Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Part 2: Academic Resource and Strategies
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Academic Resources and Strategies
Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Part 2: Academic Resource and Strategies
Learning is a continuous process, and in healthcare, healthcare practitioners need to develop necessary skills to ensure continuous accumulation and application of knowledge through evidence-based practice. The skills are well mastered while pursuing education and preparing for certification exams. In the United States, success in the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses is used as a tool for determination of competency of nursing program graduates. The test is usually complicated and require intense preparation and mastery of a concept. The effective utilization of resources by nursing students prepares them for both the exam and practice. The most updated technique that has gained traction is the Mastery Learning approach which includes a multidimensional approach that includes the students, institutions and teachers in preparing for the academic and professional success of the students. Mastery Learning Approach employs an effective corrective feedback approach as well as provide high-quality corrective instructions. Other strategies also play a crucial role in ensuring the success of the students and the combined utilization of the majority of the techniques help prepare the students for career success (Rolf et al., 2019; Qalehsari et al., 2017). This paper will discuss key academic and professional strategies that can be utilized by students pursuing MSN. The paper will further illustrate how I stand to benefit from utilizing these resources as a passionate student with a desire to become a qualified and certified nursing leader.
1. Academic Resources/Strategies.
a) Mastery Learning Approach (MLA)
MLA is a vital technique that is independent of time but dependent on collaborative efforts of stakeholders in ensuring the success of the students and cumulative mastery of concepts by all students. MLA has six unique components; the use of the classroom as a teacher, utilization of block curriculum, education based on competency, active and collaborative learning through continuous assessment, early experimental learning and student interactions. By utilization of block curriculum (i.e., one specialty area content for every block), the students can comprehensively understand the content thus master each bit of the block. Rolf et al. (2019) reported that the study on MLA success strategy allowed students to reach the same level of achievements with most of the performing at the 70th percentile and to develop a positive attitude towards learning with increased content retention. GPA scores, interview scores and other test schemes are used to identify and select the student likely to succeed in nursing programs. Anyone enrolled in the program usually has the potential to succeed if they work collaboratively with the teachers and use resources effectively. The key aspect to using in MLA strategy is the collaboration and active participation of students in classrooms. Similarly, the feedback loop needs to be utilized by the students to enhance their mastery of content (Rolf et al.,2019).
b) Online Academic Resources
The rapid growth of the internet has come with unlimited advantages, especially in the health sector. Numerous websites provide information that can help students in understanding concepts as well as being up to date with current scientific finding. These websites also play a great role in evidence-based practice which helps in the induction of EPB in practice and leadership. These online resources include journals, nursing research databases and board review courses. The journals tend to be very diverse and cover different specialities. Some key journals include AAACN Viewpoint, AACN Advanced Critical Care, American Journal of Nursing, American Nurse today and AORN journal, among others. Nursing research databases are quite vital, especially for nurses who would prefer getting into academia or research. The databases have vast resources that help in content mastery. Some key databases include CINAHL, Cochrane, Medline, Medscape and UpToDate. Another key website is the Learning Nurse Resource centre. This website provides diverse information concerning nurse education, learning, professional development and continuing in education. Basic tools in the website include quizzes, games and test questions which are free and safe to all. Other websites like the Practical Clinical Skills provide training exercises and clinical decision support aids that prepare students for placements and actual practice. Some lessons provided include ECG, EKG and blood pressure assessment, murmurs among others (LeFlore and Thomas, 2016).
c) Nursing Learning Resource Centre.
The physical resource center is crucial in providing academic learning materials specifically for nursing students. This helps to cater to the students who are unable to pay for a subscription of online resources. Not only do these centers have easily accessible resources, but they also provide conducive environments to learn peacefully and interact with other nurses thus enhance knowledge transfer (Zimmerman et al., 2019).
d) Nursing Study Centers
Nursing study center serves the purpose of supporting nursing students by providing supplemental instruction, study groups and other important study aids. It also gives room for individual studies or meeting points of study groups. Furthermore, the study centers help in the coordination of events within and outside the institute.
2. Professional Resources
a) Professional Organizations
Active members of professional organizations get benefits of access to resources like journals, conferences, resources and networking. Networking is usually initiated through committees, members-only events and special projects. There exist several registered nursing professional bodies that cater to each nursing specialty. Though most require a monthly subscription, the amount charged is usually affordable, and the benefits are way greater than the actual cost (McRae and Zimmerman, 2019). A great example is the American Nurse Association. As a member, one benefits from opportunities which include connections, educational uplift and professional growth.
b) Conferences/ Seminars and Webinars
A public gathering of nurses, especially during events attract a well-experienced nurse who come to learn, network as well as share knowledge and experiences with others. This helps build relationship among them, share knowledge as well as promote scientific growth for better service delivery (Creech et al., 2017). A passionate nurse should purpose to attend these events and learn from others and also instill the habit of attending the events.
c) Certification and Licensure
Competency is always marked by taking and passing the exams of different accreditation bodies that govern nurses. There exist several accreditation bodies and exams that one can take to be acceptable in the healthcare industry. Students must identify the requirements for each exam, prepare accordingly, register and succeed in the exam if they desire to be considered proficient as APRNs.
