Nursing Education | Distance Learning Systems (DLSI)

National League for Nursing Leading the Way

America’s 3 million nurses are enjoying their leadership positions in health care during the 2014 National Nurses Week, from May 6-12. The week concluded on the birthday celebration of Florence Nightingale, a recognized leader in the profession. Not every health professional will become an international trailblazer for the profession, but every health professional has an opportunity to advertise quality patient care and take care of growing issues within the profession, that shows leadership. And that’s why this year’s concept, selected by the American Nurses Association, is Nurses Leading the Way.

“I am so pleased this is the concept,” said Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN and CEO of the National League for Nursing. There are many different ways nurses lead: from navigating sufferers from the bedside to back home and changing guidelines within their companies to providing on boards and forming policy, the National League for Nursing CEO also stated. “With more than 3 million nursing staff on the front-lines of medical care, we are critical to enhancing our nation’s health and are providing leadership to address many difficulties such as the increasing number of people with serious disease conditions and enhancing medical care results while reducing cost,” added Debra L. Fowler, PhD, MBA, RN, CNE, associate professor of nursing systems and track director of MSN in nursing leadership and administration at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Nursing. Nurses provide leadership to their sufferers by supporting them to improve their individual wellness and cause their health professional co-workers by using evidence-based exercise, Fowler outlined.

“We need to be leaders in evidence-based practice and medical care change,” said Bernadette Mazurek Melnyk, PhD, RN, CPNP/PMHNP, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN, dean and professor in the College of Nursing and professor of pediatrics and psychiatry in the College of Medicine at The Ohio State University in Columbus. “In particular, we need to be leading the health marketing and prevention paradigm throughout the United States.”

Programs Teaching Fundamentals of Nursing

If you are among those who find satisfaction in helping and looking after people, then nursing is the best suited profession for you. There is a great demand for nursing staff in the health care sector that can look after sick patients. These days, nursing staff are not only limited to medical centers, but they are equally in demand at treatment centers, voluntary organizations, pharmaceutical companies, hospices, jails, residential areas etc. Nursing is a growing profession with no signs of saturation or decrease. Hence, the first step to start a profession in patient care is to get registered in a college of nursing. There are many universities, colleges and community colleges that provide programs on nursing for learners desperate to learn basic skills and fundamentals of nursing.

However, the qualifications for an individual to engage in a diploma or a degree in nursing are only after finishing secondary school. Once registered in the course, an individual is taught the basics of human anatomy, physiology, biology, other primary principles, nursing skills and ideas to handle sufferers properly. The fundamentals of nursing include the basic and important jobs of a CNA in the healthcare industry. These primary responsibilities are activities of everyday life like bathing, cleansing, grooming, dressing, ambulation, exercising, feeding etc. Apart from correct diagnosis and medications, the recovery of an individual also depends on the type of care and support he gets from the hospital staff. Hence, it is necessary to know and carry out the fundamentals of nursing process and practice efficiently. Most of the training programs accomplish direct placement to people who qualify with good grades.

A degree program in nursing is generally of three to four years long. This program is separated into two parts. One part of the training is done in classes where learners are introduced to the fundamentals of nursing. This is called the Common Foundation Program. While the other aspect concentrates on the working experience and is performed in medical centers or medical organizations. After studying the primary principles in nursing, an individual is needed to choose his/her field of expertise. For example, specializing in psychological health or specializing in learning disabilities or in nursing for children. Those people who opt for a diploma course in nursing spend three years, while those who opt for a degree program in nursing are required to study for four years. However, there are some organizations that offer a degree in nursing in just three years.

LPN Job Demand Outlook

The Wall Street Journal reported that technological progressions, expanded focus on costs and enhancing patient results obliges organizations to demand more from both their high-skilled and low-skilled workers. This pattern is pushing LPN staff, which is viewed as a middle skilled occupation that doesn’t require a degree, out of hospitals and into lower paying places like assisted living centers. How has LPN hiring changed over the past 4 years?

Throughout the past 4 decades, the smallest number of occupation ads for LPN was seen throughout January 2010. From that point forward, hiring demand rose 60%. There were 38,000 jobs promoted on the web, which is a 17% decline when compared to the same 30-day interim in 2012.

