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The evolution of nursing
The evolution of nursing
Importance of adequate staffing for nurses
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The Process of Transformation Through Education Nursing profession has made leaps and bounds since I embarked onto the field of nursing in 1993. While I was proud of being a nurse, I did not feel the need to be ambitious nor competitive in my field. Aside from the well known fact about the nursing shortage, I was not familiar with the numerous advancements that had been made by the profession. Most recently, I have come to realize how sophisticated and respected nursing profession has become. Today, nurses as the highly valued commodity, need to be available to skillfully meet the challenging needs of the public. It has now become clear that nursing is engaged in the process of reshaping its function and form to accommodate the dynamic healthcare needs. I am convinced that nursing education is the key that will unlock the essential components in transforming the culture and practice of nursing. Despite the nurse shortage, the nursing profession is being elevated to the next level. Although diploma nursing was the standards of yesterday, the new nurse workforce will shine with the majority being BSN prepared nurses. With increasing patient acuity, the hospitals and chronic care setting institutions are in need of nurses that can accept the challenges and complications involving the complex healthcare issues. The BSN prepared nurses would successfully meet the challenges of coordinating care among other multidisciplinary team members and the ability to utilize available resources to deliver safe, effective, quality care (Institute of Medicine, 2011). To my dismay, I came to learn about the BSN preference when I tried to obtain a school nurse position few years ago. Incidentally, the areas of public health, school... ... middle of paper ... ... References American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2011). New AACN data show enrollment in baccalaureate nursing program expands for the 10th consecutive year . Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/news/articles/2010/bacc-growth Hassmiller, S. B., & Cozine, M. (2006, January/ February). Addressing the nurse shortage to improve the quality of patient care [Essay]. Health Affairs, 25(1), 268-274. doi: DOI 10.1377/hlthaff.25.1.268 ©2006 Project HOPE–The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc. Institute of Medicine. (2011). The future of nursing: leading change, advancing health (Report). Retrieved from www.nap.edu: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12956 Yordy, K. (2006). The nursing faculty shortage: A crisis for health care (Issue Brief). Retrieved from www.rwif.org: http://www.rwjf.org/files/publications/other/NursingFacultyShortage071006.pdf
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.
The development of ADN programs has allowed many to reach their career goals by offering a shorter and less expensive way to complete their degrees. Some believe that Associate’s degree programs lack strong nursing theory and understanding of the actual science of nursing (Auerbach, Buerhaus & Staiger,
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.
Institute of Medicine (2010). The future of nursing: Leading change advancing health Retrieved from http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=12956&page+R1
... & Abrahamson, K. (2009). A critical examination of the U.S. nursing shortage: contributing factors, public policy implications. Nursing Forum, 44(4), 235-244. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6198.2009.00149.x
According to The Future of Nursing: Focus on Education report, patient needs have become increasingly more complex and with this, nurses must attain competencies including: leadership, health policy, system improvement, research and evidence-based practice, and teamwork and collaboration (The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2011, pg. 2). These competencies are things that are typically incorporated into curriculums of a 4-year BSN degree rather than an associate’s degree. In addition to better preparing nurses for a more complex set of patient needs, a BSN degree will also set the path for nurses to continue their education into more advanced practice roles that are in currently in high demand across the country (The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2011, pg. 3). Overall, a BSN degree helps to prepare a nurse for the complex patients and situations they will encounter but also sets a stronger groundwork for nurses and healthcare professionals to work from.
