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NURS 6003: Transition to

Graduate Study for Nursing

Academic and Professional Success Plan Template

Prepared by:

<Carol Patton (Your Name)>

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This document is to be used for NURS 6003 Transition to Graduate Study for Nursing

to complete Assessments 1-4. Just as importantly the document serves to organize your thoughts

about planning for your academic and professional success.

For specific instructions see the weekly assessment details in the course or ask your

instructor for further guidance.

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Module 1 | Part 1: Developing an Academic and Professional Network

I have identified and secured the participation of the following academic (at least two)

and professional (at least two) individuals and/or teams to form the basis of my network. This

network will help me to clarify my vision for success and will help guide me now and in the

future.

Directions: Complete the information below for each member of your network. For more

than four entries repeat the items below with details of your additional network member(s) in the

‘ADDITIONAL NETWORK MEMBERS’ section.

NETWORK MEMBER 1

Name: Dr. Carol Patton

Title: Adjunct Professor of Nursing

Organization: Walden University

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Academic or Professional: Academic

Why I selected this individual and/or team and how they will support my success in

the MSN program and as a practicing nurse:

Having shared her biography with the class, Dr. Patton has experience and is qualified as

an advanced nurse clinician. To succeed in this program, I require guidance from people who

have made it in this field, and Dr. Patton is an example of people who will propel me toward my

success. I am privileged because she will guide me to complete my master's degree once I return

to school. I will contact Dr. Patton if I have questions about my assignments or if the course will

be easy. Interacting with her will be easy because she has provided her contact information in the

coursework materials. Therefore, I do not doubt that I will contact her whenever I want to seek

clarification regarding assignments and coursework.

Notes: She provided her contact number in the coursework material, and by the way, she

is a friendly person who can help me when I need clarification.

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NETWORK MEMBER 2

Name: McLaughlin.Alicia

Title: Academic Counselor/Advisor

Organization: Walden University

Academic or Professional: Academic

Why I selected this individual:

The advisor continually advises me, and that helps us engage with one another. The

engagements help identify my interests and strengths in my career and education (Contreras et

al., 2021). The relationship between advisor and student has been pivotal in my academic

journey. Through them, I have learned where to access materials and resources for my MSN

program. Additionally, through my relationship with the advisor, I have become knowledgeable

about the policies and procedures of nursing practitioners. Academic advisors are essential

because they guide students in their educational journey by providing accurate information,

which benefits their career journey. The advisor has been available and gives each student ample

time to guide them, making the advisor-student relationship formidable.

Notes: The advisor gave me their contact information in the first meeting, and I regularly

communicate with them when I need guidance on specific materials or resources for the MSN

program. Furthermore, they are accessible during a typical day at their departmental office and
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available when needed.

NETWORK MEMBER 3

Name: Dr Brenda

Title: Current nurse manager

Organization: XXX Healthcare System

Academic or Professional: Professional

Why I selected this individual:

Dr. Brenda was instrumental in my enrollment for a master's degree. She has been my

mentor since my graduate school years. When I was stuck deciding whether to continue with my

education, I approached her and guided me on the way through. She took her time and spent

countless hours supporting me in explaining why I needed to pursue the MSN program. As my

mentor, she regularly motivates me. At the same time, we had a conversation with her, which

gave me the physical and mental strength to advance my career, and I am sure I will succeed in

my healthcare organization. Dr. Brenda and I have developed a special relationship, and I can

call her anytime to seek guidance on anything related to this profession. The doctor has made me

believe in myself, and I have a companion with whom I share my success and the challenges I

face in the line of duty.

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Notes: Dr. Brenda is a person I am free with, and because I have her contacts, I

communicate with her, and she motivates me to continue pursuing my career goals. In her

organization, young nurses love to work with her because she is a loveable person who always

gives young people advice and motivation.

