Among the popular health care professions in the United States, nursing is unique for the reason that it has a variety of scholastic pathways in which one can obtain an entry-level license to practice. Nursing students have several options as to how they want to become registered nurses: the diploma in nursing, associate’s degree in nursing, or the bachelor’s of science in nursing. The health care system is constantly changing, requiring health care professionals to be well-educated; “…care needs to be linked to identified patient outcomes; that practice be evidence base; and that providers be accountable for the care provided. Registered nurses, accounting for the largest number of health care providers, must be knowledgeable workers delivering care based on best practice standards” (Delaney & Piscopo, 2007).
Having well-trained nurses with the right kinds of skills will benefit to the overall safety and superiority of a transformed health care system. According to author Karen Pennington, “approximately 50% of the practicing nurse workforce consisting of RNs with associate degree...
The second key message focused on the recommendation that registered nurses receive greater levels of training and education. This message emphasized the need for nurses to enter the work force with a baccalaureate degree, or obtain it shortly afterwards. It also stressed the need more graduate nurses, specifically “nurse faculty and researchers at the doctoral level” (IOM, 2011, p. 164). Innovative solutions were devised to speak to nursing school capacity and curriculum in order to attain the IOM recommended goal of 80 percent of nurses holding a BSN by the year 2020.
The nursing profession is constantly in a state of change becoming more complex over time. Registered nurses work to prevent disease, promote health and help patients cope. They develop and manage nursing care plans, instruct proper outpatient care, and help improve and maintain health within their community. They are educators of health governed by state laws. Registered nurses can work in many different settings which determine their daily job duties. Depending on their level of training a RN could work with geriatrics, in intensive care units, as an educator, as clinical study observers, a midwife, oncology, or palliative care. Hospital nurses make up the majority of the RN group. They work as staff nurses who carryout medical regimens and provide bedside care. Most registered nurses work in well-lighted comfortable facilities, work nights, weekends, and holidays, and spend a considerable amount of time on their feet. They have to be available at a moment’s notice. Nursing also has its hazards all employees of care facilities are at risk for infectious disease, radiation poisoning, back injuries, shocks from electrical equipment, and hazards posed by compressed gas. Nurses are the link between doctors and patients.
The national shortage of Registered Nurses (RNs) has helped generate formidable interest in the nursing profession among people entering the workforce and those pursuing a career change. According to a report issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service in 2002, the national population is continuing to grow and age and medical services continue to advance, so the need for nurses will continue to increase. They report from 2000 to 2020 the predicted shortage of nurses is expected to grow to 29 percent, compared to a 6 percent shortage in 2000. With the projected supply, demand, and shortage of registered nurses and nursing salaries ever-increasing, the nursing profession can offer countless opportunities. But first one must determine which educational path to pursue, Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or Associate Degree in nursing (ADN). Most will initially be educated at the associate degree level, even though the American Organization of Nursing Executives (AONE) has recommended a baccalaureate level as a minimal for entry-level nurses. With the expanding number of RN to BSN programs available there is always the option to further one’s education at a later date. The benefits for acquiring a BSN over an ADN include a better knowledge for evidence-based practice, an increased advantage for promotion, and the necessary gateway for higher education.
There is a shortage of all health care professions throughout the United States. One shortage in particular that society should be very concerned about is the shortage of Registered Nurses. Registered Nurses make up the single largest healthcare profession in the United States. A registered nurse is a vital healthcare professional that has earned a two or four year degree and has the upper-most responsibility in providing direct patient care and staff management in a hospital or other treatment facilities (Registered Nurse (RN) Degree and Career Overview., 2009). This shortage issue is imperative because RN's affect everyone sometime in their lifetime. Nurses serve groups, families and individuals to foster health and prevent disease.
The shortage of registered nurses (RNs) in the United States has been a cyclical topic dating back to the 1960s. Only recently have employers in certain regions of the nation stated a decline in the demand for RNs. Consequently, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2014) report on 2012-2013 Enrollment and Graduations in Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing, American nursing schools denied admission to 79,659 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2012. The reported decrease in job availability and rejected admissions has left many individuals to question if the nursing shortage still exists. On the other hand, some experts project that the United States will be short more than one million RNs by 2020 (Dolan, 2011). Although some parts of the country are in less of a demand than others, it is undeniable that there is a national shortage of RNs.
Everyday in this world, elderly, adults, teens or children become ill or get into accidents and need medical attention. Whether these elderly, adults, teens or children are taken to a hospital, pediatrician, specialist, or clinic, a doctor and a nurse will tend to them. The nurse plays a role that is just as important as the doctor. Nurses work very closely with the families as part of the caring process. Every member of the family plays a role in different ways. The nurses are there to help the patient as well as the family step through the illness or injury. They provide information for the prevention of future illness and injury, and help to comfort the patient and his/her family. It is vital that a nurse understands that to be a nurse, you need a certain personality and understanding of the field.
