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• v.21(3); Fall 2022

Writing and Using Learning Objectives

Rebecca b. orr.

† Division of Academic Affairs, Collin College, Plano, TX 75074

Melissa M. Csikari

‡ HHMI Science Education, BioInteractive, Chevy Chase, MD 20815

Scott Freeman

§ Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195

Michael C. Rodriguez

∥ Educational Psychology, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455

Learning objectives (LOs) are used to communicate the purpose of instruction. Done well, they convey the expectations that the instructor—and by extension, the academic field—has in terms of what students should know and be able to do after completing a course of study. As a result, they help students better understand course activities and increase student performance on assessments. LOs also serve as the foundation of course design, as they help structure classroom practices and define the focus of assessments. Understanding the research can improve and refine instructor and student use of LOs. This essay describes an online, evidence-based teaching guide published by CBE—Life Sciences Education ( LSE ) at http://lse.ascb.org/learning-objectives . The guide contains condensed summaries of key research findings organized by recommendations for writing and using LOs, summaries of and links to research articles and other resources, and actionable advice in the form of a checklist for instructors. In addition to describing key features of the guide, we also identify areas that warrant further empirical studies.

INTRODUCTION

Learning objectives (LOs) are statements that communicate the purpose of instruction to students, other instructors, and an academic field ( Mager, 1997 ; Rodriguez and Albano, 2017 ). They form the basis for developing high-quality assessments for formative and summative purposes. Once LOs and assessments are established, instructional activities can help students master the material. Aligning LOs with assessments and instructional practice is the essence of backward course design ( Fink, 2003 ).

Many terms in the literature describe statements about learning expectations. The terms “course objectives,” “course goals,” “learning objectives,” “learning outcomes,” and “learning goals” are often used interchangeably, creating confusion for instructors and students. To clarify and standardize usage, the term “objective” is defined as a declarative statement that identifies what students are expected to know and do . At the same time, “outcome” refers to the results measured at the end of a unit, course, or program. It is helpful to think of LOs as a tool instructors use for describing intended outcomes, regardless of the process for achieving the outcome ( Mager, 1997 ). The term “goal” is less useful. Although it is often used to express more general expectations, there is no consistent usage in the literature.

In this guide, “learning objective” is defined as a statement that communicates the purpose of instruction using an action verb and describes the expected performance and conditions under which the performance should occur. Examples include:

• At the end of this lesson, students should be able to compare the processes of diffusion, osmosis, and facilitated diffusion, and provide biological examples that illustrate each process.
• At the end of this lesson, students should be able to predict the relative rates at which given ions and molecules will cross a plasma membrane in the absence of membrane protein and explain their reasoning.

In terms of content and complexity, LOs should scaffold professional practice, requirements for a program, and individual course goals by communicating the specific content areas and skills considered important by the academic field ( Rodriguez and Albano, 2017 ). They also promote course articulation by supporting consistency when courses are taught by multiple instructors and furnishing valuable information about course alignment among institutions. As a result, LOs should serve as the basis of unit or module, course, and program design and can be declared in a nested hierarchy of levels. For clarity, we describe a hierarchy of LOs in Table 1 .

Levels of LOs ( Rodriguez and Albano, 2017 )

a Hereafter, our use of the term “learning objectives” specifically refers to instructional LOs.

This article describes an evidence-based teaching guide that aggregates, summarizes, and provides actionable advice from research findings on LOs. It can be accessed at http://lse.ascb.org/learning-objectives . The guide has several features intended to help instructors: a landing page that indicates starting points ( Figure 1 ), syntheses of observations from the literature, summaries of and links to selected papers ( Figure 2 ), and an instructor checklist that details recommendations and points to consider. The focus of our guide is to provide recommendations based on the literature for instructors to use when creating, revising, and using instructional LOs in their courses. The Effective Construction section provides evidence-based guidelines for writing effective LOs. The Instructor Use section contains research summaries about using LOs as a foundational element for successful course design, summaries of the research that supports recommended practices for aligning LOs with assessment and classroom instruction, and direction from experts for engaging with colleagues in improving instructor practice with LOs. The Student Use section includes a discussion on how students use LOs and how instructor guidance can improve student use of LOs, along with evidence on the impact of LO use coupled with pretests, transparent teaching methods, and summaries of LO-driven student outcomes in terms of exam scores, depth of learning, and affect (e.g., perception of utility and self-regulated learning). Some of the questions and considerations that serve to organize the guide are highlighted in the following sections.

LO guide landing page, which provides readers with an overview of choice points.

Screenshots representing summaries of and links to selected papers.

WRITING EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Writing LOs effectively is essential, as their wording should provide direction for developing instructional activities and guide the design of assessments. Effective LOs clearly communicate what students should know and be able to do and are written to be behavioral, measurable, and attainable ( Rodriguez and Albano, 2017 ). It is particularly important that each LO is written with enough information to ensure that other knowledgeable individuals can use the LO to measure a learner’s success and arrive at the same conclusions ( Mager, 1997 ). Clear, unambiguous wording encourages consistency across sections and optimizes student use of the stated LOs.

Effective LOs specify a visible performance—what students should be able to do with the content—and may also include conditions and the criteria for acceptable performance ( Mager, 1997 ). When constructing an LO, one should use an action verb to describe what students are expected to know and be able to do with the disciplinary knowledge and skills ( Figure 3 ). Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive skills provides a useful framework for writing LOs that embody the intended complexity and the cognitive demands involved in mastering them ( Bloom, 1956 ; Anderson and Krathwohl, 2001 ). Assessment items and course activities can then be aligned with LOs using the Blooming Biology Tool described by Crowe et al. (2008) . However, LOs should not state the instructional method(s) planned to accomplish the objectives or be written so specifically as to be assessment tasks themselves ( Mager, 1997 ).

Components of an LO.

Our Instructor Checklist provides specific recommendations for writing LOs, along with a link to examples of measurable action verbs associated with Bloom’s taxonomy.

COURSE DESIGN: ALIGNING LEARNING OBJECTIVES WITH ASSESSMENT AND CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION

Course designs and redesigns built around clear and measurable LOs result in measurable benefits to students (e.g., Armbruster et al. , 2009 , and other citations in the Course and Curriculum Design and Outcomes section of this guide). LOs are established as the initial step in backward design ( McTighe and Wiggins, 2012 ). They provide a framework for instructors to 1) design assessments that furnish evidence on the degree of student mastery of knowledge and skills and 2) select teaching and learning activities that are aligned with objectives ( Mager, 1997 ; Rodriguez and Albano, 2017) . Figure 4 depicts depicts integrated course course design, emphasizing the dynamic and reciprocal associations among LOs, assessment, and teaching practice.

Components of integrated course design (after Fink, 2003 ).

Used in this way, LOs provide a structure for planning assessments and instruction while giving instructors the freedom to be creative and flexible ( Mager, 1997 ; Reynolds and Kearns, 2017 ). In essence, LOs respond to the question: “If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know which road to take and how do you know when you get there?” ( Mager, 1997 , p. 14). When assessments are created, each assessment item or task must be specifically associated with at least one LO and measure student learning progress on that LO. The performance and conditions components of each LO should guide the type of assessment developed ( Mager, 1997 ). Data gathered from assessment results (feedback) can then inform future instruction. The Assessment section of our guide contains summaries of research reporting the results of aligning assessment with LOs and summaries of frameworks that associate assessment items with LOs.

The purpose of instruction is communicated to students most effectively when instructional activities are aligned with associated instructional and course-level LOs (e.g., Chasteen et al. , 2011 , and others within the Instructor Use section of this guide). The literature summarized in the Course and Curriculum Design section of the guide supports the hypothesis that student learning is strongly impacted by what instructors emphasize in the classroom. In the guide’s Student Buy-In and Metacognition section, we present strategies instructors have used to ensure that LOs are transparent and intentionally reinforced to students . When LOs are not reinforced in instruction, students may conclude that LOs are an administrative requirement rather than something developed for their benefit. The guide’s Instructor Checklist contains evidence-based suggestions for increasing student engagement through making LOs highly visible.

Using LOs as the foundation of course planning results in a more student-centered approach, shifting the focus from the content to be covered to the concepts and skills that the student should be able to demonstrate upon successfully completing the course (e.g., Reynolds and Kearns, 2017 , and others within the Active Learning section of this guide). Instead of designing memorization-driven courses that are “a mile wide and an inch deep,” instructors can use LOs to focus a course on the key concepts and skills that prepare students for future success in the field. Group problem solving, discussions, and other class activities that allow students to practice and demonstrate the competencies articulated in LOs can be prioritized over lectures that strive to cover all of the content. The guide’s Active Learning section contains a summary of the literature on the use of LOs to develop activities that promote student engagement, provide opportunities for students to practice performance, and allow instructors to gather feedback on learning progress. The evidence-based teaching guides on Group Work and Peer Instruction provide additional evidence and resources to support these efforts.

ENGAGING WITH COLLEAGUES TO IMPROVE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Momsen et al. (2010) examined Bloom’s level of assessment items and course goals from 50 faculty in 77 introductory biology courses for majors. The authors found that 93% of the assessment items were rated low-level Bloom’s, and 69% of the 250 course goals submitted were rated low-level Bloom’s ( Momsen et al. , 2010 ). A recent survey of 38 instructors of biology for nonmajors found similar results. Heil et al. (unpublished data) reported that 74% of the instructors surveyed write their own LOs, and 95% share their LOs with their students ( Heil et al. , unpublished data ). The action verbs used in 66% of these LOs were low-level Bloom’s cognitive skills, assessing knowledge and comprehension ( Heil et al. , unpublished data ). Further, an analysis of 1390 LOs from three best-selling biology textbooks for nonscience majors found that 89% were rated Bloom’s cognitive skill level 1 or level 2. Vision & Change competencies, as articulated in the BioSkills Guide ( Clemmons et al. , 2020 ), were only present in 17.7% of instructors’ LOs and 7% of the textbook LOs ( Heil et al. , unpublished data ). These data suggest that, in introductory biology for both majors and nonmajors, most instructors emphasize lower-order cognitive skills that are not aligned with teaching frameworks.

Researchers have documented effective strategies to improve instructors’ writing and use of LOs. The guide’s Engaging with Colleagues section contains summaries demonstrating that instructor engagement with the scholarship of teaching and learning can improve through professional development in collaborative groups—instructors can benefit by engaging in a collegial community of practice as they implement changes in their teaching practices (e.g., Richlin and Cox, 2004 , and others within the Engaging with Colleagues section of the guide). Collaboration among institutions can create common course-level LOs that promote horizontal and vertical course alignment, which can streamline articulation agreements and transfer pathways between institutions ( Kiser et al. , 2022 ). Departmental efforts to map LOs across program curricula can close gaps in programmatic efforts to convey field-expected criteria and develop student skills throughout a program ( Ezell et al. , 2019 ). The guide contains summaries of research-based recommendations that encourage departmental support for course redesign efforts (e.g., Pepper et al. , 2012 , and others within the Engaging with Colleagues section of the guide).

