importance of evidence based practice, because of which I am able to identify the importance of research. I understand, it is very important for me to participate in research by retrieval of articles through databases, internet and library and reviewing them. I need to initiate seminars and discussion with colleagues and organise seminars. I need to retrieved information from valid sources pertaining to assessment and use of assessment tools and learn from them. Nursing is one of the worlds most diverse occupations in the world with a scope of variety of workplace settings, client populations and health care specialties and challenging and rewarding careers in direct care, administration, education and advanced practice nursing (Sherrod et al, 2005). Clinical experience is an essential component of nursing education and one of the methods of development of clinical experience is to place the nurses in different quality clinical placements. The rotation through these venues helps the nurses assimilate competence and grow into a confident professional (Levett-Jones, 2006). The most important aspect of expert clinical practice is clinical decision making which is a complex phenomenon and the thinking process varies from one nurse to the other (Higuchi and Donald, 2002). Reflection is a very important aspect of this domain. Reflective activity is a big part in the development of nursing practice. With the current trends in the nursing practice, and the advancement in the nursing profession, nurses are able to look into the concept of effective practice. While reflection is the key to successful learning process, current literature plays a major role in these developments (Bulman & Schutz, 2004). Through updated journals and texts, present studies by critics and writers, we are able to meet the goals for the improvement of analytical thinking skills such as being able to identify problems that might arise, being aware to new or different ideas, and anticipating the consequences of one’s actions. In using reflection as a tool for the development of the professional nursing practice, a plan can be designed to meet the goals of the reflective activity by recording thoughts, observations, feelings, activities and questions. Through this, the effective practitioner can be challenged to think in new ways, raise new questions and explore new ways of problem-solving (Charalambous, 2003). Professional nursing practice can be defined as the proper approach to care in the highest possible expectations rearing positive outcomes. Through reflective activity, and exploring the current trends of nursing, professionals will be able to meet the standards that the nursing profession will require. Through reflection and learning, I plan to mature as a nurse and thrive in flourishing colors in the profession. Domain: Provision and coordination of care Standard: Conducts a comprehensive and systematic nursing assessment. Element: Uses a relevant evidence-based assessment. The domain pertaining to provision and coordination of care refers to daily chores of the nursing profession wherein nurses are required to perform certain activities like assessment of patients, planning, evaluation and implementation of care. These activities demand organization and also good and coherent coordination. I understand that as a nurse, it is as much important to coordinate care as it is to provide care to the patient. This is because patients often need coordination of care from various health professionals of the health care team and the onus of coordination lies on the nurse. Competence for nurses is important for the kind of profession it is and the expectations that the profession arouses. Nursing profession involves complex combinations of performance, knowledge, attitudes and skills (David, 2005). Developing professional knowledge, skills and competence is a way of meeting the demands of modern professional practice. Currently, in many parts of the world, education, assessment and training in nursing are based on competency-based approach (David, 2005). According to the NMC, (cited in Somerville, and Keeling, 2004), nurses have a duty bested upon them to provide care that is to the best of their ability to the patients. In order to impart this duty, they need to have good knowledge, possess good skills and display appropriate behavior during their interaction with patients and their colleagues. Nurses are obliged to act as per the expectations of their profession. These expectations are the core of competence.One important aspect of this domain is reflective practice which helps in individual and professional development. Domain: Collaborative and therapeutic practice Standard: Establishes, maintains and appropriately concludes therapeutic relationships. Element: Establishes therapeutic relationships that are goal directed and recognizes professional boundaries. I believe this is very important for proper management of patient. The domain of collaborative and therapeutic practice is concerned with standards for establishment, sustainance and conclusion of professional relationships with various individuals and groups. The domain also covers those competence aspects which are related to interdisciplinary health matters (ANMC, 2006). As a nurse, I need to be effective in communication and hence I need development of appropriate communication skills for good therapeutic relationships. To need to undergo training in communication and building partnerships. I need to establish rapport with individuals/groups that enhances their ability to express feelings, and fosters an appropriate context for expression of feeling. I need to be interactive with professional groups and individuals. I need to establish and maintain therapeutic relationships which are goal directed and within the boundaries of the profession. As a practical nurse, my first and foremost priority would be to ensure proper delivery of health care to the patient. This will be possible only through acquisition of proper knowledge and professional skills. Along with these attributes, since I have deal with patients intimately and also coordinate with other nursing colleagues and health professionals, I need to possess qualities of leader and have empowerment. Professional knowledge, skills, leadership attributes and empowerment come only through change and enhanced learning through reflective activities. The relationship between a nurse and a patient is of therapeutic nature and based on the provision of care, guidance and assistance to the patient (Neal, 2007). It is shaped mainly by four concepts namely, trust, power, intimacy and respect (Neal, 2007). References Australian Nursing & Midwifery Council or ANMC (2006). National competency standards for the Registered Nurse. Dickson, ACT: ANMC. Retrieved on 22nd March, 2011 from http://www.anmc.org.au/docs/Competency_standards_RN.pdf Bulman, C. & Schutz, S. (2004) Reflective Practice in Nursing. 3rd Edition, Blackwell Publishing: Oxford. Charalambous, A. (2003). Reflective practice as a facilitator for learning. ICUS NURS WEB J., 13, 1-8. Retrieved on 22nd March, 2011 from http://www.nursing.gr/reflectiveprac.pdf David. T. (2005). Competence in nursing practice: A controversial concept – A focused review of literature. Nursing Education Today, 25, 5, 355- 362. Higuchi KA, Donald JG. (2002). Thinking processes used by nurses in clinical decision making. J Nurs Educ., 41(4), 145-53. Levett-Jonesa, T. (2006). Belongingness: A critique of the concept and implications for nursing education. Nurse Education Today, 27, 3, 210-218. Nettina, S.M. (2006). Manual of Nursing Practice. (8th ed.). New York: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Neal, K. (2007). Nurse-Patient relationships. Retrieved on 22nd March, 2011 from http://www.nursing-practice.co.uk/docs/newCh5.pdf Sherrod, B., Sherrod, D., Rasch, R. (2005). Men at Work. Nursing Management, 36(10): 46-51. Silva, M.C., and Ludwick, R. (1999). Ethics: Interstate Nursing Practice and Regulation: Ethical Issues for the 21st Century. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 4(2). Retrieved on 22nd March, 2011 from www.nursingworld.org//MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Volume41999/No2Sep1999/InterstateNursingPracticeandRegulation.aspx Read More