Setting and achieving goals

As nurses, we take different paths to where we’re today professionally. Each of us has a distinct place to begin and is currently in a distinct place on this skilled path. Likewise, there is gigantic variation in how we set and achieve our goals. There is a wealth of literature on goal setting and achieving them, and the methods usually are not universal. The key to effective goal management is determining what works for you, being honest with yourself about your current and future goals, and developing a plan to realize what you got down to do. Personality, life circumstances, and family-work balance all play a job in how we set and achieve goals, in addition to our motivation to realize them.

Personally, I started my profession in medical research by obtaining a level in science. I quickly found that I preferred to interact with patients reasonably than take a look at them from contained in the room (my project involved taking measurements on carotid arteries [recorded loops on VHS] – in a dark room – as a part of a research project on the cardiovascular system). Once I got here to this realization, I organized my first five-year plan with the goal of becoming a nurse. I applied and was accepted into the nursing program. I then received my BSN after which my MSN, which I accomplished in 2001 on a National Health Service Corp. scholarship. I began working at a Federally Qualified Health Care Center as a family nurse practitioner. and after repaying the scholarship, I used to be in a position to complete the loan repayment program at the identical sanatorium. Within five years, I paid off all of my student and nursing loans. Using a five-year framework permits you to set short- and long-term goals with some flexibility to account for the unexpected. While I personally work higher with this flexibility, others could also be more successful with a more rigorous plan; that is where we have to be honest with ourselves and find essentially the most effective method.

Let’s fast forward eight years. After changing jobs, I used to be offered a job within the intensive care unit as a nurse. Although it wasn’t in my original plans and was outside my comfort zone, it was a chance that I could not pass up and presented an exciting latest challenge. At roughly the identical time, the APRN Consensus Working Group was established, 2008. This seminal publication for NP practice generally really helpful that NPs practice within the discipline/setting by which they were educated and authorized. While it seems easy, the history of NPs has its roots in primary care after which evolved into acute care. Educational programs for acute care NPs were introduced later in history, and the actual fact is that many primary care NPs practice in hospitals. So now that I actually have no plans to depart the ICU, my current five-year plan is to finish graduate school to change into certified as an adult gerontological nurse practitioner within the acute care setting. I needed to make this variation, but it surely is a terrific opportunity to enhance my skills and performance at work.

I actually have already mentioned the pliability of my plans. There was a period in my life about five years (i.e. when my children were babies) once I struggled to maintain up with my plan, or reasonably had no plan in any respect! Memories from these years include looking for CMEs on the Internet and submitting license applications late at night, and sometimes struggling to make it through the day. For me, despite the fact that I’m a reliable nurse at work, trying to know parenting and the best way to be a working mom was overwhelming. The learning curve for parenting and maintaining work-life balance was steep. I finally managed to get back on the right track. Moving forward, I once more reset my five-year plan (that is a moving goal). I hope to finish the Acute Care NP program in December 2016 after which take the exam (fingers crossed) in Spring 2017. Then I could try teaching or possibly consider a DNP or PhD program.

I have never done extensive research from a tutorial or literary perspective on goal setting, but I do know there are various effective methods for many who have difficulty with a versatile plan or prefer a more set format. For me, it has been extremely helpful to take time sometimes to reflect on where I’m and where I would like to be. The NursingCenter blog post, My 2016 Nursing Care Plan, is a superb resource for understanding a few of our requirements for maintaining our skilled responsibilities. Because aside from our skilled goal, there are also tasks that we must complete to not sleep up to now and have a license.

How do you prefer to set and achieve your goals? Has anyone found a more standard goal setting process that works for you? Share your experiences with us!

Reference:
APRN Consensus Working Group and the APRN Advisory Group of the State Council on Nursing. (July 7, 2008). Consensus model for APRN regulation: licensure, accreditation, certification and education.