NETWORK MEMBER 4

Name: National Organization supporting advanced practice nurses

Title: American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)

Organization: The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)

Academic or Professional: Professional

Why I selected this team:

The organization is pivotal in helping healthcare professionals provide quality care in

hospitals and clinics. Moreover, joining the organization will be vital because it will help me

attend healthcare professionals' conferences and workshops, which are crucial to my career and

educational development. To be recognized as a competent nurse, one must be licensed as an NP

Student. When I join the organization, I will qualify for the discounts on the certification

examinations, and from there, I will be a recognized practicing nurse. Joining the organization is

essential because it will help me interact with other professionals in my career background, and
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we will exchange ideas on solving challenges faced in practice. Moreover, exchanging contacts

with colleagues in the practice will help me seek guidance from individuals with a strong

healthcare service background. The organization is also crucial because it helps make healthcare

professionals feel appreciated.

Notes:

The organization has support groups, and from their website, you can trace their contacts,

whom you can call when you have a pressing issue. Nonetheless, the critical thing about joining

the organization is meeting with other professionals with whom you share your contact details

and contact each other for motivation.

Reference
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Contreras, F., Abid, G., Govers, M., & Saman Elahi, N. (2021). Influence of

support on work engagement in nursing staff: the mediating role of possibilities for

professional development. Academia Revista Latinoamericana de Administracion, 34(1),

122-142.

Module 2 | Part 2: Strategies to Promote Academic Integrity and Professional Ethics

Part 1: Writing Sample: The Connection Between Academic and Professional

Integrity
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In the space below write a 2- 3-paragraph analysis that includes the following:

 Explanation for the relationship between academic integrity and writing

 Explanation for the relationship between professional practices and scholarly

ethics

 Cite at least 2 resources that support your arguments, being sure to use proper

APA formatting.

 Use Grammarly and Turnitin to improve the product.

 Explain how Grammarly, Turnitin, and paraphrasing contributes to academic

integrity

Relationship Between Academic Integrity and Writing

Academic integrity is the basis of scholarly work, thereby promoting the pursuit

of knowledge more efficiently, ethically, and with authenticity. Preserving academic credibility,

like citation, not plagiarizing, and valuing the uniqueness of thinking, are crucial in building trust

and academic ethos (Bieliauskaitė, 2021). Regarding referencing, the correct citation of sources

gives credit to other people's work, while paraphrasing or summarizing responsibly enables one

to expand other people's work without misrepresentation. When writing, professors should not

allow biased trends; originality and citations should be evidential to reduce the likelihood of

cheating, such as copying or fabricating data (Neville, 2016).

Relationship Between Professional Practices and Scholarly Ethics

Scholars have established a relation between academic and professional integrity since

personal habits and ethical behaviors acquired in academic environments are likely to be applied

at the workplace and in a career. In both spheres, adherence to ethical codes is essential to ensure
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the credibility and trustworthiness of the results. For instance, in nursing or counseling,

professionals must apply and uphold research integrity to practice evidence-based actions (West,

2020). If research is conducted consistently, it will maintain the quality of care offered.

Similarly, individuals considering honesty in their scholarly affairs will act ethically in several

professions. Maintaining ethical academics discourages dishonesty in a way that is as important

as professional honesty, such as reporting fairly and honestly.

Reference
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Neville, C. (2016). The complete guide to referencing and avoiding plagiarism.

Open University Press.

West, E. (2020). Ethics and integrity in nursing research. Handbook of research

ethics and scientific integrity, 1051-1069.

Bieliauskaitė, J. (2021). Solidarity in academia and its relationship to academic

integrity. Journal of academic ethics, 19(3), 309-322.

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PART 2: Strategies for Maintaining Integrity of Work

Expand on your thoughts from Part 1 by:

 Identifying and describing strategies you intend to pursue to maintain

integrity and ethics of your 1) academic work while a student of the MSN program, and

2) professional work as a nurse throughout your career. Include a review of resources and

approaches you propose to use as a student and a professional.

