Goals For My Future

The 2025 Winter Semester will be challenging; however, my learning experiences, mental growth, psychomotor improvement, and knowledge-building will be guided and shaped by my clear-set goals. Goals are essential in improving skills, building habits, reaching one’s potential, and self-discovery, including defining the self and reaching consciousness of the self. Most importantly, goals are achievable when clearly set, defined, and thoroughly planned, including identifying potential obstacles that can impede progress and its success (Huberman, 2022). In the context of this portfolio, I have used the S.M.A.R.T method to set both short-term and long-term goals relating to my Winter 2025 Semester (Huberman, 2022). A S.M.A.R.T. goal is a framework to set clear, achievable objectives by ensuring that a goal is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.  

For the Winter 2025 Semester, I strive to accomplish two short-term goals. These goals relate to my course requirements and retirement home practical. 

Short-Term Goal #1: Throughout the semester [specifically the first month], I will accomplish or fulfill the basic course requirements, such as arriving on time to class, attending class, handing in graded material on time, reading through lecture notes, and just reading or skimming through required textbook material.

Specific—Throughout the semester (ongoing), I will accomplish the basic course requirements, such as arriving on time to class, attending class, handing in graded material on time, reading through lecture notes, and reading or skimming required textbook material. This goal is unrelated to grades and primarily concerns my actions related to my commitments, responsibilities, and obligations to myself and others.  

Measurable—I will create a table tracking sheet in which I will log my progress on the above criteria on a daily and weekly basis.

Arriving on time to class(es), appointments, practical

– Did you arrive on time or not?

Attending classes, appointments, and practical

–          Did you attend or not?

Handing in graded material on time, including work-related documents

–          Did you hand them in on time?  

Reading through lecture notes – just reading through, no notes

–          Did you read through your notes?

Just reading or skimming through required textbook material

–          Did you read through your material?

Achievable – These basic requirements and responsibilities require no extra time. I need only focus on the ‘little things’ without the burden of ‘extra’ components, perfectionist standards, or added pressure to do ‘MORE’!

Relevant – Short-term goal #1 will aid in relieving my anxieties and reducing my expectations and feelings of ‘readiness’ before significant tests or assignments. This goal will help me redefine what perfectionism looks like to me; that is, I reach perfection by simply doing the basics. I am not required to stay after class, make textbook notes, or even do additional practice questions, including burdening myself with impossible tasks within my constrained timeframe. When tasks are uncompleted or expectations are unmet, I feel extreme anxiety and unreadiness before examinations; this goal will contribute towards the feeling of ‘readiness’ by minimizing the criteria needed.

Time-bound—The timeframe for completion includes daily and weekly tracking using a tabled chart to log my progress. Additionally, I will reevaluate the specifics of my stated goal and consider changes after the first month of school.

Short-Term Goal #2: In my practical setting [specifically for two months], I will learn to evaluate and reflect on the constructive feedback I receive to ultimately improve the quality of care I provide by implementing this feedback into my plan of action or care practices.          

Specific—I will improve the quality of care I provide by first receiving and then implementing constructive feedback through conscious practice or action changes, evaluation of habit formation and information processing, and reflection on unconscious stress responses or unquestioned mental/psychological processes.

Measurable—I will track my progress with the help of my mentors and supervisors at the retirement home facility. More specifically, instead of solely relying on word-of-mouth or verbal reinforcement, I will use documentation or a rating system to track my progress or successful implementation of given feedback objectively. The retirement facility will provide an objective tracking system. Additionally, if a tracking sheet is not provided, I will create one. My sheet will rely on self-reflection and summaries of instructor feedback and verbal reinforcements.

Achievable—This can be accomplished. The practical component is a requirement of the nursing curriculum for nursing students. I intend to break the feedback-to-implementation process down on a shift-by-shift basis; such a breakdown will allow me to track the feedback and the following progression in the subsequent shift.

Relevant—Receiving feedback is a core component in nursing, especially for nursing students, to uphold patient safety, personal and professional practice, and quality of care standards. Additionally, effectively receiving and implementing feedback remains a skill that must be consciously progressed through self-reflection, value identification, and professional conduct.  

Time-bound—The timeframe for completion will remain on a shift-by-shift basis. After two months of school, I will reevaluate the specifics of my stated goal and consider changes.

Long-term Goal: By the end of the semester, I will obtain a grade-point average between 80% and 85% out of 100%. 

Specific – By the end of the semester, I will obtain a grade-point average of 85% out of 100%. I will accomplish this using short-term goals #1 and #2. The Winter 2025 semester includes traditional course requirements and a practical component at a retirement home facility. By focusing on completing the basics (short-term goal #1) and improving my quality of care and practice (short-term goal #2), I will achieve my long-term goal (or at least make it much more possible to achieve).

Measurable—I will review my progress by tracking my grades and reviewing the measurable criteria stated for short-term goals #1 and #2.

Achievable – This goal is achievable. I have maintained an excellent average; I believe I can continue upholding this average until the end of the Winter 2025 semester. By tracking my progress in goal #1, I believe I bring myself closer to achieving this goal. Additionally, The University of Trent offers mental, psychological, and academic support to struggling or overburdened students through academic counsellors, professors, teaching assistants, insurance coverage, and student counselling.

Relevant—This goal is essential to me for many reasons, most importantly and simply because it is my desire to do well in nursing school. By accepting the nursing program, I took a responsibility to fulfill its requirements: that I meet the standards of care, ensure patient safety, understand health and safety procedures, and follow the regulations of the practice. To some extent, I believe grades and averages initially reflect the acceptance of this responsibility and the desire to learn about the profession.

Time-bound – I have set this goal to be achieved by the end of the Winter 2025 Semester.