NURS 6003 Module 3 Assignment Academic and Professional Success Plan Template
Academic and Professional Success Plan Template
Prepared by:
Student Name:
This document is to be used for NURS 6003 Transition to Graduate Study for Nursing to complete Assessments 1-4. Just as importantly the document serves to organize your thoughts about planning for your academic and professional success.
For specific instructions see the weekly assessment details in the course or ask your instructor for further guidance.
Module 1 | Part 1: Developing an Academic and Professional Network
I have identified and secured the participation of the following academic (at least two) and professional (at least two) individuals and/or teams to form the basis of my network. This network will help me to clarify my vision for success and will help guide me now and in the future.
Directions: Complete the information below for each member of your network. For more than four entries repeat the items below with details of your additional network member(s) in the ‘ADDITIONAL NETWORK MEMBERS’ section.
NETWORK MEMBER 1
Name: Patricia Benner, PhD, RN, FAAN
Title: Nursing Theorist and Professor Emerita
Organization: University of California, San Francisco
Academic or Professional: Academic
Why I selected this individual and/or team and how they will support my success in the MSN program or post-masters Certificate (PMC) and as a practicing nurse:
Notes:
I selected Patricia Benner for her innovative nursing theory, especially her “From Novice to Expert” approach. Her theory has greatly affected my understanding of nursing practice and skill development. Her writing resonates with me as a 17-year nurse because it helps me reflect on my progress. Dr. Benner’s ideas about clinical expertise and nursing knowledge resonate with my drive to learn more, especially in mental nursing. Her academic work will help me traverse the MSN program by providing a strong framework for comprehending patient care’s intricacies. I value her emphasis on experiential learning and using theoretical information to become a Psych NP and Family Nurse Practitioner. Her work will help me implement theoretical knowledge in clinical practice to give high-quality, evidence-based treatment.
NETWORK MEMBER 2
Name: Jean Watson, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, FAAN
Title: Founder and Director of the Watson Caring Science Institute
Organization: University of Colorado
Academic or Professional: Academic
Why I selected this individual and/or team and how they will support my success in the MSN program or post-masters Certificate (PMC) and as a practicing nurse:
Notes:
The Theory of Human Caring by Jean Watson is influential in nursing. Her emphasis on compassion in nursing practice connects with my personal and professional perspective. As a nurse in Women’s Health, Psych, and Orthopedic Surgery, I’ve practiced compassionately. Watson’s theory organizes care into all parts of nursing, which will be essential when I transition to a Psych NP role. Her view of caring science complements Walden University’s aim of social change and my efforts to solve the pandemic-exacerbated mental health care crisis. Watson’s focus on holistic treatment—including physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being—will help me provide complete care to my future clients. Her efforts will also help me build meaningful patient-nurse connections, which are essential to mental health care success.
NETWORK MEMBER 3
Name: Atul Gawande, MD, MPH
Title: Surgeon, Writer, and Public Health Leader
Organization: Ariadne Labs, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Academic or Professional: Professional
Why I selected this individual and/or team and how they will support my success in the MSN program or post-masters Certificate (PMC) and as a practicing nurse:
Notes:
I chose Atul Gawande for his impact on healthcare delivery and patient safety, and his efforts have transformed surgery safety and public health. Gawande’s dedication to decreasing mistakes and enhancing treatment is important to my surgical job and future Psych NP role. His approach to healthcare difficulties, which combines rigorous data analysis and a deep understanding of human behavior, will be essential as I design mental healthcare delivery solutions. Walden University’s MSN program trains reflective practitioners and positive social change agents like Gawande, who emphasize communication, teamwork, and continual growth. My job will encourage me to advocate for safer, more effective care methods in my professional context, advancing nursing and patient well-being.
NETWORK MEMBER 4
Name: Michael Dowling, MSW
Title: President and CEO
Organization: Northwell Health
Academic or Professional: Professional
Why I selected this individual and/or team and how they will support my success in the MSN program or post-masters Certificate (PMC) and as a practicing nurse:
Notes:
Michael Dowling, President and CEO of Northwell Health, is a crucial player in my professional network owing to his exceptional healthcare management and innovative approach to enhancing healthcare delivery. My nursing perspective prioritizes patient well-being, like his. As a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner (Psych NP) in training, Mr. Dowling’s success in adopting new technology and promoting continual improvement at Northwell Health motivates me.
