Introduction of personal development planning nursing essay

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Introduction of Personal Development Planning

The employment market is getting tough with the passage of time and growth in the number of competent graduates who are acquiring the relevant education from well-known institutions. In order to equip the graduates with the most compatible set of skills, competencies and qualifications, it is prudent for them to undertake some self-determined initiatives (McCarthy, 2011). One of the effective tools which is utilised by majority of the graduates is Personal Development Plan (PDP) as it gives a bird’s viewpoint about the activities which have to be planned out for attaining the dream job (Beausaert et al., 2013). Since every individual has to ensure that the right decisions are made for effective career development, it is imperative to allocate some time for deciding about the pathway which should be taken. Once there is clarity about the career which has to be pursued, it becomes easier to design a strategy for achieving the end goal (Rigopoulou & Kehagias, 2008). For instance, if a person wants to become a Marketing manager in the long-run, then the person has to learn both manager and marketing personnel skills. By availing the appropriate opportunities available in the market, adequate tools will be employed for attaining the desired position. Hence, in order to ensure that an effective and well-designed PDP is developed, reflective learning is the efficient technique. Personal Development Planning is an ongoing process as the person has to reflect upon the experiences gained during various phases of the life and reflect on them to reinforce the learning acquired through them (Bridgstock, 2009). This reflective exercise ensures that the individual is able to become competent and capable of acquiring the aspired job. Therefore, PDP should be developed in compliance with the latest market trends so that the employability skills are adequately embedded within the personality of the individual.

Brief overview of the essay

Since, reflective learning is an important tool to reflect upon the skills and competencies required to develop the competent personality and embed the features required to compete effectively within the business environment (Mackay, 2007). In this essay, a brief overview of the pathway selected for making the desired career is discussed along with the experiences gained during the academic and professional lives. The main purpose of this essay is to shed light on the ways which are undertaken by me to acquire the mandatory skills and ensure that the right tools are employed for polishing them. During the studies at Regent, a wide range of opportunities were provided so that an in-depth understanding about the professional and employability skills can be developed. It is crucial for the learners to ensure that they reinforce and reflect upon the things learnt during various experiences so that an appropriate level of competence is developed. In order to gain practical experience, I got internship in a leading pharmaceutical company which provided me hands-on experience about the dynamics of the industry. The major competencies which were learnt during the learning phase at Regent were initiative taking attitude and self-management skills. However, the internship provided me the opportunity of developing the problems solving and negotiation skills along with understanding the ethical sensitivity and critical analysis powers. Overall, the academic and professional experiences emphasised the need of developing employability abilities so that the desired organisational goals can be effectively achieved. I even maintained a learning log so that appropriate records can be made and required information can be saved to stress upon the requirements of the job.

Role of pathway choice in building up my professional profile

In order to make a flourishing career in the field of productions and to attain the level of Productions or Operations Manager in a Multinational Corporation, the pathway had to be carefully selected. It has been stated by Bridgstock (2009) that the graduates have to critically do their self-assessment so that they can determine the level of skills and competencies required for making a prospering career. The key competencies required by the managers are leadership, motivational, self-management, negotiation, ethical sensitivity and critical analysis; all of these employability features of attitudes, behaviours and skills ensure that the organisational performance is enhanced and end results are successfully attained. Since I had clarity about the job which I want to attain in my career life, I had to ensure that I get enrolled in appropriate modules for developing the required set of skills and working behaviour. As a manager, it is important to understand the psychology of the subordinates so that they are provided the most compatible set of tools for getting the work done with accuracy. Some of the main characteristics of the managers is to do critical analysis of the requirements of the department along with the end objectives of the organisation. Moreover, the Productions Manager has to ensure that it keeps a strict check on the demand and supply of the company’s offerings so that the right level of inventory is maintained. The professional even has to motivate the subordinates by setting the goals for them and providing them the required pre-requisites so that the desired results are successfully achieved. In order to acquire the mandatory skills of this role and the respective department, I decided to get enrolled in the modules related to General Management, Production and Operations Management, Human Resource Management and Leadership. With the help of the General Management module, I will be able to understand the challenges which are encountered by the managers along with the remedies available to resolve them. This module even emphasises the candidates to learn the art of getting the work done in the form of groups by avoiding any kind of conflict. It even taught me how to understand the work culture and develop the behaviour for ensuring compliance with the business code of conduct. Similarly, specialty in the field of Productions department can be attained only by learning the various aspects of this field. The Production and Operations Management module assisted me in understanding the key areas of concern such as production planning and scheduling, developing and implementing operational strategies and plans, manufacturing the products and services in accordance to the international standards of quality and learning the techniques of effectively managing the business operations. Almost all the lessons during the module enhanced my understanding about this field and assisted me in setting goals for developing the required set of capabilities so that the IT systems used in Production department can be effectively utilised, negotiating power can be improved so that relations with the suppliers and workers are cordial, critical analysis influence for observing the behaviours of the production workers and monitoring the business environment and self-management skills to get the work done proactively. Both Human Resource Management and Leadership modules were undertaken to learn the psyche of the workers so that they can be motivated to enhance their level of performance. The leadership skills are required to assess the managerial style which will work best within the organisation as it is prudent to satisfy all the stakeholders of the respective company. In addition to attaining the desired objectives, the modules provided a platform for developing the initiative taking ability as the customers are always looking for unique and innovative offerings. By offering the target market, the compatible range of offerings which complies with their level of requirement, it is possible for the organisation to make successive progression within the industry. Therefore, all the modules have assisted me in developing a comprehensive set of competencies required for developing the professional and employability behaviours, skills and attitudes.

