Professional Development Assessments and Plans for PHN Residents and Preceptors

A professional development plan documents the goals, skills, competencies, and objectives that the nurse resident needs to support continuous improvement and career development.

Plans

Resident

The resident will complete the professional development plan twice: once at the beginning of the residency program and once at the end of the program. Download a copy of the document below for the initial assessment, and save your version to complete it for the final assessment.

Both documents are identical but in different formats:

• Professional development assessment and plan (Microsoft Word)
• Professional development assessment and plan (Google Docs)
  To save a copy to your own Google account for editing, click "File" and then choose "Make a copy."

Preceptor

The preceptor should complete the preceptor competency assessment at the end of the program.

• Preceptor competency assessment (DOC)

Together

Once the residency program is completed, the final step is to create a development plan together. The preceptor and resident should each complete the assessment, compare their documents to determine continued areas for improvement, and together create a plan to continue with skill and competency development.

About these plans

The professional development plan included in the residency program is based on the level 1 core competencies of public health nursing; for more information, see Community/Public Health Nursing [C/PHN] Competencies (PDF) from the Quad Council Coalition (2018).

Competencies assessed

I. Assessment and analytical skills

• Assess the health status and health literacy of individuals and families, including determinants of health, using multiple sources of data
• Use an ecological perspective and epidemiological data to identify health risks for a population
• Interpret valid and reliable data that impacts the health of individuals, families, and communities to make comparisons that are understandable to all who were involved in the assessment process
• Contribute to comprehensive community health assessments through the application of quantitative and qualitative public health nursing data
• Apply ethical, legal, and policy guidelines and principles in the collection, maintenance, use, and dissemination of data and information
• Use evidence-based strategies or promising practices from across disciplines to promote health in communities and populations

II. Policy development and program planning skills

• Describe the implications and potential impacts of public health programs and policies on individuals, families, and groups within a population
• Use organizations strategic plans and decision-making methods in the development of program goals and objectives for individuals, families, and groups
• Plan public health nursing services consistent with laws and regulations
• Function as a team member in developing organizational plans while assuring compliance with established policies and program implementation guidelines
• Comply with organizational procedures and policies
• Use program planning skills and community-based participatory research (i.e., collaboration, reflection, capacity building) to implement strategies to engage marginalized/disadvantaged population groups in making decisions that affect their health and well-being

III. Communication skills

• Determine the health, literacy, and the health literacy of the population served to guide health promotion and disease prevention activities
• Apply critical thinking and cultural awareness to all communication modes (i.e., verbal, non-verbal, written, and electronic) with individuals, the community, and stakeholders
• Use input from individuals, families, and groups when planning and delivering health care programs and services
• Use a variety of methods to disseminate public health information to individuals, families, and groups within a population
• Create a presentation of targeted health information. Communicate information to multiple audiences including groups, peer professionals, and agency peers
• Use communication models to communicate with individuals, families, and groups effectively and as a member of the interprofessional team(s) or interdisciplinary partnerships

IV. Cultural competency skills

• Use determinants of health effectively when working with diverse individuals, families, and groups
• Deliver culturally responsive public health nursing services for individuals, families, and groups
• Demonstrate the use of evidence-based cultural models in a work environment when providing services to individuals, families, and groups

V. Community dimensions of practice skills

• Use formal and informal relational networks among community organizations and systems conducive to improving the health of individuals, families, and groups within communities
• Select stakeholders needed to address public health issues impacting the health of individuals, families, and groups within the community
• Use community assets and resources, including the government, private, and non-profit sectors, to promote health and to deliver services to individuals, families, and groups
• Use input from varied sources to structure public health programs and services for individuals, families, and groups
• Identify evidence of the effectiveness of community engagement strategies on individuals, families, and groups

VI. Public health sciences skills

• Use the determinants of health and evidence-based practices from public health and nursing science, when planning health promotion and disease prevention interventions for individuals, families, and groups
• Assess hazards and threats to individuals, families, and populations and reduce their risk of exposure and injury in natural and built environments (i.e., chemicals and products)
• Use evidence‐based practice in population-level programs to contribute to meeting core public health functions and the 10 essential public health services
• Use a wide variety of sources and methods to access public health information (i.e., GIS mapping, community health assessment, local/state/and national sources)
• Use research to inform the practice of public health nursing
• Demonstrate compliance with the requirements of patient confidentiality and human subject protection

VII. Financial planning, management, and planning skills

• Explain the public health nurse's role in emergency preparedness and disaster response during public health events (i.e., infectious disease outbreak, natural or made-made disasters)
• Interpret the impact of budget constraints on the delivery of public health nursing services to individuals, families, and groups
• Explain implications of organizational budget priorities on individual, groups, and communities
• Explain public health nursing services and programmatic needs to inform budget priorities
• Identify data to evaluate services for individuals, families, and groups
• Use public health informatics skills pertaining to public health nursing services of individuals, families, and groups

VIII. Leadership and systems thinking skills

• Demonstrate ethical standards of practice in all aspects of public health and public health nursing as the basis of all interactions with individuals, communities, and organizations
• Apply systems thinking to public health nursing practice with individuals, families, and groups
• Participate in stakeholder meetings to identify a shared vision, values, and principles for community action
• Identify internal and external factors affecting public health nursing practice and opportunities for interprofessional collaboration
• Model personal commitment to lifelong learning, professional development, and advocacy
• Facilitate the development of interprofessional teams and workgroups