Discussion: Practicum Professional Development

Objectives: Progress Appraisal

In Week 1, you developed your practicum professional development objectives. How have your experiences thus far in the practicum contributed to your growth as nurse leader-manager or nurse informaticist? What difficulties, if any, have you experienced, and how might this affect the achievement of your objectives?

In this Discussion, you assess your progress toward fulfilling your practicum professional development objectives and consider how you could enhance or alter your activities to achieve your aims.

To prepare:

Reflect on the practicum professional development objectives you developed and outlined in your Practicum Professional Experience Plan in Week 1.

Keeping in mind the practicum activities you have engaged in thus far, consider the following questions:

How have these activities helped to promote your professional development?

Are you satisfied with your progress toward meeting your objectives? If not, what will you do to ensure you achieve them before the end of your Practicum Experience? As a reminder, you must complete all of your practicum hours on or before Day 5 of Week 11.

What challenges or unexpected opportunities have arisen at your practicum site? How has this affected your professional development?

Think about the experiences you may have in the forthcoming weeks. Do you foresee any particular challenges on the horizon? If so, what is your plan for addressing those challenges?

Think about the time you have spent with your Preceptor. How has this time enhanced or changed your understanding of the role and functions of the nurse leader-manager or nurse informaticist?

Post an assessment of your progress toward achieving your practicum professional development objectives, including how your involvement in specific practicum activities has contributed to your development.

Explain what you will do to ensure you achieve your objectives by the end of your practicum. Summarize challenges or unexpected opportunities that have arisen, as well as any challenges that you anticipate may arise.

Explain how you will address those challenges. Finally, summarize what you have learned about the role and functions related to your specialization through time spent with your Preceptor.

Read a selection of your colleagues' responses.

Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days, using one or more of the following approaches:

Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence, or research.

Share an insight from having read your colleagues' postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.

Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research.