How I Intend to Use the Resources and Their Academic/Professional Benefits.
As a student, the primary goal is to understand the concepts, pass the exams, master all aspects and be able to relate them during practice. Success in class opens doors for employability as well as the skills necessary to provide quality care. I plan to use the academic MLA approach in ensuring that I fully participate in the classroom as well as work with my classmates and teachers in ensuring that concepts are well understood. This will help me grow in communication skills, teamwork and information conceptualization. Online learning resources are a good source of knowledge that is readily available provided one has an internet connection. I plan to constantly use the resources in sharpening my skills and widening my academic knowledge to provide quality care during practice. I will also use these resources to identify available conferences, seminars and webinars that will help me network with other experienced nurses and learn from them. The resources, especially online databases, will be helpful with research work and Evidence-Based Practice. Study centres and Learning resource centres will help me to interact with my colleagues and in the identification of useful resources, thus build social and teamwork skills as well as leadership and coordination skills.
Professional resources are a futuristic investment for a career in nursing. Quality healthcare services and promotion of professional practice requires a collaborative effort from different stakeholders. This can only be enhanced through the creation of relationships and sharing different experiences and suggestions before implementation. Similarly, since learning is a continuous process and essential in healthcare, it is easier to attain the diverse knowledge through conferences, seminars or articles shared by professional bodies. Being knowledgeable and providing best quality services makes one a leader in his/her industry. As such, I plan to identify at least one professional organization and become an active member.
Conclusion.
Success as an MSN student requires intensive utilization of all the available resources. Similarly, it involves combined effort from all stakeholders like the students, teachers, institutions and other experienced nurses. It is the personal responsibility of the students to utilize the available resources and ensure success and professional growth.
References
Creech, C., Filter, M., Wehbe-Alamah, H., McFarland, M. R., Andrews, M., & Pryor, G. (2017). An Intervention to Improve Cultural Competence in Graduate Nursing Education. Nursing education perspectives, 38(6), 333–336. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000000163
LeFlore, J. L., & Thomas, P. E. (2016). Educational Changes to Support Advanced Practice Nursing Education. The Journal of perinatal & neonatal nursing, 30(3), 187–190. https://doi.org/10.1097/JPN.0000000000000201
McRae, M., & Zimmerman, K. M. (2019). Identifying Components of Success Within Health Sciences-Focused Mentoring Programs Through a Review of the Literature. American journal of pharmaceutical education, 83(1), 6976. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe6976
Qalehsari, M. Q., Khaghanizadeh, M., & Ebadi, A. (2017). Lifelong learning strategies in nursing: A systematic review. Electronic physician, 9(10), 5541–5550. https://doi.org/10.19082/5541
Rolf, M., Kroposki, M., & Watson, S. (2019). Quantitative evaluation of variables to student success in a mastery learning baccalaureate nursing programme. Nursing open, 6(3), 959–965. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.278
Zimmerman, P. A., Eaton, R., Brown, L., Frommolt, V., Mitchell, C., Elder, E., & Lin, F. (2019). The “five senses of success” in nursing students: Assessing first-year support engagement. International journal of nursing sciences, 6(3), 322–328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2019.06.001
Question
New construction projects begin with a design phase, where architects blueprint the vision complete with design details. They work in collaboration with builders who use the designs to prepare the appropriate strategies, tools, and materials to bring the vision to reality. You are both architect and builder of your success. You have started to blueprint your vision in your Academic Success and Professional Development Plan. You have identified others with whom you will collaborate. Now you can begin to prepare the appropriate strategies, tools, and materials
How will you approach your studies? What types of resources are available to you, and how will you access and utilize them? Taking the opportunity to prepare these strategies, tools, and materials will help ensure you can “break ground” without incident and successfully move to the phase where you begin building your vision.
To Prepare:
Consider your goals for academic accomplishments while a student of the MSN program.
Reflect on the strategies presented in the Resources for this module.
The Assignment:
In this Assignment, you will continue developing your Academic Success and Professional Development Plan by appending the original document you began in the previous Assignment to develop the second component—academic resources and strategies. To accomplish this:
Identify and describe at least three academic resources or strategies that can be applied to the MSN program
Identify and describe at least three professional resources that can be applied to success in the nursing practice in general or your specialty in particular
Explain how you intend to use these resources, and how they might benefit you academically and professionally.
Note: Add your work for this Assignment to the original document you began in the Module 1 Assignment, which was built from the Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Template.
Academic Resources and Strategies