His commitment to reducing healthcare inequities aligns with my objective of extending mental health services for marginalized groups. Mr. Dowling’s ability to oversee a huge healthcare institution while promoting equality and social justice inspires me for my career. His path from rural Ireland to American healthcare leadership inspires me to persevere and be resilient. I want to lead like him, encouraging collaboration, creativity, and compassion to give all patients high-quality treatment.
Module 2 | Part 2: Strategies to Promote Academic Integrity and Professional Ethics
I have analyzed the relationship between academic integrity and writing, as well as the relationship between professional practices and scholarly ethics. I have also identified strategies I intend to pursue to maintain integrity and ethics in my academic work while a student of the MSN program or PMC, as well as my professional work as a nurse throughout my career. The results of these efforts are shared below.
Directions: In the space below craft your analysis/writing sample, including Part 1 (The Connection Between Academic and Professional Integrity) and Part 2 (Strategies for Maintaining Integrity of Work).
Part 1: Writing Sample: The Connection Between Academic and Professional Integrity
There is a connection between academic integrity and writing since the ability to avoid dishonesty when writing is an indication that the person upholds academic integrity (Lynch et al., 2022). Certain elements of academic writing include a student’s body of work, references, and non-plagiarized materials. This shows students’ respect for the works of others and the academic society as well. Every student obeys the rules of academic integrity to guarantee the originality and reliability of the delivered work. Staying true to ideals of academic honesty builds an ethical framework that fosters constructive scholarship that eradicates vices such as hypocrisy (Thakadipuram, 2024). These values play an important role not only in the academic environment but also in many other career areas. For example, in nursing when ethical reasoning is a key component of the role.
There is a strong connection between professional practices and scholarly ethics as they are based on trust, honesty, and appreciation of other’s work. The ethical principles used in the professional practice of nursing are respect for self and other people, non-maleficence, and justice which are in line with the ethics of scholarly work. Buhagar (2021) mentioned that ethical practice for the nurse includes integrity in writing, reporting truth regarding the status of the patient, and cooperation in participles (Buhagar, 2021). There is an ethical way of analyzing and reporting results including acknowledging collaborators, using research findings ethically as well as ensuring that the data is accurate. Integrity in both contexts implies confidence between individuals, patients, and society.
Grammarly, Turnitin, and paraphrasing are crucial technologies for avoiding the dishonesty of students and plagiarists. Grammarly is a tool that allows one to avoid many grammatical mistakes and possible cases of plagiarism in the text. It makes it possible to write with clarity and integrity (Dong & Shi, 2021). The fourth is very important in ensuring that there is compliance with issues to do with plagiarism and therefore comes with information where there is an instance of plagiarism. Becoming proficient with entering synonyms is an important skill in writing that enables a student to express what they want using their own choice of words. This conveys the exact meaning of an author. This in turn aids in maintaining academic integrity as the tools assist learners in coming up with unique work and using sources appropriately.
PART 2: Strategies for Maintaining Integrity of Work
To keep honesty in my coursework as an MSN student I shall use the following techniques. First, I will make sure to keep on using Grammarly to be able to identify all the issues concerning grammar and punctuation. I will also keep on using Turnitin to check the originality of the material and to be able to cite properly (Hapsari et al., 2020). I will also regain the ability to paraphrase having read how to interpret sources before summarizing them in my own words. In addition, I will make sure that all APA guidelines will be strictly followed, especially in the case of citation of sources. I can use different strategies while completing my assignment to avoid plagiarism and make my contribution to the development of knowledge in the field.
As a practicing nurse, I shall ensure that I conform to the ANA Code of Ethics while exercising professional ethics. This results in integrity in the way the patient is handled, averting falsehood in inpatient treatment, documentation, and adherence to the patient’s confidentiality. I will be taking continuous professional development because I will want to uphold the ethical measures and best practices in my practice. This means that I will be able to seek assistance from books such as the ANA’s ethical guidelines and nursing journals. This is done to ensure that I undertake the right actions in such a situation to offer ethically sound and evidence-based care. With the commitment to acquiring and practicing continuous learning, it will be possible to always maintain professional integrity.
