Professional Development and Certification Essay.

Consider the following scenario:
Maria recently earned certification in executive nursing practice from the American Organization for Nursing Leadership. She was especially proud of this accomplishment and was confident it would serve her well as she continued her career. At a conference last week, she had found herself talking with a colleague about certification.Professional Development and Certification Essay.

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To her surprise, her colleague suggested that she look into the Project Management Institute. It had not occurred to Maria that she might need or want that type of certification, but upon further reflection, she could see how important it was to be able to manage projects effectively. She wondered how pursuing this type of certification might further her professional development and lead to new opportunities. At the very least, she decided it was worth exploring further.Professional Development and Certification Essay.
Certifications like those Maria has pursued recognize an individual’s specialty area knowledge and skills and can lead to professional empowerment. By obtaining certifications, you can help improve your quality of practice and increase your earning potential.
In this Discussion, you consider development opportunities afforded through professional associations and examine how earning certifications can advance your career.Professional Development and Certification Essay.
To prepare:
Reflect on your professional goals. These goals may relate to the practicum professional development objectives you established in Week 2, but you are encouraged to take a broader view of what you would like to accomplish in the immediate future, as well as 5 or 15 years from now. Identify at least one goal that is especially important to you.
Think about the benefits of becoming involved in professional organizations and obtaining certifications.Professional Development and Certification Essay.
If you already have a specialty or clinical certification, reflect on how this has impacted the achievement of your professional goals thus far.
As a Walden graduate, consider how you will advance the role of scholar-practitioner in your daily practice and how certification may assist.
Review information about two or more of the professional organizations listed in the Learning Resources. Consider the following questions:
As you explore each organization’s website, review the mission, vision, and value statements. Also examine the strategic plan, if possible. How do these align with your interests and your professional goals?
Investigate whether the organization offers networking opportunities with fellow professionals. Is there a local or regional chapter you could join?Professional Development and Certification Essay.
What are the potential benefits of obtaining a certification through each organization? Examine the criteria for certification.
Evaluate your readiness and desire to become certified through each organization. What hesitations, if any, do you have?
How and why might this certification be useful to you and/or enhance your professional development?
By Day 3
Post a description of one or more of your professional goals. Describe a certification provided by a professional organization that would be of interest to you. Explain how and why this additional certification would be useful to you and/or enhance your professional development and your role as a scholar-practitioner. Evaluate your readiness to obtain this certification, noting any reservations you may have.Professional Development and Certification Essay.

Learning Resources
Required Readings (click to expand/reduce)
Echevarria, I. M. (2018). Make connections by joining a professional nursing organization. Nursing, 48(12), 35–38.
Smith, C. M., & Johnson, C. S. (2018, May/June). Preparing nurse leaders in nursing professional development: Leadership programs. Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 34(3), 158–161. https://doi.org/10.1097/NND.0000000000000434
Walden University Career Services. (n.d.-b). Resumes and & more. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/careerservicescenter/resumesandmore
Organizations and Certifications
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. (n.d.). Board certification. http://www.aacn.org/wd/certifications/content/cnmlhome.pcms?menu=certification
American Nurses Association. (n.d.). Leadership and excellence. http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ThePracticeofProfessionalNursing/Leadership
American Nurses Credentialing Center. (n.d.). Nurse executive certification (NE-BC). https://www.nursingworld.org/our-certifications/nurse-executive/
American Organization for Nursing Leadership. (n.d.). AONL credentialing center certification programs. https://www.aonl.org/initiatives/certification
NMA. (n.d.). Home. http://www.nma1.org/
Nurse.org. (n.d.). List of nursing organizations. https://nurse.org/orgs.shtml
Project Management Institute. (n.d.). Certifications. http://www.pmi.org/Certification/What-are-PMI-Certifications.aspx
Document: Guide to Creating the Professional Portfolio (PDF)
Document: Professional Portfolio Template (Word document)

Evaluating the PPACA

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)  is a legislation that considerably transformed health care in the U.S.  ACA was designed to enable more Americans to get health insurance mainly by targeting families and individuals with moderate and low incomes since they constitute the huge majority of those without insurance. The law   addresses   health care costs, access to health insurance as well as delivery of care (Kominsk et al., 2017))   Professional Development and Certification Essay.

ACA’s timeline from inception to implementation

On March 23, 2010, after a long and contentious legislative and political process, President Obama signed into law the ACA, ushering in the most considerable transformations to the United States since Medicaid and Medicare was passed in 1965. Some elements of ACA became active immediately after the law was passed in 2010 (French et al., 2016).Professional Development and Certification Essay.

In 2010, employers were offered funding to cover persons between fifty-five and sixty-five years old and the federal government provided tax credits to cover a segment of the contribution of employer for small businesses with not more than twenty-five employees. Also, there was the establishment of a new Patient’s Bill of Rights and insurance firms were barred from denying coverage to minors less than 19 years with preexisting medical conditions. In the same year, new processes were created to monitor increases in premium rates and offer a report on the minimum medical loss ratio. Young adults were allowed to stay on their parent’s coverage until they reached 26. Financial incentives were provided to primary care providers (PCPs), physician assistants, and nurses, and payments were increased for  PCPs in community health centers, underserved regions, and rural communities(French et al., 2016).Professional Development and Certification Essay.

