Journey to Nursing Professional Development
Persephone Munnings, MSN, RN-BC, CM is Manager of the Continuing Nursing Education Department at Princess Margaret Hospital in Nassau, Bahamas, as well as Adjunct Nursing Faculty at the University of The Bahamas.
As a little girl growing up on
the rural island of Mayaguana in The Bahamas, I observed the nurse as she
delivered quality care to the residents throughout the island. Her skill and
high level of professionalism fascinated me. I dreamed of one day being a nurse
just like her and upon graduating from high school, I entered the nursing
program at The College of The Bahamas.
I graduated with an Associate’s
Degree from a rigorous nursing program and as a graduate nurse experienced a
lack of mentorship with one of my clinical assignments. This moved me to mentor
all nursing students who rotated through my ward. Working with the students
ignited my passion for education and I returned to college to pursue a BSN
which would qualify me for a faculty position at the local school of nursing.
Three years after obtaining my
BSN degree, I began searching for a new assignment, a new job, a new challenge,
a new level of fulfilment, something new. This search landed me in a meeting
with the Principal Nursing Officer and a temporary deployment to the Continuing
Nursing Education Department. It turned out that this assignment was my best one
ever. In fact, it was the start of my journey to NPD certification. Up to this
point I didn’t know much about continuing nursing education; so, I took to the
internet seeking to augment the principles I had learned in the teaching and
learning course in the BSN program. My research led me to the National Nursing
Staff Development Organization’s (NNSDO) website which was a great resource.
Further search led to a book by Barbara Brunt called Competencies for Staff
Educators. This book became my go-to resource for my work within the
department.
The NNSDO later became the
Association for Nursing Professional Development. After following ANPD for a
few years and realizing that the organization catered to the needs of nurses in
staff development, I became a member in July 2015. Immediately I began
accessing recorded webinars and registering for the upcoming sessions. Two
months later, The Princess Margaret Hospital saw its first NPD Week
celebrations in September 2015. The week of activities included an opening ceremony,
NPD display within the hospital, a church service, a seminar for NPD staff, and
a nurturing day for nurses with outstanding participation in continuing nursing
education. We even submitted our decorated board to the ANPD decorated space
contest; we did not win, but we participated.
By July 2016, I was on my way to
my first ANPD convention. The theme for the convention was “Aspire to Inspire.”
There were so many workshops that I wanted to attend but they ran concurrently.
After much deliberation, I registered for the NPD Certification Prep Course.
Was I ready to sit for the certification exam? Of course not! My goal was to
attend the 2-day course to gain more insight into the role of the NPD
practitioner, particularly the leadership role.
The Certification Prep Course,
which was facilitated by the energetic, humorous, and engaging Mr. Gregory
Durkin, was much more than certification prep. Participants shared work-related
experiences and best practices, and Greg shared success tips and resources for successful
management of NPD. By the end of day one, a Facebook page had been created for
participants to stay connected and support each other in the quest to become
certified. By the closing of day two I felt ready to begin studying for the NPD
certification exam; instead I returned home and completed an application to
test.
The entire convention exceeded my
expectations. Speakers were inspiring; the session on the revised scope and
standards of the NPD practitioner was very informative; the poster display was
clearly the largest I had seen and covered a variety of themes from orientation
and onboarding, to mentorship, to use of technology, to bridging generational
gaps, to interprofessional education. I attended every networking session,
purchased resources, and interacted with as many vendors as time allowed. One
of the main highlights for me was mingling with the authors of the book
Leadership in Nursing Professional Development: An Organizational and System
Focus. I felt proud to be a member of ANPD.
Post-convention, I returned home
inspired and with a new zest to inspire other continuing education staff
members in my organization. We again celebrated NPD Week and agreed to make it
an annual event. I shared my convention experience with staff members of my
team and added my collection of new ANPD publications to our library of
resources. I knew more than ever that I was a specialist, that not anyone could
do what I did. I felt a need to validate my role and bring awareness to the
value of nursing professional development to the organization.
On October 24th 2016, I passed
the NPD Certification exam. I shared the good news with my fellow workshop
participants. Oh, I had to tell my colleagues, Greg, and Mary, and anyone else
who cared to listen. To my knowledge, I was the first person in The Bahamas to
achieve NPD Certification. What an accomplishment! Of course, when I shared the
news at home the popular response was: “Congratulations, what does that mean
and what is NPD?” I had to educate my colleagues about my specialty. I realized
that I had to prepare an elevator speech on the role of the NPD practitioner.
Today, I am proud to be a
certified Nursing Professional Development Practitioner. I value my specialty
because my Master’s Degree in nursing education focused more on the roles and
responsibilities of the educator in an academic setting. The NPD specialty has
a unique scope of practice different from that of the academic educator and
requires unique competencies. Through achieving certification, a nursing
professional demonstrates that he/she has achieved advanced knowledge and
skills in a chosen specialty and is dedicated to improving patient outcomes. I
am committed to advocating for the NPD specialty in The Bahamas, and as far as
my influence reaches. I aspire to enhance my ability to articulate the value of
NPD as a specialty and, as a nurse leader, use my expertise to enhance nursing
practice and, ultimately, better patient outcomes.
I am grateful for the vision of
the pioneers of ANPD. The current leaders inspire me; they are talented,
committed, reachable and approachable. Dr. Mary Harper, Director of Nursing
Professional Development, is but an instant message away. The resources and
networking opportunities available through the ANPD website are limitless. The
publications are specific to the needs of NPD professionals. It is my hope to
one day serve on one of the ANPD committees. Who knows, one day a Certification
Prep Course or even the ANPD Annual Convention could be held in the beautiful
Bahamas.
