• Bickford, C. J., Marion, L., & Gazaway, S. (2015). Nursing: Scope and standards of practice, third edition – 2015Links to an external site.. Retrieved from http://ebooks.iospress.nl/publication/12524
• Cherry, B., Caramanica, L, Everett, L. Q., Fennimore, L., & Elaine, S. (2019). Leveraging the power of board leadership in professional nursing organizationsLinks to an external site.. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 49(11), 517-519.
• Echevarria, I. M. (2018). Make connections by joining a professional nursing organizationLinks to an external site.. Nursing, 48(12), 35–38.  
• Truant, R., & Chan, R. J. (2017). Future ready: Strengthening oncology nursing leadership in the context of professional oncology nursing organizations. Canadian Oncology Nursing JournalLinks to an external site., 27(1), 2-4.
• Walden University. (n.d.). Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)Links to an external site.. Retrieved November 14, 2018, from https://www.waldenu.edu/masters/master-of-science-in-nursing
• Document: Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Template Download Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Template(Word document)

Choose among the following to review your specialization’s Scope and Standards of Practice or Competencies:

• Nursing Informatics

Ebook: Nursing Informatics: Scope and Standards of Practice 
American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing informatics: Scope and standards of practiceLinks to an external site. (2nd ed.). Silver Spring, MD: Author.

• “The Scope of Nursing Informatics Practice: Functional Areas of Nursing Informatics” (pp. 18–39)
• Nursing Education

Website: Core Competencies for Academic Nurse Eeducators
National League for Nursing. (2022). Nurse educator core competencyLinks to an external site.. Retrieved from https://www.nln.org/education/nursing-education-competencies/core-competencies-for-academic-nurse-educators

Note: The competencies for the Academic Nurse Educator do not encompass the competencies or scope and standards of practice for the Nursing Professional Developer. The set of competencies associated with that specific role within the Nurse Education specialization will be examined in future competencies throughout your specialization program of study.

• Nurse Executive

Website: Nurse Executive Competencies
American Organization for Nursing Leadership. (2015). AONL Nurse Executive competenciesLinks to an external site.. Retrieved from https://www.aonl.org/resources/nurse-leader-competencies

• Public Health Nursing

Website: Public Health Nursing Competencies
Quad Council Coalition. (2018). Community/Public Health Nursing [C/PHN] competenciesLinks to an external site.. Retrieved from https://www.cphno.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/QCC-C-PHN-COMPETENCIES-Approved_2018.05.04_Final-002.pdf

• American Nurses Association. (2013). Public health nursing: Scope and standards of practiceLinks to an external site. (2nd ed.). Silver Spring, MD: Author.
• APRN

Website: APRN Consensus Model
APRN Consensus Work Group & the National Council of State Boards of Nursing APRN Advisory Committee. (2008). Consensus model for APRN regulation: Licensure, accreditation, certification & educationLinks to an external site.. Retrieved from https://www.nursingworld.org/~4aa7d9/globalassets/certification/aprn_consensus_model_report_7-7-08.pdf

• Adult-Gerontology Acute Care and Primary Care NP Competencies

Website: AGAC and ACPC NP Competencies
Adult-Gerontology NP Competencies Work Group. (2016). Adult-gerontology acute care and primary care NP competenciesLinks to an external site.. https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.nonpf.org/resource/resmgr/competencies/NP_Adult_Geri_competencies_4.pdf

• Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies

Website: Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies
The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. (2012). Nurse Practitioner core competenciesLinks to an external site.. https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.nonpf.org/resource/resmgr/competencies/npcorecompetenciesfinal2012.pdf

• Nurse Practitioner Programs

Website: Nurse Practitioner Programs
National Task Force on Quality Nurse Practitioner Education. (2016). Criteria for evaluation of Nurse Practitioner programsLinks to an external site. (5th ed.). https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.nonpf.org/resource/resmgr/Docs/EvalCriteria2016Final.pdf

• Population-Focused NP Competencies

Website: Population-Focused Nurse Practitioner Competencies
Population-Focused Competencies Task Force. (2013). Population-focused Nurse Practitioner competencies.Links to an external site. https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.nonpf.org/resource/resmgr/Competencies/Compil

 To Prepare:

• Review the scope and standards of practice or competencies related to your chosen specialty in the resources for this week.
• Review the MSN specializations offered at Walden by viewing the week resource, Walden University. (n.d.). Master of Science in Nursing (MSN).
• Examine professional organizations related to the specialization you have chosen and identify at least one to focus on for this Assignment.
• Reflect on the thoughts you shared in the Discussion forum regarding your choice of a specialty, any challenges you have encountered in making this choice, and any feedback you have received from colleagues in the Discussion.

The Assignment:

Complete the following items and incorporate them into the final version of your Academic Success and Professional Development Plan.

• With the resources specific to the MSN specialization and the, Walden University. (n.d.). Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), shared in this week, write a paragraph or make a Nursing Specialty Comparison table, comparing at least two nursing specialties that include your selected specialization and second-preferred specialization.
• Write a 2- to 3-paragraph justification statement identifying your reasons for choosing your MSN specialization. Incorporate feedback you received from colleagues in this Week's Discussion forum.
• Identify the professional organization related to your chosen specialization for this Assignment, and explain how you can become an active member of this organization.