An academic experience at Regents’ which polished my employability skills

In order to ensure that I made appropriate use of the opportunities presented at Regent, I remained alert all the time about the events, projects and initiatives undertaken at the university. During the modules, there were various projects which had to be completed in the form of individual assignments and group tasks. When working on individual assessments, they helped me in learning the self-management competencies as they had to be completed on time. However, in the form of a team member of the group, I was able to polish my negotiation and critical analysis skills. I tried to avoid the conflicts by agreeing with the viewpoints of other teammates who were able to justify their points. One event which guided me a lot in developing my employability abilities was the Charity event that was organised at Regent about four months ago. Since I was always keen to get engaged in charitable events, it offered me a chance to make some valuable contribution for the society. The event was organised for handicapped children so that they can have a day full of entertainment and fun. The money raised in the whole event was to be given to this organisation so that they can manage their operational activities. This event took place in the month of December 2012 for celebrating the Christmas Day with these special children. I was given the responsibility of managing the operational activities for the whole event from the venue selection to the final selection of the food and beverages. In my team, there were about five members and we had to report to the head of Administration department of Regent who was responsible for providing us with the finance required for this function. Although every team member was keen to do something worthwhile but none of them was willing to take responsibility of the catering service. One person was assigned the task of finalising the venue by the end of November, other was responsible for decoration arrangements, third person was given the responsibility of planning about the inventory requirements and last one was assigned the task of recording and making reports of the things accomplished on daily basis. Finally, I decided to look into the catering arrangements so that there was adequate supply of refreshments along with other mandatory supplies. During this project, I learnt the art of getting the things done by the subordinates along with setting goals with each team member. It is important to do critical analysis of the situation so that the problems can be handled effectively. It even assisted me in developing my initiative taking ability and I was able to take everyone on the right track. All small and big problems were handled appropriately so that the organisation was able to accomplish its task successfully. Hence, we were able to effectively manage the event operational activities on the final day with perfection and there was no shortage of supplies.

An example about professional experience for professional development

Since the modules allowed me to learn the techniques of handling different people and working along cordially with the group members, a hands-on experience in the internship at the leading pharmaceutical company polished my professional competencies to a great extent. As our institution assists us in finding appropriate employment opportunities in the business world, I decided to avail this opportunity during our summer vacations last year. There is an Executive Development Officer at Regent who helps the students to get good internship in well-reputed organisations. Before the start of summer vacations, I submitted by Resume with the professional along with the specifications of my desired job. After a week of the application submission, the person called me for a meeting so that we could discuss the options available for my learning and professional development. In the meeting, we first short-listed those options which were compatible with my requirements and then analysed them comprehensively. Finally, we agreed on applying for internship at two organisations and successfully got internship within one of them. During the internship period, I was asked to work in the company’s Operations department and it was the best opportunity for me as it provided me a platform to gain first-hand experience about the dynamics of this division. It even allowed me to understand the difficulties which are encountered by the personnel of this department. Initially, I worked as a subordinate of the department’s Assistant Manager who assigned me various task such as making production plans and making records of the inventory levels. The primary purpose of these tasks was to do critical analysis and suggest recommendations for solving the problems. These assignments helped me in evaluating the factors which are considered prudent for the operational field as there are many aspects which can impact the working of the pharmaceutical companies. Likewise, I was grouped with two other internees of the department and we were asked to develop a project for the new product to be launched by the company. I had never interacted with both of these internees as we were working in entirely different divisions. However, it provided me an opportunity to acquire the initiative taking attitude along with polishing my organisational sensitivity, team working, problem solving and communication skills. We decided to divide the tasks on the basis of each member’s expertise level so that the work can be effectively completed on time. I decided to do market research online so that relevant information can be extracted about the market attractiveness, factors which can impact the new product and potential of the new product in the market. Other person decided to carry on the production planning task and the third member decided to write the report. I worked with the third group member so that we could right the entire plan along with the analysis of the whole situation. Finally, we completed the project on time and our supervisor was pleased with the professionalism of our work. Our group was even appreciated in front of the whole organisation as we were given certificate of appreciation. Hence, this internship experience helped me in enhancing the skills which are required in my desired career path and it allowed me to gain practical experience of the field.

Conclusion

In today’s business environment, it has become crucial for everyone to get engaged in activities which will polish their competencies and expertises required in the targeted career path. With the help of Personal Development Planning tool along with reflection on my learning, I was able to ensure that I acquired the right set of expertise required in this career. I also learnt that an individual has to undertake some initiatives by oneself so that the desired expertise and abilities are effectively developed. Both of my academic and professional experiences have enhanced my understanding about my relevant field and they provided me opportunities for identifying my weak areas and polishing the skills so that I am a competent professional. The most crucial aspects of everyone’s life are the opportunities provided to them and the ability of availing them. In my academic life, I took every project as a challenge and an opportunity for learning. During the aforementioned experiences, I was able to develop the desired set of professional attitudes, behaviours and skills. The reflections on my learning experiences reveal that I am prepared to move ahead in the Production and Operations field as I have acquired the required competencies and expertise. I have successfully ascertained an initiative taking attitude which is complemented by ethical sensitivity and critical analysis behaviour. The skills which have been embedded in my personality are self-management, leadership, communication, problem solving, negotiating, team working and motivating skills. However, I still believe that learning is an iterative process and it is better to keep on acquiring the latest skills and knowledge. I will ensure that I get engaged in professional training programs which will provide me an opportunity of learning the competencies required in my career and make a successful and flourishing career. Therefore, reflection will be done on the knowledge gained by maintaining a learning log so that the new areas of learning can be reflected upon and enhanced with the passage of time.