HOW DO LEARNING OBJECTIVES IMPACT STUDENTS?

When instructors publish well-written LOs aligned with classroom instruction and assessments, they establish clear goalposts for students ( Mager, 1997 ). Using LOs to guide their studies, students should no longer have to ask “Do we have to know …?” or “Will this be on the test?” The Student Use section of the guide contains summaries of research on the impact of LOs from the student perspective.

USING LEARNING OBJECTIVES TO GUIDE STUDENT LEARNING

Researchers have shown that students support the use of LOs to design class activities and assessments. In the Guiding Learning section of the guide, we present evidence documenting how students use LOs and how instructors can train students to use them more effectively ( Brooks et al. , 2014 , and other citations within this section of the guide). However, several questions remain about the impact of LOs on students. For example, using LOs may improve students’ ability to self-regulate, which in turn may be particularly helpful in supporting the success of underprepared students ( Simon and Taylor, 2009 ; Osueke et al. , 2018 ). But this hypothesis remains untested.

There is evidence that transparency in course design improves the academic confidence and retention of underserved students ( Winkelmes et al. , 2016 ), and LOs make course expectations transparent to students. LOs are also reported to help students organize their time and effort and give students, particularly those from traditionally underserved groups, a better idea of areas in which they need help ( Minbiole, 2016 ). Additionally, LOs facilitate the construction of highly structured courses by providing scaffolding for assessment and classroom instruction. Highly structured course design has been demonstrated to improve all students’ academic performance. It significantly reduces achievement gaps (difference in final grades on a 4.0 scale) between disadvantaged and nondisadvantaged students ( Haak et al. , 2011 ). However, much more evidence is needed on how LOs impact underprepared and/or underresourced students:

• Does the use of LOs lead to increased engagement with the content and/or instructor by underprepared and/or underserved students?
• Does LO use have a disproportionate and positive impact on the ability of underprepared and/or underresourced students to self-direct their learning?
• Is there a significant impact on underserved students’ academic performance and persistence with transparent LOs in place?

In general, how can instructors help students realize the benefits of well-written LOs? Research indicates that many students never receive instruction on using LOs ( Osueke et al. , 2018 ). However, when students receive explicit instruction on LO use, they benefit ( Osueke et al. , 2018 ). Examples include teaching students how to turn LOs into questions and how to answer and use those questions for self-assessment ( Osueke et al. , 2018 ). Using LOs for self-assessment allows students to take advantage of retrieval practice, a strategy that has a positive effect on learning and memory by helping students identify what they have and have not learned ( Bjork and Bjork, 2011 ; Brame and Biel, 2015 ). Some students, however, may avoid assessment strategies that identify what they do not understand or know because they find difficulty uncomfortable ( Orr and Foster, 2013 ; Dye and Stanton, 2017 ).

Brooks et al. (2014) reported that about one-third of students surveyed indicated that they had underestimated the depth of learning required to pass an assessment on the stated LOs. Further, students may have difficulty understanding the scope or expectations of stated LOs until after learning the content. Research on how instructors should train students to use LOs has been limited, and many of these open questions remain:

• What are the best practices to help students use LOs in self-assessment strategies?
• How can instructors motivate students to go outside their comfort zones for learning and use LOs in self-assessment strategies?
• How can instructors help students better understand the performance, conditions, and criteria required by the LOs to demonstrate successful learning?
• How might this differ for learners at different institutions, where academic preparedness and/or readiness levels may vary greatly?

CAPITALIZING ON THE PRETEST EFFECT

The guide’s Pretesting section contains research findings building on the pretesting effect reported by Little and Bjork (2011) . Pretesting with questions based on LOs has been shown to better communicate course expectations to students, increase student motivation and morale by making learning progress more visible, and improve retention of information as measured by final test scores ( Beckman, 2008 ; Sana et al. , 2020 ). Operationalizing LOs as pretest questions may serve as an effective, evidence-based model for students to self-assess and prepare for assessment. The research supporting this strategy is very limited, however, prompting the following questions:

• How broadly applicable—in terms of discipline and course setting—is the benefit of converting LOs to pretest questions?
• Is the benefit of operationalizing LOs to create pretests sustained when converting higher-level Bloom’s LOs into pretest questions?
• Does the practice of using LOs to create pretest questions narrow students’ focus such that the breadth/scope of their learning is overly limited/restricted? This is particularly concerning if students underestimate the depth of learning required by the stated LOs ( Brooks et al. , 2014 ).
• Could this practice help instructors teach students to use LOs to self-assess with greater confidence and persistence?

STUDENT OUTCOMES

The guide concludes with research summaries regarding the specific benefits to students associated with the use of LOs. Specifically, 1) alignment of LOs and assessment items is associated with higher exam scores (e.g., Armbruster et al. , 2009 , and others within the Outcomes section of the guide); 2) exam items designed to measure student mastery of LOs can support higher-level Bloom’s cognitive skills (e.g., Armbruster et al. , 2009 , and others within the Outcomes section of the guide); and 3) students adjust their learning approach based on course design and have been shown to employ a deeper approach to learning in courses in which assessment and class instruction are aligned with LOs ( Wang et al. , 2013 ).

CHALLENGES IN MEASURING THE IMPACT OF LEARNING OBJECTIVES

It is difficult to find literature in which researchers measured the impact of LOs alone on student performance due to their almost-necessary conflation with approaches to assessment and classroom practices. We argue that measuring the impact of LOs independently of changes in classroom instruction or assessment would be inadvisable, considering the role that LOs play in integrated course design ( Figure 4 ). Consistent with this view, the guide includes summaries of research findings on course redesigns that focus on creating or refining well-defined, well-written LOs; aligning assessment and classroom practice with the LOs; and evaluating student use and/or outcomes ( Armbruster et al. , 2009 ; Chasteen et al. , 2011 ). We urge instructors to use LOs from this integrated perspective.

CONCLUSIONS

We encourage instructors to use LOs as the basis for course design, align LOs with assessment and instruction, and promote student success by sharing their LOs and providing practice with how best to use them. Instructor skill in using LOs is not static and can be improved and refined with collaborative professional development efforts. Our teaching guide ends with an Instructor Checklist of actions instructors can take to optimize their use of LOs ( http://lse.ascb.org/learning-objectives/instructor-checklist ).

Acknowledgments

We thank Kristy Wilson for her guidance and support as consulting editor for this effort and Cynthia Brame and Adele Wolfson for their insightful feedback on this paper and the guide. This material is based upon work supported in part by the National Science Foundation under grant number DUE 201236 2. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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Writing effective learning objectives.

As we prepare for the start of classes, we are busy working on our courses and creating content.  One of the most important pieces of creating a good lesson is the learning outcome or learning objective.  Begin with the end in mind.  What is it that you want them to learn?  How will you know that they have mastered it?

There is a course on VCU’s Lynda.com  entitled “Teaching Techniques: Writing Effective Learning Objectives.”  The goal of the course is “to help you produce curriculum that is clearer, more focused, more engaging and most importantly, more educationally effective.”

Log in to Lynda to check it out!

Below is a diagram of Bloom’s taxonomy that may be of assistance when creating learning objectives for your course or a particular activity in your course.

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Delve into the crux of student learning objectives in this incisive exploration tailored for those embarking on a nursing education . Learn about their significance, how well-defined objectives can impact student progress, and gain insights from practical examples. This comprehensive guide also covers the formulation of effective learning objectives, setting clear nursing student learning goals, and how these objectives apply in the real world to bolster practical skills and knowledge. Discover how these strategies can shape the educational journey for aspiring nurses.

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Understanding Student Learning Objectives in Nursing Education

SLOs are the objectives set for students to achieve in a particular course or training program. These objectives outline the expected competencies, knowledge, and skills that students should acquire upon successful completion of a course.

Significance of Student Learning Objectives in Nursing Education

They help educators to design the course curriculum effectively.

SLOs also support the evaluation of students' performance against set benchmarks.

For instance, during the pandemic, nursing education had to incorporate knowledge and training about COVID-19, its implications, preventive measures and patient handling. This could be achieved seamlessly because of the existence of SLOs which allowed for modification and inclusion of the new area in the curriculum.

Impact of Well-Defined Learning Objectives on Nursing Students’ Progress

Research also indicates that well-defined SLOs can foster self-directed learning among students. This form of learning is highly significant in the field of healthcare, including nursing, where professionals need to constantly update their knowledge base in response to new research findings and best practices in patient care . Hence, SLOs don't just focus on short-term learning goals – they build a foundation for lifelong learning, which is a key attribute of a successful healthcare professional.

Examples of Learning Objectives for Nursing Students

An example of a Student Learning Objective can be, "Upon successful completion of the course, the student should be able to correctly administer medications and understand the ramifications of medication errors."

Effective Learning Objectives Examples for Aspiring Nurses

"By the end of the training, students should be able to conduct a comprehensive patient assessment – including collection and interpretation of data, identification of patient problems/needs, and formulation of care plans."

"Students will learn to deliver empathetic, patient-centred nursing care that respects the dignity and privacy of patients, and includes competent performance of nursing procedures ."

"At the conclusion of the course, candidates should demonstrate an understanding of nursing ethics and be able to uphold ethical standards in their practice, including obtaining informed consent and maintaining confidentiality."

The Role of Learning Objectives Examples in Guiding Nursing Students

Learning objectives not only clarify the learning pathway but also contribute to the development of critical thinking skills among nursing students. By understanding the objectives, students can reflect upon the purpose of their learning, engage in reasoning, and make informed decisions in their nursing practice. Thus, learning objectives bless students with the power of thought, decision, and action.

Formulating Learning Objectives for Nursing Students

Practical strategies in learning objectives formulation.

A non-specific objective like “Understand medication administration ” could be made more specific and measurable by re-writing it as: “Correctly calculate and administer medication dosages for five patients during clinical practice, following hospital safety guidelines.”

Importance of Accurately Formulated Learning Objectives for Nursing Students

Learning objectives provide a clear path for the learning process. They guide students' studies, helping them stay focused and goal-oriented throughout the course.

Student Learning Objectives hold great potential for revolutionising education. When carefully and accurately crafted, they can be transformative - changing not just how a course is taught, but also how it's received and interpreted by students. Learning objectives guide the way in this endeavor, setting a path that leads students to success, not just on an academic level, but on the level of practical skills and abilities as well.

