Question

1. Provide a synopsis of your review of initial, mid-course, and final entries of Nurse E-Portfolios for all courses that includes what you found surprising, what you found concerning, and how you have progressed (knowledge, skills, and abilities) since the first course taken.

1. Describe your plans in your first year to maintain your competence as a professional nurse.

1. Describe your plans in the following three years to maintain your competence as a professional nurse.

1. What you would you like to be doing as a professional nurse 10 years from now and what competencies you will need to accomplish these goals/activities.

Answer 1

1. One of the challenges of nursing is that it requires skill sets that at times seem contradictory. They need to have great people skills, but, must also be comfortable using sophisticated technology. They have to be able to comfort your patients and their loved ones but, at times, discuss some very difficult situations with tact and honesty.

Take some time to evaluate the skills in each of the clinical areas. Think of examples in clinical rotations where they used them. They can apply what they learned there to the experiences and have in their new position. Remember, successful learning includes applying new knowledge in similar situations.

They are in a transition moving from student to professional and will have to adapt in new ways in order to succeed. The new position will be much different than years as a student or previous employment. More will be expected of, with less guidance and support. The expectation is that, will succeed and do so largely on your own. Certainly, they well-prepared clinically, but must also be able to perform professionally. They will use skills beyond what learned in the classroom and clinical rotations.

The following describes some of the major differences between college and the first year of work:

College	The first year of work
Frequent, quick, concrete feedback	Infrequent and less precise feedback
Personally supportive environment	Less personal support
Few significant changes	Frequent and unexpected changes
Flexible schedule	Structured schedule
Frequent breaks and time off	Limited time off
Choose performance levels(A,B,C grades)	A-level work required all the time

Competence :

*Self-Awareness:

Knowing one’s internal states, preferences, resources, and intuitions

*Emotional awareness:

Recognizing one’s emotions and their effects

*Accurate self-assessment: Knowing one’s strengths and limits

*Self-confidence: A strong sense of one’s self-worth and capabilities

*Self-Regulation: Managing one’s internal states, impulses, and resources

*Self-control: Keeping disruptive emotions and impulses in check

*Trustworthiness: Maintaining standards of honesty and integrity

*Conscientiousness: Taking responsibility for personal performance

*Adaptability: Flexibility in handling change

*Innovation: Being comfortable with novel ideas, approaches, and new information

*Motivation: Emotional tendencies that guide or facilitate reaching goals

*Achievement drive: Striving to improve or meet a standard of excellence

*Commitment: Aligning with the goals of the group or organization

*Initiative: Readiness to act on opportunities

*Optimism: Persistence in pursuing goals despite obstacles and setbacks

Social Competence

These competencies determine how we handle relationships.

*Empathy: Awareness of others’ feelings, needs, and concerns

*Understanding others: Sensing others’ feelings and perspectives, and taking an active interest in their concerns

*Developing others: Sensing others’ development needs and bolstering their abilities

*Service orientation: Anticipating, recognizing, and meeting customers’ needs

*Leveraging diversity: Cultivating opportunities through different kinds of people

*Political awareness: Reading a group’s emotional currents and power relationships

*Social Skills: Adeptness at inducing desirable responses in others

*Influence: Wielding effective tactics for persuasion

*Communication: Listening openly and sending convincing messages

*Conflict management: Negotiating and resolving disagreements

*Leadership: Inspiring and guiding individuals and groups

*Change catalyst: Initiating or managing change

*Building bonds: Nurturing instrumental relationships

*Collaboration and cooperation: Working with others toward shared goals

Team Capabilities: Creating group synergy in pursuing collective goals

(From Goleman, 1995)

2. Nursing competency is generally viewed as a complex integration of knowledge including professional judgment, skills, values, and attitude, indicating that holism is widely accepted. In nursing practice, nurses are required to apply their acquired knowledge, skills and innate individual traits to each situation and be able to adapt that knowledge and those skills to different circumstances.

To acquire nursing competency, nurses must possess the skills and personal traits necessary to effectively perform their duties while integrating multiple elements including knowledge, techniques, attitude, thinking ability and values that are required in specific contexts.

Personal traits include affection, understanding, self-control, critical thinking and problem-solving ability. Professional attitudes and behaviors involve the following performance standards: taking up professional responsibilities, being autonomous, being aware of one’s own limitations, providing explanations, respecting patient rights, promoting continuous learning and maintaining up-to-date knowledge and skills. Providing care based on professional knowledge and skills includes the ability to collaborate with other healthcare professionals, develop intrapersonal relationships, educate and instruct, manage nursing care, ensure safety and quality of nursing and expand the capacity of nursing.

3.Leadership Competencies

Nurses at all levels need strong leadership skills to contribute to patient safety and quality of care. Yet their history as a profession dominated by females can make it easier for policymakers, other health professionals, and the public to view nurses as “functional doers”—those who carry out the instructions of others—rather than “thoughtful strategists” those who are informed decision makers and whose independent actions are based on education, evidence, and experience.

Nurse researchers must develop new models of quality care that are evidence-based, patient-centered, affordable, and accessible to diverse populations. Developing and imparting the science of nursing is also an important contribution to nurses’ ability to deliver high-quality, safe care. Additionally, nurses must serve as advocates and implementers for the program designs they develop.  For nurse researchers to achieve parity with other health services researchers, they must develop the skills and initiative to take leadership roles in this research.

Involvement in Policy Making

Nurses may articulate what they want to happen in health care to make it more truly patient-centered and to improve quality, access, and value. They may even have evidence to support their conclusions. As with any worthy cause, however, they must engage in the policy-making process to ensure that the changes they believe in are realized. To this end, they must be able to envision themselves as leaders in that process and seek out new partners who share their goals.

Having enough nurses and having nurses with the right skills and competencies to care for the population is an important societal issue. Having allies from outside the profession is important to achieving this goal. More nurses need to reach out to new partners in arenas ranging from business, government, and philanthropy to state and national medical associations to consumer groups. Additionally, nurses need to fortify alliances that are made through personal connections and relationships.

Nurses must exercise these competencies in a collaborative environment in all settings, including hospitals, communities, schools, boards, and political and business arenas. In doing so, they must not only mentor others along the way but develop partnerships and gain allies both within and beyond the health care environment.