-3810053975035052000NURS 6003: Transition to Graduate Study for Nursing00NURS 6003: Transition to Graduate Study for Nursing
Academic and Professional Success Plan Template
Prepared by:
This document is to be used for NURS 6003 Transition to Graduate Study for Nursing to complete Assessments 1-6. 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.
Week 1 | Part 1: My 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.

The nursing profession is one that requires a collective effort to steer individuals into the necessary outcomes. Nursing is changing quickly, and one individual cannot master all the changes that the profession experiences (Wofford, 2018). Conversely, professionals need to adapt to the changes lest they are left behind in the pursuance of the future of healthcare. To that extent, collaborative inputs are necessary for nurses. Having a unique and diverse professional and academic network is one way to ensure that a nurse stays up to date with the changes. Developing this professional and academic network portfolio creates an insight into what one intends to achieve as a professional. Additionally, career advancements are a motivation for every nurse. Nurses need to land their dream jobs. That can only happen if the right individuals and teams surround them. A lack of a good support system, resources, and tools to advance a career only implies failures.









NETWORK MEMBER 1

Name: Vincent Hall


Title: Program Director


Organization: Walden University, College of Nursing


Academic or Professional: Academic and Professional


Why I selected this individual and/or team and how they will support my success in the MSN program and as a practicing nurse:

Notes:
Nursing is a highly dynamic profession that requires an individual to instill an insightful knowledge and skillset to succeed. That is only achievable when an individual has the right people to steer him/her through the dynamism of the profession. Vincent Hall is an unrivaled candidate when it comes to nurturing learners from amateurs to when they become professionals. Hall is both an academic and a professional with vast knowledge both in the clinical setting and the nursing profession’s academic ranks.
The choice to include Hall in this list is based on multiple factors ranging from his current role at Walden University and the inputs that he has instilled in the nursing profession. Hall serves as the MSN SP program director for MSN at the College of Nursing at Walden University. In his role as a director, he supervises multiple aspects of operations at the college. Some of his areas of supervision include public health nursing specializations, nursing informatics, nurse executive, as well as nursing education. His experience is unrivaled, having served as the director of the school of nursing at Western Carolina University (WCU). At WCU, Hall supervised learners both in undergraduate and graduate courses. He also serves as a committee member at the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Hall continues serving as a member of the American Association of College Nursing (AACN) where he, alongside other professionals, revise the standards of baccalaureate and higher degree education in the country. Hall has been a nurse educator for more than 30 years and has also been a registered nurse for more than 40 years. At the very least, Hall understands the operations in modern healthcare. He is also skilled and experienced. He has a wide network of other professionals who help in shaping the nursing profession collectively. To that extent, collaborating with Hall in professional development is an avenue towards understanding nursing right from its current basics deep into the factors that are poised to change the profession.
Hall is also a renowned professional in improving healthcare quality and patient safety in contemporary healthcare facilities. As an academician, Hall teaches NURS 6052: Essentials of Evidence-Based Practice and NURS 8250: Advanced Theoretical and Scientific Perspectives in Nursing. Both courses are vital to understanding the scope of contemporary healthcare. For instance, every healthcare facility is currently committed to developing platforms of complete implementation of EBP. Every nurse needs input in the advancements of evidence-based practice. With Hall’s help, it becomes easier to understand the growth that the profession is experiencing in terms of EBP. In the same breath, nursing theory keeps shaping individual perceptions in practice. Nurses develop their philosophies bearing specific models and frameworks in mind. Networking with Hall should help in structuring personal perceptions to match the theoretical models and frameworks that emphasize better healthcare for the future.
Ultimately, Vincent Hall is a publisher whose works keep shaping multiple elements of the nursing profession. Publishing academically-researched books are one of the valid avenues of disseminating nursing knowledge. As a professional who considers delving into nursing research and extensive publications, collaborating with Hall will be a necessity. His advice on conducting research and developing futuristic publications will be vital in delivering the ultimate skills and knowledge to a nursing profession that is fast developing to fully implement evidence-based practice. Some of the areas in which Hall has published include heart failure and self-management, promoting collaborations in nursing education, effects of social support on health on gay men with HIV/AIDS, and Common Gastrointestinal Complications Associated with Human Immunodeficiency Virus/AIDS. All such publications establish Hall as a professional and an academician whose inputs on individual careers will be vital.