Setting Nursing Student Learning Goals

Steps in establishing effective nursing student learning goals.

For instance, if the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia identifies critical thinking and analysis as a core competency, ensure this skill is included in your learning goals.

A learning goal is defined as the desired outcome of an educational process, encompassing the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that students are expected to acquire upon successfully completing a course or training program.

The Influence of Clear Learning Goals on Student Success in Nursing

Research has shown that clearly defined learning goals can have profound effects on students' success. They have been found to enhance motivation, improve task performance, foster self-regulated learning, and lead to higher course completion rates. They offer a clear direction, enabling students to engage proactively with their learning. In turn, this improves their ability to apply theoretical knowledge to practical settings, making them better equipped as nursing professionals.

• Goal Clarity and Motivation: Clear learning goals provide direction to students' efforts, endorsing a sense of purpose. They enhance students' motivation, making the learning process more engaging and effective.
• Performance Improvement: Defined goals establish performance expectations for students. They provide benchmarks that guide improvement and promote better performance.
• Aiding Self-Regulated Learning: Clear learning goals nurture self-regulated learning among students, fostering their ability to take ownership of their learning process. This enhances their ability to regulate their effort, monitor progress, and make necessary adjustments when needed.

Real World Application of Nursing Student Learning Objectives

Practical nursing student learning objectives example.

• Correctly identifying various types and causes of patient pain by the end of the second week.
• Recognising and respecting cultural differences in pain perception and response.
• Applying knowledge of pain management medication and non-pharmacological techniques during patient workups.
• Evaluating pain management outcomes and adjusting care plans accordingly.

During hospital placements, when nursing students have face-to-face interactions with patients, these SLOs come into play. For example, students might encounter a patient with post-operative pain. Citing the first goal from above, they should be able to identify the pain as postoperative pain, likely due to tissue trauma or inflammation - thereby applying their theoretical learning about 'types and causes of pain'.

How Learning Objectives can Drive Nursing Students’ Practical Skills and Knowledge

SLOs lay out the theoretical concepts that students should be able to understand and apply. They ensure that students are actively working towards mastering specific knowledge integral to their future roles.

Beyond helping with the comprehension and application of theoretical knowledge, learning objectives also facilitate the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. They enable nursing students to make informed decisions under pressure, communicate effectively with patients, or work collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams. By focusing on such specific tasks or competencies, objectives can significantly enhance the overall quality of care provided by the nurses.

Student Learning Objectives - Key takeaways

• Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) are unique to each nursing course based on the required competencies for the program.
• An example of SLO is: "Upon successful completion of the course, the student should be able to correctly administer medications and understand the ramifications of medication errors."
• Learning objectives guide the learning process providing a clear roadmap to success for nursing students, influencing the learning experience and methods of evaluation.
• The formulation of SLOs is a critical skill for educators in nursing. Strategies include understanding the course content, defining clear outcomes, aligning objectives with educational standards and incorporating Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning Domains.
• Setting Nursing Student Learning Goals forms the bedrock of the educational experience; steps for establishing include understanding the course scope, aligning goals with professional standards, placing emphasis on Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes (KSAs), setting progress markers, and incorporating feedback and reflection.

Flashcards in Student Learning Objectives 30

SLOs outline the expected competencies, knowledge, and skills that students should acquire upon successful completion of a course, acting as a roadmap for both the instructor and students.

Understand the course content and context, define clear, specific outcomes, align objectives with educational standards, incorporate Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning Domains, and seek feedback and refine objectives.

SLOs clearly define expected learning outcomes, help students align their learning with set objectives, link theoretical content and practical application, and foster self-directed, lifelong learning.

SLOs allow for timely revision and updates to the curriculum to incorporate the latest advances and best practices, ensuring that nursing education keeps pace with healthcare dynamics.

They guide course design, facilitate student self-evaluation and improve teaching methods.

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Writing Objectives

Objectives are written statements which describe what the learner is expected to be able to do upon successful completion of the educational/learning event. Objectives are important because they provide the basis and direction for the instructional content and help in evaluating the success of the instruction. A good objective communicates the intent of the educational event with little room for interpretation. Learning objectives are written using specific and measurable terms that describes what the learner will know or be able to do as a result of engaging in a learning activity. The ideal learning objective includes a measurable verb, the conditions (if any) under which the performance is to occur, and the criterion for acceptable performance. The action verb is the most important element of the objective because it states precisely what the learner will be able to do following the learning event. Verbs are categorized by domains of learning and hierarchies. The three domains of learning are the cognitive (thinking), the affective (feeling), and the psychomotor (doing). The cognitive domain is the area that most of our learning events are focused so these are the verbs we will use most often. The cognitive domain is further divided into six categories. These categories are as follows: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. This system of categorizing learning domains and hierarchies was first done by Benjamin Bloom. Most educators today use Blooms Taxonomy to identify the appropriate action verbs in their learning objective. These six hierarchies may be grouped into three levels that may make appropriate action verb selection easier. These levels are as follows: Level 1 = Recall Knowledge and Comprehension Level 2 = Interpretation Application and Analysis Level 3 = Problem Solving Synthesis and Evaluation

How to Write an Objective

Once the level of the learning event has been identified, writing the objective can be done using the ABCD method. "A" is the audience or the learner (who), "B" is the behavior or action verb (will do), "C" is the condition/criteria (how much/of what), and "D" is the degree of achievement or acceptable performance (how well/by when).

When writing objectives there is a preferred order. The condition is usually placed first, followed by the behavior or the action verb, and then the criteria. Objectives are written in the future tense.

An objective always states what the learner is expected to be able to do. The objective may describe the conditions under which the learner will be able to do or perform. When possible the objective clarifies how well the learner performs the task, in order for the performance to be acceptable.

Levels within the Cognitive Domain

1. Knowledge involves recognition or recalling of definitions and specifics. The learner is expected to remember an idea, phenomena, or fact in the form it was presented.

2. Comprehension involves translation or associations. The learner is expected to communicate an idea in a new or different form (translations) and/or see relationships among things or events (associations). Generally, comprehension encompasses the process of explaining the material that has been learned.

3. Application involves using what one has learned in new situations. The learner is expected to relate or apply ideas in new situations or use what has been learned to solve a problem. Application involves using knowledge to find or develop new solutions or solve problems

4. Analysis involves examining elements, relationships, or organizational principles. The learner is expected to break things down to their component parts and uncover the characteristics of a concept or event.

5. Synthesis involves the ability to hypothesize or create a plan. The learner is expected to take things and reorganize them in a new way or to create new and original concepts. Synthesis involves inductive, not deductive reasoning, which is different from the other levels.

6. Evaluation involves the ability to judge, using standards and criteria, to arrive at informed decisions. The learner is expected to make judgments about things or events based on set criteria or accept/reject things based on established standards.

Examples of Objectives

• Describe strategies of effective communication between charge nurses in relation to patient throughput.
• Discuss the Gluten Free Diet and resources that are available to nursing staff and patients.
• Analyze the clinical picture of altered tissue oxygenation using clinical, laboratory, and hemodynamic data.

How Many Objectives are required?

The number of objectives per learning event will vary. Typically, there is a learning objective for every topic presented. If there are multiple speakers on a program, there may be objectives for each speaker. If there is one speaker, one objective for every 60 minutes of content is the average. Keep in mind these are guidelines and the number of objectives can vary depending on the learning event.

Finally, remember that effective learning objectives are: 1. Consistent with the goal of the program/curriculum 2. Clearly stated 3. Clearly measurable 4. Realistic and doable 5. Appropriate for the level of the learner

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Writing Behavioral Objectives

A behavioral objective is a  learning outcome  stated in measurable terms, which gives direction to the learner’s experience and becomes the basis for student evaluation.

Objectives may vary in several respects. They may be general or specific, concrete or abstract, cognitive, affective, or psychomotor. Cognitive objectives emphasize intellectual outcomes, such as knowledge, understanding, and thinking skills. Affective objectives emphasize feeling and emotion, such as interests, values, attitudes, appreciation, and methods of adjustment. Psychomotor objectives emphasize motor skills, such as physical assessment skills and administration of chemotherapy.

Points in writing behavioral objectives:

• Begin each behavioral objective with a  verb . The critical aspect of any behavioral objective is the verb selected to indicate expected behavior from learning activities.
• State each objective in terms of learner performance. A behavioral objective is one that is considered to be observable and measurable. Behavior is generally construed to be an action of an individual that can be seen, felt, or heard by another person.
• State each objective so that it includes only  one  general learning outcome.

Examples of objectives

At the graduate level of nursing education, it is expected that learning objectives will be  general ,  abstract , and  cognitive  or  affective . Examples of appropriate objectives for graduate students are as follows:

• Cognitive : Create an assessment tool based on a nursing theory for patients experiencing pain.
• Cognitive :  Evaluate the usefulness of nursing research in clinical practice.
• Affective:  Accept professional responsibility for change in problem clinical situations.

Illustrative verbs for stating specific learning objectives:

Many references are available concerning Behavioral Objectives. The materials in this guide were taken from:  Gronlund, N. E. (2004).  Writing instructional objectives for teaching and assessment (7 th  ed.).  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.

22 Clinical Goals for Nursing Students to be Successful in 2024

Maybe you are starting to apply to nursing schools or you’re halfway through your program and just starting your clinical rotations. What are some good clinical goals for nursing students is a good question to ask regardless of where you are at in your nursing school journey. Having goals for yourself will help you stay focused on improving your skills and being the best student you can be. Below are 22 clinical goals for nursing students to be successful in 2024.

What Exactly are Nursing Clinical Goals?

7 reasons why setting clinical goals is important for nursing students.

1. They keep you on track. 2. Progress is monitored and tracked. 3. Pushes you out of your comfort zone. 4. It will keep you on track for what is required. 5. Ensure you get the most out of the experience. 6. You will gain a better understanding of your work preferences. 7. Setting goals and achieving them builds confidence in many areas of your life.

What are Some Good Clinical Goals for Nursing Students?

1. practice your iv starts, 2. practice placing foley catheters, 3. practice medication calculations, 4. see a patient from intake to discharge, 5. practice clear communication, 6. administering different medications, 7. say yes to every opportunity, 8. do compressions if given the chance, 9. use your resources, 10. learn and follow the chain of command., 11. practice giving and receiving report, 12. learn and practice ergonomic lifting, 13. don’t take everything personally, 14. observe how and when delegation is appropriate, 15. don’t be afraid to ask questions, 16. learn where to find answers, 17. see what specialty you want to work in, 18. stay humble, 19. understand acuity level, 20. observe as many procedures as possible, 21. practice sterile techniques, 22. perform wound care, useful resources to help you set some good nursing clinical goals, youtube videos, my final thoughts.