The highest number of LPN job ads throughout showed up in Atlanta (GA), Minneapolis (MN), and Houston (TX). Of the metro places with the best demand, Minneapolis was the main area to experience year-over-year improvement, expanding 11% when compared to the same 30-day interim the past year. Recruiters in many spots are liable to have great employing conditions with a national average score of 15 on the Hiring Scale (the Hiring Scale scores reaches from 1 – 99, with 99 representing hardest-to-fill.) However, there are 5 places that score between 62 and 71, indicating that organizations in these places may experience issues looking for this talent. These places include:

Casper (WY)
Anchorage (AK)
Sioux Falls (SD)
Kennewick-Pasco-Richland (WA)
Fargo (ND)

WANTED Analytics™ demonstrates that LPNs were all the more sought after at general medical and surgical hospitals than anyplace else. Not just is this industry recruiting the most candidates, but has also seen demand expand 21% over last year. Working environments of specialists was likewise among the segments with the most demand and the greatest improvement, climbing 15% since 2012. Home health care services and nursing care facilities both saw extraordinary job ads volume, but demand in these areas diminished in comparison to last year. In these particular parts, LPN hiring issues isn’t likely to differ greatly. Home health care services results the lowers on the Hiring Scale with 13 and physician offices scores the highest at 17.

Strengthening Nursing Education thru Collaboration

In keeping with national recommendations to improve nursing education and practice and help nurses become well-positioned to lead change and advance healthcare, the University Of Florida College Of Nursing and the UF Health system’s division of nursing will collaborate more closely in education, analysis and patient care, UF Health president David S. Guzick, MD, PhD, declared in April.

As part of this collaboration, both Anna McDaniel, PhD, RN, dean of the College of Nursing and Irene Alexaitis, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, chief nursing officer and vice chairman of patient care services at UF Health Shands Hospital, will now hold positions and active roles within the wellness system and college, respectively. Aside from serving as dean, McDaniel will serve as the UF Health assistant vice chairman of academic practice partnerships and Alexaitis will serve as the College of Nursing associate dean of academic-practice partnerships. Moreover, nursing positions at UF Health are being created that combine obligations for teaching in the College of Nursing and active practice at UF Health Shands Hospital and other UF Health faculty office sites.

“I am pleased that our academic, research and clinical tasks in nursing will continue to forge strong partnerships through an established academic-practice collaboration,” said Guzick, senior vice chairman for health affairs and president of UF Health. “Strengthening the relationships between education, research and patient care is in maintaining with our overall strategic goal of putting patients at the center of everything we do.”

Joint appointments in the college and UF Health features will allow the college to better fulfill the academic needs of learners in the college’s academic programs, assist with UF Health nurse employment and preservation and enhance the link between clinical practice and nursing education. In addition, plans include exploring ways to offer advanced academic possibilities for nurses in UF Health facilities and aligning both organizations’ strategic goals and activities.

“We are pleased to further enhance the partnership between our college and UF Health and we are excited about many upcoming possibilities this will provide our nurses and faculty,” McDaniel said. “This move brings us back full circle to our pioneering culture as our founding dean Dorothy M. Smith was one of the earliest nursing leaders to completely incorporate nursing education, practice and research. By working more closely with UF Health, it confirms that we are teaching the next generation of nursing professionals completely prepared to fulfill the needs of our medical care system.”

RN Classes and Training Online

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, registered nurse is among the top 10 professions with the largest job growth. A registered nurse (RN) requires a large base of knowledge used to evaluate, plan and get involved to promote wellness, prevent disease and help sufferers deal with illness. When providing direct patient care, nursing staff observe, evaluate and record symptoms, responses and progress, which provides the basis for proper care planning and involvement. They are wellness teachers and supporters for sufferers, families and communities.

The RN nursing programs are requirements of recent times, as the certification they offer to the nursing staff are essential for them to progress later on. Many individuals like to go to universities for study, while in the present busy world, individuals aren’t getting enough time for them to go to the colleges. Hence, online RN classes are a trend currently. Nevertheless, there are individuals who believe that universities provide the quality of study that’s unmatchable in comparison to study which is offered on the internet. This completely relies on the idea of individuals. Hence, online RN classes are really a good way through which a health professional turn into a registered nurse and can improve their degree. Through this, a health care professional needs to be present at the evaluation known as National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX).

The way of functioning of an RN health professional relies on the ecological situation of the medical center and on its work structure. Nevertheless, RNs have been considered as the absolutely most important unit of the entire health system. The very first thing that must be done by a nurse is to put up an efficient course of action for their sufferers, since this technique helps in the appropriate nursing of the patient. Some activities included by the plan, such as the appropriate checking of the doses, avoiding too much interaction and providing appropriate dose of medicines to the sufferers. Therefore, these activities are being considered as the main area of an efficient strategy of an RN.

