Professional development: from staff nurse to nurse consultant. Part 11: financing your development.

摘要

The previous articles in this series have emphasised the importance of combining experience with formal education in order to develop your professional practice. The series has explored ways of making the best use of your time, different types of degrees, role models and portfolios, and the previous two articles examined application forms and interviews. If you have followed this series, you will appreciate that attendance at study days and formal courses is only one aspect of your professional development. Reflection on practice, personal study and "working with good role models are great ways to develop professionally and cost very little. Formal study is also important, but is expensive; somebody has to pay for it! The cost of formal professional development arises from course fees, releasing staff from clinical duties and travel expenses.