Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Template

Sample on Academic Success and Professional Development Plan

Academic Success and Professional Development Plan: Part 3

Academic practices in nursing education are intricately linked to professional practices. The ability to uphold academic integrity and scholarly ethics translate to the ability to practice professionally and with regard to the professional code of conduct. Nursing practice requires more than just skills, and violation of ethical principles during scholarly work could easily indicate the erosion of the ethical values that are mandatory in nursing practice.

Section 1

The concepts of academic integrity and writing are intertwined and inseparable. Academic writing requires that one creates original work by building on the work that has previously been done by others (Morris, 2018). While writing, one is called upon to demonstrate extensive research by clearly mentioning work done by others and attributing that work to the original owners; to develop the subject matter in a way that can be considered original; to include expert opinions in the content and process of writing and to expand these expert opinions by building, supporting or countering them; to be articulate in communication; and to ensure that all paraphrasing is done effectively (Purdue University, n.d). This can be quite challenging to achieve with emphasis on ethical conduct in research and writing. Adhering to ethical conduct in research thus translates to the ability to maintain academic integrity. Being able to satisfy the demands of writing fully and offering strong credit for the use of other people’s content is therefore what constitutes academic integrity.

Scholarly ethics are all the more important because they are drawn and reflected in professional practices. Professional practice in nursing is based on a set of ethical codes of conduct and professional ethics that define the performance standards for nurses. Various requirements for professional practices are pegged on scholarly outcomes, and research has shown that scholarly ethics have an effect on nursing practice. For instance, Bahrieni, Azodi, Hajivandi, and Jahanpour (2017) assert that moral sensitivity, which is disseminated during knowledge sharing in scholarly experiences, is required in professional practice. At the same time, Bahraini et al. point out that beyond requiring technical skills and knowledge, the professional practice requires an understanding of ethics and possession of a given set of values, orientations, and beliefs that are pertinent towards decision-making in the nursing environment. These values are exemplified through the practice of scholarly ethics, which indicates that one has the capacity to make morally inclined decisions (Glasper, 2016). The absence of scholarly ethics implies that there would not only be a lack of commitment to professional ethics but also that there is a high probability of value erosion and lack of adequate knowledge and skills for effective professional practice. Wong, Lim, and Quinlan (2016) mention that violating academic ethics indicates that one’s conscience has been compromised. A compromised conscience reduces the expectation of ethical decision-making in professional practice.

Section 2

Maintaining integrity in academic work is a decision that one has to be intentional about in order to apply the wide range of strategies that are available. Personally, I would pursue various strategies discussed by Wong et al. (2016) including avoiding plagiarism, avoiding academic cheating in examinations and assignments in academic work, avoiding unauthorized manipulation of scholarly data. Other practices that I intend to embrace to enhance integrity is by being open when giving personal stances towards various issues during collaborative group work and fulfilling all personal obligations with respect to group work such as collaborating in equal measure as others and reporting those individual contributions accurately in the final report submitted for marking (Guerrero-Dib, Portales & Heredia-Escoza, 2020). At times, students may be given take-home assignments in which there is a need to maintain academic integrity. In such cases, I will ensure to uphold integrity by doing my work independently and not asking for third-party support or participating in realizing professional goals and objectives. I believe that the stated strategies will enable me to achieve the required level of academic integrity.

In the professional context, maintaining both professional ethics and integrity is important. Professionalism stems from the ability to make ethical decisions based on personal value systems. Since personal values and moral inclinations are developed partially through education, I think the first step towards ensuring professionalism and ethical conduct is by maintaining academic integrity. Commitment to academic integrity is an indication of the presence of strong work ethics as discussed by Guerrero-Dib et al. (2020), and I intend to use my time as a student to inculcate strong work ethics. Additionally, I would stick to the professional code of conduct for nursing practice and the nurse practice act (NPA) as the points of reference for decision-making regarding professional practice as a nurse. The two documents provide guidelines on the relevant professional and ethical work practices, which if followed, ensure that every registered nurse practices within the confines of his/her mandate and is accountable for any outcomes that result from his/her practice (MacKenzie, 2017). By sticking to the directions provided in the two documents, therefore, I will be able to practice within my mandate while also delivering safe, quality and cost-effective healthcare services.

Conclusion

Academic and professional integrity are two quite important in the process of professional growth in nursing. Academic integrity is characterized by the ability to stick to various requirements for academic writing including giving credit to initial authors of content used and building original thoughts around research. Such academic integrity is important in developing ethical professional practices because the ability to adhere to the requirements for academic integrity implies that one is morally sound and thus capable of making ethical decisions in professional practice. There are various strategies that could be used to attain academic integrity including avoiding plagiarism and avoiding unauthorized manipulation of scholarly data. I intend to combine these with the use of the nursing code of ethics and the NPA to guide professional practice.

References

Bahrieni, F., Azodi, P. Hajivandi, A. & Jahanpour, F. (2017). The effect of education in nurse’s moral sensitivity. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, 9(10), 1817–1821. Retrieved from http://jpsr.pharmainfo.in/Documents/Volumes/vol9Issue10/jpsr09101735.pdf

Glasper, A. (2016). Does cheating by students undermine the integrity of the nursing profession? British Journal of Nursing, 25(16), 932–933. doi:10.12968/bjon.2016.25.16.932

Guerrero-Dib, J. G., Portales, L., & Heredia-Escorza, Y. (2020). Impact of academic integrity on workplace ethical behaviour. International Journal of Educational Integrity, 16(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-020-0051-3

MacKenzie, C. R. (2017). Ethics and professionalism 2016. Transactions of the American Clinical Climatological Association, 128, 75-82. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5525404/

Morris, E. J. (2018). Academic integrity matters: five considerations for addressing contract cheating. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 14(15). https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40979-018-0038-5

Purdue University (n.d). Overview and Contradictions. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/using_research/avoiding_plagiarism/index.html

Wong, S. S. H., Lim, S. W. H., & Quinlan, K. M. (2016). Integrity in and beyond contemporary higher education: What does it mean to university students? Frontiers in Psychology, 7(1094). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4971073/

Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Template

Sample on Academic Success and Professional Development Plan

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