tive actions . Use acceptable resources to assist you in completing assignments and preparing for exams .
Identify strengths and weaknesses to individualize your career path to YES . Build upon your strengths , improve weaker areas , and individualize your career path to YES . What ’ s right for one person may not be right for another .
Joggle “ just good enough ” to reach “ peak performance potential .” Nursing is a profession . Hallmarks of a professional include lifelong learning and commitment to providing quality care to all .
Know details – keep informed and updated . It ’ s your responsibility to keep informed and updated . How are changes communicated to students ? Do you review your college e-mail , text-messaging , program , and course announcements at least three times weekly ?
Like learning , listen actively , and link learning to lifelong goals and legacy planning . Adult learning theory attests to benefits of increasing self-motivation . Listen actively . Find something to like . How does or could a topic fit with your current and lifelong professional goals ?
Monitor multiple role responsibilities and multitasking , measure outcomes periodically , and motivate yourself and your family-faculty-friend support network by celebrating small and large goal achievements together . Imagine yourself riding a unicycle and juggling 10 balls . What will happen ? Do not do too much all at once ! Pause and measure outcomes . For example , your friend switched shifts and you completed your reading ; you then scored 5 points higher on this week ’ s quiz . Celebrate thankfully with a quick text message or snapchat .
Neutralize negative thoughts and behaviors with positive help-seeking behaviors . Negative thoughts are time wasters and exhaust energy . Instead of struggling , reach out to a peer mentor , tutor , advisor , or instructor by e-mail , during office hours , text , or phone .
Orchestrate organized plans to optimize outcomes . Planning without implementing the plan ( procrastination ) obliterates the possibility to achieve your goal . Actions without a plan often yield less than optimal outcomes . Include timelines for implementation .
Promote your health . Provide time for self-care , rest , relaxation , reflection , and imagination . Your health comes first ! Before caring for others , you must care for yourself – body , mind , and spirit .
Question unclear areas to quickly enhance quality of learning within a shortened quantity of time . Don ’ t sit on a question . Quality learning necessitates questions . Questioning promotes critical and creative thinking .
Reflect in action , on action , and for action . How much time daily do you spend looking in the mirror ? Challenge yourself to regularly reflect on your nursing actions in the present and immediate past . Incorporate your new knowledge , skills , and insights for future beneficial actions with self and patients . Reflect on your feelings and thoughts about your nursing achievements and goals .
Select next steps and strategies to facilitate satisfaction , stress-reduction , realistic and resilient self-efficacy ( confidence ), and academic success . Overconfidence or lack of confidence in your ability to learn and perform nursing responsibilities and tasks can adversely affect academic and performance outcomes , motivation , satisfaction , and stress ( Jeffreys , 2012a ; 2020 ).
Trust reliable sources , teamwork of experts , and take time to make time for yourself . Have you taken time to reach out to your teamwork of experts ( mentors , librarians , counselors , faculty , peer-mentor-tutors ) and reliable sources rather than rely on student rumors and gossip instead of instructor course postings ?
Use resources and services proactively , at early onset of challenges , at key transitional points , and ongoing as needed . What resources and services have you utilized , not utilized , or underutilized ? What , where , when , and how have you utilized student success resources and services ? What changes could optimize your outcomes ?
Value the process and product benefits of earning a degree in nursing . Within professional education , value the journey . Celebrate your learning along the way to degree attainment .
Welcome new ideas and futuristic innovations that build upon scholarly wisdom of past and present . Build upon and value seminal work of nurse theorists and researchers who laid a strong foundation . Do not be superficial and only look at what has been published within the last 2-3 years . A profession and one ’ s own learning are enlightened by knowing how past , present , and future are tied together and are interconnected .
Expect the unexpected and have a back-up to your back-up plan . What is your plan A , plan B , and plan C for your academic and nonacademic responsibilities ? For example , if your paper is due for online submission at midnight , what could go wrong if planning to submit at 11:59 PM ? What are your options ?
Yearn to make a positive difference in nursing and health care through your contributions . What ’ s your passion in nursing ? How do you want to make a positive difference ? Everyday actions as a nurse can make a powerful difference .
Zip together all components to see the big picture in your career path . Your career path is multidimensional . Contemplate , reflect , and enjoy the panoramic and close-up views of all components in your exciting career path .
28 NSNA IMPRINT n APRIL / MAY 2021 n www . nsna . org