Writing an Academic Success and Professional Development Plan: Walden Mission, Vision, Outcomes and Networking

What is an Academic Success and Professional Development Plan?

The Academic Success and Professional Development Plan (APDP) is a personal roadmap, commonly developed at the start of a graduate nursing program such as the Walden University MSN. It helps you:

• identify your academic and professional goals;
• build an academic and professional network to support those goals;
• find the resources you will use, such as the library, Writing Center, advisors and professional organizations;
• align your goals with the university’s and College of Nursing’s mission and vision and the MSN Program Learning Outcomes; and
• plan how you will develop your scholarly writing, ethics and professional identity.

The plan is usually built in parts during the first course and then revisited throughout the program. It works best as a living document that you update as your goals change.

Walden University and College of Nursing: mission, vision, goals and outcomes

The statements below are summarized from the Walden University catalog. Always check the current catalog, because institutions update these statements periodically.

Walden University vision and mission

• Vision: Walden envisions a distinctively different 21st-century learning community, in which knowledge is most valuable when graduates apply it to critical societal challenges to advance the greater global good (Walden University, n.d.-c).
• Mission: to give a diverse community of career professionals the opportunity to transform themselves into scholar-practitioners who can effect positive social change.

Walden University goals

1. Provide multiple learning opportunities that suit the different contexts of career learners.
2. Offer learner-centered programs that recognize and build on students’ existing knowledge and experience.
3. Deliver programs through diverse learning modalities that support quality and integrity.
4. Use an inquiry-and-action model that promotes research, discovery and critical thinking, leading to professional excellence.
5. Produce reflective, scholarly practitioners who act as agents of positive social change.

Walden University Outcomes

Walden graduates are expected to:

1. Effect positive social change in their workplaces, communities and society.
2. Use their knowledge to strengthen their profession, communities and society.
3. Demonstrate a commitment to lifelong learning.
4. Apply their learning to specific problems in professional settings.
5. Demonstrate information literacy: knowing when information is needed and how to find, evaluate and use it.
6. Understand the methods of inquiry in their field.
7. Practice with legal and ethical integrity.
8. Communicate ideas and reasoning clearly.
9. Promote diversity and multiculturalism in their profession, communities and society.

College of Nursing mission, vision and goals

• Mission: the College of Nursing is dedicated to excellence in nursing education, transforming diverse nursing professionals into “champions of change” who improve health outcomes and advance health equity (Walden University, n.d.-a).
• Vision: to be recognized for preeminent programs and innovative educational approaches that prepare distinguished graduates to advance the greater good of global communities.
• Goals: empower diverse nurses through academic advancement and lifelong learning; create an inclusive learning environment; meet the complex needs of adult learners with quality and integrity; prepare scholar-practitioners who apply evidence-based practice; and prepare nurse leaders who promote positive social change by addressing social determinants of health locally, nationally and globally.

MSN Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the Walden MSN program are expected to be able to (Walden University, n.d.-b):

1. Implement evidence-based practice, drawing on diverse theories, models and science, to ensure safe, equitable and accessible care.
2. Apply a systems-based approach that integrates information and communication technologies, research, policy, organization and finance to improve care and outcomes.
3. Integrate ethical decision-making and advocate for compassionate care for vulnerable and diverse populations.
4. Use systems-based leadership and management to build a culture of safety and quality improvement.
5. Advance the nursing discipline through collaboration, professional standards and values, service, lifelong learning and self-care.
6. Design collaborative, person-centered approaches to health promotion, disease prevention and chronic condition management that address social determinants of health.
7. Apply specialized nursing knowledge through clinical judgment, effective communication and critical thinking.

These outcomes align closely with the AACN Essentials (American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2021). See our AACN Essentials summary.

How the mission and vision apply to your professional and academic goals

This section of your plan should show that you understand the statements and can connect them to your own goals. Do not simply restate them. A strong answer:

1. Identifies a key theme in each statement, such as scholar-practitioner, positive social change, health equity, lifelong learning or “champions of change.”
2. Links each theme to a specific personal goal, academic or professional.
3. Explains how you will act on it during the program and in your career.

