- Part 12

National League for Nursing Mission, Goals and Objectives

The National League for Nursing is a premier national organization for faculty nurses and leaders in nursing education. It is concerned with the improvement of nursing education and nursing services and the provision of health care in the United States.

The National League for Nursing operates in the following Mission, Goals, and Objectives:

Mission
The National League for Nursing promotes excellence in nursing education to build a strong and diverse nursing workforce to advance the health of our nation and the global community.

Goals and Objectives

Goal I

Leader in Nursing Education: Enhance the NLN’s national and international impact as the recognized leader in nursing education.

Objectives

The NLN will:

Be a key player in initiatives to build diversity in the nurse educator workforce
Promote the preparation of a nursing workforce that contributes to health care quality and safety
Be acknowledged as the leader in advancing excellence and innovation in nursing education
Be the primary source of data for legislation, regulations, or decisions about nursing education and the nurse educator workforce; and that informs teaching practices across all types of nursing education programs for diverse student populations
Be a key player in creating a community of nurse educators from around the world to address and influence issues related to excellence in nursing education

Goal II

Commitment to Members: Build a diverse, sustainable, member-led organization with the capacity to deliver our mission effectively, efficiently, and in accordance with our values.

Objectives

The NLN will:

Continually seek out, engage, and be responsive to full- and part-time nurse faculty, individuals preparing for the faculty role, nursing education researchers, and other health care and academic professionals
Be the leading provider of products and services for the continuous professional development of nursing faculty
Build a diverse membership through comprehensive, inclusive, and aggressive methods
Design all NLN programs and initiatives, including activities of affiliated constituent leagues, to provide maximum benefit to NLN members
Achieve its annual revenue goals while ensuring that the infrastructure meets the growing needs of the organization
Goal III

Champion for Nurse Educators: Be the voice of nurse educators and champion their interests in political, academic, and professional arenas.

Objectives

The NLN will:

Continue to provide opportunities to dialogue with the nurse educator community
Promote nursing education as an advanced practice role
Shape and inform public policy on nursing education
Lead efforts to create and sustain healthful work environments that value and support a diverse community of nurse educators
Expand and sustain alliances with other influential organizations
Goal IV

Advancement of the Science of Nursing Education: Promote evidence-based nursing education and the scholarship of teaching.

Objectives

The NLN will:

Promote the continuous development of faculty as educator-scholars
Advocate for resources to support nursing education research
Develop, design, and advance research initiatives that have broad-based significance, promote evidence-based teaching practices, are critical to decision making at institutional and national levels, and serve to transform nursing education

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.

Distance Education

The origins of distance education can be traced to mid-19^th century Europe and the United States. The postal system was the best technology that pioneers could use in their day. It was started to open educational opportunities to people who wanted to learn but were not able to attend conventional schools. Those with physical disabilities, women who were not allowed to enroll in institutions open only to men, people who had jobs during normal school hours, and those who lived in remote regions where schools did not exist are the people who most benefitted from distance education.

In 1872, American university level distance education began at Illinois Wesleyan University. Bachelor and graduate degrees could be obtained in absentia. The Chautauqua movement in about 1882 gave the popular push to correspondence education.

In 1915, accreditation of college and university distance programs fell to the National University Extension Association. And in 1926, the National Home Study Council (NHSC) was formed to address the issues of quality and ethical practice that arose due to the popularity of the teaching of academic and vocation courses by correspondence in 1900.

Distance Education has developed as technology changed. The invention of education radio in the 1920s and the advent of television in the 1940s created important new forms of communication for use in distance education. The development of reliable long-distance telephone company in the early 1900s also increased the capacity of distance educators to reach new student population. But telephone systems only played a prominent role in distance education with the development of teleconferencing technologies in the 1980s and 1990s. And, with the spread of computer-network communication in the 1980s and 1990s, it allowed teachers to communicate in conferences through computers.

Today, distance education makes use of the internet where teachers and students present text, pictures, audio, and video. File sharing and communications tools like email, chats, and audio and video conferencing are integral part of the internet setup.

Tips for Students on Studying Anatomy & Physiology

Students probably have the basic understanding and knowledge of how the human body works like the senses, movements and needs. But unfortunately, they are having a hard time understanding the deeper side of anatomy and physiology.

In this article, we will talk about the five effective tips for students on studying anatomy and physiology. But, before anything else, let’s try to know first the definition of anatomy and physiology.

What is anatomy and physiology?
According to experts, anatomy is the study of the structure and relationship of all parts of the body while physiology is the study of functions of the body parts and as a whole such as neurophysiology, histology, gross anatomy, and cytology. The definition itself will make your mind go round. In order to simplify things, the following will help you learn anatomy and physiology in the easiest way.

Study by body parts
According to Wikipedia, “The human body consists of many interacting systems. Each system contributes to the maintenance of homeostasis, of itself, other systems, and the entire body.” In order to fully understand the structures and functions of the human body, study by parts, focus on one system at a time.