The purpose of keeping integrity and ethics in academic and professional life is growth

both personally and professionally, especially for nurses. There are various ways in which I

intend to adhere to these principles as a student of the MSN or PMC program. First, I will focus

on how sources are cited and if paraphrasing was done correctly. Tools like Turnitin and citation

management software like Zotero or EndNote will aid me in tracking down the sources used in

the paper and guarantee their originality. Academic guidelines on plagiarism will also be

checked frequently to be up to date in case there is any new development. In this way, I want to

ensure that the work I deliver is honest and open and, at the same time, corresponds to the

academic requirements of my future profession.

Similarly, it is equally important for nurses to uphold ethical professional conduct

standards. To maintain ethical standards throughout my career, I will attend conferences, seek

mentors, and join continuing education courses. I shall base my ethical decision-making in

clinical practice on the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics. Also, I will read peer-
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reviewed literature and engage in evidence-based practice to apply the most recent ethical

evidence when making clinical decisions.

These sources will include the ANA Code of Ethics, besides trying to look for articles in

standard electronic databases such as PubMed and CINAHL as I endeavor to practice ethically.

Applying these resources also helps me maintain professional and ethical standards while

treating patients and using human rights. I believe embracing lifelong learning and ethical

reflection will be a milestone as a student and a professional nurse.

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References

Leibold, N. (2020). Writing in nursing. Lulu Press.

https://otb.smsu.edu/sections/section2-disciplinary-perspectives/nursing/nursing-

writing.html
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Module 3 | Part 3: Research Analysis

To achieve success for academics and professionals, it becomes essential to follow a

systematic approach to locating and analyzing peer-reviewed research. For this assignment, the

selected article is from the nursing specialty category, particularly nursing informatics and its

role in health care. The systematic approach is due to the increasing role of computers in

improving the quality of patient care and efficiency of health care delivery.

Step 1: Research Analysis

Topic of Interest: Nursing Informatics And Its Role In Health Care.

Research Article: Douthit, et al (2022). https://www.thieme

Include full citation connect.com/products/ejournals/html/10.1055/s-0041-1742218

in APA format, as

well as link or

search details (such

as DOI)

Professional The article under analysis focuses on nursing informatics in practice and

Practice Use: One aims to introduce data management systems in healthcare. One theory

or more pinpointed is the Systems Theory, which is applied to explain this

professional healthcare system and how it can be enhanced via technology (Douthit et

practice uses of the al., 2022). As applied, informatics guarantees legibility, availability, and

theories/concepts use of patient data in an organically efficient manner that improves patient
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presented in the care and safety.

article

Research Strengths of Limitations of Relevancy to Notes

Analysis Matrix the Research the Research Topic of

Interest

This study is For instance, The topic under The following

exceptional as it most of the consideration approaches were

provides insight studies done for targets nursing applied to conduct

into real-life this research professionals, the peer-reviewed

implications of involved only a especially those research

the specialty of few sample in health effectively. The

nursing hospitals, and, technology and first step is to

informatics, as such, the data processing. access the Walden

supported by idea one will It is essential for Library as the

empirical data use the idea modern nursing premier database

from various across a few as the definition and then set

healthcare healthcare of informatics, proper search

organizations. facilities. and its role in criteria. I describe

The article also Further, it only affecting patient the topic and use

offers the best sometimes safety also the appropriate

practices for considers changes. keywords to find

implementing longer-term related articles.

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informatics to outcomes Electronic

enhance patient despite working database/academic

outcomes, primarily search engine:

which could be within the short Filtering by peer-

helpful when it term. reviewed articles

comes to only guarantees

current nursing credible research

practices. that meets

educational

standards. I then

evaluate the

applicability of

studies that

contain a measure

of

unprofessionalism

by assessing their

abstracts and

methodology.

