Personal Professional Development Plan My

Personal Professional Development Plan

My interest in nursing has been piqued since an early age. Throughout my school career, I enjoyed the physical sciences more than other study directions. I am therefore delighted to take part in the study direction of nursing, hoping to make this my career and my advancement for the future. For this future, I have several short- and long-term goals, aimed at helping me reach my ultimate goal.. It is my intention to strive for my highest goals, although I also have back-up plans should these prove to be initially unsuccessful. My motto is never to lose hope and always to look forward to the goals I can achieve with what I have at my disposal.

My ultimate goal is to be accepted into a medical program. I hope to achieve this within 3-4 years from now. If this goal is not realized within the target date, or proves more difficult than anticipated, my second choice would be to apply the Veterans Affairs Nurse Anesthetist program.

In order to reach this goal, I have set a number of short-term goals. One of these is to prepare myself for the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). I expect to be ready for this by August 2007. I feel this is very important for the advancement of my nursing and medical career. This is important to me, as I feel that I need to grow not only in a personal sense, but also in my professional life. In addition to preparing for my ultimate goal, I therefore feel that I should also challenge myself in terms of my current career. This is the reason for my another short-term goal - changing positions from a Medical Surgical nurse to an ICU nurse.

Such a change would challenge my current position and also prepare me for the challenges ahead. My level of crisis control ability for example would be significantly enhanced by working in ICU. I would also have to expand my ability to handle family members and their stress concomitantly with those in the ICU. While I feel that this would be challenging, I also feel that it is an important step in my personal and professional development.

Being a nurse is for me a privileged position. It places me in a situation where I do not only have the opportunity to grow as a professional nurse and medical practitioner, but also as a person. Interpersonal skills such as stress management, sympathy and empathy for patients and their family members, and the ability to handle the death of a patient are all enhanced by working in ICU. These interpersonal skills will then also help me attain my ultimate goal on my way to the medical program.

On the way to reaching my ultimate goal, I also have longer-term aims. One of these is Graduating from Kaplan University with a Bachelor in Nursing Degree. Specifically, I would like to reach this goal by May 2008. After this, it is my aim to complete one year as an ICU nurse, with all the concomitant issues raised above. This will then prepare me for the future either in a medical program or my application for the Veterans Affairs Nurse Anesthetist program.

I have many personal strengths to help me achieve the goals mentioned above. One of these is both my technical and personal affiliation with nursing. In other words, I love nursing for two reasons: the medicine and the people I work with. I love the way in which the profession has developed to provide people now with the best of medical care possible. Furthermore, I love being able to comfort people in need, including the patients' families. This is also why I believe I would be a good ICU nurse.

The nursing profession is not for everyone. This gives me the feeling that those who work with, together with me, find themselves in the privileged position not only of job security, but also of a particularly strong mental and personal make-up. This of course also translates to life in general. Because I am a good nurse, I am also a blessing to those I come into contact with outside of my immediate work environment. I for example love people in general, helping me to relate very well to everybody in a social situation. People tend to confide in me, not only on the basis that I have entered the nursing profession, but also because of the fact that I seem to radiate an understanding and sympathetic aura. This is something that I enjoy, as it makes me feel very useful in a world often filled with pain. My family and friends are wonderful support systems when it comes to encouragement and helping me set my goals. I am surrounded by many people who love and respect me. This is a strong basis from which to pursue my nursing career.

Another, more concrete strength that will enhance my ability to reach my goal is the fact that I am a very determined person. Even as a youngster I was willing to make sacrifices for the success I wanted. This is another quality I acquired early in life: success seldom comes without sacrifices. I am willing to make any sacrifice necessary to pursue my goals as stated above.