National League for Nursing New Director of Accreditation

The National League for Nursing has appointed Judith A. Halstead, PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEF, to lead its new accreditation department, effective July 1, 2014. Said NLN President Marsha Howell Adams, PhD, RN, CNE, FAAN, “I can think of no better person to direct this trans-formative initiative. With Dr. Halstead’s management, the NLN C-NEA will consist of accreditation services that are permeated with the League’s primary principles of caring, reliability, diversity and quality.” “The NLN’s objective to advance the health of the nation cannot be obtained without a dedication to the best nursing information possible,” said Dr. Halstead, PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEF. “I am excited and recognized to have the opportunity to provide leadership to this important initiative.”

Currently professor of nursing at Indiana University College of Nursing and director of IU’s Office for Online Education, Dr. Halstead was praised by School of Nursing dean, Dr. Marion Broome: “Judy Halstead delivers a lot of experience to this position. She has more than three years of experience in nursing education, management experience at both the college of nursing and university level, a system of co-workers with skills in this area across the nation and strong knowledge of requirements in nursing education. This unique education and expertise set will allow Dr. Halstead to cause this essential new initiative in ways few, if any, other individual could.”

Dr. Halstead is co-editor of the commonly referenced Teaching in Nursing: A Guide for Faculty. Her several awards include the MNRS Advancement of Science Award for the Nursing Education Research Section and the Sigma Theta Tau International Elizabeth Russell Belford Excellence in Education Award. Dr. Halstead is a fellow in the National League for Nursing Academy of Nursing Education and the American Academy of Nursing. Her work to promote quality in nursing education is commonly published nationwide and worldwide in more than 50 journals and 100 presentations and she is a frequently desired consultant on the process of nursing education. Dr. Halstead served as National League of Nursing president from 2011-2013.

Teaching Fundamentals of Nursing

If you are among those who find satisfaction in helping and looking after people, then nursing is the best suited profession for you. There is a great demand of nurses in the healthcare sector. Today, nursing staff are not only limited to medical centers, but they are also in demand at treatment centers, volunteer organizations, pharmaceuticals, hospices, jails, residential areas etc. Nursing is a growing profession with no signs of decline. Hence, the first step to start a profession in the patient care market is to get registered in a college of nursing. There are many universities, colleges and community colleges that offer programs on nursing for learners desperate to learn primary skills and fundamentals of nursing.

However, the qualification for a person to engage in a degree in nursing is only after finishing secondary school. Once registered in the course, a person is taught the basics of the anatomy of the human body, physiology, chemistry, other basic nursing skills and ideas to handle sufferers properly. The fundamentals of nursing include the primary and important jobs of a CNA in the healthcare market. These primary responsibilities are activities of everyday life like bathing, washing, grooming, dressing, ambulation, exercising, feeding, etc. Apart from correct diagnosis and medications, the recovery of an individual also depends on the type of care and support he gets from the hospital staff. Hence, it is necessary to know and carry out the fundamentals of nursing concepts and practice efficiently. Most of the training programs accomplish direct placement to people who qualify with good grades.

A degree program in nursing is generally of three to four years. This program is separated into two parts. One part of the training is conducted into classrooms where learners are introduced to the fundamentals of nursing. This is called the Common Foundation Program. While the other aspect concentrates on the working experience and is performed in medical centers or medical organizations. After studying the primary principles in nursing, a person is needed to choose his/her field of expertise. For example, specializing to emotional wellness issues or specializing to studying problems or in nursing for children. Those people who opt for a degree course in nursing spend three years, while those who opt for a degree program in nursing are needed to study for four years. However, there are some organizations that provide a degree in nursing in just three years.

Fundamentals of Nursing and Other Common Classes in Nursing Schools

Are you new to the nursing field? Ever wonder what nursing school will be like? Find out the answer to the question that may be on your mind: what classes do you actually take in nursing school?

1. Fundamentals of Nursing – Most nursing schools will start learners out in Fundamentals of Nursing. Names for this course can vary. Typically, in this course, you will finish your guideline nursing abilities and your important responsibilities that are required for skilled, safe and effective patient care. You may also finish certification skills, review of medical rules, and communication.

2. Human Anatomy & Physiology – Get ready to crack down and concentrate as you will enter your anatomy classes. You will understand a detailed study of the body system, how it is structured and how it works.

3. Psychology, Sociology and/or Mental Health – A lot of nursing schools will require learners to take some programs that relate to patient psychology, sociology or mental health. You will understand psychological needs, social background scenes and mental processes of sufferers. These may be entry programs to advanced psychological nursing programs.