Pay attention to visual presentations and image
Visual presentations and images will help you remember important details. If you are having a hard time learning the human anatomy, it is best that you pay more attention to diagrams, images of the anatomy and review it all over again until you can memorize the material.

Use Mnemonics
Mnemonics are the most effective and useful learning technique which aims to recall longer phrases in an easy way. Studying the names, functions and locations of anatomy is not easy. Creating simple and joyful mnemonics will help you understand anatomy and physiology like it is the easiest science subject on earth.

Group Study
Students learn more efficiently when studying in groups. If you study anatomy and physiology alone, chances are, you will likely close your book and sleep. To understand the subject well, talk with your friends and arrange for a group study. Discussing recent lectures with your friends will help you overcome fear and anxiety about the subject.

Lastly, motivate yourself; tell yourself that anatomy and physiology is an easy subject. Also, you will enjoy studying the anatomy and physiology of the human body by following these tips.

Getting College Credit through CLEP

Earning a college credit is helpful for anyone who wishes to finish college early. CLEP is the fast track to your educational future. The College Level Examination Program is one of the examinations that students can take in order to earn college credit from 2,900 colleges that grant it. Each institution awards the credit to students who meet the college’s minimum qualifying score for that exam. Also, each institution determines the exams for which it awards the credit and the amount of credit that will be granted. Make sure to review the college’s or university’s CLEP policy to know this information.

The amount of credit you can earn from a CLEP exam can be up to 12 credits if you pass it. However, the amount of individual CLEP exam you can earn varies with each institution. There are colleges that place a limit on the total amount of credit you can earn while others may grant you exemption but no credit towards your degree.

Minimum qualifying score for earning a CLEP credit may vary from exam to exam. Most colleges publish their required scored for earning CLEP credit in their general catalog or brochure.

There are instances where colleges will not grant credit for a CLEP exam. If you have already attempted a college-level course closely aligned with the exam, some colleges will not grant credit for it. Also, some colleges will not permit you to earn CLEP credit for a course that you failed.

Before repeating a CLEP exam, be sure to wait six months. Repeating a CLEP exam of the same title earlier than six months will make the scores not accepted and test fees will be forfeited. Aside from that, colleges usually award CLEP credit only to their enrolled students.

To be sure if a CLEP credit can be earned, find out from the institution what type of credit you can receive and all other information before taking the CLEP exam.

Differences between Palliative and Hospice Care

Hospice care and Palliative have similarities: both provide care for patients with fatal illnesses. As a supplement to some of the more traditional care options, both palliative and hospice care protocols call for patients to receive a combined approach where medications, day-to-day care, equipment, bereavement counseling, and symptoms treatment are administered through a single program. The differences between the two programs lay in the location, timing, and treatment.

The location where palliative care is delivered is most common in an institution such as a hospital, extended care facility, or nursing home that is associated with a palliative care team. This is because a team of doctors, nurses, and other professional medical caregivers will administer or oversee most of the ongoing comfort-care patients receive. But, palliative care can also be delivered at home.

Meanwhile, hospice care is administered in the home by a team of hospice professionals. Hospice often relies upon the family caregiver, as well as a visiting hospice nurse.

Palliative care can be received by patients any time, at any stage of illness whether it be terminal or not. There are no time restrictions. However, hospice care requires that a physician certify that a patient’s condition is terminal. The patient’s expectancy should be six months or less.

Treatments are not limited with palliative care and there is no expectation that life-prolonging therapies will be avoided. Palliative care treatment can range from conservative to aggressive/curative. While this is the case for palliative care, hospice care treatments, on the other hand, concentrate on comfort. The goal is no longer cure, but to provide comfort to the patient for the remaining days of their lives.

There are differences between palliative care and hospice care. And yet, there is a relationship between the two at the same time. They are very similar when it comes to the most important issue for dying people: care.

Distance Education: Another Way of Learning

It would surprise you that distance education started as early as mid-19^th century Europe and the United States. During those times, the best technology that the distance education pioneers can use was the postal system. Today, distance education has become increasingly popular and one of the reasons is the technology we have available, the internet.

To open educational opportunities to people who wanted to learn but are not able to attend conventional schools, distance education was established. Geographical or time concerns are mainly the reasons that prevent the student from attending an on-campus course. This gap is bridged by electronic means and by distributing educational materials through distance learning programs using printed and mailed materials.

Today, most distance education takes place using the internet because it is the vastly accessible means for majority of the students. Through the internet, the learning materials can be distributed, students can keep in touch with teachers, and provide access to communication between students. Other technological formats are also used in distance learning like television, DVDs, teleconferencing, and printable material. However, distance education through the web is the first choice for many learners.