Presently there are many different levels of education that produce entry level licensed nurses. These range from degree programs such Associate Degree in Nursing to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). However the level of education differs from program to program. Nursing programs offering the diploma option, Associate-Degree in Nursing (ADN) and the Bachelor Degree in Nursing (BSN), all have different educational requirements. However, it is important to consider that although different levels of nursing education students sit through the same exam, they do not possess the same level of preparation for clinical practice. (Rossetter, 2014) The problem with this is that it does not provide a clear differentiation between the skills and responsibilities that each degree withholds. (Jacobs, 1998) How is it possible to have two different levels of education in these degrees, and yet have people with different qualifications practicing in the same manner? There should be some differentiation between the two based on their objective qualifications. This is of great importance since there has been reported more positive patient outcomes associated with more educated BSN nurses. (Rossetter, 2014)
There is much controversy about the educational requirement to prepare nurses for practice. Rather the minimal education level be a diploma, associate degree in nursing (ADN), or bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) a need for an agreed upon education level for practice is necessary. There is a wide range of nursing related practices all of which do not require the same amount of education and this author agrees with the National League of Nursing (NLN) concerning scope of practice and preparation for the field of nursing; that an ADN or diploma program is a sufficient level of education for technical nursing practice and the BSN should be the minimum for practice as a professional nurse (Black, 2014, p. 136). This author thinks that the option for an ADN is vital to nursing as a whole, however agrees with the idea that any career requiring only two years of schooling is technical and not professional. This places ADNs in the same category as technicians and assistance in other health care fields (Taylor, 2008, p. 613). This paper examines the necessity for nursing education beyond an associate degree for professional nursing practice in order to meet the increase of complex medical needs.
Bedside nursing in its current state is often viewed as a trade rather than a profession. Historically, trades have required associates degrees to enter the field with emphasis placed on job related experience from that point on. Nurses have historically viewed themselves as caregivers rather than professionals while working under direct authority of a practicing physician (Taylor, 2008). Before the advent of the two year junior college program in 1952 nurses were mainly care-givers working from on the job training in a similar way to certified nurse aides today. These nurses would be paid very little and had jobs revolving around cleanliness, bathing, administering basic medications, and duties similar to a maid (Roberts, 1954). After the nursing shortage boom of the late 1940’s a system provides associates degrees in nursing was implemented in 1952 with a focus on moving nursing away from hospital certif...
My journey to finally realizing of becoming a student in this RN Executive Program has been a long journey filled with excitement and disappointing periods. I 've started this quest in the Summer of 2015 and here I am, two years later, starting my first class in the program, Nursing 301.
The need for quality nurses nationwide continues to be a topic of hot debate in the healthcare field. As Americans continue to age and as the elderly population increases due to medical advancements, the need to sustain and retain the nursing workforce will be an area that is intently watched and regulated. According to the Department of Health & Human Services (2013), there was a 24.1% registered nurse (RN) workforce growth in the 2000s. None-the-less, the Bureau of Labor (2014), projects that sixteen states are going to experience an RN shortage by 2025 and it was stated that,
In 1965, the American Nurses Association shared its vision for the future of nursing education. A primary goal in its message was that a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) becomes the minimum requirement for entry into nursing practice (Nelson, 2002). Fifty years later, debates on this issue continue. In its report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change and Advancing Healthcare, the Institute of Medicine shared its recommendation that 80% of nurses possess a bachelor’s degree by the year 2020. A significant number of health care facilities have adopted the practice of hiring nurses with BSN over those with two year Associate’s Degree of Nursing (ADN) or a three-year hospital based diploma program. Stakeholders in the Registered Nurse (RN)
This research paper is about nursing. Throughout this paper many questions will be answered pertaining to nursing such as the academic requirements, employment opportunities and outlook, salary, and its benefit to society. When thinking of your dream job it is important to think about how sustainable it is. This will be another very important question that will be answered.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommended in a 2010 report that eighty percent of registered nurses (RNs) hold a baccalaureate degree by 2020. This is not a new goal, but rather one that has yet to be realized, despite being first recommended in 1965 by the American Nurses Association. Healthcare has made significant advancements since that time, but nursing standards to entry and licensing regulations have not reflected these changes (Hess, 1996). Students of both Associate Degree of Nursing (ADN) programs and Baccalaureate Degree (BSN) programs sit for the same national licensing exam, the NCLEX-RN. This is a disservice to the entire profession. Associate degrees are publicly perceived as 'technical' degrees. This influences public opinion on the competency and skill of all nurses (Jacobs, et al., 1998). In addition, the lack of differentiation of graduate degrees equates different educational levels and blurs expectations and requirements of the individual nurse. It also fost...
Nurses have always been an undervalued asset to the health care industry; however, there is always a great need for them. With more uninsured Americans requiring safe, affordable medical care, the pressing issue of nursing education is not a priority (Aiken, 2011). Recently, there have been modifications taken place toward the current nursing shortage, the decrease of nursing graduates, a workforce that is becoming older, and other factors that influence nurse educator shortage (Baker, Fitzpatrick, & Griffin, 2011). Nurse educators are required to advise students, complete research, and perform committee work all while teaching (Baker, Fitzpatrick, & Griffin, 2011). They also have multiple jobs outside of practicing nursing and teaching. Nurse educators have stressful roles that hold many expectations, yet there is no independence in making their own decisions concerning things. Aiken (2011) suggests that the best way to begin combatting this shortage should include increasing the number of nurses who hold a bachelor’s degree in nursing from 50% to 80% by 2020 (p. 196). Forty-eight percent of nurse instructors are expected to be aged 55 and older and are predicted to retire by this time. (Baker, Fitzpatrick, & Griffin, 2011).