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Nursing Program Objectives & Learning Outcomes

The program defines the following as program objectives and intended student learning outcomes for students enrolled in the MSN program

Objective 1:  Critical thinkers who creatively engage in rational inquiry using nursing processes and current research to improve healthcare outcomes.

• Demonstrate comprehensive professional knowledge of current research to improve health care outcomes: Competency:  Identify strategies of scientific and mathematical research principles for practical healthcare application.
• Demonstrate comprehensive application of critical thinking using the nursing process: Competency:  Illustrate critical thinking to develop organized and systematic components of the nursing process.
• Demonstrate an ability to apply comprehensive professional knowledge of the nursing process: Competency:  Use the nursing process as a purposeful and goal-directed guideline for quality, individually-centered care.

Objective 2:  Nursing professionals dedicated towards advancing a culture of professional excellence and achievement through lifelong learning.

• Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of the culture of professional excellence in nursing: Competency:  Promote the nursing culture of excellence in professional nursing practice.
• Demonstrate a comprehensive professional knowledge of nursing culture standards of excellence: Competency:  Integrate comprehension of nursing standards of excellence within the context of nursing skills and practice.
• Demonstrate the culture of professional nursing excellence achieved through life-long learning:
• Competency:  Recognize the need for the advancement of professional practice through contributions to education, administration, health care policy, and knowledge development.

Objective 3:  Caring, culturally responsive communicators capable of effectively leading interdisciplinary healthcare teams.

• Demonstrate caring, culturally responsive leadership communication, capable of effectively leading interdisciplinary health care teams: Competency: Apply knowledge of professional nursing leadership roles in the healthcare system.
• Demonstrate comprehensive professional leadership knowledge of efficient and effective interdisciplinary health care teams: Competency:  Articulate understanding of professional leadership in efficient and effective interdisciplinary healthcare teams.
• Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of culturally responsive communication: Competency:  Employ the nursing process as a purposeful and goal-directed guideline for quality, individually-centered care.
• Demonstrates effective communication using principles of disciplined writing: Competency:  Effectively communicates clearly and logically through written communication for professional delivery.

Objective 4:  Nursing leaders prepared to assume leadership roles in healthcare systems.

• Demonstrate understanding of leadership roles for quality healthcare outcomes: Competency:  Cognizant knowledge of interprofessional healthcare leadership roles for quality healthcare outcomes.
• Demonstrate nursing leadership to facilitate interpersonal collaborations, conflict resolution and team-building in health care systems: Competency:  Ability to actively engage in leadership activities through intro-and  inter-professional collaboration, conflict resolution and team-building in healthcare systems.

Objective 5:  Ethically responsive nursing leaders who advocate influencing policy decisions to improve healthcare that is effective, timely, efficient and equitable for all members of society.

• Demonstrate understanding of competent ethical principles and values of nursing practice: Competency:  Translate a core set of competent nursing ethical values as a framework for healthcare practice.
• Demonstrate understanding of culturally relevant diversity in healthcare: Competency:  Define, design and implement culturally relevant healthcare for diverse populations.
• Demonstrate knowledge of ethical healthcare policy decision-making of all components of nursing practice in healthcare organizational systems. Competency:  Condense knowledge of ethical principles and standards of healthcare policy to synthesize into nursing scholarship and practice.

Objective 6:  Effective collaborators of healthcare committed to improving best practices in health promotion, disease prevention, quality, safety and equality.

• Demonstrate comprehensive professional knowledge of best practices in health promotion and disease prevention: Competency:  Synthesize comprehensive knowledge of best nursing practice in specialized areas of health promotion and disease prevention.
• Demonstrate comprehensive professional nursing practice dedicated to lifelong scholarly collaboration and development for best practice: Competency:  Relate the comprehensive professional scholarly process through collaboration as a key component to the integration of best practice in healthcare.
• Demonstrate comprehensive professional knowledge to champion quality, safety, and equality in healthcare: Competency:  Assimilate comprehensive knowledge to secure quality, safety, and equality in healthcare systems.

Graduate Masters Writing Program Objective

Students demonstrate professional communication skills in writing through organizing, thinking critically, and communicating ideas and information in documents and presentations.

• Communicates clearly and logically through written communication for professional delivery.
• Incorporates APA professional writing skills and standards including concise organization, grammar, references, and citations.
• Shows evidence of higher level thinking skills including application, analysis, making predictions, drawing inferences, cause and effect relationships, comparing and contrasting, evaluation, and synthesis.

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17 Awesome Examples of SMART Goals for Nursing Students

In a career like nursing, you will be faced with many different obstacles and challenges that you must work to overcome. Because being a nurse is not easy and requires a lot of focus and dedication, you must have a good set of smart goals to manage your time effectively. This post will find some examples of SMART goals for nursing students that you can use for inspiration when creating your own personal plan-setting strategy.

But before we dive into examples, let’s explore smart goals and their benefits so you can understand their importance.

Table of Contents

What are smart nursing goals.

The nursing goal is similar to the more common goals that you might find elsewhere, but there are some key differences. SMART is an acronym that stands for five critical characteristics of practical goals:

Your goal should include all of the essential details about what your goal is, and what needs to be done to complete it. For example, instead of simply writing down “I am going to get better grades”, you would write down something like “I will study every day after school with my study guide until I get 100% on our midterm exam.” This could also include relevant dates of when the work must be finished by. 

Your goals need to have some metrics associated with them so you can keep track of your progress. For example, if you write down “I am going to get better grades”, there is no way of knowing exactly how well you are doing compared to before. Making your goal measurable can help avoid this.

If you were to instead write down: “I will study every day after school with my study guide until I get 100% on our midterm exam”, then it would be possible for you to know how well you are doing because you could record the date when you completed the exam and markdown your grade when you receive it.

Your goals need to resonate with your current academic and future nursing endeavors. If your academic standing is precarious (e.g., if your grades are not meeting the required standards), your goals should be pertinent and strategically designed to turn around your academic trajectory. Setting goals that directly relate to and support your progress in your nursing program will ensure that your efforts are concentrated and meaningful.

This means that your goals should be something that you can actually achieve, given all of the resources and support available to you. For example, if there is no way for you to get into a nursing program right now because it requires an advanced degree, then working towards becoming a nurse right now would not be very realistic. You don’t want to set yourself up for failure by picking a goal you can’t hope to accomplish because of something out of your control.

This just means that your goal has some definitive deadline by which it must be completed. Otherwise, when will the plan be attained? A good example would be “I will study every day after school with my study guide until I get 100% on our midterm exam .”

Getting into the habit of making things time-bound is also a good idea in general, since time management skills are going to be very important if you want to become a medical professional.

Bringing It All Together

When you have brilliant and short-term goals in mind, it will be much easier for you to plan out the steps you need to take to achieve your ultimate objective. It’s all about being well-informed and making the most out of your time.

Small goals might have a time frame of a month. Larger ones might extend that time frame to a year. Again, choose something that is attainable but still a challenge. Often, people or businesses set unrealistic goals for themselves that only lead to failure.

That’s why you need to follow the framework of the 5 steps above to help you create a plan that you’ll have a better chance of achieving. With that being said, let’s go into some sample goals that are practical for nursing students everywhere.

17 Examples of SMART Goals for Nursing Students

SMART goals examples are an excellent tool for both nursing students and nursing assistants. They can be used for a variety of purposes. It is not just a goal-setting system used by nurses. You can start by choosing one of these goals and making it more specific to you, or let these serve as inspiration and create your own! Check out these 17+ examples of SMART goals for nurses to get your creativity flowing.

Patient Care

The first category is excellent patient care. These are goals that have to do with caring for patients in the hospital or at home. They include goals for nursing evaluations . You can create a treatment plan or do something different like:

• I will provide excellent, compassionate care to my clients by making them feel safe and comfortable at all times throughout their stay.
• I will develop a care plan for each patient that I see in my practice today. Each project will include specific nursing diagnoses, prioritized outcomes, possible interventions, and rationales for each intervention, including expected results. 

Community Outreach/Education

These types of goals pertain to outreach and education about health topics related to nursing or the health conditions of patients you may encounter.

• I will educate ten community members on the importance of flu vaccinations today by providing flyers from the CDC during flu season.
• I will speak with two patients today about stress management to help them deal with anxiety, mental health issues, and depression.

Leadership/Management

These goals are typically appropriate for nurses who are in charge nurse, nurse manager, or other leadership roles within a workplace setting.

• I will complete my first competency as a charge nurse by leading three medications today according to our hospital’s policy and procedure manual using proper labeling methods.
• I will work alongside my team member who is struggling to take 30-minute lunch breaks each day to develop a plan to help him accomplish this task. Next week, I will also follow up on this plan to make sure he has been successful.

Professional Development/Knowledge

These professional goals may be used for nurses who are seeking to develop more knowledge about their profession or read about new information so they can stay abreast of what is required in their jobs.

• This month, I will set aside time to learn about the latest evidence-based practices that have proven successful for wound care interventions. 
• I will read nursing journals to improve my nursing skills and implications on the nursing profession.
• I will initiate at least 2 casual and short conversations with my coworkers or patients to practice my interpersonal skills.

Nursing Career Related

These types of goals are helpful if you are trying to plan your career path as a nurse. You may also want to make these types of goals if you’re going to become an influential figure in some aspect of healthcare (i.e. nursing leadership, public health, education).

• I will take the ASN exam by January 1st. I will review my experience with the Praxis exam and what I learned to help me in this process along the way.
• I want to become an influential figure in healthcare, so I will read two articles about people who have made significant contributions in their fields each week.
• At the end of the year, I will review each article’s points that relate to influence and record how these apply to my career goals moving forward.
• I will research 1 RN program every weekday after dinner, so I can begin working towards becoming a registered nurse.

These are goals that don’t necessarily pertain to your career as a nurse but are geared towards becoming more knowledgeable about things or people surrounding the nursing profession like patient care , managing money, etc.

• This year, I will attend four movies with my friends where nursing is an integral part of the storyline.
• I will review all of my bills by January 1st and set up automatic monthly payments for all of them, so I never have to worry about late fees again.
• I will delete my Facebook account without changing any security settings so outside influences cannot impact how I spend time online anymore.  

Workplace Efficiency

When it comes to the workplace, efficiency goals are essential to consider if you are trying to become more efficient at your job. Due to the Affordable Care Act, many hospitals have made some changes, including shorter patient stays, minor nurse-to-patient ratio requirements, etc.

