Personal Learning Plan To Becoming A Nurse Practitioner

Personal Learning forge To become A nourish PractitionerThis assignment discusses my Personal Learning Plan (PLP). It examines the rationale for development, justifying why I gather in not precisely chosen to undertake Nurse Practitioner (NP) studies, hardly this program in particular, along with its prescriptive modules and my choice of Extended Nurse Prescribing as the only nonmandatory module.I withdraw informally and theoreti titley identified my encyclopaedism personal manner as applicatory, which rationalises the above choices, discussed further in this assignment.At present, I wrench as the sole Occupational Health (OH) Nurse for the motion major power of a large London-based media organisation which is a subsidiary company of the FTSE 250 (Financial time Stock Exchange) listed business. There atomic number 18 an estimated 3000 employees on-site a catchment size akin(predicate) to a small GP surgery, with a further 1100 employees regionally, to which teleph one/ email support is avail adequate.2.2 Link to primary health careDue to the loosely low hazard functional(a)(a) environment, and as an OH initiative to keep employees rise up and at work, I largely act as a utilisation Nurse (PN) by bringing primary health care (PHC) to the workplace. business includes treatment and/or advice for minor ailments and injuries health monitoring and promotion vaccinations and action care such as wound and ear care. I am supported by a full-time Receptionist, and together we facilitate troika afternoon GP clinics per week by two visiting unavowed General Practitioners (GPs).This unique service is carried over from the old Factory Nurse role and outdated in todays OH remit (Bagley, 2008). Occupational Health (OH) Nurses are now moving away from a traditional clinical affair (Richardson, 2008). However, whilst the service is promoted as a complement and not a permutation of employees National Health Service (NHS) GP surgeries, it is of impo rttained that it is not in the OH remit to replace services allow ford by the NHS (Lewis Thornbory, 2006).Yet, in Dame chirp Blacks review of the health of the working population, the report welcomed and encouraged (Black, 2008 49) employers offering GP consultations in the workplace, as an initiative towards health and well world for a healthy workforce. tending(p) the waking hours spent at work, and with most GP surgeries closed for the bulk of weekends and after hours, the workplace is an ideal setting to target health and wellbeing (Department of Health, 2004), along with prevention and treatment of ill-health.Such a service has potentiality benefits and opportunities for employees, businesses and NHS services. However, effective conversation between all parties involved, is crucial. I make it a priority in my practice to engage in effective communication between both our on-site health professionals, and employees off-site NHS and private health professionals.2.3 Strengt hs and weaknessesTo fulfil the above role, I was equipped with a unmarried man of Nursing, with the association and skills to care for adult patients in an acute care setting. Although I went on to specialise in critical care, further development was only loving through in-house training, on the job interpret, self directed acquisition and reflection. When I travel to the United Kingdom, I fell into PHC through an agency placement, which was to cover an prolonged period of leave on the print side of the business. Again, I was working as the sole Nurse, with a private GP visiting at a time a month.Despite this placement being performly out of my judgment and somewhat daunting, I enjoyed the break from acute care, and thrived on the autonomy and variation of the role. However, this was compromised with a lack of confidence, not having any prior experience, and heightened by working alone. The next section discusses the rationale for my development having been taken on in p ermanent employment as the sole OH Nurse.3.0 PERSONAL LEARNING programme3.1 Rationale for developmentThe move to PHC from acute and critical care familiarity and experience prompted a signifi burn downt need for learning and development. There was no support from management in the sand of allowing study leave or time off work to attend practice-related conferences, and any learning was on-the-job or self directed with no colleagues to facilitate development. One of the main reasons why I took up a position at head office to restructure their OH Department, was that the importance of professional development was not only understood, but both promoted and encouraged.In addition to my gap in knowledge and because I worked alone, I wanted to take my service to the next level, to provide greater satisfaction to both patients and myself by being able to fulfil the full cycle of health care. For example, rather than advising patients that it sounded like they had a pectus infection an d should therefore arrange an appointment with the visiting GP (or to guarantee their NHS GP), I would be able to diagnose and prescribe on the spot.This call for development reflects Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, which outlines an aim to bring the Esteem level