2015 is almost over. At year's end, people typically take stock of their progress toward goals, then reset their sights and plan again for the upcoming year. Nursing professional development (NPD) practitioners might focus on what they accomplished, courses they took or taught, orientation programs they designed or delivered, or orientees they guided and graduated. We may think about money we saved or spent, opportunities we made or missed, and even pounds we lost or found. We might also reflect on what we have learned or unlearned.

What does it mean to unlearn? Unlearning can be simply forgetting something, like a username and password to a neglected account or the steps to a complex skill once learned but rarely used. Unlearning can go deeper, though. We unlearn ways of doing things in order to make space for new ways of knowing or doing. Farmers plow up spent crops to plant new ones. Craftsmen remove layers of dull finish to refresh old objects. Similarly, nurses need to update their knowledge and skills regularly to leave old ways behind and adopt current best practices.

Here are a few things I've learned or unlearned this year. I learned that teaching an online DNP writing course requires creativity and stamina. I learned how to survive falling into Class III whitewater rapids. I learned how it feels to have a truly empty nest. I reluctantly learned that a Kindle Paperwhite might be almost as much fun to read as a "real" book. I unlearned an old e-mail system and embraced a new one. I unlearned what I thought I knew about the recent unrest in Baltimore, where I live and work. As I listened more and talked less, my perspectives changed and broadened. With each new issue of the Journal for Nurses in Professional Development (JNPD), I am unlearning the feeling of being a brand new editor. I'm unlearning ways of thinking which could keep us from moving forward.

Learning can be difficult enough. The added element of unlearning can push people to their limits. Learners may display resistance, withdrawal, apathy, and even anger when asked to unlearn something, especially if what they know has worked reasonably well for them in the past. They may feel exposed or vulnerable. This was the case, for example, as organizations implemented electronic documentation systems and processes. We recall the frustration and fear this change generated in some staff members, much of it related to the stress of unlearning one method and learning another. New initiatives roll out constantly as technologies and policies are updated. Learners and educators alike experience the emotional aspects of this learning cycle.

It's not easy to leave behind what we know or know how to do, but resistance can limit our options for growth, change, and development. We may threaten our own relevance and credibility if we cling to the tried and true when evidence suggests a better, new or different approach. Part of our role as NPD practitioners and leaders is instead to challenge assumptions, question the status quo, and seek answers to questions that ultimately affect patient outcomes.

Soon, the new edition of the Nursing Professional Development: Scope and Standards of Practice (Association for Nursing Professional Development, 2016) will be introduced and in place. As a specialty, we will need to update our practice to reflect these new standards. In the 2016 edition, learning, change, and professional role competence and growth are the desired outputs or goals of our practice. To help others reach their goals for next year and beyond, we ourselves must continue to evolve. We know that lifelong learning is a key to ongoing competence and success. Let's serve as role models for others as they face the continued challenges of learning, unlearning, relearning, and moving forward!

Reference