• I will read about these changes on Friday night of this week, and prepare myself for all of the new processes that come with them to be an effective employee.
• I will schedule all non-emergency meetings early in the morning so they do not interfere with my ability to complete all patient care activities throughout the day.
• After five years of employment at this hospital, I will start a master’s degree program that CCNE accredits because I would like to learn more about critical care nursing.

Nursing students face a lot of challenges to accomplish their goals because they do not have a lot of control over many aspects of their learning experience. For that reason, it is even more critical for students to set SMART goals because these can help them focus on what is most relevant and meaningful when trying to achieve success in school.

One thing to remember is always to create short-term nursing goals, first achieve them, and then move to the next. You have to move step by step.

Write Your SMART Goals Down!

The best way to make sure your goals are smart is to write them down so you can review them often. When writing down your goals, be as specific as possible about what you want to accomplish and how you will go about doing so. Be detailed in your plans of action and consider the steps it will take for you to achieve each goal. Also, try to keep them concise by removing unnecessary words or phrases.

10 Bonus Examples of SMART Goals for Nursing Students

• Clinical Skills Enhancement : Improve intravenous (IV) insertion skills by practicing on simulation arms and successfully performing 5 error-free insertions on patients under supervision by the end of the clinical rotation.
• Academic Excellence : Achieve a grade of 90% or higher on all pharmacology exams this semester by dedicating 3 hours per week to study, including group study sessions and utilizing online resources for quiz practice.
• Professional Development : Attend at least two professional nursing seminars or workshops on pediatric care within the next 6 months to enhance my understanding of current practices, and to network with experienced professionals.
• Patient Communication : Develop effective patient communication skills by conducting patient interviews under supervision, and receiving instructor feedback on at least 10 different occasions before the end of the term.
• Time Management : Master time management by prioritizing tasks and utilizing a digital planner, aiming to complete all assignments at least two days before the deadline for the upcoming semester.
• Research Competency : Contribute to nursing research by assisting in the data collection for a faculty-led study and completing a 20-page literature review on the chosen topic within the next 4 months.
• Health Assessment Proficiency : Conduct 30 comprehensive patient health assessments in a clinical setting with 100% accuracy on documentation, to be achieved within the next 8 weeks.
• Professional Certifications : Obtain Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certifications by enrolling in the courses now and completing them within the next 3 months.
• Community Service : Participate in community health outreach programs for at least 20 hours over the next semester to better understand public health issues and practice health education.
• Leadership Skills : Take on a leadership role in a student nursing organization, aiming to lead a team in organizing at least one educational event or initiative by the end of the academic year.

Each goal is designed to be attainable within a set time frame and can help you, as a nursing student, with your nursing education and future career, while providing you with a clear measure of success. By focusing on these areas, you can aim for a well-rounded skill set that prepares you for both the demands of your studies and the challenges of clinical practice.

Final Thoughts on SMART Goals for Nursing Students:

Now that you have SMART nursing goals examples, hopefully, you will use these to help set your personal goals for this new year. Following the guidance in this blog post will ensure that your goals provide value and consistency in all aspects of your life, both during and after school. With that, don’t forget to share this with your fellow nursing school study group!

Also Check Out:

• Pharmacology Study Guide for Nursing Students
• 15 Things Every Nursing Student Needs to Know
• Nursing Math Questions

16 Effective Tips for Nursing School

About the author, brittney wilson, bsn, rn, related posts.

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55 Learning Objectives Examples

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

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Learning objectives are explicit statements that clearly express what learners should be able to comprehend, perform or experience by the end of a course or instructional period (Adams, 2015).

They are fundamental to the process of educational planning and instructional design, acting as vehicles that drive both teaching and learning strategies.

Importantly, they ensure coherence and a clear focus, differentiating themselves from vague educational goals by generating precise, measurable outcomes of academic progress (Sewagegn, 2020).

I have front-loaded the examples in this article for your convenience, but do scroll past all the examples for some useful frameworks for learning how to write effective learning objectives.

Learning Objectives Examples

Learning Objectives for Internships

For more, see: List of SMART Internship Goals

Learning Objectives for Presentations

For More: See This Detailed List of Communication Objectives Examples

Learning Objectives for Kindergarten

Taxonomies to Assist in Creating Objectives

Various taxonomies are available to educators as guides in formulating potent learning objectives, with three prominent ones provided below.

1. The SMART Framework for Learning Objectives

The SMART framework helps you to construct clear and well-defined learning objectives. It stands for: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (Doran, 1981).

• Specific objectives are ones that are straightforward, detailing the what, why, and how of the learning process. For example, an objective that states “Improve mental multiplication skills” is less specific than “Multiply two-digit numbers mentally within two minutes with 90% accuracy.” When I was learning to write learning objectives at university, I was taught to always explicitly describe the measurable outcome .
• Measurable objectives facilitate tracking progress and evaluating learning outcomes. An objective such as “Write a 500-word essay on the causes of World War II, substantiated with at least three academic sources” is measurable, as both word count and the number of sources can be quantified.
• Achievable objectives reflect realistic expectations based on the learner’s potential and learning environment, fostering motivation and commitment.
• Relevant objectives correspond with overarching educational goals and learner’s needs, such as an objective to “identify and manage common software vulnerabilities” in a cybersecurity course.
• Time-bound objectives specify the duration within which the learning should take place, enhancing management of time and resources in the learning process.

2. Bloom’s Taxonomy

Bloom’s taxonomy outlines six cognitive levels of understanding – knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation (Adams, 2015). Each are presented below:

Each level is demonstrated below:

Here, we can reflect upon the level of learning and cognition expected of the learner, and utilize the Bloom’s taxonomy verbs to cater the learning objectives to that level.

3. Fink’s Taxonomy

Another helpful resource for creating objectives is Fink’s Taxonomy of Significant Learning , which emphasizes different dimensions of learning, including foundational knowledge, application, integration, human dimension, caring, and learning how to learn (Marzano, 2010):

• Foundational knowledge refers to the basic information learners must understand to progress with the topic at hand—for instance, understanding color theory before painting a canvas.
• Application gives learners real-world instances for applying the knowledge and skills they’ve cultivated, such as using Adobe Photoshop in a design project after a graphic design lecture.
• Integration enables learners to make interdisciplinary connections between the new knowledge and various fields of study or areas of life—for example, a business student applying economic theory to understand market dynamics in biotechnology.
• Human dimension involves personal and social implications of learning, i.e., how the learners see themselves and interact with others in light of the new knowledge.
• Caring challenges learners to develop new feelings, interests, or values aligned with the course outcomes, like fostering a conservation mindset in an environmental science course.
• Learning how to learn encourages learners to become self-directed and resourceful, enabling them to cultivate learning strategies, skills, and habits that make them lifelong learners, such as using reflective journals or peer reviews (Marzano, 2010).

An example of an objective that uses Fink’s framework could be:

“Learners will conduct a small research project about a famous physicist (foundational knowledge), incorporating class teachings (application) and their own interpretations (integration), then present to the class (human dimension), reflecting on how the physicist’s work affects them personally (caring) and how the project grew their understanding of research methods (learning how to learn).”

Why are Learning Objectives Important?

Effective learning objectives serve to streamline the learning process, creating a clear path for both teachers and learners.

The role of objectives in education mirrors the use of a roadmap on a journey; just as marking out stops and landmarks can facilitate navigation, learning objectives can clarify the trajectory of a course or lesson (Hall, Quinn, & Gollnick, 2018).

On a practical level, imagine teaching a course about climate change. Without explicit learning objectives (like understanding how carbon footprints contribute to global warming), learners could easily veer off track, misinterpreting the main focus.

Learning objectives also act as an anchor during assessments, providing a yardstick against which progress and performance can be gauged (Orr et al., 2022). When students are graduating high school, for example, it’s likely they’ll be assessed on some form of standardized testing to measure if the objectives have been met.

By serving as a guide for content selection and instructional design, learning objectives allow teachers to ensure coursework is suitably designed to meet learners’ needs and the broader course’s objectives (Li et al., 2022). In situations where time is crucial, such as military training or emergency medicine, keeping the focus narrow and relevant is crucial.

Tips and Tricks

1. tips on integrating learning objectives into course design.

Learning objectives serve as a foundation in the designing of a course.

They provide a structured framework that guides the incorporation of different course components, including instructional materials, activities, and assessments (Li et al., 2022).

When designing a photography course, for example, learning objectives guide the selection of appropriate theoretical content (like understanding aperture and shutter speed), practical activities (like a field trip for landscape photography), and the assessment methods (like a portfolio submission).

Just like how research objectives shape the methodology a research study will take, so too will learning objectives shape the teaching methods and assessment methods that will flow-on from the path set out in the overarching learning objectives.

2. Tips on Assessing and Revising your Learning Objectives Regularly

Learning objectives are not set in stone; they demand constant review and refinement.

In the light of feedback from learners, instructors or external bodies (like accreditation agencies), learning outcomes, and advancements in pedagogy, learning objectives may need to be revised (Orr et al., 2022).

Think about a programming course where new frameworks or libraries are regularly introduced; in such cases, the learning objectives would need to be updated to reflect these emerging trends. This provides opportunities for continual enhancement of the course design, thus fostering an environment of progressive learning and teaching (Sewagegn, 2020).

Teachers should revise their learning objectives every time they re-introduce the unit of work to a new cohort of students, taking into account the learnings and feedback you acquired last time you taught the unit.

Learning objectives, when effectively formulated and implemented, serve as key drivers of successful instruction.

They underscore the importance of clarity, directness, and depth in the learning process, fostering a learning environment designed for optimal learner engagement, progress tracking, and educational outcome (Hall, Quinn, & Gollnick, 2018).

With their expansive role in the educational journey, educators are encouraged to invest time and resourceful thought in crafting and continually refining their classroom objectives (Doran, 1981). Moreover, the use of established taxonomies and attention to characteristics like SMARTness in this process can greatly facilitate this endeavor.

As the backbone of well-structured courses, learning objectives deserve the thoughtful consideration and continuous improvement efforts of every dedicated educator. It is our hope that this article has provided insights that will help you bring more clarity, coherence, and effectiveness to your educational planning.

Adams, N. E. (2015). Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive learning objectives.  Journal of the Medical Library Association: JMLA ,  103 (3), 152. doi: https://doi.org/10.3163%2F1536-5050.103.3.010

Doran, G. T. (1981). There’sa SMART way to write management’s goals and objectives.  Management review ,  70 (11), 35-36.

Hall, G. E., Quinn, L. F., & Gollnick, D. M. (2018).  Introduction to teaching: Making a difference in student learning . Sage Publications.

