Advanced practice role in nursing is associated with many responsibilities that affect the quality of patient care. According to Sincy (2016), SWOT is “is a tool that can provide prompts to the managers, clinical leads, nurse tutors, nurse mentors and staff” (p. 34). The method can help me analyze my experience, knowledge, and skills to identify what can help me in my advance practice. According to Hamric, Hanson, Tracy, and O’Grady (2014), effective collaborations should be built on the understanding of each person’s strengths and weaknesses. The purpose of this paper is to perform a SWOT analysis of personal characteristics and identify strengths that will help lead change and improvement in the future career as an advanced practice nurse.
The main strength that I possess is my experience in the nursing field. More specifically, I have been an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurse for six years. The work has given me substantial practical knowledge and skills that I can utilize in my advance practice. I have learned to care for critically ill patients, which requires exceptional attention to detail to be able to notice any specific changes in their state. Additionally, it is essential to carry out the practice in the unit with compassion to help the patients recover both physically and emotionally.
I have learned to work in a demanding area of practice, which is another strength. Additionally, I have been working in the Unit Practice Council (UPC) to improve the standards of patient care, safety, and employee satisfaction. My job has given me an opportunity to carry out research and gain insight on the patients’ needs.
Another strength that I have is being a wound care team professional. My responsibilities included prevention of skin breakdowns in patients during their hospital stay. The work has taught me to be mindful of my actions to ensure that patients are safe inside the hospital. I learned to take care of patients in extreme conditions with wounds that potentially could threaten their life. This taught me to be stress-resistant in any environment.
Finally, I have experience representing the ICU as a UPC chair to the hospital during the practice nursing council, which occurred every month. The aim was to address issues and concerns related to patients and employees. This shows that I can advocate for the hospital staff’s needs and be a representative of them. Therefore, the work has given me an opportunity to practice public speaking. The mentioned strengths will enable me to lead the change and improvements in an establishment in my advanced practice.
The main weakness I possess is over-caring for patients and their families. Although compassion is a necessity in medical practice, it can be difficult to perceive the story of every person who is admitted to the hospital. I have been told that I tend to be to extremely attached to my patients, thus I believe it is one of my weaknesses. Therefore, the goal for me would be to learn how to care for the patients with compassion without the process affecting my personal feelings and thoughts.
The main opportunity in the nursing field is presented by modifications in the healthcare environment in the US. The healthcare system in the country is changing due to the implementation of new laws (Affordable Healthcare Act). Medical establishments and their personnel have to adapt and evolve in accordance with these adjustments (Rothman, n.d.). The result of the alterations is that hospitals need more professionals who can lead the process and implement operational plans for the establishment. In addition, the standards of quality for the patient care have risen as well. My experience in the ICU and UPC is providing me with the knowledge, experience, and skills needed to respond to problems.
The main threat in the nursing practice is the challenge that some hospitals present to their employees, which can be difficult to handle. Mincer (2017) states that the nursing crisis has been an issue in some US cities as some hospitals do not have enough medical professionals. This results in the decline in the quality of care for patients. More importantly, it presents a personal issue for the staff, as they have to work longer shifts or perform more duties than usual.
According to Johnson (2018), because of the problem, young doctors are given more responsibilities than they should have. The crisis can become worse with time as “there will be more than a million registered nurse openings by 2024, twice the rate seen in previous shortages” (Mincer, 2017, para. 10). It is a threat because the issue can impact the quality and productivity of work.
Overall, leading the change and improvement is essential for the advanced practice nurse. I have identified that my work in the ICU and UPC are my biggest strengths as it has given me an opportunity to enhance my knowledge and skills. My weakness is over-caring for patients in the hospital. The opportunity is the changing healthcare environment, and a threat is a lack of personnel in medical establishments.
References
Hamric, A. B., Hanson, C. M., Tracy, M. F., & O’Grady, E. T. (2014). Advanced practice nursing: An integrative approach (5th ed.). St Louis, MI: Elsevier.
Johnson, S. (2018). Patient safety hit by lack of staff, warn 80% of NHS workers. The Guardian.
Mincer, J. (2017). Short on staff: Nursing crisis strains U.S. hospitals. Reuters.
Rothman, P. B. (n.d.). Leading the change: Insights from Paul B. Rothman, Dean and CEO. Web.
Sincy, P. (2016). SWOT analysis in nursing. International Journal of Nursing Care, 4(1), 34-37. Web.