Many studies indicate that hospitals that consist of higher percentage of BSN prepared nurses will lead to lower congestive heart failure mortality, decubitus ulcers, postoperative deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and shorter length of stay (Blegen et al, 2013). According to “Baccalaureate Education in Nursing and Patient outcomes” article, a cross sectional study was conducted and the data sets that was created by University Health System Consortium (UHC) was utilized. The data sets consists of patient diagnosis, procedure codes, actual and expected length of stay (Blegen et al, 2013). Another set of data contain direct caregiver hours (Blegen et al, 2013). Also questionnaires were delivered to RN in each of these hospitals to assess the education level (Blegen et al, 2013). Hospitals that consist of approximately 62% of RN that held BSN was compared to hospitals that had lower percentages of BSN prepared nurses out of 21 UHC hospitals (Blegen et al, 2013). The finding of this study showed that there was significant decrease of cardiac heart failure mortality rate, pressure ulcers, infection due to medical care, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis and patient’s stay in hospital (Blegen et al, 2013). In addition, BSN prepared nurses spend more total hour of care per patient day and work over time to provide better quality
The prolonged shortage of skilled nursing personnel has been a serious concern to the healthcare industry, and this shortage has impacted the quality of care delivery. In addition, nursing turnover has also exacerbated the problem of nursing shortage. Nursing shortage has been blamed on many nurses retiring and less younger nurses joining the occupation. There is also an increase in life expectancy (baby boomers) leading an increase in both physical and mental ailment with subsequent demand in nursing care. Nurses are also leaving nursing profession because of inadequate staffing, tense work environment, negative press about the profession, and inflexible work schedules. Even though nursing is a promising career and offers job security, the
Nurses are considered as the largest population of professionals in the health care systems. The nursing population currently confronts sever shortages especially of younger and RNs nurses that could threaten the quality of care and patients’ safety, nurses’ job satisfaction, and organizational productivity. According to Flinkman and others’ fact that “Most countries within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) have reported a nursing shortage, which is predicted to get worse because the current nursing population is aging”. Even nursing education institutions could not fill healthcare organizations demands of graduated nurses because they also suffer from shortages of nursing faculty (Erlen, 2004).
The Institute of Medicine has released a report that discusses the future in nursing. The IOM has developed four key messages that outline the barriers that need to be overcome, so that nurses can work effectively and to their fullest ability.
Nursing has had a very long and important legacy in healthcare delivery. Nursing, though a very unique a profession and challenging field out of many fields, Nursing is often considered as one of the most rewarding and lucrative careers many individuals aspire to purse and it comes with great feeling to know one has made a difference in the lives of many people. Nurses, in general have the chance every day to make tremendous impacts in people's lives, to connect on a personal level with another human being, and to be part of a profession that has stood the test of time throughout the centuries. It is one of the most exciting and in-demand jobs in the United States of America today. In recent years, there has been a high demand for nurses. According to research done by the Bureau of labor statistics ‘Employment Projections 2014-2024’ the nursing profession is listed
The BSN program helps the nurses in many ways including utilizing the process to the full scale and it will encourage nurses to use their skills like educating the patient as we’ll as creating new nurses. Because of the new health care reform, the BSN program will also aid in filling the gap from the influx of patients. The baccalaureate degrees and BSN program helps prepare students for the significant part they are going to play in reinforcing the new healthcare reform. At present, I utilize and develop nursing care plans in the nursing process, even though it needs some corrections due to the nature of my work. The highest standards of nursing can only be achieved through better research and advanced training.
The Future of Nursing Being a registered nurse affords one the option of working in many diverse healthcare settings. In any practice setting, the climate of health care change is evident. There are diverse entities involved in the implementation and recommendation of these practice changes. These are led by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), the Institute of Medicine (IOM), nursing campaign for action initiatives, as well as individual state-based action coalitions. Nurses need to be prepared and cognizant of the transformations occurring in health care settings, as well as the plans that put them at the forefront of the future.
Issues and trends in the nursing profession are constantly changing due to discoveries in technology and research, changes in reimbursement and legislation, and the changing needs of our population; in fact the only constant in healthcare is change. This course has provided me with a foundation and better understanding of the need for higher education to empower nurses to become leaders and help shape the future of the nursing profession. Nurses are the “backbone” of healthcare and this is becoming more evident with the changes we are currently seeing in the healthcare industry.
Nursing Shortage is a problem we all should be aware of. There are many factors that may lead to a nursing shortage, such as having stressful and unsafe working environments, and our nurses are being overworked. This is a problem we should be aware of because it is affecting the patient care. Nurses would not have enough time to stay with a patient if they have more patients to worry about. Nurses play a big role in our hospitals and communities, “Nurses play significant roles in hospitals, clinics and private practices. They make up the biggest health care occupation in the United States. Nursing job duties include communicating between patients and doctors, caring for patients, administering medicine and supervising nurses' aides”(study).