As a little girl growing up on
the rural island of Mayaguana in The Bahamas, I observed the nurse as she
delivered quality care to the residents throughout the island. Her skill and
high level of professionalism fascinated me. I dreamed of one day being a nurse
just like her and upon graduating from high school, I entered the nursing
program at The College of The Bahamas.
I graduated with an Associate’s
Degree from a rigorous nursing program and as a graduate nurse experienced a
lack of mentorship with one of my clinical assignments. This moved me to mentor
all nursing students who rotated through my ward. Working with the students
ignited my passion for education and I returned to college to pursue a BSN
which would qualify me for a faculty position at the local school of nursing.
Three years after obtaining my
BSN degree, I began searching for a new assignment, a new job, a new challenge,
a new level of fulfilment, something new. This search landed me in a meeting
with the Principal Nursing Officer and a temporary deployment to the Continuing
Nursing Education Department. It turned out that this assignment was my best one
ever. In fact, it was the start of my journey to NPD certification. Up to this
point I didn’t know much about continuing nursing education; so, I took to the
internet seeking to augment the principles I had learned in the teaching and
learning course in the BSN program. My research led me to the National Nursing
Staff Development Organization’s (NNSDO) website which was a great resource.
Further search led to a book by Barbara Brunt called Competencies for Staff
Educators. This book became my go-to resource for my work within the
department.
The NNSDO later became the
Association for Nursing Professional Development. After following ANPD for a
few years and realizing that the organization catered to the needs of nurses in
staff development, I became a member in July 2015. Immediately I began
accessing recorded webinars and registering for the upcoming sessions. Two
months later, The Princess Margaret Hospital saw its first NPD Week
celebrations in September 2015. The week of activities included an opening ceremony,
NPD display within the hospital, a church service, a seminar for NPD staff, and
a nurturing day for nurses with outstanding participation in continuing nursing
education. We even submitted our decorated board to the ANPD decorated space
contest; we did not win, but we participated.
By July 2016, I was on my way to
my first ANPD convention. The theme for the convention was “Aspire to Inspire.”
There were so many workshops that I wanted to attend but they ran concurrently.
After much deliberation, I registered for the NPD Certification Prep Course.
Was I ready to sit for the certification exam? Of course not! My goal was to
attend the 2-day course to gain more insight into the role of the NPD
practitioner, particularly the leadership role.
The Certification Prep Course,
which was facilitated by the energetic, humorous, and engaging Mr. Gregory
Durkin, was much more than certification prep. Participants shared work-related
experiences and best practices, and Greg shared success tips and resources for successful
management of NPD. By the end of day one, a Facebook page had been created for
participants to stay connected and support each other in the quest to become
certified. By the closing of day two I felt ready to begin studying for the NPD
certification exam; instead I returned home and completed an application to
test.
The entire convention exceeded my
expectations. Speakers were inspiring; the session on the revised scope and
standards of the NPD practitioner was very informative; the poster display was
clearly the largest I had seen and covered a variety of themes from orientation
and onboarding, to mentorship, to use of technology, to bridging generational
gaps, to interprofessional education. I attended every networking session,
purchased resources, and interacted with as many vendors as time allowed. One
of the main highlights for me was mingling with the authors of the book
Leadership in Nursing Professional Development: An Organizational and System
Focus. I felt proud to be a member of ANPD.
Post-convention, I returned home
inspired and with a new zest to inspire other continuing education staff
members in my organization. We again celebrated NPD Week and agreed to make it
an annual event. I shared my convention experience with staff members of my
team and added my collection of new ANPD publications to our library of
resources. I knew more than ever that I was a specialist, that not anyone could
do what I did. I felt a need to validate my role and bring awareness to the
value of nursing professional development to the organization.
On October 24th 2016, I passed the NPD Certification exam. I shared the good news with my fellow workshop participants. Oh, I had to tell my colleagues, Greg, and Mary, and anyone else who cared to listen. To my knowledge, I was the first person in The Bahamas to achieve NPD Certification. What an accomplishment! Of course, when I shared the news at home the popular response was: “Congratulations, what does that mean and what is NPD?” I had to educate my colleagues about my specialty. I realized that I had to prepare an elevator speech on the role of the NPD practitioner.
Today, I am proud to be a
certified Nursing Professional Development Practitioner. I value my specialty
because my Master’s Degree in nursing education focused more on the roles and
responsibilities of the educator in an academic setting. The NPD specialty has
a unique scope of practice different from that of the academic educator and
requires unique competencies. Through achieving certification, a nursing
professional demonstrates that he/she has achieved advanced knowledge and
skills in a chosen specialty and is dedicated to improving patient outcomes. I
am committed to advocating for the NPD specialty in The Bahamas, and as far as
my influence reaches. I aspire to enhance my ability to articulate the value of
NPD as a specialty and, as a nurse leader, use my expertise to enhance nursing
practice and, ultimately, better patient outcomes.
I am grateful for the vision of
the pioneers of ANPD. The current leaders inspire me; they are talented,
committed, reachable and approachable. Dr. Mary Harper, Director of Nursing
Professional Development, is but an instant message away. The resources and
networking opportunities available through the ANPD website are limitless. The
publications are specific to the needs of NPD professionals. It is my hope to
one day serve on one of the ANPD committees. Who knows, one day a Certification
Prep Course or even the ANPD Annual Convention could be held in the beautiful
Bahamas.