Step 2: Summary of Analysis

Describe your approach to identifying and analyzing peer-reviewed research

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The following approaches were applied to conduct the peer-reviewed research

effectively. The first step is to access the Walden Library as the premier database and then set

proper search criteria. I describe the topic and use the appropriate keywords to find related

articles. Electronic database/academic search engine: Filtering by peer-reviewed articles only

guarantees credible research that meets educational standards. I then evaluate the applicability

of studies that contain a measure of unprofessionalism by assessing their abstracts and

methodology.

Identify at least two strategies that you would use that you found to be effective

in finding peer-reviewed research

Regarding searching, I employed two strategies: Boolean operators to make my

searches more specific and citation tracking to come across other studies. When the search

and identification of a particular topic or area are required, it uses words 'and 'or,' which are

'Boolean operators', in an effective manner in narrowing down or broadening the search area

according to the user's needs and requirement (Chobanuk, 2021). Citation tracking reviews

other valuable source articles and uses their reference lists to look for more sources on the

same topic.

Identify at least one resource you intend to use in the future to find peer-

reviewed research

In the future, I will also try Google Scholar to conduct further research. Another critical

feature is the full-text search for the articles and search for open-access, as well as the view of
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how often cited the article is, to understand its popularity in the chosen sphere. Using these

strategies and resources together will improve my capacity to search for quality research for

academic and work needs.

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References

Chobanuk, J. (2021). Strategies to Reduce Costs Caused by Medication Errors in US

Hospitals (Doctoral dissertation, Walden University).

https://www.proquest.com/openview/a6f1aa6c7a5cdc8c28f338bb2812f705/1?pq-

origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y

Douthit, B. J., Walden, R. L., Cato, K., Coviak, C. P., Cruz, C., D'Agostino, F., ... &

Jeffery, A. D. (2022). Data science trends relevant to nursing practice: a rapid

review of the 2020 literature. Applied clinical informatics, 13(01), 161-179.

https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/html/10.1055/s-0041-

1742218

Smith, J., & Johnson, L. (2020). The role of nursing informatics in enhancing patient

safety and healthcare efficiency. Journal of Nursing Administration, 50(5), 245–

251. Walden Library University

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Module 6 | Part 4: Finalizing the Plan

I have considered various options for my nursing specialty, including a close look at my

selected (or currently preferred) specialty and second-preferred specialty. I have also developed

a justification of my selected (or preferred) specialty. Lastly, I have examined one professional

organization related to my selected or preferred specialty and considered how I can become a

member of this organization.

The results of my efforts are below.

Directions: Complete Step 1 by writing 2-3 paragraphs in the space below comparing the

nursing specialty you have selected – or the one you prefer if your choice is still under

consideration - to your second preference. Identify each specialty and describe the focus and the

role that graduates are prepared for. Identify any other differentiators you feel are significant,

especially those that helped or may help you reach a decision.

Complete Step 2 by writing a paragraph identifying and justifying your reasons for

choosing your MSN specialization. Be sure to incorporate any feedback you received from

colleagues in this week’s Discussion Forum.

Complete Step 3 by examining and identifying one professional organization related to

your selected or preferred specialty. Explain how you can become a member of this

organization.
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Step 1: Comparison of Nursing Specialties

Use the space below to write 2-3 paragraphs comparing the nursing specialty you have

selected – or the one you prefer if your choice is still under consideration - to your second

preference. Identify each specialty and describe the focus and the role that graduates are

prepared for. Identify any other differentiators you feel are significant, especially those that

helped or may help you reach a decision.

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Step 2: Justification of Nursing Specialty

Use the space below to write a paragraph identifying and justifying your reasons for

choosing your MSN specialization. Be sure to incorporate any feedback you received from

colleagues in this week’s Discussion Forum.

Step 3: Professional Organizations

Use the space below to identify and examine one professional organization related to

your selected or preferred specialty. Explain how you can become a member of this

organization.
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