NETWORK MEMBER 2

Name: Walden University Nursing Faculty Professors


Title: Professors


Organization: Walden University, Faculty of Nursing


Academic or Professional: Academic



Notes:
Academic development is important to an individual who is intending to advance his/her career. Walden University’s faculty of nursing is blessed with professionals who are vastly experienced in nurturing learners. The faculty is passionate about offering a good experience to learners and helping them achieve their goals as masters’ prepared nurses. Having faculty members who are committed to achieving common goals is a blessing (Schmidt). A nurse needs to understand the academic world. A nurse must also partake in research and knowledge creation that have consistently formed the basis of nursing. At Walden University, faculty professors have been vital in creating a learning climate that nurses demand. The professors often engage learners in research and collective discussions that expand knowledge in multiple academia elements. The professors are also readily available to learners whenever they have problems that need advanced skills to solve. Having a network that consists of professors from the nursing faculty at Walden University will be vital in developing my career through academic inputs.
Judi Kuric is one of the faculty professors who will play a significant role in my professional development. Kuric has spent more than 35 years as a professional who is dedicated to improving nursing and advanced practice nursing care. She is also board certified as an emergency nurse practitioner, family nurse practitioner, and adult-gerontology nurse practitioner. She has more than 25 years of nursing education and has had notable inputs in acute care. Kuric is also a publisher whose works are notable in continuing education programs, book chapters, and multiple articles. One reason why Kuric stands out among the academic staff is her ability to relate to almost every person. She interacts extensively with learners as well as other faculty members. That makes her one of the individuals with a wide professional and academic network on their own. Tapping into that network will steer me into enhanced interactions with more professors. Kuric will also help with her knowledge in different clinical settings to assist with my adaptations in those areas if the need arises.


NETWORK MEMBER 3

Name: Walden University Library


Title: Librarians


Organization: Walden University Library


Academic or Professional: Academic



Notes:
The library is one of the symbols of academic excellence at Walden University. This excellence is achieved through the extensive input by the staff and librarians in this university. At Walden University, the library steers individuals into building platforms for academic and professional excellence. The library is also an element of a culture where professionals instill the culture that fosters excellence. At the end of their course, graduates from Walden University manifest mastery of information literacy skills that allow them to be effective scholars and practitioners who are determined to partake in social change. Without the library, the university lacks a symbol of its academic excellence. It is important to form a network with professionals who ensure that the library stays steadfast in serving its purpose.
Networking with Walden University library staff and professionals will be vital in various ways. With their access to the resources, the librarian is an important piece of information about changes and trends that are happening in healthcare. On most occasions, the librarians have been important in the execution of student research projects. The professionals give updates and guidance on how to access and retrieve the valuable information necessary for research. It can be challenging to begin a study with a lack of a pool of knowledge. Any motivation geared towards achieving academic excellence must originate from efficient interactions with the Walden University Library and its staff.













NETWORK MEMBER 4

Name: Walden University Alumni Association


Title: Alumni


Organization: Walden University Alumni Association


Academic or Professional: Professional and Academic

Notes:
The Walden University Alumni Association is one of the most vibrant associations in whose activities a professional can partake. The office of alumni relations connects alumni with the university and the whole Walden University community. This is the largest element of networking in this input. The alumni association serves as a center for volunteer opportunities, benefits, and services, a central hub of information, and a connecting tendon in the Walden University community. The community has an online platform in which individuals can interact with 141,000 professionals. Even though the membership is free, the association still offers members a wide range of networking tools and exclusive resources.
Any nursing professional would demand an association with the alumni association for a range of other reasons. The association provides the alumni library that allows members to continue their association with the Walden University library on a full-time basis. The library eases the execution of studies for professionals who intend to advance their learning and research through the library. Members can also stay current with online news postings by the association. The association gives an electronic version of Walden’s alumni magazine, which is an important tool for information dissemination within the university and outside. The other important aspects of the association include career inside publications that members can use to view jobs and trends in their careers, alumni directory, and networking events. Combined, these prospects make the Walden University Alumni Association an essential element of networking that nobody would cherish missing.