References
Buhagar, D. C. (2021). The forgivness interview protocol: A narrative therapy writing-process model for the treatment of moral injury. Journal of Religion and Health. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01395-3
Dong, Y., & Shi, L. (2021). Using Grammarly to support students’ source-based writing practices. Assessing Writing, 50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2021.100564
Hapsari, A., Ghali, M. I., & Ammar, M. H. (2020). The use of turnitin to teach academic integrity in essay writing coursework. Proceedings of the 2020 11th International Conference on E-Education, E-Business, E-Management, and E-Learning. https://doi.org/10.1145/3377571.3377595
Lynch, J., Glew, P., Salamonson, Y., & Ramjan, L. M. (2022). “Integrity is integrity. IT doesn’t matter the context”: A qualitative exploratory study of academic integrity in an undergraduate nursing program. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 17(4). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2022.06.013
Thakadipuram, T. (2024). Nature of evil and spiritual intelligence. Palgrave Studies in Workplace Spirituality and Fulfillment, 97–168. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-28967-5_4
Module 3 | Part 3: Research Analysis
I have identified one topic of interest for further study. I have researched and identified one peer-reviewed research article focused on this topic and have analyzed this article. The results of these efforts are shared below.
Directions: Complete Step 1 by using the table and subsequent space below to identify and analyze the research article you have selected. Complete Step 2 by summarizing in 2-3 paragraphs the results of your analysis using the space identified.
Step 1: Research Analysis
Complete the table below
Topic of Interest: | Nursing Informatics | |||
Research Article:Include full citation in APA format, as well as link or search details (such as DOI) | Zareshahi, M., Mirzaei, S., & Nasiriani, K. (2022). Nursing informatics competencies in the critical care unit. Health Informatics Journal, 28(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/14604582221083843 | |||
Professional Practice Use: One or more professional practices use the theories/concepts presented in the article | ICU nurses can use the article’s concepts and theories in nursing informatics. The research shows that critical care nurses need a variety of informatics abilities to provide safe, efficient, and effective patient care. Fast patient data collection and application can improve clinical outcomes in highly stressful settings like the ICU. Employ Electronic Health Records (EHRs) to precisely document patient information, maintain vital signs, manage prescriptions, and ensure continuity of care. Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDS) help nurses make evidence-based decisions optimizing patient outcomes (Sutton et al., 2020). CDS systems can alert nurses to vital test results or suggest clinically relevant treatments, helping them provide timely and accurate care. Informatics tools improve healthcare team communication and collaboration (Roosan et al., 2019). These competencies also improve workflow by improving patient information management, eliminating documentation errors, and lowering administrative time. Hospitals can enhance patient wait times, treatment regimens, and care coordination using information management software-savvy nurses. Nursing-specific informatics skills, such as database management and web-based clinical information searches, help nurses stay current on evidence-based practice, improving patient safety and healthcare outcomes. These competencies also let ICU nurses design, evaluate, and implement new informatics systems. By understanding how they work, they can provide input and ensure nursing informatics systems fulfill clinical demands. This interaction makes informatics tools efficient and user-friendly, eliminating technical disturbances and improving critical care. | |||
Research Analysis Matrix Add more rows if necessary | Strengths of the Research | Limitations of the Research | Relevancy to Topic of Interest | Notes |
Offers general ideas of informatics competencies for ICU nurses according to the viewpoints of the experts. | Restricted generalization was due to a small sample size and the fact that data collection was limited to only one country (Iran). | This is specifically related to nursing informatics but with a narrower scope compared to the previous ones. It provides more information about requirements in general critical care units for making informative practice. | It is useful for enhancing the learning of nursing informatics; it supports the overall recommendation, such as TIGER, for enhancing nursing competencies. | |
The Delphi method, applied in the research, makes the competency identification process reliable because it involves a group of experts. | The study cannot be generalized to all nursing areas. It has only focused on ICU nurses. | These competencies are in sync with ICU environments because nursing informatics is equally critical to patient data management as well as safety across different healthcare facilities. | It stresses the lack of formal training of ICU nurses in informatics so that graduates can apply practical skills in the health informatics system. | |
