Problem
1) Determining Your Declared Legacy
a) Describe at least two professional nursing organizations you are affiliated with or hope to be affiliated with in the future. Include professional organizations that pertain to nursing or health, nursing and honors fraternities, and any other organized group that works toward the betterment of nursing as a whole.
b) Assess two areas of your nursing practice that you would like to improve upon. For example, you might like to increase your confidence when making decisions about patient care, or you may want to improve upon your patient education-related skills.
c) Analyze what social action or improvement of human and social conditions you would like to be best known for by others. Consider the topics or issues that motivate you, and think about those areas within your specialty that might need improvement. For example, perhaps you are very passionate about lowering readmissions by making sound recommendations and helping patients follow through on their continuing care.
d) Based on your answers to these questions, develop a "declared legacy" statement. Consider how you can use those things that you would like to improve upon along with your passions in nursing to improve healthcare overall. For example, you could declare that your legacy will be to "increase knowledge and confidence among fellow nurses to make efficient and effective decisions in patient care as well as to recommend reasonable and meaningful follow-up care."
2) Moving Toward Your Declared Legacy
a) Evaluate what you have done or are doing that will make a direct or indirect contribution to your legacy. Include all experiences, engagements in different projects and professional memberships. Your résumé is a good starting point for this activity.
b) Develop three short-term goals (in the next 2 years) that will lead you toward your declared legacy. (e.g., completing your BSN, joining a professional organization or association, volunteering in your community, etc.) Refer to the SMART goals template for assistance in writing specific and meaningful goals.
c) Develop three long-term goals (in the next 5 years) that will lead you toward your declared legacy. (e.g., completing your MSN, leading on a board of a professional organization or association, etc.) Refer to the SMART goals template for assistance in writing specific and meaningful goals.
d) Analyze at least two current career activities that challenge your ability to achieve your declared legacy. Analyze ways that one or more competing activities could be ended, handed off to another person, or done differently to reduce the time required for a competing activity, and explain your plan to follow through on this.