20 Hours of Continuing Nursing Professional Development (Essay Sample)

20 Hours of Continuing Nursing Professional Development
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The National Competency Standards for Registered Nurses dictates the framework and standards which must be met for a person to be registered by Nursing and Midwifery Boards in Australia. These standards were developed by nurses to suit their interests based their experiences and information obtained from different sources (NSW Nurses & Midwives’ association, 2013). It is crucial for all nurses and midwives to keep their CPD (Continuing Professional Development) for a minimum of three years even though the records are not necessary for renewal of registration. The importance of these records is during auditing by the NMBA (The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia). It is during the first year of practice that a nurse or a midwife can plot strategies on how to achieve the 20 hours of Continuing nursing professional development. In order to achieve the above requirement, nurses and midwives can follow some of the following techniques.
In the first year of practice, a nurse or midwife must strategize on how to achieve the 20 hours of CPD, where one hour of CPD is equal to one hour of active learning (NSW Nurses & Midwives’ association, 2013). Starting point is definitely the hardest, and a structured approach is recommended for assessing of practical skills against accepted professional standards. The CPD hours are counted with respect to area of specialization, and therefore a nurse has to identify areas to give priority so as to improve their own practice (NSW Nurses & Midwives’ association, 2013). The use CPD can be represented in a cyclic manner that is illustrated below.
Participation in CPD tasksDevelop learning planPrioritize needs
Career reflection and assessmentAnalyzing the effect of CPD in a career
An illustration of the use of CPD in career assessment
A starting point could be a record of reflective notes with entries such as situation description, the analysis, and identification of weakness area that needs keen interest. A learning plan guides a person on the CPD activities, and it creates a platform for developing objectives based on the learning needs identified earlier. Other learning activities that were not initially included in the learning may come up during the practice year. These are as important as any other session, and therefore they should be given equal importance.
How to contribute to professional development of others
In undertaking the first year of practice, some of the CPD activities undertaken may lead to not only development of self interests but also development of others (NSW Nurses & Midwives’ association, 2013). A practicing nurse or midwife can act as a mentor or tutor and this benefits many people. Participation on accreditation and other quality i...