Importance of Career Stages Model in Nursing Profession

Dalton, Thompson, and Price model called Career Stages Model of 1977 highlights the processes that professionals undergo in their various duties. As a nurse, I have undergone some of the processes highlighted by the model as shown in this essay. An article “The Importance of Continuing Professional Development to Career Satisfaction and Patient Care: Meeting the Needs of Novice to Mid-to Late-Career Nurses Throughout Their Career Span”, supports the model.

The first process I went through was entry stage, which entails receiving instructions from the superior. I was assigned a mentor who began by providing orientation instructions that have to be followed by a nurse. After that, I was taught about the structure, functions, and the culture regarding the nursing profession.  The second stage is the colleague stage where a team of same expertise is formed to accomplish a task (Price & Reichert, 2017). This was essential because it encouraged independence, creativity, and sharing knowledge with other nurses.

At the counselor stage, I was given the mandate to mentor, coach, and be a project leader for other nurses. I acquired the leadership skills and solved critical problems with ease. Finally, I reached the advisor stage where I was given innovative ideas on nursing. My policies had a significant influence on the nursing team. However, many commitments were involved such as sponsoring individuals in their projects.

Professional nurses should utilize Career Stages Model well in building the other nurses morale as professional development will boost their confidence. Nursing professionals grow in all dimensions if the extension system provides them with mentorship, and in-service programs (Price & Reichert, 2017).  More so, vocational nurses need to exercise staff development towards other nurses through conducting workshops and engaging in long-distance learning. A supportive environment can also be built by coming up with articles that are relevant to the nursing fraternity.

Finally, the nursing profession is a field that requires teamwork. Motivating junior nurses leads to the provision of quality healthcare services.

Reference

Price, S., & Reichert, C. (2017). The importance of continuing professional development to career satisfaction and patient care: Meeting the needs of novice to mid-to late-career nurses throughout their career span. Administrative Sciences, 7(2), 17.