My Development and Strengths as Professional Nurse

My Professional Summary

In the healthcare sector, the nursing role does not revolve only around patient care but also around educating the populace, promoting health awareness and preventing people from illness. For these reasons, a wide range of specialized skill sets, profound knowledge and extensive experience is mandatory. Meanwhile, my portfolio is a reflection of such diversified attributes that I have earned throughout this program. Multiple artifacts in alliance with accomplished works demonstrate my growth and commitment as a dedicated professional nurse. However, this professional summary will elaborate on my development and strengths as a professional nurse by exploring various artefacts in my portfolio. In addition, it will throw some light on encountered challenges and how I overcame them to accelerate my professional growth.

Overview of How My Portfolio (Completed Work and Artifacts) Represent me as a Learner and a Healthcare Professional:

It is worth mentioning that my skills and knowledge grow constantly with each course offered during the program. The course contents covered diversified domains of the nursing profession that mainly focus on contemporary trends of the healthcare industry. These domains included theoretical knowledge, extensive research, community concepts, leadership traits, healthcare policy along therapeutic interventions. Such elements enabled me to work at the Intensive Care Unit without any difficulty. It is because of the competency and professional approach that I have learned during this nursing program. The portfolio demonstrates the very skill set that I learned and urged to gain professional goals. The artefact in the form of completed “Task 1” presents me as a health professional and learner regarding leadership. This experience provided me an opportunity to investigate issues and propose solutions by using my leadership skills.

Moreover, I gained knowledge to diagnose problems, chalk out solutions and enhance my abilities to be a better professional. Further, the “Intrapersonal Leadership and Professional Growth” section glorifies my commitment to professional development by applying various leadership skills. In addition, another artefact in the portfolio exhibits dedication to patient safety and cost-efficient practices by ensuring good quality. For example, the “Organizational Systems and Healthcare Transformation” section elaborates on HAIs (healthcare-associated infections) for improving health outcomes. This artefact particularly depicts my critical analysis abilities to provide evidence-based solutions for complex situations. Further, the “Five-Year Professional Development Plan” represents my proactive learning attitude towards professional advancement.

Representation of My Professional Strengths through Specific Artifacts in My Portfolio:

My portfolio embedded with massive artefacts represents my professional strengths. For example, my role played as an ICU (Intensive Care Unit) nurse is self-explanatory about my strengths. “Evidence-Based Practice” task 1 paper is vivid evidence of my professional strength where I made extensive research on “skin-to-skin contact” in the ICU. Similarly, another aspect of professional strength is demonstrated when I have worked at Dialysis Acute RN with adults. Meanwhile, the artefact of “Introduction to Communication: Connecting with Others – D268” emphasizes on nurse retention. It depicts my grip on effective leadership to promote staff satisfaction in alliance with the role of nurse leader to build a positive environment. Additionally, the artifact of “Healthcare Organization” shows my strength regarding decision-making and ensuring quality care.

The Challenges Encountered During My Program:

I had to confront multiple challenges during this nursing program. Other than my academic path, various personal life challenges affect my performance as a whole. The primary challenge, in this regard, was time management. I was not able to manage my time efficiently. Various tasks like assignment preparation, coursework studies, clinical rotation and my personal commitments to my relations were not manageable for me. Instead of focusing on the targets, I felt depressed, and stressed and had to struggle with deadlines. Sometimes I missed my work to complete in the given span of time. Another challenge was a deficiency in the development of clinical skill sets. Clinical skills are crucial for any nursing student and I faced immense challenges in applying my theoretical leanings to patients in my clinical hours. I lose confidence in performing medical procedures and communicate the same to attendants.

Similarly, I faced immense academic pressure to absorb massive information relating to the healthcare field. Taking exams, attempting quizzes and preparation of assignments proved a very hectic routine for me. In addition, effective communication skills became a gigantic challenge for me during this program. I felt reluctant to collaborate with healthcare teams in alliance with communicating the patient improvement chances with family members of patients. I often felt hesitant while undergoing such situations. These challenges retard my overall well-being during this nursing program which led to a life-work imbalance in my life.

Overcoming the Stated Challenges:

Although the encountered challenges during this program had a massive magnitude I overcame them one by one with a good plan of action. For example, to overcome time management challenges, I designed a comprehensive schedule. It spanned over time division about studies, sports and personal time shorts with proper breaks. I prioritized each task by considering realistic goals, minimizing my stress and enhancing my overall productivity level. Similarly, to address challenges in clinical skill development, I chalked out a strategic plan. I planned to avail additional clinical practice, sought feedback from instructors, attended skill-enhancing labs, and asked mentor help from seniors to polish my abilities.

Meanwhile, to address academic pressure, I adopted multiple learning techniques like mind mapping, brainstorming, and group discussions along with seeking help from professors and peers. I tried my best to clarify concepts and improved my grip on subjects. In addition, to overcome communication deficiencies, I regularly participated in role-playing exercises and communication workshops. I tried to connect with patients and healthcare team members after taking sufficient shears of advice from instructors and seniors. These strategies and the mindful execution of plans also improve my personal well-being over the passage of time. Overcoming challenges of multiple domains enhanced my determination and also paved my way towards a compassionate profession in the healthcare industry.

Professional Growth since the Beginning of the Program:

I have experienced marvellous professional developments in clinical skills and my personal capacity since the beginning of this program. The nursing course spanning numerous learning outcomes, multiple challenges and various opportunities polished my professional skills. In this regard, I am adorned with professional growth in several areas. For example, the main professional growth lies in equipped clinical competence. As a nursing student in the beginning, I had only basic professional skills and knowledge. During my first rotation, I was very nervous but gradually, I improved my clinical skills with more confidence to provide safe and efficient care. Similarly, another area of professional growth is enhanced decision-making power and improved critical thinking. In the beginning, I solely relied on bookish knowledge but over time, I adopted to think critically and to decide wisely about patient care. For example, in a complex asthma case, I gathered information, analyzed data and took rational decision to manage the patient with immense care.

Moreover, another professional growth area is effective teamwork skills in alliance with augmented communication skills. I have learned to hear the patient attentively, communicate with empathy, and interact with patients’ family members efficiently from situation to situation. In addition, I deeply understood the ethical, moral and legal responsibilities of the nursing profession during the nursing program. Some of such learned attributes may include patient privacy, advocating patients’ rights and maintaining professional limits.

Hence, this nursing program has transformed me from a raw material to a passionate professional nurse whose abilities and capacities are polished to serve humanity above the board.