Maybe you’re getting ready for your annual performance review, and you need to have a few specific goals in mind to share. Or, maybe you’re precepting a new nurse and not sure how to create goals that will actually move their orientation forward in a meaningful way.
No matter the reason, goal setting is one of those behaviors that will enable you to move the needle and grow professionally. (Or just finish your assignment!) So let’s discuss SMART goals for nursing – with examples!
SMART goals are a structured approach to setting objectives that are clear and attainable. The acronym “SMART” stands for Specific, Measurable, Actionable (or Achievable), Relevant, and Time-bound. By adhering to these criteria, goals become more concrete and achievable, providing a clear roadmap for success.
Let’s break down each component of SMART goals for nursing.
Goals should be clear and specific to avoid ambiguity. This involves answering the “what, why, and how” of your goal. Instead of setting a goal to “improve nursing skills,” a specific goal would be “to improve IV insertion skills.”
A goal must have criteria for measuring progress and success. This makes it possible to track your advancement and know when the goal has been achieved. For example, “achieve a 90% success rate in IV insertions within 3 months” is measurable.
Goals need to be realistic and attainable to be successful. This means setting goals that are challenging yet within your ability to achieve, ensuring you have or can develop the skills and resources needed to achieve them. An achievable goal might be “to attend a specialized IV insertion workshop by the end of next month.” One that wouldn’t be considered actional or achievable would be “successfully insert all IVs on the first attempt.”
Your goals should be relevant to your broader objectives and align with your values and long-term plans. This ensures that each goal contributes meaningfully to your overarching ambitions. A relevant goal for a nurse specializing in critical care might be “to complete a critical care nursing certification (CCRN) within the year.”
Goals should have a clearly defined timeframe to create a sense of urgency and prompt action. Setting deadlines helps to prevent everyday tasks from taking priority over your longer-term goals. For instance, “register for the CCRN exam by next week” makes the goal time-bound.
By utilizing SMART goals, you can create a focused and effective plan for personal and professional development, ensuring your efforts are directed toward meaningful and achievable outcomes.
In plain language, before trying to make it sound perfect, answer these questions:
Pro-tip ➡️ Write it out in plain informal language first to make sure you know what you’re trying to say, then make it look fancy.
SMART goals for nursing force you to focus on what’s important. You can’t achieve everything at once, so you have to prioritize and figure out what you need to do to make progress. This type of thinking can help you better manage your time, and it can also help you identify the steps that you need to take to reach a particular goal.
Instead of some vague statements like, “I want to become a better nurse,” or “I want to grow professionally,” you can focus on specific steps to take that will actually enable you to become better (or whatever your goal might be) and minimize distractions.
SMART goals for nursing provide a structured framework for nurses to identify and pursue opportunities for professional growth. By setting specific and achievable targets, nurses can systematically work towards acquiring new competencies and certifications or advancing in their career paths, thus ensuring continuous professional development in a highly dynamic healthcare environment.
SMART goals for nursing encourage setting and achieving objectives that directly impact the quality of patient care. By aiming for specific improvements in care delivery, such as reducing medication errors or enhancing patient education, nurses can directly contribute to better patient outcomes, increased satisfaction, and overall healthcare quality.
Setting SMART goals creates a clear benchmark for performance and achievement. This accountability ensures that nurses are responsible for meeting their objectives within a specified timeframe, encouraging consistency, diligence, and a high standard of practice. It also facilitates feedback and evaluation, allowing for adjustments and recognition of accomplishments.
With the time-bound element of SMART goals for nursing, we are encouraged to develop efficient time management strategies. Who wants to spend more time ⏰ doing something than they need to? By establishing deadlines, nurses can prioritize tasks, manage their workload more effectively, and reduce the risk of burnout. This aspect of SMART goals is especially crucial in the fast-paced and often unpredictable nursing environment, where effective use of time can make a significant difference in patient care and personal well-being.
Let’s go through different types of nursing goals and examples of each.
Let’s review examples of SMART goals for nursing that you might use on an annual performance review.
If you are in nursing school, here are some ideas for possible SMART goals. Think about specific things you are uncomfortable with and want to improve upon. Do not worry about sounding silly or basic – you are in school, and it is expected that you are a beginner!
Goals for nursing school courses differ from those in the nursing school clinical setting. Let’s go over some goals specific to clinical.
A goal should be measurable so that you can track your progress and determine whether or not you are making any headway. This also helps to hold you accountable since you can check in on your goal regularly. A goal such as “I will improve my assessment skills” is difficult to measure, but a goal such as “I will complete three nursing assessments during my next clinical” is much easier to track.
Consider the tasks that are scary or that you avoid and ask yourself how you can practically improve in that area so that it doesn’t cause any anxiety. Those are the areas that are the best ones to write goals about.
Now that you know more than you needed to about SMART goals for nursing, it’s time to sit down and get started on creating your own! Remember to make them specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound for the best results.And don’t forget to revise and update your goals as needed so they always reflect your current aspirations and goals.
What did you come up with? Comment and let us know, maybe we can help refine it!
