Question

In 200 words, write a SMART goal for your educational career (Nursing)

Answer 1

SMART goals are important in monitoring your progress in nursing and helps you to advance in your career. Effectiveness of smart goals in nursing and their success is well established.

Smart goals help nurse to gain more excellence in their field and help to direct their career in specific direction.

Smart is a acronym for

S- specific

M- measurable

A- attainable

R-- realistic

T- timely

1 - Be specific- set a goal which is specific , detailed, and easily understood. Setting broad spectrum goal open them for interpretation and due to this your views whether to achieve it or not may change timely and this will divert you from achieving it.

2 - measurable- The outcome of goals should be measurable so that you can get a idea of whether the goal is achieved or not. It allows you to motivate yourself if you haven't achieved goal completely and if your goal is achieved you can set new targets.

3 - attainable- The goal should be achievable , it should be challenging but should be achievable by your knowledge, training , skills and resources. If your goal requires resources that you lack this might shatter your confidence to achieve the goal. Therefore you shouldn't set goal beyond your reach. If your goal is complicated and require various resources take your time before starting your goal to make sure you have all resources and if you lack them then take time to arrange them.

4- realistic- the goal should be relevant and should support the betterment and needs of wards, department and healthcare. Setting goals that are not realistic for you to achieve might make you demotivated and lose your confidence in achieving any goals.

5- timely- a time limit should be set by which the goal should be achieved, if achievement of goal is delayed beyond time limit than it effects will be delayed. Creating deadline boosts up your approach to achieve the goal and if you lag behind timeline you can motivate yourself and analysis where you were lacking. Creating timeline will also give you any idea of your timely progress and effectiveness of goal is increased.

As a nurse setting goals is important as it keeps u focused and you can improve your working standard. It provides you the opportunity for self development in your field

Some examples of smart goals in nursing

1 - patient care

Goal- i i would handover patient details and treatment details to next shift nurse before my shift is over and ensure that patient assessment is properly understood by another nurse. This would help nurse to know what is interest care in patient.

2- efficiency-

Goal- following the weekly time table meeting i would note down my additional task and divide them on timely basis so that i would complete all tasks assigned to me . This would help me in time management and divide work according to time .

3 accuracy

As soon as i leave a patient i would note down all complications and patient problem as it is fresh in my mind . So that it would be easy in shift handover and this would ensure that i im not lacking any information before i start another task

4- learning

By end of year i have to attend minimum 3 workshop on nursing management , this would increase by knowledge and management skills in hospital.

5 promotion

By end of month i would get new position at emergency services that would give rise of 2000 in my salary