Li, Y., Rakovic, M., Poh, B. X., Gaševic, D., & Chen, G. (2022). Automatic Classification of Learning Objectives Based on Bloom’s Taxonomy.  International Educational Data Mining Society .

Marzano, R. J. (2010).  Designing & teaching learning goals & objectives . Solution Tree Press.

Orr, R. B., Csikari, M. M., Freeman, S., & Rodriguez, M. C. (2022). Writing and using learning objectives.  CBE—Life Sciences Education ,  21 (3). Doi: https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.22-04-0073

Sewagegn, A. A. (2020). Learning objective and assessment linkage: its contribution to meaningful student learning.  Universal Journal of Educational Research ,  8 (11), 5044-5052.

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‘Nurses and students are driving sustainability improvements’

STEVE FORD, EDITOR

• You are here: Students

Your placement learning objectives decoded

07 November, 2011 By Fran Entwistle

At first glance, your placement documentation can be daunting. We’ve pulled apart the most commonly used wording to help you understand exactly what you’re being asked to do.

You’ve already got an essay to do, need to revise for an exam and fit four shifts a week in placement around lectures at uni. Learning objectives can easily slip down your priority list.

They really do help you to make sense of what you’ve learnt and act as an ongoing record of what you’ve gained from your placement.

They can also help you identify what other skills you can learn. And you can plan how you’re going to complete each outcome with your mentor and proactively go about achieving them.

That said, they can be daunting. But rest assured, studentnursingtimes.net is here to help!

What do they mean?

“ Demonstrate and apply an understanding of professional regulation.”

• Firstly let’s take the word “demonstrate”. Roughly translated they are saying “tell us how and when you’ve done this”. So give examples! Think about what professional regulation applies to your current placement and how have you adhered to it.

“ Identify the roles and contributions of the members of the health and social care team.”

• This starts with “identify” so they want you to actually say what their roles and contributions are. Have a look around – do you know what everyone does? How does their role affect yours? This is your opportunity to find out.

“ Collaborate effectively with members of the multidisciplinary team, demonstrating understanding of the roles and contributions of others.”

• Believe it or not, this is different from the above. This outcome asks you to “collaborate”. In other words, your university wants you to liaise with other services. Have a think about when you’ve involved other professionals. Who? How did you do it? What information did you need to give them?

“ Contribute to the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of nursing care under the supervision of registered practitioners.”

• This outcome encourages you to “contribute”. They want you to actively do this, not just know about it. Pick one thing you can do with your mentor (let’s not forget this outcome wants you to be supervised) and follow it through. What you actually do will vary depending on your placement area.

“ Under supervision, communicate effectively with patients and clients to assess their ongoing healthcare needs and monitor and report any problems with this aspect of care.”

• This outcome is split in to two parts. “Communicate effectively” appears straightforward but try to think how you do this in practice. Do you use any assessment tools? What sort of language do you use? What problems have you encountered trying to speak to patients?
• “Monitor and report any problems” – have you felt that you are unable to understand a patient? Or are they having problems understanding you? Who will you speak to for help?

“ Apply an understanding of legal and ethical frameworks in practice.”

• “Apply an understanding” indicates that not only do you need to be familiar with these frameworks but also use them in your practice. Relax. Chances are you use them without even thinking. The majority are straightforward and common sense.
• Have a look at NICE guidelines relating to your area and make sure you are familiar with them: www.guidance.nice.org.uk .

“ Create and utilise opportunities to promote the health and well-being of patients/clients/groups.”

• This outcome is asking you to use your initiative. Health promotion is a big part of your role as a nurse. You are not expected to start running an evening class on healthy living but have a look at what specific problems your client group have. What advice can you give? How can you help without taking away independence?

“ Identify and apply appropriate research evidence to inform clinical practice in a variety of settings and with a range of patients/clients.”

• This outcome is important for making sense of all the information you learn in university and during essay writing. What have you read that applies to what you’re doing in placement? Do you know why certain techniques are used? What is the evidence base?
• Have a look at some relevant journals that are of interest to you. This outcome doesn’t need a full literature review but referring to papers will help you clarify your practice.
• Have a look at the Student Nursing Times ‘perfecting your practice series’ to give you some ideas.

“ Recognise the importance of purposeful involvement of patients/clients and carers in the delivery of care; demonstrate awareness of the role of advocacy, user and carer groups”

• As a nurse, your job is not just to look after patients but to provide a service to carers as well. Why are they important? How can you help them to help your patient?
• This outcome asks you to “recognise” and “demonstrate awareness” so is something you could have a chat to the rest of the nursing team about. Find out if there are any user groups and if you can go along to them. How else are carers supported in your placement area?

“ Utilise a recognised framework, tools, scales, etc., demonstrate skill in client-centred assessment.”

• If you’re not sure what frameworks are being used in your placement area – Ask! How are patients assessed? Which assessments have you been part of? Do they use any tools or scales?

Used properly, your learning outcomes are a tool for promoting active learning. If you feel you are not getting enough out of your placement you can use them to highlight with your mentor what else you could be doing.

The main purpose of learning outcomes is not to double your workload, believe it or not, but to help you make sense of the new skills you learn every day.

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• How to Use SMART Goals in Nursing

Jul 29, 2024 | RN to BSN

The concept and practice of goal setting are important in any career, particularly those interested in pursuing a nursing career. Knowing how to set goals both realistic and attainable allows nurses to not only improve their own professional prospects but also improve their patient care techniques.

Many nurses find that using SMART goals allow them to set both short-term and long-term goals that allow them to reach professional milestones.

What Are SMART Goals?

According to  Indeed , SMART goals are defined as goals that are:

While SMART goals are used universally in the world of business and across various fields, SMART goals in nursing are particularly powerful. Nurses who rely on SMART goal setting are often able to improve their own professional prospects while simultaneously providing patients with improved, personalized care.

How Are SMART Goals Used in Nursing?

SMART goals are widely used in the nursing profession because this goal-setting technique allows nurses to identify and pursue goals both attainable and relevant to their career. SMART goals in nursing are beneficial because they:

• Help keep nurses motivated, as they know their goals are within reach.
• Help nurses better understand and identify their professional goals.
• Allow nurses to hold themselves and others accountable as they work toward their goals.
• Increase an individual’s chances of successfully achieving their short-term and long-term goals.

Benefits of Using SMART Goals for Nursing Career Development

To grow and further their careers, nurses must be intentional. For example, it is possible to secure an entry-level position in nursing by earning an associate’s degree, but the best way to truly advance your career as a nurse is to earn a BSN degree. By utilizing SMART goals, nurses can identify their goals and take the actionable steps needed to develop their careers over the course of their lifetime.

How to Apply SMART Goals to Nursing Careers

Learning about the concept of SMART goals and learning how to apply SMART goals in nursing can allow you to grow and develop your career on your own timeline. It is important to note that SMART goals can always be adjusted over time. This allows you to personalize the trajectory of your nursing career and accommodate any new interests that you develop as you practice and work with patients.

You can apply SMART goals in nursing by doing the following:

Identifying Specific Career Objectives and Aspirations

Regardless of where you are in your nursing career, you can use SMART goals in nursing to begin identifying the next steps you want to take in your career, or your long-term goal for your career. With so many different specializations in the field of nursing, it is important to identify where your passion lies and where you want to go within your career. For instance, you could use SMART goals in nursing to identify the steps you need to take to become a pediatric nurse.

Measuring Progress and Success in Achieving Career Milestones

One of the hallmarks of the SMART goal-setting process is that the goals identified are both actionable and measurable. With SMART goals nursing, you will do more than identify your goals, as you will also be able to track your progress and enjoy success along the way.

Ensuring Goals Are Realistic and Aligned With Personal and Professional Growth

The intentional process of setting SMART goals also allows you to verify that your goals are both realistic and attainable. SMART goals have a timely element to them, which makes them more achievable. Through the goal-setting process, you can verify that the goals you are establishing for your nursing career align with your personal expectations and your professional growth goals.

Setting Timeframes and Deadlines for Goal Achievement

It can be easy to set a vague goal for some point in the distance, and then produce hundreds of reasons why it is not possible to reach that goal. With SMART nursing goals, you are forced to establish goals that are realistic, and that can easily be accomplished within a specific time frame. To note, you might decide that you are going to earn your BSN degree to pursue more advanced positions in the field of nursing. Through SMART goal setting, you might determine that you will apply to three RN to BSN online degree programs by the end of the calendar year.

Examples of Practical SMART Goals for Nurses

SMART goal setting is a versatile process that can be applied in many ways, particularly within a nursing career. These are just a few of the nursing SMART goals examples:

Attaining Advanced Certification in a Specialized Nursing Area Within 12 Months

If you would like to attain an advanced certification in a specialized nursing area within 12 months, your SMART goals might look like:

• Obtain an advanced certification in a specialized nursing area within 12 months.
• Submit my application to an advanced certification program.
• Begin the certification program and completing it within 6 months.
• Complete all extra requirements for certification within 6 months.
• Earn my certification within one year.

Increasing Patient Satisfaction Scores by 10% Within Six Months Through Enhanced Communication Strategies

To achieve this goal, your SMART goal might look like:

• I would like to increase my patient satisfaction scores by 10 percent within six months using improved communication strategies.
• I will begin using new communication tools to personalize the experience for my patients.
• My improved communication will allow me to provide my patients with a better experience.
• I will see my patient satisfaction ratings climb by 10 percent within six months.

Completing a Leadership Development Program and Applying for a Charge Nurse Position Within Two Years

If this is my professional development goal in nursing, my SMART goals might look like:

• I would like to complete a leadership development program and apply for an advanced nurse position within two years.
• I will apply to a leadership development program within three months.
• I will gather all required materials for the program and complete the program within one year.
• My newfound skills will allow me to become qualified for advanced nursing positions.
• I will apply to advanced nursing positions within two years.

Strategies for Implementing and Monitoring SMART Goals

Identifying your nursing goals is the first step to using the SMART goal-setting approach. That said, these strategies for implementing and monitoring your SMART goals can help you ensure that your dreams become a reality.

Breaking Down Goals Into Actionable Steps

One of the best ways to develop a SMART goal for your nursing career is to first identify your goal, such as obtaining an advanced certification or earning your BSN degree, and then breaking that down into actionable steps. By dividing your long-term goal into several short-term goals, you will find that it is easier to take the steps needed to reach your primary goal. To illustrate, if you want to earn a BSN degree, you can break your goal down into the following steps:

• Research RN to BSN online programs.
• Apply to an  RN to BSN online degree program .
• Begin pursuing an RN to BSN online degree to reach your goal by your specified deadline.

