Career Planner

NURSE PRACTITIONER PROFESSIONAL CAREER PLANNER

As you approach the end of your Master of Science in Nursing program and prepare for a career as a nurse practitioner, you will want to create a cover letter, resume, and portfolio that best represent your knowledge, skills, and abilities as a professional in the field of nursing.

For this Assignment, you will create a Career Planner, which includes these elements, that you can use as you pursue your next professional role.

TO PREPARE

·

Review the Career Planner Guide. This document contains the requirements for the Assignment as well as resources to consult.

· Seek out other resources on cover letters, resumes, and other professional resources, as needed. The Walden University Career Planning and Development site has information on many topics of relevance

RESOURCES

Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources. 

WEEKLY RESOURCES

· American Nurses Credentialing Center. (n.d.). 

Psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (across the lifespan) certification Links to an external site.

(PMHNP-BC). 
https://www.nursingworld.org/our-certifications/psychiatric-mental-health-nurse-practitioner/

· Scroll to 
ANCC Study Aids – Free for sample test questions and study guides to help you prepare for your certification exam.

· Buppert, C. (2021). 

Nurse practitioner’s business practice and legal guide

 Links to an external site.

 (7th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.

· Chapter 12, “Lawmaking and Health Policy”

· Chapter 14, “Standards of Care for Nurse Practitioner Practice”

· Chapter 15, “Measuring Nurse Practitioner Performance”

· The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. (2017). 

Nurse practitioner core competencies

 Links to an external site.

. https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.nonpf.org/resource/resmgr/competencies/20170516_NPCoreCompsContentF

· The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. (n.d.). 

National organization of nurse practitioner faculties

 Links to an external site.

. https://www.nonpf.org/  

· Stewart, J. G., & DeNisco, S. M. (2019). 
Role development for the nurse practitioner (2nd ed.)
. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

· Chapter 11, “Concepts of the Professional”

· Chapter 12, “Health Policy and the Nurse Practitioner”

· Chapter 14, “Mentoring”

· Zakhari, R. (2021). 
The psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner certification review manual. Springer Publishing Company.  

· Chapter 1, “Preparing to Pass the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certification Exam” (for review as needed)

· Chapter 16, “Practice Test”

·
Document: 

Career Planner Guide

Download Career Planner Guide

Required Media

· APRN Central. (2019, October 27). 

Goal digger: Test taking strategies

 Links to an external site.

 [Video].
YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STAT1WpQgSM

· DrRegisteredNurse. (2020, February 16). 

Test-taking strategies to pass the NCLEX in 75 questions part 1

 Links to an external site.

[Video]. YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81E3dAxrO2c

· Walden Graduation and Next Steps
In this video, Dr. Judi Kuric discusses important topics related to the transition from coursework to advanced nursing practice. 

·

· Walden University. (2020). 

Test taking strategies: Preparation for your certification exam Links to an external site.

 [Video]. https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/3640795/98D4198C2B42D16C50C4F0A5D13122B6?partnerref=fac2022

THE ASSIGNMENT

Develop a cover letter, resume, philosophy statement, and other professional resources that meet the requirements outlined in the Career Planner Guide.

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NRNP 6675: PMHNP Care Across the Lifespan II

Career Planner Guide

Your Nurse Practitioner Professional Career Planner is due by Day 7 of Week 10. It is highly recommended that you begin planning and working on this Assignment as early in the quarter as is feasible for you. The following checklists outline all of the items you should include in your Career Planner. Additionally, the resources below have been provided to assist you in its development.

Refer to the Walden University Career Center website for resources and information on how to create cover letters, resumes, and professional portfolios. You may also choose to make certain portions of your Career Planner accessible online to members of your professional network or potential employers through platforms such as LinkedIn. Sharing on social media is a useful way to network for many, but it is not a requirement for this assignment.

Checklist for Cover Letter

Cover letters are typically tailored to individual jobs and companies. For this Assignment, you will select a job posting you would like to or could potentially apply for and create a cover letter for it. Your cover letter should be:

· Presented and formatted in professional business manner

· Addressed properly

· Clear and concise (no more than one page) and include:

· Content introduction

· Content body

· Content conclusion

· Written in a professional tone and include:

· Correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar

· Clear and accurate sentence structure

Checklist for Resume

Your resume should be clear, concise, and well organized, and it should also include your:

· Name, location (city/town and state), business phone number, and email address (centered at top of resume)

· Objective: 2–3 sentences describing your goal/objective for employment

· Certifications & licenses

· Education

· Professional experience

· Honors/Awards (as applicable)

Checklist for Portfolio

Your Portfolio should be clear, concise, and well organized, and it should also include your:

· Personal philosophy statement (1-page)

· Personal goals (short term and long term)

· Self-assessment

The following items do not have to be submitted but should be available on request for employers:

· Achievements

· Letters of recommendation (2)

· References (list names, affiliation, and contact information) (3)

· Certifications and licenses

· Prior degrees

· Transcripts (Note: An unofficial transcript will meet this requirement.)

· Certificates of attendance for continuing education

· Publications

· Research

· Oral presentations and/or poster presentations

Learning Resources

Resume and Cover Letter Resources:

Canva. (n.d.). https://www.canva.com/

Canva has many resume templates and formats that may inspire your creativity. (Using Canva is optional.)

Cover Letter Advice (n.d.).
Nurse practitioner cover letter sample 1. http://www.coverletter.us/nurse-practitioner-cover-letter/

DeCapua, M. (2019).
A nurse practitioner’s guide to the perfect cover letter. Health eCareers. https://www.healthecareers.com/article/healthcare-news/np-cover-letter

Hicks, R. W., & Roberts, M. E. E. (2016). Curriculum vitae: An important tool for the nurse practitioner. 
Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 
28(7), 347–352.

Gibson, A. (n.d.).
Nurse.org career guide series: Ultimate guide to nursing resumes. Nurse.org. https://nurse.org/resources/nursing-resume/

Walden University Career Services. (n.d.).
Resumes & more. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/careerservicescenter/resumesandmore

Portfolio Resources:

Chamblee, T. B., Dale, J. C., Drews, B., Spahis, J., & Hardin, T. (2015). Implementation of a professional portfolio: A tool to demonstrate professional development for advanced practice. 
Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 29(1), 113–117.

Clarke, M. (2019).
The importance of a professional nursing portfolio. HealthLeaders. https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/nursing/importance-professional-nursing-portfolio

Nurse Practitioner Business Owner. (n.d.).
This is why you want to create your professional portfolio today! https://npbusiness.org/professional-portfolio/

Portfolium. (n.d.). https://portfolium.com/

Portfolium is one example of portfolio software that you could use to create a portfolio. You may choose your own tool, and it may be online (Google Sites, Portfolium) or offline (Word, pdf), as long as you can easily submit the portfolio files or link to your Instructor.