ADDITIONAL NETWORK MEMBERS
Students
The other students are also important to the network. As a learner, fellow learners form an important aspect of the networking process. Including other students in this list is warranted because those are individuals with whom I share numerous common features. Fellow students understand the elements of challenges and success in the process of becoming a professional. These are also individuals who have formed part of the journey from the beginning. Continuing interaction with such individuals is important both for academic and professional purposes. The other students will give an insight into their experiences and the changes that the operational environment instils in their respective careers.
Blue Pipes
Blue Pipes is a medical online networking platform. This platform helps professionals to interact on professional and academic matters. In this era, interactions with other professionals is essential because it helps in understanding the changes and trends in healthcare. This association also consists of other professionals in the medical field. Hence, it creates a platform for inter-professional understanding. Joining this association opens an avenue into advancing interpersonal skills, especially those that involve interactions with other professionals. To a nursing practitioner, it is necessary to know what is happening through healthcare as a whole, something that Blue Pipes offers effectively.
References HYPERLINK "https://blog.bluepipes.com/5-reasons-nurses-should-take-professional-networking-seriously/" \o "5 reasons nurses should engage in professional networking [Blog post]." \t "_blank"
Schmidt, K. (n.d.). 5 reasons nurses should engage in professional networking [Blog post]. Retrieved November 14, 2018, from https://blog.bluepipes.com/5-reasons-nurses-should-take-professional-networking-seriously/
HYPERLINK "/connect" \o "Connect to Walden." \t "_blank"
Walden University. (n.d.). Connect to Walden. Retrieved November 14, 2018, from /connect
HYPERLINK "/about/colleges-schools/college-of-nursing" \t "_blank"
Walden University. (n.d.). College of Nursing. Retrieved October June 5, 2020, from /about/colleges-schools/college-of-nursingReview the College of Nursing's vision and mission.
HYPERLINK "https://catalog.waldenu.edu/" \o "Walden University catalog." \t "_blank"
Walden University. (n.d.). Walden University catalog. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://catalog.waldenu.eduSelect College of Nursing, then Master of Science in Nursing (MSN). Review the MSN Learning Outcomes on this page.
HYPERLINK "https://catalog.waldenu.edu/" \o "Walden University catalog." \t "_blank"
Walden University. (n.d.). Walden University catalog. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://catalog.waldenu.eduSelect Introduction, then the link "Vision, Mission, and Goals" under the Introduction header. Review Walden's vision, mission, and goals.
HYPERLINK "https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter" \o "Writing center." \t "_blank"
Walden University. (n.d.). Writing center. Retrieved November 14, 2018, from https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter
HYPERLINK "https://nurse.org/articles/tips-for-nurse-networking/" \o "10 networking tips for nurses who hate networking." \t "_blank"
Wofford, P. (2018). 10 networking tips for nurses who hate networking. Retrieved from https://nurse.org/articles/tips-for-nurse-networking/

Week 2 | Part 2: Academic Resources and Strategies

I have identified the following academic resources and/or strategies that can be applied to success in the nursing practice in general or my specialty in particular.
The development of an effective academic and professional network formed the basis for establishing a clear and precise vision in pursuit of success in the Masters in Nursing (MSN) program. The network functions to provide varied inputs in both my academic and professional development in the increasingly competitive healthcare profession. However, such networks may have limited success in achieving the desired objective without the incorporation and efficient utilization of both academic and professional resources for students pursuing MSN programs. The academic and professional resources function to provide a wide breadth of information through which students can enhance their knowledge and skills for effective delivery of both their academic and professional demands in the MSN programs. In essence, the availability and accessibility to these resources is vital to implementing and applying the learning objectives acquired in class and the inputs obtained from the academic and professional networks formed. Therefore, it is important to identify effective academic and professional strategies and or resources towards ensuring an equally efficient integration of the different elements outlined in the academic and professional plan for success in the MSN programs. Provided herein are detailed descriptions of three academic strategies or resources and three professional resources employed for success in my MSN program and career in the nursing profession.