Setting Milestones to Measure Progress Along the Way

One of the most important aspects of SMART goals in nursing is that these goals are measurable, which means that you need to be able to track your progress along the way. To transform a goal into a measurable goal, you can establish milestones that you need to reach by certain deadlines. To demonstrate, if you are interested in becoming a nurse practitioner, some of your milestones may be:

• Applying for several nurse practitioner programs.
• Being accepted into a nurse practitioner program.
• Earning your advanced degree by a specific date.

Utilizing Tools and Resources for Goal Tracking

Tracking goals in a visible way can help you maintain your motivation and feel more accomplished. There are a variety of digital tools and online apps that allow you to establish a goal, set a deadline for when you want to achieve it and input data so that you can track your progress along the way. Seeing your progress can help you stay focused and excited about reaching your goal.

Establishing Accountability Partners or Supportive Networks

Working toward a goal is always easier when you have someone working alongside you. By establishing an accountability partner or creating a support network within your nursing community, you and your fellow nurses can encourage each other along the way and provide support when you encounter challenges or setbacks. When you feel part of something greater than yourself, you will be more likely to keep working toward your goal.

Conducting Regular Reviews and Reflections on Goal Progress

While your digital tracking tools can help you monitor your progress, you also should try to reflect on a regular basis and ensure that your goals still align with your personal preferences and vision for your career. By regularly reviewing your SMART goals, you can adjust as necessary and ensure that you are enjoying both personal reward and professional success throughout your nursing career.

Stay Open to Feedback

As you are identifying your SMART goals and developing your strategies for implementing them, you will want to connect with professional mentors in the nursing field. These mentors can provide you with constructive feedback that you can use to adapt and improve your goals, allowing you to advance your career in the most rewarding way.

Celebrating Achievements and Recognizing Efforts

Within your SMART goals, there are always several minor goals and milestones that you will reach along the way. Every time you reach a milestone, be sure to recognize that success and celebrate your achievements. Knowing that you are taking small but important steps toward reaching your larger goal will allow you to stay focused and motivated. The key to reaching any goal is knowing that it is both achievable and attainable, and in many cases, those smaller milestones are just as important and monumental as the larger goal itself.

Learn About the Importance of Actionable and Measurable Goals in Nursing at Nevada State University

SMART goals in nursing are an advanced nursing concept, one emphasized and perfected throughout a BSN degree program. At Nevada State University, we offer an  RN to BSN online program  that allows nurses to build upon their foundation and streamline their path toward earning a BSN degree.

Request more information  about our online nursing degree programs today.

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How to make the most of SMART objectives in your learning

Posted 22 february 2021 - 13:41.

As a nursing student you are often asked to write SMART objectives as part of your learning.

But what are they and how can you apply them to nursing?

Everything you need to get SMART

In this video you’ll learn:

• What the mnemonic SMART means
• The difference between SMART and other objectives
• How SMART objectives can make your learning needs more achievable
• Why you should gain feedback on your learning objectives

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SMART Goals for Nursing With Clear Examples

Goals provide a keen sense of motivation, direction, clarity, and a clear focus on every aspect of your career or (nurse) life .

You are letting yourself have a specific aim or target by setting clear goals for yourself.

There is a method called the SMART goal that is used by a lot of people to guide them in setting their goals. In this article, you are going to learn how to set up SMART goals for nursing with plenty of examples of SMART goals for nursing .

But first, let me tell you what the SMART goal is generally speaking.

The acronym SMART stands for the terms Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.

All these five elements are the main parts of the SMART goal. This simple yet powerful method brings structure and ensures that your goals are within reason and are attainable.

The SMART goal helps you in defining what the “future state” of your goal would look like, and how it is to be measured.

SMART goals are:

• Specific – clear, unambiguous, and well defined
• Measurable – has a criterion that helps you measure your progress
• Att ainable – beyond reach and not impossible to achieve
• Relevant – realistic and has relevance to your life or career
• Time-Bound – well defined time, has a starting date and an ending date

Often, people or businesses set unrealistic goals for themselves that only lead to failure.

For instance, you may be a nurse practitioner and you set goals such as “I will be the best at _____.” This specific type of goal is vague and has no sense of direction in it.

Here is a thorough video from DecisionSkills that I encourage you to watch before continuing reading.

After the video, you’ll have a much better understanding of setting SMART goals for nursing.

Now it’s time to give you a couple of examples of SMART goals for nursing.

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Table of Contents

Examples of SMART Goals for Nursing

In this fast-paced and busy day-to-day life, the job of a nurse can get stressful and overwhelming–with all the workloads and patients emerging from left to right.

SMART goals are especially helpful in nursing as it helps in defining a developmental framework and helps you see your progress towards your goal.

• Patient Care
• Professional Development

Next, a more specific answer to each category.

Today, I will construct a checklist for an updated patient and staff safety and hazard. I will use our ward policy guidelines in constructing this checklist.

I will let every staff nurse check this list based on a once-a-month rotation. I shall complete the checklist by the end of September and have it measured monthly.

#2 Patient Care

I shall hand over the assessment notes, care instructions, and patient details to the next shift nurse as I complete my shift.

I have to finish this before the break time so that the details of the patients would be noted and important instructions would be followed.

#3 Efficiency

I will document the additional tasks following the timetabling meeting weekly so that I can efficiently balance my time and be able to manage all my duties.

This will benefit me as it improves my overall time management .

#4 Accuracy

I will record all my notes about the patient as soon as I leave his or her room, while the information is still fresh and complete in my mind.

This will help in ensuring the accuracy of the information before I proceed to my next endeavor.

#5 Professional Development

By the end of this year, I shall attend two workshops that will help me with my specialty or another field that will help me for the betterment of my profession as a nurse .

Next, I’m going to give you examples of SMART goals for nursing students.

Examples of SMART Goals for Nursing Students

Scenario:  You’re a 1st-year college student who’s taking up nursing.

Your professor in one of your major subjects has announced that you’ll be having your final examination at the end of the month.

You know that this subject is critical, and you want to pass this subject no matter what.

SIMPLE GOAL

I want to pass our final examination.

I will finish reading three chapters of our book within this day. I’ll write down every important terminology and its definition in my notebook.

I will also take a 15-minute break in every hour of studying.

For tomorrow, I will make flashcards that will help me easily retain this information and terminologies better.

On the day before our examination, I will make sure to have sufficient rest and enough amount of sleep.

Related articles:

• Is Nursing for Me With Quiz
• How to Become a Registered Nurse
• How to Become a Respiratory Therapist
• How to Become a Neonatal Nurse

Let’s move on to examples of SMART goals for nurse practitioners.

Examples of SMART Goals for Nurse Practitioners

Scenario:  You’re a nurse practitioner, but your monthly salary is not enough since you’ll be having to pay for your loans and other payable.

So, your perceived solution to this problem is to strive and get promoted in the acute care facility which gives a higher pay than your current position.

I want to be promoted to a higher position and make more money.

I will work harder so that my chances of getting promoted in the acute care facility would be higher.

This new job pays me an amount of $30 per hour, including a night differential.

I will aspire to be a better nurse practitioner day by day, so that by August 30th, my manager would see my potential, and get me promoted.

Examples of SMART Goals for Nurse Practitioner Students

Scenario:  You’re a nurse practitioner student who’s failing in his/her exams and got the lowest grade in your class.

You know to yourself that something is wrong with your study methods because even if you study hard, you don’t see the fruit of your labor.

I want to learn the other nurse practitioner students’ study methods.

I will improve my study methods by asking my fellow nurse practitioner students how they prepare for tasks and exams.

Today, I will talk to one of my fellow nurse practitioner students, and ask them if we could have a group study together as we prepare for the upcoming examination.

Examples of SMART Goals for Nurse Managers

Scenario:  You’re the department manager and you’re assigned to handle the nurses in the hospital.

You notice that the work environment is getting unhealthy, and the nurses in your department are uncomfortable with each other and with you.

I want to improve my relationship with the nurses that I handle.

I will make sure to promote a healthy working environment by having a meeting once or twice a month to discuss prevailing and relevant issues in our department and hear some constructive feedback from the nurses that I handle.

I will make sure to treat them all equally and with the utmost respect regardless of their age or gender.

But I will also set professional boundaries among the nurses that I handle, and I will make sure that I lay these limits very clearly so that no one will violate them.

Examples of SMART Goals for Nursing Care Plans

Scenario: You’ve learned from a workshop that by showing compassion and empathy to your patient, they will adhere better to the medications which would lead to quicker recovery.

See also: Compassion in Nursing

I want to show more empathy to the patients that I’m handling.

I will make sure to spend an extra 5-10 minutes with each of my new patients.

I will ask them questions about their interests and hobbies so that I can distract them from their health condition.

Also, I will make sure to put myself into their position by thinking about what they must be feeling about the situation.

My way of communicating with them should be as if I’m just having a conversation with a friend, but of course with respect and boundaries.

See also: Nursing Care Plan – Full Guide & Free Templates

More Tips for Creating SMART Goals

Pursuing an “I will” statement is more effective than an “I want” statement .

As you create your own SMART goals, remember to ask yourself the following questions:

• How is my goal specific? Where is the focus?
• How is my goal measurable? How will I be able to track my progress?
• How is my goal achievable? Are my resources enough to achieve this goal?
• How is my goal relevant? How will this help in my career as a nurse?
• Is my goal time-bound? Is my goal set in a realistic time frame?

Aside from the five elements comprising SMART goals, it is important to have a model and visualization of your goals as if you have already achieved your goal.

Not only will this motivate you, but this will also give you the feeling of success that comes from achieving that specific goal of yours.

Release any doubts that you have. Those doubts whispering that you’re not enough, or those negative thoughts that kept you awake all night.

Let those negative self-talk go.

The more you say something to yourself, the more likely these things will happen in reality. So, it is always best to talk nicely to yourself.

While releasing your doubts and visualization of your goals are both effective, all these things will only matter once you take consistent action towards your desired goal to progress each day.

Things may get overwhelming and you may not know where to start, so it is advisable to do one task at a time.

It may seem hard at first, that’s just how things are.

But as you keep going, you will get closer and closer to your goal.

The Art of Setting SMART Goals

If these tips were not enough for you, I highly recommend you to check out more about SMART nursing goals from No products found. book.

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Conclusion: SMART Goals for Nursing

By setting SMART goals for nursing students, nurse practitioners, nurse practitioner students, nurse managers, and nursing care plans, you are setting a clear focus for your ideas and efforts that will allow you to reach your goals in a much shorter period.

