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Tuesday, 13 July 2010: 2:25 PM
Learning Objective 1: describe a CPD intervention aimed at enhancing career resilience in nursing students within their academic program and post graduation.
Learning Objective 2: describe the efficacy of CPD on students’ perceived career resilience within their academic program and new graduate nurse role.
Nursing education plays a significant role in fostering the development of individuals who are career resilient and as such can adapt to and influence practice within diverse health care systems. Educators are challenged with creating curriculum-based opportunities that actively engage students in their program and career. Currently, nursing curricula tend to focus and value clinical skill development with a lesser focus on developing the career planning skills necessary to optimize those clinical skills within dynamic, challenging health care systems (Donner & Wheeler, 2004). Consequently, students may embark on their careers with little knowledge of how they might take advantage of career opportunities as well as a lack of confidence in navigating their professional career (Waddell & Bauer, 2005). Purpose: To examine the effect of a career planning and development (CPD) program compared to standard curriculum (without CPD) on the development of career resilience in nursing students across all years of their academic program and post graduation. Methods: A mixed methods study using a longitudinal randomized control design with focus groups and interviews. Results: Final data analyses will be completed in Spring 2010. Preliminary review of the data suggests that intervention participants possess a sense of direction in their academic career, have a career vision and related career goals that extend beyond graduation and report an ability to utilize resources in their academic program to help them progress towards their unique career goals. Control participants report being less focused on career goals beyond graduation and access/utilize limited resources within their academic program to help them enhance their confidence and actualize their goals. Conclusion: Preliminary data suggests that a curriculum-based CPD program enhances students’ career resilience by assisting them to respond to and influence their academic work, take advantage of career opportunities related to unique career goals, and navigate their professional career.