Advanced Nursing Education is Empowering Nurses  

Today, the role of nurses is rapidly evolving as they are tasked with an even wider range of health care responsibilities. The health care system is dealing with an increasing number of complex illnesses that means caring for the sick has gotten more complicated. Thankfully, nurses are rising to meet these challenges.

Advanced nursing education is empowering nurses to lead the way. With nursing education continuously advancing, nurses are not just caring for the sick anymore; they are also changing the notion of modern medicine and health care delivery.

Charles Tiffin, PhD, Senior Core Faculty at Capella University, said, “Nurses are giving TED talks, publishing scientific research, developing mobile medical applications, and actively addressing health care policy. They’re collaborating with their colleagues, from social workers and oncologists to hospital administrators and public safety personnel. The field is growing, and so are opportunities for nurse practitioners, DNP and PhD nurses, nurse educators, nurse-anesthetists, and nurse researchers.”

In addition, Tiffin said, “New health care technology is also creating opportunities for nurses. More and more aspects of the profession are electronic: Test results, X-rays, blood work, and ordering medication. An array of new technologies [such as] mobile devices, electronic medical records, cloud computing, and teleconferencing,  invite nurses to be digitally ambitious.”

Nursing education is not what it used to be, even more, nursing has become more complex in ways that we could not have imagined a generation ago. More than great caregivers, nurses are becoming great innovators too. A new generation of thinkers who want to be agents of care and innovation are in high demand in health care. The nursing profession is for the intellectually curious, lifelong learner.

However, amidst the innovation and advancement of nursing education, the job of a nurse is first and foremost a caregiver and advocate for the most sick and vulnerable members of our communities.

Improving Nursing Education

Health care today is continually facing different challenges as the need for improvement in technology, effective approach and quality health care professional increases. As the American population increases and the number of senior citizen swells, the presence of nurses in hospitals and other health care facilities is in demand.

There is a shift in the country’s health care needs which is now more related to chronic conditions like hypertension, arthritis, cardiovascular disease and diabetes as well as mental health conditions. This is due to the increasing aging population and spread of obesity in the country. Though it is known that chronic diseases are predominant today, our health care system is designed in favor of acute illnesses and injuries.

This shows that there is a need to make a change in nursing education. Nurses in the 20th century are educated in a different approach and the teachings and lessons are more into caring acute illnesses as well as injuries. Though it is still vital, it won’t be enough in the current health situation of the country. The patient health needs are more complex today than it was before; therefore nurses must acquire a more advanced and focused education.

Nurses today must acquire leadership qualities, evidence-based practice, research experience, improved teamwork and collaboration abilities as well as competency in particular areas like geriatrics and community and public health. Due to the development of health care technologies, nurses are expected to master technological tools and apparatuses as well as be prepared for expanding roles. That is why nurses are required to get higher levels of education. They must be educated in new ways and approaches that best suit the health care situation today. New and emerging competencies in quality improvement, decision making and team leadership must be included in nursing education.

Nursing Education Degree

While 2.6 million people were hired over the United States in 2008 as nurses, this number is far from satisfactory to the developing health care industry. As America’s Baby-Boomer era approaches retirement and their resplendent years, they put a progressively substantial load on the nation’s health care foundation. Nursing is the most popular profession inside health care with the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics assessing that 560,000 new nursing jobs will be required by 2018. A standout amongst the most popular positions inside nursing spins around education and training. Gaining a Doctor of Nursing Education is an extraordinary path to plan yourself for a great position in nursing.

Nursing_EducationThe Doctor of Nursing Education degree is available to train current nurses to apply for positions inside the health care field, responsible substantially for the instruction of new nurses and doing new research. This Phd degree is offered in conventional on-campus education programs or through different online schools and can take from four to six years to finish.  Those fascinated by enlisting in a Doctor of Nursing Education need to meet certain prerequisites. While the prerequisites will differ from program to program, yet common prerequisites incorporate:

  • Gpa over 3.0
  • Transcripts from master’s degree education
  • Finished Master of Science in Nursing
  • A current Registered Nurse license

Once accepted in a program, learners will confront a tough journey that will incorporate coursework, research, and a long dissertation at the end. The first two years of the program procedure require students to finish their coursework. Common Phd courses incorporate yet are not restricted to the accompanying:

  • Nurturing Science Foundations
  • Health Care Ethics
  • Nursing Education
  • Senior Health Nursing Clinical
  • Health Care Informatics

Courses will shift from program to program and can likewise change hinging on the region of specialization that the person picks. Scholars are swayed to pick a specialization after their first two years of coursework are finished.