Distance education makes it much easier for a student to complete a degree or get additional job-training while balancing work and family commitments because class work hours are flexible. Most distance education programs allow their students to work at their own pace and on their own time. Distance learning is also great for students who do not have readily available access to educational facilities or those who want to explore opportunities not offered by their local schools.

In the past decade, distance education has become an increasingly popular way for students to learn about topics and get degrees they might not otherwise be able to pursue. And this allow students to enhance career prospects wherever they may be.

Myths about Nursing Homes

The decision to move either ourselves or a family member to a nursing home is something we have to face as we age. It may be a decision that arrives suddenly after hospitalization, gradually as needs become more difficult to meet in other types of housing.

It is important to learn all you can about nursing homes to arrive at a less stressful decision that is right for you or your loved one. It is also important that you separate the facts from the myths about nursing homes to help you arrive at a decision. There are a lot of negative connotations to the label “nursing homes”, so knowing the truth can help ease some of your worries and bust of those myths.

Often, people think that a nursing home is the only option for those who can’t take care of themselves at home. That is not entirely true. There are a lot of options to help older adults stay at home, ranging from help with laundry and shopping to caregiving and visiting home health services. If staying at home is no longer possible, assisted living is another option if the primary need is custodial care rather than skilled medical care.

People also think that nursing homes are for those whose families do not care about them. This is a myth. If people cannot provide the necessary care for an older family member, the responsible thing to do is to find a place where the family member’s needs are met.

It is also a myth that all nursing homes provide poor care. Information about the facility’s staffing and previous violations are available to the public that will help you make a decision.

Lastly, it is also not true that you cannot leave once you are in a nursing home. That depends if the care that you need is necessary through the end of life. But there are cases where rehabilitative care is only needed and returning home or another housing option may be a better fit.

Does an NLN Accreditation Matter?

Many people are unsure about what an accreditation means to a program or a school. Accreditation is a process by which educational programs are evaluated by an outside body that determines if professional standards are being met. In a nursing school or program, one of the national organizations that have an accreditation entity is the NLN or the National League for Nursing.

NLN, a membership organization for nursing faculty and leaders in education, has created the NLNAC (National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission) that is responsible for the accreditation of nursing education schools and programs. The NLNAC, as detailed in the organization’s website, is responsible for the specialized accreditation of a wide variety of nursing programs, including clinical doctorate, master’s, bachelor’s, associate, diploma, and practical programs. The NLNAC accreditation serves to provide assurance that schools and nursing programs meet or exceed certain standards and criteria.

Other benefits of the accreditation are: enables a program to improve through self-evaluation, helps a program recruit students, assures employers that graduates have competent skills, helps guide students in their job and education choices, enables transfer of education credits, and helps students be eligible for financial assistance from government sources.

How does an accreditation affect you? Students who choose to attend non-accredited programs may not be eligible for financial aid and credit may not be transferred as well when they decide to change programs or further education. Job possibilities may also be limited for students who graduated in a non-accredited program especially in working for the government.

Therefore, an NLN accreditation does matter. You want to be confident that everything you are taught meets professional standards and you want to know that the program will prepare you to enter the healthcare industry with the most current skills and knowledge in that field. Attending an NLNAC accredited program is an investment for your future.

What is a Respiratory Therapist?

People of every age need respiratory care, from premature infants to adults. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the fourth leading killer of adults; people with asthma, bronchitis and emphysema need respiratory therapy. Moreover, people who have had heart attacks, suffered trauma, are born prematurely or have sleep disorders might also need respiratory therapy to help them breathe easier. These are the cases where a respiratory therapist is needed.

Respiratory therapists apply scientific principles to prevent, identify, and treat acute or chronic dysfunction of the cardiopulmonary system, such as asthma, emphysema, pneumonia, cardiovascular disorders and trauma. Their knowledge of the scientific principles underlying cardiopulmonary physiology and pathophysiology, biomedical engineering and technology, enables them to effectively assess, educate and treat patients with cardiopulmonary disorders.

In a hospital setting, the respiratory therapist may play a prominent role in responding to Code Blue or other urgent calls for care in the emergency room. He/she provides care and life-support to patients in the intensive care units, general hospital areas, the pulmonary diagnostics laboratory, and other specialty areas such as rehabilitation. In some hospitals, therapist perform tasks that fall outside their traditional role: pulmonary rehabilitation, smoking cessation counseling, disease prevention and case management.

Responsibilities are varied and demanding for the modern respiratory therapist, from complex diagnostic procedures to supervision of respiratory technicians and equipment. The respiratory therapist may, for example, test a patient’s breathing capacity and determine the concentration of oxygen and other gases in a patient’s blood. Or, he/she may teach patients and their families to use ventilators and other life-support systems in the home.

Age doesn’t matter when it comes to receiving care from a respiratory therapist. Patients range from the premature infant to the eldest of the elderly. The respiratory professional is also involved in diagnostic testing of infants, children and adults with varying medical problems including cardiopulmonary diseases and sleep disorders.