This week, you begin to lay the foundation for your academic and professional success. Your efforts begin with a vision, which includes your own definition of success. Your vision may vary from those of your colleagues, but this does not mean you have to take these first steps alone.

Walden University and the College of Nursing also have a vision and mission, which include helping you to make your own vision a reality. Members of your new academic community, such as faculty, support teams, and fellow students, can also be helpful. Current practitioners and other members of the professional community can also help you to clarify your vision.

This Week’s Discussion asks you to consider how the Walden mission and vision as well as the College of Nursing's mission and vision apply to your professional and academic goals. You will also begin to identify individuals and teams who can help you along the way as you begin designing the “blueprint”—your Academic Success and Professional Development Plan—that will guide you toward your own vision for academic and professional success. Finally, you will explain the importance of networking and how it can help you achieve your professional and academic goals.

To Prepare:

• Review the Walden and College of Nursing mission and vision statements, Walden’s goals and University Outcomes, and the MSN Program Learning Outcomes presented in this Week's Learning Resources.
• Reflect on your professional and academic goals as they relate to your program/specialization.
• Consider how the information in these resources fit with your own goals and to your becoming a scholar-practitioner.
• Also consider academic and professional individuals and teams with whom you may collaborate in support of your efforts as a student at the university and as a professional within your organization and career.
• Consider the importance of networking and how it may help you achieve your professional and academic goals.

• Nurse.org. (n.d.). List of nursing organizationsLinks to an external site.. Retrieved October 12, 2018, from https://nurse.org/orgs.shtml
• Schmidt, K. (n.d.). 5 reasons nurses should engage in professional networkingLinks to an external site. [Blog post]. Retrieved October 12, 2018, from https://blog.bluepipes.com/5-reasons-nurses-should-take-professional-networking-seriously/
• Walden University (n.d.). Connect to WaldenLinks to an external site.. Retrieved October 12, 2018, from https://www.waldenu.edu/connect
• Walden University. (n.d.). College of Nursing. Retrieved October June 5, 2020, from https://www.waldenu.edu/about/colleges-schools/college-of-nursing
  Review the College of Nursing's vision and mission.
• Walden University. (n.d.). Walden University catalogLinks to an external site.. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://catalog.waldenu.edu
  Select College of Nursing, then Master of Science in Nursing (MSN). Review the MSN Learning Outcomes on this page.
• Walden University. (n.d.). Walden University catalogLinks to an external site.. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://catalog.waldenu.edu
  Select Introduction, then the link "Vision, Mission, and Goals" under the Introduction header. Review Walden's vision, mission, and goals.
• Walden University. (n.d.). Writing CenterLinks to an external site.. Retrieved October 12, 2018, from https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter
• Wofford, P. (2018, May 24). 10 networking tips for nurses who hate networkingLinks to an external site.. Retrieved from https://nurse.org/articles/tips-for-nurse-networking/
• Document: Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Template Download Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Template(Word document)
• Document: Discussion Posting Exemplars Download Discussion Posting Exemplars(PDF)