• 5 Rights of Delegation in Nursing
• Short-Term Goals for Nursing Interview

But you should also take note of the possible drawbacks to SMART goals that may hinder you from achieving your goals.

At this point, you should have a clear understanding of how to set SMART goals for nursing.

If you would like to learn some more check out these articles of ours:

• The 7 Ethical Principles in Nursing
• Top 10 Qualities of a Nurse with Explanations
• Do Nurses Make Good Money?
• Neonatal Nurse Salary
• Do Nurses Relieve Patients?
• How to Address a Nurse Practitioner

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15 Examples of Nursing Career Goals and How To Reach Them

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Nurses are more in demand than ever before, making the nursing profession rich with opportunities. You may be wondering, “Why is nursing a good career?” With most nursing roles projected to grow from 2020 to 2030 , there’s never been a better time to be a nurse. But with so much job growth potential comes competition, which makes it important to consistently invest in yourself and your skills.

Any sort of professional development needs clearly determined professional goals in order to be effective. Your professional goals should always be SMART goals: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. Here we’ll share 15 nursing career goals to consider for yourself and tips on how to achieve them.

Why Are Goals Important for Your Nursing Career?

Setting long-term goals will help you advance in your career as a nurse. Accomplishing these goals will increase your personal and professional satisfaction and will also combat burnout. Setting goals for your nursing career can help you:

• Constantly develop skills
• Improve earning potential
• Feel fulfilled

15 Nursing Career Goals

1. manage advanced technologies..

There is only one constant with medical technology: it’s always evolving. Nurses working in medical facilities often use technology, like portable patient monitors or telehealth services , to create, access, or update patient files. Learning how to use these healthcare technologies—however daunting it may seem—can benefit your career.

Stay up to date with changing tech in the medical field by doing the following:

• Read free blogs for nurses
• Subscribe to magazines and journals for nurses
• Download apps for nurses
• Join professional organizations for nurses

2. Get nursing certifications.

Nursing certifications are helpful in all stages of your nursing career, whether you’re new to the workforce or looking for advancement. Gain a competitive leg up on other candidates by earning a certificate in an area you’re particularly interested in, such as first aid, clinical research skills, pediatrics, oncology, or neonatology.

3. Find a mentor.

Mentors can be extremely useful when planning your professional development. They can help you set goals, make difficult decisions, shape your professional values, and grow in your career. While some medical facilities have formal internal mentorship programs for nurses, you could simply seek out an informal mentor by asking a nurse you admire out for coffee. A good mentor can provide context on the wider nursing industry, share insight into their personal experience and lessons learned, and introduce you to new nurse connections.

4. Advance your nursing degree.

Advancing your nursing degree can boost your résumé, increase job security, and help you make more money. If you already have an associate degree in nursing, consider working towards a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). If you already have a bachelor's degree and would like to take on a leadership position in nursing administration and management, consider earning a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) specializing in leadership.

5. Start volunteering.

There is a constant and high demand for nurses to volunteer their time at clinics, hospitals, and other medical facilities in underserved communities, both in the United States and abroad. Internationally there is an even greater need and appreciation for volunteer nurses in developing countries. Both nursing students and registered nurses are often eligible for these types of programs. Providing volunteer assistance can be a very rewarding experience that can’t be replicated in a classroom or textbook.

6. Specialize in a particular nursing field.

While nurses are often “Jacks/Janes of all trades,” it’s wise to become a master of one. Maybe you entered the nursing field because of a particular personal experience that resonated with you, such as losing a family member to cancer. Or maybe you’re a couple of years into your career as a registered nurse and have realized you’re passionate about working with children. Either way, there are many different specialization roads nurses can walk down in their career path.

Consider the following types of medicine to specialize in:

• Ambulatory care
• Cardiovascular (care for patients with heart and blood issues)
• Dialysis (the removal of waste from a patient's kidneys)
• Gastroenterology
• Geriatrics (care for elderly adults)
• Holistic care
• Infection control and prevention
• Medical-surgical
• Neonatal (care for newborns)
• Neuroscience
• Obstetrics (care for pregnant women and new mothers)
• Oncology (care for patients with tumors)
• Orthopedics (care for patients with bone and muscle issues)
• Pediatrics or children's healthcare
• Psychiatric or mental health care

7. Take care of yourself.

Nurses who practice self-care can ultimately perform their duties more efficiently and provide better care for their patients. Self-care is much more than a bubble bath on Sundays. It’s multiple deliberate activities all humans should do for mental and physical well-being. While self-care is important for all, it’s especially important for nurses whose main job is caring for others. You must keep your tank filled up so that you can provide better nursing care.

Examples of self-care include:

• Mental: Meditate, journal, see a therapist, and practice positive visualization.
• Physical: Eat quality foods, maintain a healthy weight, stretch daily, walk or stand more, and sit less.

8. Improve efficiency.

Becoming more efficient in your day-to-day nursing job tasks helps create balance when juggling multiple responsibilities. Efficiently completing tasks in a timely manner can create space for more responsibilities and career growth.

Here are some strategies that nurses can practice to improve efficiency:

• Intention-setting: In the morning or the night before your workday, take a few minutes to write down or speak out loud your intentions for the day. What goals do you have? What tasks will you accomplish? What habits will you practice?
• Organization: Plan your day—including breaks—in whatever way works for you (Google Calendar, physical planner, etc.).
• Prioritization: With many tasks constantly vying for your attention, practice prioritizing the most important tasks first thing. Or, try structuring your day based on when you’re most productive and have the highest energy.

9. Improve communication skills.

Improving your communication skills is so important for career growth for nurses. Strong communication skills can boost health outcomes for patients and enhance relationships with co-workers, patients, and families. Good communication skills for nurses go beyond written and verbal communication. Nurses who actively listen are better able to care for patients, take direction from doctors, and be part of a team.

Other aspects of effective communication include:

• Patient education
• Compassion/trust
• Cultural awareness
• Presentation skills

10. Specialize in certain tasks.

Specializing in certain tasks is important for career growth as it improves productivity and accuracy. Most nurses have a broad scope of responsibilities and tasks that vary from patient to patient. But it’s never bad to be known for doing one particular task well.

Try earning a reputation for being exceptional for one of the following:

• Administering medications and treatments to patients.
• Collaborating within your team and across other teams on patient care.
• Providing compassionate support to patients in need.
• Operating medical equipment and technologies.
• Educating your patients on managing their illness.

11. Maintain work-life balance.

Leading a balanced life can help you perform better as a nurse. It’s easy to fall into a workaholic trap and take your work home with you, but this will result in burnout. Make self-care a priority by keeping your physical and emotional needs a top priority, and don’t forget to have fun, too. For some selfless people (which many nurses are), making time for fun is actually a goal that can help you further your career. When you’re happy and healthy, it manifests as success in all areas of life.

12. Become an advocate.

A noble career goal for a nurse is to become a better advocate. Advocating can be for your patients, for new policies at work, or for practices you believe strongly in. Nurses can help advocate for patients by guiding them through the medical system and providing resources. For example, nurses can advocate for patients receiving chemotherapy with information on taking anti-nausea medication effectively. On a larger scale, you could become an advocate seeking to create systemic change by addressing health inequities and influencing health policy.

13. Become a mentor for others.

Mentoring another nurse that’s new in the field helps you become a better nurse. Nurse mentorship programs provide mutual professional growth through a supportive and ongoing relationship. As a mentor, you can help your mentee by offering emotional support, helping to chart a career path, and providing guidance on the day-to-day. Ultimately, helping another nurse will provide you with fulfillment in both your career and life.

14. Participate in workshops, in-services, or job shadowing.

If your workplace offers workshops, in-service classes, or job shadowing, you should take full advantage of those opportunities. Nursing is a dynamic profession that’s always changing, and nurses must adapt to new technology and policies faster than ever. These learning opportunities are usually free ways to expand your nursing industry knowledge and further enforce your commitment to your employer.

15. Learn on your own.

Outside of in-service classes and on-the-job shadowing offered by your employer, seeking out opportunities to learn on your own should be a constant nursing career goal. Courses, conferences, and webinars are all common sources for continuing education for nurses. You can also choose to continue your formal education by advancing your nursing degree.

Why Choose WGU?

With WGU’s accredited online nursing degrees you can continue working at your full-time job and maintain your family or personal responsibilities while pursuing your ideal nursing position through BSN or MSN degrees. WGU is flexible with your needs. You don't have to log in to classes and there aren't due dates. Learn more about our master’s degrees in nursing .

There are numerous opportunities that exist after getting a master’s degree in nursing. With an MSN, you could go on to become a:

• Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
• Nurse Administrator
• Nurse Practitioner (NP)
• Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM)
• Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
• Clinical Nurse Leader
• Informatics Nurse
• Nurse Educator

As an MSN-educated nurse, your work in healthcare would change lives every day. After earning an MSN, you’ll have more opportunities to advance your healthcare career and impact patient care with a post-master’s certificate in nursing . You already have critical skills and knowledge that have brought you to an impactful career—now you can add additional specialty skills that will allow you to go further.

At WGU, there are two post-master’s certificate nursing programs that help master’s degree-holding nursing professionals advance in or diversify their career paths:

• Post-Master’s Certificate in Nursing–Education
• Post-Master’s Certificate in Nursing–Leadership and Management

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

A bachelor’s degree in nursing through WGU is an online nursing degree program designed for working registered nurses who have an ADN or nursing diploma and need an RN-to-BSN degree program that’s flexible with their schedule. The program focuses on the areas of research, theory, leadership, community concepts, healthcare policy, therapeutic interventions, and current trends in healthcare. You’ll learn to improve patient outcomes and influence communities with your knowledge of evidence-based practice, patient safety, technology integration, and healthcare systems and policies.

What is a master’s degree in nursing?

If your vision of your professional future includes a role in nursing administration and management, a CCNE-accredited master’s degree in nursing (MSN) is a must. When you pursue this degree, you'll get clinical practice experiences such as real-time simulation using immersive virtual reality training. Nurse managers with a master's degree combine their technical nursing know-how with strong people skills, organizational prowess, and business knowledge to lead healthcare teams to success—success that transforms lives. You’ll also increase your earning power.

How much do RN nurses make?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual wage for registered nurses is $75,330 .

How much do BSN nurses make?

While the BLS doesn’t differentiate between nurses who’ve earned an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) versus those who’ve earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), according to Nurse.org , what degree you have does impact how much you can make. Amongst the ADN and BSN nurses polled, Nurse.org found that BSN nurses were earning, on average, $3.89 more per hour than ADNs.

How much do MSN nurses make?

According to the BLS, the median pay for master’s-educated nurses is $117,670 per year .

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