Nursing Leadership

Whether to meet continuing education requirements, obtain a better position, or to satisfy a personal desire to improve in the profession, registered nurses (RNs) are committed to searching for and taking advantage of opportunities for professional development (Career advancementà, 2004). Indeed, as a profession, nursing is generally regarded as extremely focused on the pursuit of lifelong education and professional development as part of its ongoing efforts to improve the quality of patient care provided by members of the profession and to advance the profession itself. Consequently, there is a distinct linkage between professional mobility and educational achievement (International Council of Nurses, 2005).

The American Nurses' Association (ANA) is committed to programs fostering ongoing, lifelong learning for nurses as an integral element in career advancement, as are specialty organizations representing nurses in such diverse fields as occupational medicine, neonatal nursing, and medical-surgical nursing (Career advancementà, 2004). Nurses aspiring to leadership positions, said Weiss (20040, are especially focused on continually improving their skills, knowledge and credentials in order to advance carers and improve the quality of care delivered to patients.

The purpose of this brief essay is to report on results of an interview conducted by the writer with "Misty," a Registered Nurse (RN) who

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the key not only to nursing advancement, but also to improvements in the quality of patient care. Misty agreed with this and further stated that beginning nurses should carefully asses their personal strengths and interests to determine what type of nursing specialty û or practice setting û will best meet their needs and capitalize upon their strengths. She felt that it is important to respect the contributions, experience and knowledge of other nurses and to be responsive to their mentoring; one should, said Misty, be willing to learn from others and to be a role model in one's own turn. Many nurses, in her opinion, tend to present themselves as more knowledgeable and skilled (and therefore more authoritative) that others; this is a mistake and leads not only to poor patient care, but to a lack of needed teamwork and collegiality among nurses themselves. Misty also emphasized the importance of career planning throughout one's professional life. Career planning, as described by Donner and Wheeler (1995), is best approached in nursing as a sequential, staged effort that moves from one point to another over time. Presented in the appendix to this report is the career planning model advanced by Donner and Wheeler (2001 whic
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Approximate Word count = 1702
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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