In 2011 a 10 percent bonus payment from Medicare was provided to PCPs for five years. In 2012, a new annual fess was imposed on the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector  and a  Medicare Value-Based Purchasing(VBP) program was created. In 2013, the enrollment into the individual health insurance marketplace begun and the bundled payments for Care Improvement Initiative started testing reimbursement models.  In the same year, there were modifications in tax treatments of flexible spending and health savings accounts, and a 2.3 percent excise tax was imposed on the sale of all taxable medical devices.  Also, the rates of Medicaid reimbursement for primary care services were increased to 100 percent of the rates of Medicare for 2013 and 2014(French et al., 2016).Professional Development and Certification Essay.

In 2014, insurance companies were prohibited from refusing coverage on the basis of preexisting conditions and could only vary rates on the basis of tobacco use, family size, rating area, and age( but not on gender, previous claims history, or health status.  Key provisions of the ACA, including the subsidized Marketplace coverage, state Medicaid expansion, and individual mandate were implemented in 2014. Also, risk adjustment, risk corridor, and reinsurance programs were effected to assist stabilize premiums and lessen adverse selection (French et al., 2016).Professional Development and Certification Essay.

The effect the PPACA currently has on access and delivery of healthcare and the anticipated effects it will have on healthcare delivery in the future

Expanding insurance coverage and eventually increasing access to care is one of the key goals of the ACA.  The law expands access to health insurance and health care, and to date, around twenty million individuals who were previously insured have attained coverage. The law has great potential to increase access to care in the future by enabling more people, particularly low-income groups to have access to health insurance.  According to French et al. (2016), ACA has numerous strategies targeting diverse groups and increasing overall health insurance coverage. Currently, under the dependent coverage provision, young adults are able to stay on the insurance plans of their parents as dependants until they reach 26. Under employer mandate, larger employers are needed to provide reasonably priced, comprehensive I health insurance to employees who work on a full-time basis.  Under individual mandate, people without employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) are mandated to buy health insurance individually or be penalized,  and some are offered premium tax credits. These individuals along with small businesses can buy plans via the federal marketplace or state-level exchanges.Professional Development and Certification Essay.

To  help individuals with low income, the ACA expands eligibility for Medicaid to all nonelderly individuals (those below 65 years) with yearly incomes below or at 133 % federal poverty level(FPL) although not all states are participating in Medicaid expansion).  These provisions are expanding insurance coverage and also improving the affordability of insurance plans.  The ACA has also increased coverage and access to care by imposing novel regulations on insurers and their policies. For instance, insurers can no longer deny coverage or charge higher premiums because one has a preexisting condition, and insurance policies are required to offer a minimum quantity of preventive services with no cost-sharing (French et al., 2016).Professional Development and Certification Essay.

The ACA has impacted the delivery of health care through its delivery system reforms. Health professionals and health care organizations are required to deliver quality health care and improved patient outcomes.  The Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRPP) cuts Medicare payments to hospitals with too much readmission within thirty days of initial hospitalization. Under ACA’s Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (PBCI), the health care provider takes responsibility for the costs and quality of a care episode.  In bundled care, health care consumers are able to make informed care choices.  Medicare Accountable Care Organizations are financially responsible for the overall cost and quality of care provided to Medicare beneficiaries. ACOs focus on communication, preventive care, and stewardship of resources to prevent waste (Cleveland et al., 2019). Professional Development and Certification Essay.

Opportunities that PPACA has created for nursing

The PPACA compels nurses to carry on care coordination, transformational leadership, and innovation as key stakeholders in the provision of quality, accessible, and reasonably priced care. According to Clevelander al. (2019), regulations following the enactment of the ACA tie quality to reimbursement. These regulations mandate insurance companies to submit a yearly report to Health and Humans Services’ secretary to warrant that benefits under the insurers’ plans improve health outcomes via activities like care coordination, case management,   management of chronic diseases, and quality reporting;  implement activities to lessen medical errors and improve the safety of the patient; implement activities to avert hospital readmission;  and implement health promotion and wellness programs. The monetary effect of these regulations includes financial fines for providers who provide low quality care. Cleveland et al. (2019) indicate that since nurses work in partnership with physicians, they offer exceptional disciplinary expertise to help financial stakeholders in developing patient-centric and programmatic innovation that surpasses value by increasing quality.Professional Development and Certification Essay.

ACA’s health care delivery reforms require providers to deliver quality and improve patient outcomes which saving on costs.  According to Cleveland et al. (2019),   the combination of cost and patient outcomes continue driving nurse administrators and nurses to improve patient outcomes via evidence-based practice. As such, nurses have been empowered to fully partner with doctors and offer them the support they require to advance the medical practice. Also, the ACA changed the focus of health care, program development, and from a disease-specific, patient center approach to an approach that focuses on the management of health mainly through preventive and primary care. Nurses play a major role in the provision of the constituents of health reform by taking leadership positions in informatics, care coordination, and case management (Cleveland et al., 2019). Professional Development and Certification Essay.