Recognizes competencies that are realistic and can be implemented within the clinical Intensive Care Unit. | Limitation—geographic scope: There is evidence of a difference in documents representing the need for nursing informatics internationally from a single country focus. | Contribution to contemporary exigencies of healthcare processes that urgently need to integrate electronic systems into decision-making arrays in critical care settings. | Emphasizes the need to strengthen links that can join informatics education to Nursing informatics education aimed at competencies enhancement. | |
Classification of competencies into computer literacy skills, information management application competencies, and nursing informatics competencies. | Other important nursing departments that may have a need for informatics competencies may not receive the same attention as those mentioned above. | It is imperative for nursing practitioners practicing in stressful, computerized organizational structures such as the ICU, where informatics skills play a pivotal role in managing patients’ data. | The study also presents the implications of these competencies for continuing education and practice evaluation frameworks. | |
The heterogeneity of the high participation of experts directly addresses the question and, therefore, increases the validity of the findings. | Does not consider the differences in the Technology environment of the various health systems. | Development that specifically explains how the TIGER framework fits the nursing informatics’ needs so that the conclusion reflects both the practice and learning domains. | It is potentially very helpful in building on this line of inquiry and, more practically, in informatics education for ICU nurses. | |
Concerning priority areas, the selection of the critical care units gives information concerning certain requirements concerning informatics in more demanding settings. | However, the Delphi method slightly limits the spectrum of concern by engaging only a small and probably more homogeneous group of experts. | The study is most enlightening for teachers and healthcare managers who are considering how to develop informatics competencies in important care environments. | It acknowledges that certification and training are important for leaders to call for funding for informatics education and lifelong learning for hospital nursing personnel. | |
The findings enhance existing knowledge of nursing informatics competencies, especially in critical care units. | Interestingly, the study is specific as to how, when, and with what financial and time requirements, but it does not answer concrete questions about the practical application of these informatics competencies on the job. | It directs attention to the competencies required to work with tools such as EHRs and CDS systems, which form part of the ICU nursing process. | Presents a definite and direct promotion of improving the nursing curricula with regard to informatics with a special push for theorization in critical care. | |
Only a few published papers relate to the informatics specialty in critical care, which usually lacks attention in informatics studies. | However, caution must be taken to note that these findings relate only to the administrative field of nursing and, therefore, cannot be considered representative of the whole field of nursing. | It provides a good modality of a competency framework that can be easily adapted for other areas of nursing practice besides critical care. | They are useful for formulating hospital policies, especially those that touch on aspects of nursing informatics competencies, with the aim of preparing nurses for such changes. | |
This provides an appropriate background for implementing informatics training for ICU nurse education and the continuous lifelong education perspective. | As noted earlier, the Delphi method is highly structured, and therefore, some biases may have emerged from the experts’ backgrounds or been geographically constrained. | It proves to be a helpful reference model for competency assessments in nursing informatics, which could improve the quality of patient care and boost the efficiency of an ICU. | Supports cooperation of informatics specialists and nursing educators to prepare nurses for work in the context of increasing use of technologies. | |
It complements the TIGER initiative, which focuses on building informatics competencies to enhance practice for all nurses; thus, it is advantageous to global nursing. | Integrating some competencies in low-resource healthcare facilities, which are founded on an informatics background, may be difficult. | It helps in the training of nurses in Informatics competency, which is becoming more important in the present-day health system; therefore, the study is relevant to the current society. | The study calls on other researchers to undertake further research and establish how the identified competencies can be transferred to nursing areas other than the ICU. | |
Step 2: Summary of Analysis
Craft a summary (2-3 paragraphs) below that includes the following:
- Describe your approach to identifying and analyzing peer-reviewed research
- Identify at least two strategies that you would use that you found to be effective in finding peer-reviewed research
- Identify at least one resource you intend to use in the future to find peer-reviewed research
Identifying and Analyzing Peer-Reviewed Research
Before identifying and assessing peer-reviewed research, I define a targeted research topic. This emphasis helps me navigate the extensive nursing informatics literature and find the most relevant publications for ICU nursing practice. I looked for studies on how informatics skills affect patient care and nurse workflow in ICUs because they handle crucial information and must make timely, evidence-based decisions.