of confidence, license and achievement into balance, while also building towards the Self-actualisation level of creativity, problem solve and acceptance of facts (Maslow, 1943). The Self-actualisation level can also be interpreted as my Masters dissertation. Furthermore, ten years have lapsed since completing my Bachelors degree, and I felt stale, very eager to study again, and to learn more about the NHS system.3.2 Course selectionI began investigating NP melodys in London. front to this course, I had informally identified my learning style as being practical, and set about finding the most hands on course (see Appendix 1 2 for course enquiry and application, with the relevant sections highlighted in blue). This course was therefore selected as the most practical, rather than theoretical, managerial or reflective. I wanted to be able to commit skills in the clinic as I was learning, and definitively at the end of the course.Through Philosophy Politics of pristine Health Care (Philpol), I have realised that my learning so far in PHC replicates Kolbs The Lewinian Experiential Learning Cycle, whereby knowledge is gained through experience (Kolb, 1984). This is further backed by Omrods behavioural definition of learning, again linking learning to experience (Omrod, 2004). Yet, according to Honey Mumford (1992), my learning style is Pragmatic, followed very about by Reflective. By this model, it means I am generally proactive in attempting new ideas, concepts and practices, and eager to apply them. A Reflector contemplates experiences both personal and those of others, and weighs up all possibilities before coming to a decision. taken together, pragmatic and reflective learning styles demonstrat e a careful and practical rise, with which I concur.3.3 Modules selectedThe NP route of the Masters of Science in direct Care is a very prescriptive course, with only one facultative module. This is to satisfy the Royal College of Nursings (RCN) requirements based on international competencies, to qualify as an approved course. In addition, should the Nursing Midwifery Council open up a separate part of the register acknowledging the advanced role of NPs, an RCN approved course ordain be a pre-requisite requirement (Queen Mary, University of London, 2009). The term NP is really being loosely applied to Nurses with autonomy and/or experience. Therefore, the term in advance(p) NP is replacing NP, where Nurses have both formal training, and are working in an advanced role (RCN, 2008).Through Research Methods 1, I have gained the skills to recognise the different methods and approaches to look into, and how to read a paper. These skills have enabled me to critically tax a pape r, distinguish between good and poor research, and to determine whether a papers findings are credible, and should be applied in my practice.Philpol has laid a foundation in my gap in knowledge of PHC structures and policies, including an appreciation of the NHS, its history, services, how it works, and potentially, where it can all go wrong. Some of the most cheering learning has been in discussion and debates with fellow students. Our diverse backgrounds and individual functions in PHC, has been valuable to happen upon about each others roles and experiences.Physical Assessment 1 and 2, and both the biologic Foundations and Pharmacology in Clinical Practice will provide a much needed brush up in theory, and advance my current knowledge. During my Bachelor degree, learning was largely based on fact remembrance for exams and practicals. It is because of this, that I am now questioning my actual understanding, which I hope to overcome by these modules. This is a shift from my f ormer academic learning experience to Engels Learning for Understanding, where the emphasis lies in understanding rather than recollection of facts (Engel, 1997). It perhaps also highlights the difference between studying for a Bachelor and a Masters degree.I anticipate that Clinical Practice will be one of the most important modules for me, to be able to apply what I have learnt. In past experience as a nursing student, clinical practice has been where all teachings have made sense rather than exams or assessments. I learn best through a hands on approach, and in past clinical practice modules, it has precipitated interest and knowledge beyond expected outcomes.For my optional module, I have chosen Extended Nurse Prescribing in order to be able to complete the full cycle in a consultation to be able to prescribe to enhance independence and autonomy in my practice.I have already given my dissertation much thought, hoping to research into our unique OH service, ideally being able pub lish at the end, and promote our model. At present, my research question isWhat are the perceptions of both employees and managers on the provision of a GP and PN in the workplace for a media organisation in London?I propose to conduct this research via an online survey to our employees and Managers with a mixed methods approach both clicking on answers (quantitative), and asking participants for their thoughts (qualitative).I look forward to the challenges that this PLP presents, but more importantly, the opportunities and stimulation that will arise from my development.