¶ … Leadership Development Plan As Moneke (2014) notes, the CCRN certification "is a mark of excellence and a distinguishing accomplishment" (p. 77). It represents the knowledge that one, as a nurse, has and professionally uses to provide optimal level care to patients. Giving patients both the reassurance and confidence they require when receiving critical treatment and ensuring that I myself am qualified to give them the best care they can get is a top priority of mine,. Thus, my SMART goal topic is to become a Critical Care Registered Nurse by obtaining my CCRN certification.

SMART Goal

My goal is to become CCRN certified and be in a position to provide optimal quality person-centered care to patients.

M

I aim to achieve this goal first by obtaining the appropriate study materials for taking the exam and utilizing them to strengthen my understanding of the core assessments; I will study, practice and finally schedule the exam once my knowledge is sufficiently sturdy.

A As there are a handful of CCRN certified nurses who work with me on my floor, I will speak with them about the process of taking the CCRN exam and ask them to describe their personal experiences with the test to me.

R

Our medical surgical floor has a step down room with four beds, which I have been required to work (even though I am a novice nurse) as a result of understaffing. The outcome was extremely successful and beneficial for me, as I learned a great deal about this new setting and about myself and my abilities. The setting is similar to the ICU, as the patients are on cardiac monitors and are required to receive close monitoring by the nursing staff. As a result of my success working the room, I have become one of four other nurses on our floor to be called upon to work this room (the other three nurses have 10+ years of experience, whereas I am only recently ACLS certified, though I have been wanting to be a critical care nurse since I enrolled in nursing school. Upon obtaining my two years of requisite practice providing care for acutely ill and critical patients, I plan to apply directly to take the CCRN exam.

T

My...

I aim to apply for CE by December 2019.
-Seventh, to become an experienced leader and critical care provider by December 2019.

Step One of this process has already been completed: Kent (2014) has written the Adult CCRN Certification Review for people just like me who are interested in preparing for the exam and who want to know what precisely the exam will consist. "Welcome to the journey toward certification," writes Kent. "This book was written to help guide the reader on the pathway of the journey" (p. 1). Consisting of questions and answers as well as multiple-choice assessments, the book is a comprehensive exploration of what the CCRN applicant can expect. It also provides numerous hints, tips, and strategies for successfully completing the exam, such as: "Look for answers that facilitate the care of the patient. Facilitative words include nurture, aid, support, reinforce, encourage, and assist" (Kent, 2014, p. 7). This is a very helpful book that was found by me utilizing Google Scholar, which is an excellent source for finding academic articles and books that give a professional perspective on specific issues.

Step Two of this process has also already been completed, as I have discussed and…