It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year since we began developing My Nursing Care Plan! It has been such a fun project for me, as well as a learning experience. Thinking about and organizing the content was challenging, even though, as a nurse myself, I know what my requirements are, what I need to do to stay up-to-date in nursing, and what I should be doing to balance work and life! The difficulty was putting it down in words and figuring out how to try and juggle it all. Creating the companion video and infographics was something new for me too – but I do love learning new things, especially when it comes to technology – so it was quite a treat to be involved in those projects. Lastly, having a conversation with Michelle Berreth RN, CRNI®, CPP, a nurse educator for the Infusion Nurses Society (INS), was quite eye-opening and inspiring, but more on that later…

So, what’s happened since my Mid-Year Update? Not too much…here’s a quick recap and a look ahead to 2017:

• Since I renewed my licenses in 2016, I’m not due for renewal until 2018. I’m proud to say that I’ve already logged in 12 contact hours toward my 30-hour requirement for license renewal for my RN license. I do need, however, to step up my contact hours related to women’s health to meet my 45-hour requirement for my NP license! My goal is to complete 35 contact hours related to women’s health by 12/31/17.
• I’ve decided that before returning to school, I’d like to get back to the bedside. What I really need to think about is “what does that mean?” Do I want to work as a staff nurse or nurse practitioner? In critical care or women’s health? My heart is leaning toward acute care, but I’m also considering inpatient hospice.
• Regardless of what clinical path I decide to take, I’d like to get certified. Something new I discovered last year were ‘-K’ or ‘knowledge’ certifications, specifically for nurses or NPs who don’t provide direct care, but do influence patient care. I will definitely be looking a little closer at this opportunity.
• Work-life balance continues to be a struggle, just as I’m sure it is for many of you. My cough is now under control, and the focus now turns to eating and sleeping right, and exercising more. I’m due for my annual gynecologic exam and mammogram, so I’ll be scheduling those ASAP.  

Now, back to my conversation with Michelle from INS. During our discussion, we came up with some insights to consider when using My Nursing Care Plan that I think are important to share.

• Consider asking others – colleagues, family, friends – to contribute to your own care plan.
• Waiting for the right time to get things done isn’t realistic. When is the right time? If you wait for it, it may never come.
• Assess if multitasking really is in your best interest. Remember that it doesn’t work for everyone and it’s okay to do one thing at a time.
• Be present. Whether at work or in your personal life, focus on the task at hand – whether it’s a true task or a personal or professional interaction.
• Evaluate your care plan monthly, preferably about one week before month’s end. See what’s left to do and take a glance at plans for the next month. You can even set a reminder to do this on your phone or email.

What’s your update from the past year? Any goals for 2017 you’d care to share?