1. Professional Progress Summary<br />NURS 431 – Transition to Professional Nursing Practice<br />Purpose of Assignment<br />The purpose of this paper is to guide the student through a process of self-reflection and self-evaluation to discover the scope of his/her professional development while enrolled in the undergraduate nursing program. <br />Student Approach to Assignment<br />This paper gets to come from a personal place because it is about my journey and how I have been able to grow throughout this nursing program. By going back and discovering what I thought of each of our Great Eights at the beginning, middle, and end of the program, it is much easier for me to witness my growth. <br />Reason for Inclusion of this Assignment in the Portfolio<br />This required assignment for the portfolio shows the growth I have made throughout these past three years of nursing school. The following program objectives are highlighted in this paper:<br />Critical Thinking<br />Uses decision-making skills in making clinical or professional judgments<br />Evaluates nursing care outcomes through the acquisition of data and the questioning of inconsistencies<br />Nursing Practice<br />Applies appropriate knowledge of major health problems to guide nursing practice <br />Performs direct and indirect therapeutic interventions that incorporate principles of quality management and proper safety techniques based upon assessment findings<br />Implements traditional nursing care practices as appropriate to provide holistic health care to diverse populations across the lifespan<br />Establishes and/or utilizes outcome measures to evaluate the effectiveness of care<br />Teaching<br />Provides teaching to patients and/or professionals about healthcare procedures and technologies in preparation for and following nursing or medical interventions<br />Provides relevant and sensitive health education information and counseling to patients and families in a variety of situations and settings<br />Evaluate the efficacy of health promotion and educator modalities for use in a variety of settings with diverse populations<br />Research<br />Applies research-based knowledge from nursing as the basis for culturally-sensitive practice<br />Applies research-based knowledge from the arts, humanities and sciences to complement nursing practice<br />Leadership<br />Assumes a leadership role within one’s scope of practice as a designer, manager, and coordinator of healthcare to meet the special needs of vulnerable populations in a variety of practice settings<br />Organize, manages and evaluates the development of strategies to promote healthy communities<br />Delegates and supervises the nurse care given by others while retaining the accountability for the quality of care given to the patient<br />Professionalism<br />Demonstrates accountability for one’s own professional practice<br />Applies an ethical decision-making framework and legal guideline to clinical situations that incorporate moral concepts, professional ethics and advocacy for patient well-being and preferences<br />Culture<br />Considers the impact of research outcomes and the effects of health and social policies on person’s from diverse backgrounds<br />Maintains an awareness of global environmental factors that may influence the delivery of healthcare services<br />