I searched PubMed, Google Scholar, and SAGE Journals for high-quality, peer-reviewed research. To get results relevant to my field, I started with general terms like “nursing informatics” and then added more specialized terms like “critical care.” I used abstracts to rapidly determine if papers were related to my research on ICU nursing informatics. After selecting the most relevant papers, I extensively studied informatics abilities, their practical implementations in ICUs, and how they improve patient outcomes. I also filtered for peer-reviewed studies published in the last five years to verify that my study is updated. Recent research was necessary since nursing informatics is a quickly growing subject, and I wanted to ensure the findings were applied to current healthcare technologies and systems.
Strategies for Finding Peer-Reviewed Research
Two approaches were efficient in finding high-quality peer-reviewed research. First, precise search terms. I narrowed my search results by looking for “nursing informatics ICU” and “critical care informatics competencies,” which helped me find papers that answered my study query. This precision allowed me to spend more time analyzing ICU nursing informatics research and less time sifting through extraneous material.
The second effective method was filtering the search to peer-reviewed articles and publications from the last five years. Peer-reviewed articles are more credible due to scrutiny by specialists in the field (Jandrić, 2020). Limiting the search to recent articles meant that the research mirrored the latest healthcare technologies, making it more relevant to current practices. I also sorted the results by relevancy to find the most pertinent papers faster and save time finding the finest sources for my research.
Resources for Future Research
I will use institutional databases because they offer access to CINAHL for a richer set of peer-reviewed journals than public databases such as Google Scholar (EBSCO, 2023). These institutional libraries offer articles from numerous healthcare magazines, which are helpful in searching for more exhaustive articles on small subjects such as nursing informatics in critical care. This way, I will be able to broaden the net that I cast for data and be sure that the data I am using is of the highest quality. The following resources will assist me in achieving the aforementioned stated goal of increasing my practice with the trends and technologies of nursing informatics.
References
EBSCO. (2023). CINAHL Database. EBSCO.https://www.ebsco.com/products/research-databases/cinahl-database
Jandrić, P. (2020). A peer-reviewed scholarly article. Postdigital Science and Education, 3. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-020-00202-8
Roosan, D., Law, A. V., Karim, M., & Roosan, M. (2019). Improving team-based decision-making using data analytics and informatics (Preprint). JMIR Research Protocols, 8(11). https://doi.org/10.2196/16047
Sutton, R., Pincock, D., Baumgart, D., Sadowski, D., Fedorak, R., & Kroeker, K. (2020). An overview of clinical decision support systems: benefits, risks, and strategies for success. NPJ Digital Medicine, 3(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-020-0221-y
Zareshahi, M., Mirzaei, S., & Nasiriani, K. (2022). Nursing informatics competencies in the critical care unit. Health Informatics Journal, 28(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/14604582221083843
Module 6 | Part 4: Finalizing the Plan
I have considered various options for my nursing specialty, including a close look at my selected (or currently preferred) specialty and second-preferred specialty. I have also developed a justification for my selected (or preferred) specialty. Lastly, I have examined one professional organization related to my selected or preferred specialty and considered how I can become a member of this organization.
The results of my efforts are below.
Directions: Write a 2-3 paragraph justification statement identifying your reasons for choosing your MSN specialization or PMC. Incorporate feedback you received from colleagues in this week’s Discussion Forum.
Complete Step 2 by writing a paragraph identifying and justifying your reasons for choosing your MSN specialization. Be sure to incorporate any feedback you received from colleagues in this week’s Discussion Forum.
Complete Step 3 by examining and identifying one professional organization related to your selected or preferred specialty. Explain how you can become a member of this organization.
Step 1: Comparison of Nursing Specialtiesor Post Master’s Certificate
Use the space below to write 2-3 paragraphs comparing the nursing specialty you have selected – or the one you prefer if your choice is still under consideration – to your second preference. Identify each specialty and describe the focus and the role that graduates are prepared for. Identify any other differentiators you feel are significant, especially those that helped or may help you reach a decision.
Step 2: Justification of Nursing Specialty
Use the space below to write a paragraph identifying and justifying your reasons for choosing your MSN specialization or PMC. Be sure to incorporate any feedback you received from colleagues in this week’s Discussion Forum.
Step 3: Professional Organizations
Use the space below to identify and examine one professional organization related to your selected or preferred specialty. Explain how you can become a member of this organization.
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