Academic Resource/Strategy 1: Journals
MSN programs often entail intense learning activities that aim to enhance the student’s knowledge and skill across different fields of post-graduate studies in the nursing profession. The enhanced knowledge and skill across different nursing specialities is integral to the development of competent nursing professionals to meet the equally increasing demand for quality healthcare services. The increasing cases of chronic illnesses among the American population, for instance, correlates to the increasing demand for acute care nurses in the United States and around the world, which necessitates the need for increased enrollment in higher education by nursing practitioners across different areas of specialty. Accredited nursing journals offer valuable information for nurses across the diverse specialties in the profession to help in advancing their knowledge and skill for the delivery of the desired quality care to patients. Peer-reviewed journals offer reputable resources for accessing additional information to enhance my knowledge as a post-graduate student in nursing and competency in my specialty. Nursing journals offer a wide range of knowledge and information concerning both the specific academic disciplines and the emerging trends in the nursing profession. Among such journals include the AACN Advanced Critical Care, Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal, American Journal of Critical Care, BMC Nursing, British Journal of Cardiac Nursing, and Journal for Nurse Practitioners CITATION Bon20 \l 1033 (Bond, 2020). The outlined journals are just but a few of the extensive list of nursing journals that MSN students can use to access more information for enhanced knowledge and skills in their diverse practices. The journals provide students with advanced knowledge in their areas of specialty and allow one to keep up to date with emerging trends in the profession and thus apply the acquired knowledge towards addressing the health care demands. Nursing journals also offer evidence-based practices to assist in the application of theoretical knowledge into practice, which further enhances my competence in the delivery of care.
Academic Resource/Strategy 2: Nursing Research Databases
Nursing research databases also provide another important resource for academic success in the MSN program. Among the learning activities characterizing the intense MSN learning programs include writing research papers on particular topics of study in the advanced nursing programs. Among the nursing research databases that can be used in assessing the required information for completing such writing tasks and other study projects include CINAHL, Cochrane, Medline, UpToDate, and Medscape CITATION Bon20 \l 1033 (Bond, 2020). For instance, Medline is a nursing research database that provides free access to research articles across different specialties in healthcare. UpToDate and Cochrane are effective platforms for accessing evidence-based knowledge and information for clinical decision making for nursing professionals and other practitioners in the broader healthcare profession. CINAHL is an accredited nursing research database that contains over 760 journals on nursing and other healthcare professions CITATION Bon20 \l 1033 (Bond, 2020). The database provides easy access to the research materials by indexing all the available literature on nursing and other healthcare professions. Like the nursing journals, nursing research databases are integral to my academic success in the MSN program as they provide wide access to additional knowledge and information on advanced nursing practices and emerging trends in the same. Enhanced knowledge further reflects positively in the delivery of quality care in my specialty.
Academic Resource/Strategy 3: Annual Conferences
One of the strategies to utilize in achieving academic success in the MSN program is attending the annual conferences organized by diverse nursing professional organizations at the local, state, and national levels. The annual conferences provide MSN students with an opportunity to interact and integrate with senior or experienced nursing professionals in their unique areas of specialty and in the nursing profession as a whole. The AANP Specialty and Leadership Conference, for instance, offers an effective platform for MSN students to interact with their fellow students and experienced nursing professionals within a given specialty CITATION Bon20 \l 1033 (Bond, 2020). Attending such a conference would play a significant role in providing the depth of knowledge and insight into my specialty’s shifting demands and thus enhancing my competencies in dealing with the diverse challenges that may arise in practice. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing Student Policy Summit also makes for another annual conference that functions to emphasize the need for MSN students to engage in politics CITATION Bon20 \l 1033 (Bond, 2020). Through such a conference, students get to learn of their important role in shaping the policies governing the profession by being active participants in politics at the local, state, and national levels. Other conferences, such as the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, function to provide MSN students with opportunities to expand their networks for academic and professional growth CITATION Bon20 \l 1033 (Bond, 2020). Therefore, it is important to attend such annual conferences in pursuing both academic and professional success as a post-graduate student in nursing.
Professional Resource/Strategy 1: Continuous Board Review Courses
Achieving board certification in practice makes for a key achievement sought by the MSN students, which makes it a highly competitive undertaking for post-graduate students in the nursing profession. Among such board review courses include the Advance Practice Education Associates that offer review courses that run for two days to prepare for ANCC and AANP certification exams CITATION Bon20 \l 1033 (Bond, 2020). ANCC and AANP certification plays a significant role in the nursing profession, and as it offers an important accreditation for practice in the nursing profession for MSN students CITATION Bon20 \l 1033 (Bond, 2020). Other board review courses include the Core Concepts Anesthesia Review that provides MSN students with review questions as they prepare for certification by the board. Certification by the board calls for an understanding and MSN students’ ability to incorporate their knowledge and skills towards add...