Texas State’s position on Medicaid expansion and How it has helped/hurt health care in Texas

Texas is among the twelve states that have not expanded Medicaid under the ACA. Texas legislature has been dominated by GOP  lawmakers who have argued that expansion of the Medicaid program would lead to increases in costs of health care for the state,  particularly if the federal governments fail to keep the promise to assist pay for more people who have become eligible for coverage under the Medicaid program.Professional Development and Certification Essay.

The position of Texas not to expand Medicaid hurts health care and Texas is the state with the largest number without insurance in the country. Failure to expand Medicaid has left more than five million uninsured individuals in the state with no option for affordable health insurance. Sommers (2016) indicates that compared to other states in the Southern region that have expanded Medicaid,  the decision not expand Medicaid to has left millions of low-income residents in Texas less able to pay for their medical bills, and afford prescriptions, with those with chronic conditions unable to get regular care. To make matters matter, the state is opposed to outreach and enrollment for numerous Texans who qualify to be covered under the ACA.Professional Development and Certification Essay.

Course Description

Students in this course apply the MSN curriculum experience by translating knowledge into practice through participation in professional activities and the development of a culminating project. Students apply theory, principles, and concepts related to the nurse executive specialization in order to enhance nursing practice and promote positive social change. Because their project is enacted at a practicum site, students have the potential to make a substantive impact within an existing healthcare organization. Students conclude the course with a professional portfolio representing their development as nurse executives. Professional Development and Certification Essay.

Note: This course requires a minimum of 144 practicum hours.*

*Students will divide hours in half: 72 hours in practicum and 72 hours in project-related activities. Students may alter the division of hours in the practicum and project after consulting with their Preceptor and Faculty. The change of hours should be reflected in the journal entries submitted in Weeks 3, 7, and 11.Professional Development and Certification Essay.

Complete each section below.

Section 1: Quarter/Term/Year and Contact Information

Quarter/Term/Year:

StudentContact Information

Name:            Crystal Anderson

Street Address: 464 Sanga Circle E.

City, State, Zip: Cordova, TN, 38018

Home Phone: 901-406-5271

Work Phone: 901-523-8990

Cell Phone: 901-406-5271

Fax:

PreceptorContact Information

Name:            Porsha Pettaway

Organization: VA

Street Address: 1080 Jefferson Ave.

City, State, Zip: Memphis, TN, 38114

Work Phone: 901-523-8990

Cell Phone:

Fax:

Section 2: Professional Development Objectives

Refer to the instructions in Weeks 1 and 2 to create practicum professional development objectives that meet the requirements for this course.

Objective 1: To apply the theories, principles and concepts acquired in the coursework to address research, practice, society, health and human needs within the professional nursing environment.Professional Development and Certification Essay.

Objective 2: To synthesize a personal framework and philosophy for professional nursing practice, and implement nursing processes in an efficient and comprehensive manner in the care of individuals, groups and families.Professional Development and Certification Essay.

Objective 3: To critique professional nursing techniques and principles as applied in management and leadership within client and organizational systems, and analyze the collaborative and interdependent functions as applied by health care teams in providing care to client systems.Professional Development and Certification Essay.

Section 3: Projected Timeline/Schedule

Estimate how many hours you expect to work on your practicum each week. Per the practicum guidelines, you may use half your hours for professional development and up to half for your Practicum Project (i.e., 72 hours to accomplish your practicum professional development objectives and 72 hours to complete your Practicum Project objectives). If you determine that hours need to be divided differently as the term progresses, consult with your Preceptor and Faculty. If approval is given to alter the division of hours, this work should be reflected in the journal entries.Professional Development and Certification Essay.

This timeline is intended as a planning tool; your actual schedule may differ from the projections you are making now.

I intend to complete the 144 practicum hours according to the following timeline/schedule:

Section 4: Preceptor-Approved Project Focus

The proposed project seeks to focus on developing a tubing system to help in the delay of patient care. A tubing system is currently applied in the emergency department with positive results with regards to delaying patient care. It is anticipated that extending the tubing system to the rest of the hospital will ensure that the advantage of delayed patient care enjoyed by the emergency department are extended to other departments. As a result, the proposed project intends to focus on developing and applying a tubing system in the whole hospital to improve patient outcome.Professional Development and Certification Essay.

Include the focus of your Practicum Project here for Faculty approval.

Section 5: Signatures

Student Signature (electronic):              Crystal Anderson             Date:09/15/20

Practicum Faculty Signature (electronic)**:                                Date:

** Faculty signature signifies approval of the Professional Experience Plan (PEP).

Submit your PEPon or before Day 7 of Week 2 for Faculty review and approval.

Once approved, you may download a copy of the PEP for your records. You can share an approved copy with your Preceptor. The Preceptor is not required to sign this form.Professional Development and Certification Essay.