Professional Development Plan
Emerging Professional Practice
(Western Governors University)
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, Five-Year Professional Development Plan
Short-term goal: I am continuing my education by completing my Bachelor
of Science in Nursing degree and will graduate by March 2025.
Intermediate goal: I will obtain specializations and certifications related to
my job as a cardiovascular intensive care unit nurse. Two certifications I plan
to obtain include the adult critical care registered nurse (CCRN) certification
and cardiac surgery certification (CSC) by December 2026.
Long-term goal: By December 2028, I will become ECMO (extracorporeal
membrane oxygenation) certified and be an experienced leader in my unit,
as my current employer is the only ECMO-certified hospital within 200 miles
of my residence.
Current Certificates or Certifications Requirements:
Basic life support certification (BLS): This introduced basic life support,
including how to administer CPR, assess the airway, and work an AED.
Advanced cardiac life support (ACLS): This is the primary certification we
must obtain and practice daily that builds off the basics of BLS. ACLS
incorporates emergency medications, such as epinephrine, while also
building a knowledge base to interpret EKG tracings, including ventricular
tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. ACLS teaches the different
lethal/shockable rhythms and introduces advanced airway devices. For BLS
and ACLS, my employer offers quarterly training provided by the American
Heart Association (AHA) to practice scenarios, CPR, and manually bagging a
patient. By practicing these skills and scenarios a minimum of four times a
year with real-time feedback, I can keep my certification up to date, apply
new knowledge, and build off of what I know. Without quarterly practice, this
two-year certification must be repeated if the nurse is not actively practicing
skills and modules by the AHA.
Cardiac surgery unit advanced life support (CSU-ALS): This specialty
certification is required due to the patient population we see. It is a bridge
from ACLS with a focus on fresh, post operative cardiac surgery patients,
such as coronary artery bypass patients, immediate post-op complications,
and resuscitation. This is a two-year certification that is still being honed.
Currently, my employer offers classes and is led by our cardiothoracic
surgeons to ensure that the nursing staff is up-to-date and more comfortable
with this patient population.
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