4. Pharmacology and Dosage Computations – Do you really like math? Well, if not, be prepared to build up mental faculties to take part in a lot of it. Pharmacology is highly important in nursing and contains your biggest detailed research of medicines. It also contains computation procedures relevant to preparing and providing medicines to sufferers.

5. Nutrition & Diet Therapy – Generally, this is a small course that may be completed online or in a class room. Subjects covered here are individual dietary needs, food science and chemistry and nutritional focus points.

6. Microbiology & Pathology – Taught together or independently, these programs prepare learners for the understanding of harmful bacteria and pathogenic agents that can have an effect on our systems and the nursing care of the sufferers.

7. Medical Surgical Nursing – Learning the various illnesses and their procedures as well as how they take effect on our systems is another important part of nursing. The course provides all of the information you need to know on those specific topics and much more.

Questions to Ask Before Enrolling in an Online LPN Class

What you know may not be enough to get you through getting an online LPN course. This will help you figure out questions that you did not ask during the path of practical nursing application. For one to get the appropriate answers, one must ask the right questions. That concept is applicable when seeking for an online LPN class. Below are some of the most significant questions that you must consider.

Which is less expensive, a regular LPN course or an online LPN program? If you would compare costs in terms of college tuition, an online and a regular LPN programs is actually just the same. On the other hand, the reason why online LPN is considered less expensive is because you can undoubtedly save from housing and travelling costs and you can easily obtain an entire material on the internet from the college’s website, which considerably reduce your costs with purchasing books.

What are the courses that are usually trained in these programs? Online courses have the same objective as regular courses. The main objective would be on providing and preparing learners on nursing values, advanced skills on patient care and different necessary practical nursing procedures within a medical care setting. Majority of programs have courses like first aid, dose computation, medical terminology, documentation and obstetrics.

What are the different requirements for the online course? Like its campus-based equivalent, on the internet LPN courses need you to complete secondary school. Most online schools require a CGPA that is usually between 2.0 – 2.5. The programs should be cleared with no less than an ACT of 18 and a minimum grade of C+. There are also nursing schools that need completing courses like anatomy and physiology which is a basic requirement of an LPN program.

Where should I look for online LPN classes? You would be able to look for online LPN classes at different organizations that offer not-so-distant quality learning services. You can surf through the internet and check if there are medical or nursing schools offering online LPN classes within or near your area.

The Value of Simulation in Nursing Education

Technology performs a significant part in every profession. It has surpassed all the dimensions of the healthcare field too. There is an obvious advancement in the technologies used in hospital configurations as well as education settings. Starting from the evaluation of sufferers, to the treatment methods, a variety of equipment has taken over the part of nurses. For example, EMR has replaced the manual documentation of patient care. The EMR was incorporated into the medical work-flow to maintain right documentation of patient details and care and to ensure safe, quality care to the patients. Just like the clinical setting, technologies are advancing in the area of nursing education as well. The introduction of simulators in nursing has bridged the gap between classroom education and medical practice.

What is simulator and what role does it play in the nursing education? It is the imitation or duplication of a scenario or an event that one would deal with in real life (Sasser, 2011). Simulation has been used in the health care field for quite some time now. It has undergone a lot of changes from the first life sized manikin popularly known as Mrs. Chase, to the high fidelity full body simulators. A nurse gains information through academic research, realistic sessions, case research, and conferences and so on Nurses learn theory in school and get their realistic exposure in the clinical settings. In many cases, learners are unable to think critically and are anxious while providing care to the sufferers. Moreover, their level of confidence is pretty low and that affects their overall performance. Simulation plays a central part in today’s nursing education.

Going back to early 20th century, nursing learners practiced their abilities on hypodermic injection pads, IM hypodermic injection on oranges and so on. After few decades, the life size manikin Mrs. Chase took over the nursing skill area and she became more popular nationwide, as well as globally. Over the decades, the simulators experienced significant changes and now, it plays an important part in improving the nurses’ actual skills. Standardized sufferers are well-trained individuals who mimic a part so that the nursing learners can practice their skills of evaluation and enhance their interaction abilities. High fidelity manikins are used in the educational set ups to enable learners to practice and enhance advanced medical skills. These are trainer driven and allow learners to practice their nursing, critical thinking, decision making and interaction abilities in a given patient scenario. Simulation is helpful in many ways. It enhances essential medical abilities like crucial considering, decision-making and evaluation and permits them to handle challenging situations in a secure and controlled environment. This in turn enhances the student’s confidence in dealing with an identical scenario in the near future. In addition, nursing learners are allowed to get some things wrong in a safe scenario.