Example alignment table

Sample paragraph (illustrative)

Walden University’s mission to develop scholar-practitioners who effect positive social change closely matches my academic and professional goals. As a medical-surgical nurse in an urban hospital, I care for many patients whose chronic conditions worsen because of limited access to healthy food, transportation and follow-up care. The College of Nursing’s commitment to preparing “champions of change” who advance health equity motivates my goal of becoming a family nurse practitioner who serves underserved communities. To achieve this, I will strengthen my scholarly writing through the Walden Writing Center, use evidence-based practice to address social determinants of health in my practicum, and stay committed to lifelong learning through professional certification and membership in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

The importance of networking

Networking is the deliberate building of relationships that provide support, knowledge, opportunities and feedback. For graduate nursing students, especially online learners who may feel isolated, a strong network is one of the best predictors of persistence and success.

How networking helps you achieve academic goals

• Faculty and academic advisors clarify expectations, give feedback and guide course planning.
• The Writing Center and library support scholarly writing, APA style, literature searches and evaluating evidence.
• Peers and study groups offer accountability, shared resources and encouragement through demanding terms.
• Student success advising and support services help with time management, technology and wellness.

How networking helps you achieve professional goals

• Preceptors and clinical mentors provide practicum placements, clinical teaching and references.
• Colleagues and nurse leaders open doors to committee roles, quality projects and promotions.
• Professional organizations, such as the ANA, AANP, Sigma Theta Tau International or specialty associations, offer conferences, continuing education, certification resources, scholarships and job boards.
• Interprofessional contacts, such as pharmacists, physicians, social workers and public health partners, support collaboration and community projects that create social change.

Sample academic and professional network

Tips for building your network

• Introduce yourself to faculty early, attend virtual office hours, and respond to feedback.
• Join or form a study group with classmates in your specialization.
• Join at least one professional organization, and attend a webinar or conference.
• Build a professional LinkedIn profile and connect with nurses in your intended role.
• Ask a respected colleague to be your mentor, with clear expectations for how often you will meet.
• Give as well as receive: share resources, encourage peers and volunteer for committees.

Putting the plan together

1. Introduction: your background, current role and why you chose the MSN and your specialization.
2. Academic and professional goals: write them as SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound).
3. Academic and professional network: who is in it and how each member supports you.
4. Alignment with mission, vision, goals and outcomes: how your goals connect to Walden’s and the College of Nursing’s statements and the MSN Program Learning Outcomes.
5. Resources and strategies: the Writing Center, library, plagiarism-checking tools, time management and self-care.
6. Academic integrity and scholarly writing: your plan to paraphrase, cite correctly and develop your scholarly voice.
7. Professional ethics and identity: how ethics, research and professional standards will guide your practice.
8. Conclusion: your commitment to the plan and how you will revisit it each term.

Conclusion

An Academic Success and Professional Development Plan turns graduate study into a deliberate journey. By linking your goals to Walden’s mission of developing scholar-practitioners who effect positive social change, the College of Nursing’s commitment to “champions of change” and health equity, the University Outcomes and the MSN Program Learning Outcomes, you give your studies clear purpose. A strong academic and professional network provides the feedback, mentorship and opportunities you need to reach those goals. Revisit and update your plan every term, and it will guide you from your first course to graduation and beyond.

References

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2021). The essentials: Core competencies for professional nursing education. https://www.aacnnursing.org/essentials

Walden University. (n.d.-a). College of Nursing. Walden University Catalog. https://academics.waldenu.edu/catalog/nursing

Walden University. (n.d.-b). Master of Science in Nursing. Walden University Catalog. https://academics.waldenu.edu/catalog/nursing/master-science/nursing

Walden University. (n.d.-c). Vision, mission, and goals. Walden University Catalog. https://academics.waldenu.edu/catalog/vision-mission-goals