SWOT analysis and learning plan

Professional career development (PCD) encompasses an attentive self-assessment, career examination, scheduling and follow-through with initial employment plans (Masters 2018). Thus, career development is a lifelong process that helps to manage work, learning, transitions, and leisure, with the aim of accomplishing goals that are personally determined, and help in future evolution. This essay will elaborate on a PCD for developing my career goals that will facilitate easy transition into a registered nurse (RN).

SWOT analysis and learning plan- A SWOT analysis was conducted with the aim of helping me recognise the domains where I need to improve, besides assisting me in the identification of my strengths. The SWOT analysis is given below:

Strengths	Weaknesses
· Zealous about my profession Save Time On Research and Writing Hire a Pro to Write You a 100% Plagiarism-Free Paper. Get My Paper · Capable of fostering effective therapeutic communication with my patients · Quick learner · Effective time management skills · Able to prioritise work based on levels of urgency · Able to work under pressure	· Find it difficult to work with clients and stakeholders who belong to culturally diverse backgrounds · Afraid of seeking help from mentors (senior physicians and nurses) · Lack of self-esteem · Try to please all person
Opportunities	Threats
· Scope for career development · Option for continuing professional education · Enrolling in masters’ degree course for gaining specialized academic knowledge · Seeking help from the professional support services that are available at hand · Attending workshops and conferences for upgrading public speaking skills · Building network for more employment opportunities	· Huge workload often leads to fatigue · Shortage of nurses responsible for burnout and decreased job satisfaction · Lack of appropriate communication with culturally diverse clients impedes the delivery of care services · An increase in work pressure might make if problematic to maintain work-life balance · Low self-esteem might create challenges while delivering care under acute situations that require utilization of critical thinking skills

Table 1- SWOT analysis

An analysis of my strengths and weaknesses helped me formulate a learning plan that will facilitate appropriate career development, while allowing me to improve my expertise, and attain the intended goals. The learning plan formulated for future professional advancement is given below:

Goals to accomplish	Strategies to achieve the goals	Timeframe	Reflection
Seek admission in a masters’/postgraduate course in nursing	Place a due focus on ways by which academic knowledge, pertaining to nursing can be increased, in order to ensure presence of a hassle-free transition from clinical placement to the role of a registered nurse (RN).	I intend to commence the course within next 1.5-2 years	The two year commitment will acts a gateway to my career development and is often considered as the initial credentialing process needed for specialized nursing practice.
Increase self-confidence and self-esteem	Being mindful of the events occurring, avoiding comparing my actions and capabilities with others, practicing acceptance, and engaging in moderate physical exercise will boost self-esteem and self-confidence (Gerlach et al. 2015).	This goal will be continuous and will not have any predefined timeline for completion.	An increase in self-esteem will help me love and feel proud of my actions and profession. I will also be able to participate in decision making processes, without being overshadowed by other’s views.
Enhance cultural competence	Recognise that the term culture extends way beyond the colour of the skin, finding out about the cultural background of all stakeholders (including employees), prior to conversing with them, determining cultural effectiveness of self, making all clients feel at home, conducting evaluation in a culturally sensitive manner, and eliciting the preferences and experiences of the patients will increase cultural competence (Saunders, Haskins and Vasquez 2015).	Commencement within three months. This process will also be life-long	Demonstrating cultural competence will allow me to interact and deliver care services to the patients in a manner that is in alignment with their values, linguistic needs, and culture. This will improve their health outcomes and increase my job satisfaction.
Learn stress handling	Maintaining regular journal, learning to refuse people upon reaching certain limit, showing compliance to a healthy dietary pattern, learning relaxation techniques, and developing a style of forgiving will help to handle stressful situations (Tetrick and Winslow 2015).	Within two months, and the process will be continued throughout life.	Stress handling will make it easy to work under pressure, reduce mistakes, decrease fatigue, and prevent burnout.

Table 2- Learning plan

Reflective practice- Prior to enrolling myself at the baccalaureate nursing course, I did not have a sound awareness of the fact that continuing nursing education (CNE) is imperative for meeting the state requirements of nursing licensure. My clinical placement allowed me to work in close collaboration with disabled patients at rehabilitation units. I also have the experience of working as an anaesthetic nurse and mental health professional at St. Vincent’s Hospital and Concord Mental Hospital, respectively. Although I gained hands-on exposure to different aspects of nursing such as, reviewing patient history, working with multidisciplinary team, conducting comprehensive patient assessment, and participating in wound care management, I realised that transition to the role of an RN encompasses anxiety and fear, besides excitement and happiness. Hence, I was able to identify the several issues that might be encountered during the transition period, which in turn made me develop a learning plan, to progress my professional capabilities. Some major strategies that will assist me in following the prepared PCD plan are as follows:

• Remaining responsible for my actions and deeds
• Scheduling goals based on their urgency and importance
• Maintaining log book to note down happenings, challenges, thoughts, and perception
• Rewarding self, on accomplishing the goals will act as a form of encouragement

Three strategies for supporting PCD- The major three strategies that will allow me achieve professional development are:

1. Increasing clinical knowledge by conducting extensive search of evidences, prior to administration of any therapeutic or non-therapeutic intervention to the patients (Chinn and Kramer 2014).
2. Seeking mentors from different healthcare departments to explore new avenues of health and social care. This will increase knowledge and help in gaining exposure to novel opportunities.
3. Asking for feedback from family and friends will help in identifying the areas that need improvement and provide an unbiased view of the skills or strengths (Woodhead, Northrop and Edelstein 2016).

Conclusion- To conclude, my nursing philosophy is to care for all clients, regardless of their background, and the prevailing situation. The project proved advantageous in providing an account of the strategies that need to be adopted for career advancement. Showing adherence to the goals and objectives will facilitate easy transition to professional practice.

References

Chinn, P.L. and Kramer, M.K., 2014. Knowledge Development in Nursing-E-Book: Theory and Process. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Gerlach, C., Mai, S., Schmidtmann, I., Massen, C., Reinholz, U., Laufenberg-Feldmann, R. and Weber, M., 2015. Does interdisciplinary and multiprofessional undergraduate education increase students’ self-confidence and knowledge toward palliative care? Evaluation of an undergraduate curriculum design for palliative care at a German academic hospital. Journal of palliative medicine, 18(6), pp.513-519.

Masters, K., 2018. Role development in professional nursing practice. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Saunders, J.A., Haskins, M. and Vasquez, M., 2015. Cultural competence: A journey to an elusive goal. Journal of Social Work Education, 51(1), pp.19-34.

Tetrick, L.E. and Winslow, C.J., 2015. Workplace stress management interventions and health promotion. Annu. Rev. Organ. Psychol. Organ. Behav., 2(1), pp.583-603.

Woodhead, E.L., Northrop, L. and Edelstein, B., 2016. Stress, social support, and burnout among long-term care nursing staff. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 35(1), pp.84-105.