Professional Development Strategies: Organization Experience in addressing the call to action, the Future of Nursing, Leading Change, Advancing Health

Stella Ekeocha Anele 1, *, Dorothy C Nwanonyiri 2, Josephine N Ezemobi 3, Margaret Okodua 4, Grace Ogiehor-Enoma 5, Ednah N Madu 6, Julia U Ugorji 7, Emilia N Iwu 8, Ruth O Ifediora 9 and Teresa N Nwaneri 10

1 Health Facilities Surveillance Nurse, Division of Long-Term Care Field Operations, Office of Health Care Regulation, Illinois Department of Public Health, IL, USA.
2 Adjunct Clinical Professor Department of Nursing, Felician University, New Jersey, USA.
3 Family Nurse Practitioner, Office of Clinical Director, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institute of Health (NIH), Maryland, USA.
4 Public Health Nurse, Division of Communicable Disease Program, Chicago Department of Public Health, IL, USA.
5 Adjunct Associate Professor, Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing, Hunter College New York, USA.
6 Assistant Professor, College of Nursing and Public Health, Adelphi University, Garden City, New York, USA.
7 Interim Dean for the School of Nursing & Health Professions-North Hennepin Community College, MN, USA.
8 Assistant Professor, Rutgers University School of Nursing, Rutgers University, NJ, USA.
9 Nurse Professional Development (NPD) Generalist, Department of Nursing, Parkland Health, Dallas, Texas, USA
10 Adjunct Clinical Professor, Seton Hall University College of Nursing, Inter Professional Health Sciences Campus, Seton Hall University, NJ, USA.
 
Research Article
International Journal of Science and Research Archive, 2022, 05(02), 125–137.
Article DOI: 10.30574/ijsra.2022.5.2.0063
Publication history: 
Received on 09 February 2022; revised on 19 March 2022; accepted on 21 March 2022
 
Abstract: 
Introduction and Background: Professional development is vital to achieving excellence in clinical practice, education, administration, health policies, research, and management. In 2010, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) made recommendations for an action-oriented blueprint for the future of nursing. Some of the recommendations include ensuring nurses are well-prepared, nursing organizations to institute residency training for nurses, increase the percentage of nurses who attain a bachelor's degree to 80 percent by 2020, and double the number who pursue doctorates. To respond to these recommendations, the National Association of Nigerian Nurses in North America [NANNNA] a not-for-profit organization, implemented various strategies to support its members in achieving the IOM recommendations.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the various strategies used by NANNNA to achieve the IOM recommendations for professional development among its members.
Method: NANNNA Research subcommittee conducted an online survey of its members. The academic data obtained from 259 members was analyzed descriptively using SPSS and excel. A total of 323 degrees were attained during the 10 years from the 259 participants.
Results: Based on the significant value of 0.029 (i.e., p = .029), which is below 0.05, there is a statistically significant difference in the mean of NANNNA members’ degree attainment. The result shows that the strategies implemented, mentorship, preceptorship, leadership, networking, and inter-professional collaboration, were vital to professional development among its members. This finding has important implications for the future of nursing, leading change and provides new insights into not-for-profit organizational influence on nurses’ personal and professional development.
 
Keywords: 
Professional development; Transformational leadership; Educational advancement; Organizational influence; Mentorship; Institute of Medicine IOM)
 
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