Academy of Nursing Education | Distance Learning Systems (DLSI)

Steps to Becoming a Competent Nurse

A nursing education has its own procedure. You can’t just finish a certain course and be eligible for a nursing job. There are steps that you need to do for you to become a legitimate nurse.

First, you need to complete an accredited nursing program. This can be accomplished through nursing diplomas, associate programs for nursing and even a bachelor’s degree. This is your initial step before proceeding to a higher level of nursing education. After which, you need to pass the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCLEX-RN). The purpose of this exam is to assess how much you have learned after taking associate courses in nursing. This exam is crucial since it will pave the way for your nursing license.

And speaking of license, nurses should have proper licenses for them to function as legitimate nurses. It goes without saying that those who don’t have licenses of their own are not allowed even to diagnose a patient, let alone take care of them.

After completing these initial three steps, it is advisable that any nurse should get employment. This is the fleshing-out part of having a nursing degree. Unless you do this employment thing, your calling as a nurse is not so much complete. When you are employed, you have the opportunity to widen your options as well as developing certain skills like decision-making. Get training, if need be. This will further enhance your capability as a nurse and will increase your chances of getting promoted if you so desire to become a preceptor or a medical specialist in the future.

These are the steps to becoming a competent nurse. These may vary depending on the need of the hospital. But with these steps, your chances of becoming nurse are as sure as a waiting patient just outside your door.

Taking Good Care Your Nurses

Nurses are in high demand. The demand is so high, that many consider the number of RN’s available to be a near catastrophic deficit. All across the US and even abroad, nursing courses are a dime a dozen. With so many needing medical attention, chances are the need of providing more medical staff such as nurses and doctors would still be among the highest in terms of enrollees in our colleges and universities.

And leading the supply of nurses in the country is the Distance Learning Systems Indiana, Inc. (DLSI). Since 1999, DLSI is constantly providing customized educational programs as well as test preparation products for our potential nurses.

No longer is a nursing education done in the four corners of a classroom, DLSI offers the concept of learning information at a distance. It offers flexibility and an environment that suits every student as he intends to learn from DLSI’s unique educational program.

Recognizing the inherent differences in every student, DLSI addresses each need from its Blended Learning Program, an interactive, classroom-based online video classroom where nursing students could test-out programs to supplement their education or even credit requirements.

They offer free nursing seminars, superior course materials, tutoring, and even financial assistance to augment the growing demand of producing more competent nurses in the country. Nursing education has come a long way with DLSI. It is their goal of preparing them for a successful nursing career, not just mere medical staffers in some private hospital out there.

DLSI has its national passing rate at 97%, one of the highest in the country. They simply take care of your nursing education so these new nurses could take good care of their patients. And with its mission statement of providing affordable and appropriate access to higher learning, you can be sure that the quality of nurses they will not only heal the sick but also improve the condition of their lives as well.

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 20^th 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 Fulfillment

There are so many good things about selecting a nursing career. Choosing a course in nursing education may be challenging but rewarding. The nurse assists individuals on a regular basis, and more often than not finds the job to be really satisfying. Nurses have the ability to select their particular specialty, doing work in the field of nursing or medicine that meets their preferences. Nursing offers many options for development into management, in addition to having more employment opportunities, even in troublesome periods. Nurses are compensated well for the work that they execute. Nursing can provide a chance to travel in different states. Giving the leisure to see other places and meet new friends.

Nurses are capable of helping individuals achieve wellness on a regular basis. Many individuals see nursing as a noble profession, permitting the nurse to deliver care to others. The job is often quite fulfilling. Numerous nurses find great fulfillment in aiding patients as they regain their own health.

The profession of nursing permits the nurse to select her own niche. Nurses can choose to function in most of the many nursing fields accessible, and can also decide to become certified in a specialty of preference. Selecting a career in nursing can provide opportunities for leadership, and lots of times, nurses find their way into management in large healthcare corporations.

Even if job prospects are gloomy for the remainder of the industry, the requirement for nurses never diminishes, giving the job strong employment security. Nurses will also be paid well for their work, with many registered nurses generating well over the median salary of the United States for full-time employment.

You can find a great many possibilities to the nurse, and lots of advantages to selecting a career in nursing. Nurses discover great happiness in their profession, and are compensated well. They’ve got unlimited possibilities for improvement, and are able to travel to work in new areas. If you are heading towards nursing education, it’s a noble and decent course to take.

The Nursing Baccalaureate Program

Nursing is one of the most in demand profession in the country today, and is expected to rise more in the coming years. This makes the profession more appealing; the higher the demand, the better chances of employment. The baccalaureate program offers courses that prepare the student to become a professional nurse.

The program is composed of classes and trainings that best prepare the students to handle medical care, treatment and support to patients. The students will learn the basic nursing care, fundamentals, theories, medicines, terms etc. At some point of the curriculum, the nursing student will be exposed in an actual situation. Wherein they will learn how it the real scenario looks like; this is done to better prepare the student before they graduate. Once the student satisfies the requirements, they will be qualified to take the examination for licensure to practice as a registered nurse.

The objective of the BSN program is to prepare graduates to work as professional nurses in a number of scenarios. Graduates are envisioned as having acquired fundamentals for ongoing professional development. Nurses are expected to be fully equipped once they graduate; there’s no more time to practice once the nurse is on duty. The patient’s recovery and safety depends on how the nurse handles the treatments and medications.

The curriculum is developed to assist the student to develop skills, stimulate intellectual curiosity and also to develop the capability to work with other health workers. The professional nurse is dedicated to the function of maintaining health insurance and ensuring the quality of health care services. The nursing school plays an important role in preparing the nurse to become well-equipped with skills and knowledge needed for efficiency.

National League for Nursing Academy Class of 2014

The National League for Nurses has chosen twenty nurse educators as the eight class of fellows. They were all endorsed for induction into the prestigious Academy of Nursing Education. There were also two nurse educators who were named as honorary fellows, this is the category for nurses who have dedicated their life in educating nurses, those who retired from service, and those who have made a significant contributions and honor to nursing education. The induction ceremony will be held during the 2014 Education Summit on September 14 Friday evening at the NLN Banquet. This will be witnessed by the 187 nurse leaders in nursing education, health care professionals and other guests from other institutions.

The review panel of the Academy of Nursing Education has to consider a vast number of things, like background, records, affiliations, etc of the prospected nurse fellow. One of their criteria will be the applicants’ contributions and efforts towards innovative teaching/learning strategies; nursing education research; faculty training and development activities; leadership in the academe; being active in promoting the improvement of health care system or being able to collaborate with institutions and other partners towards the advancement of the nursing education.

The Academy of Nursing Education was established in 2007 by the NLN in the year 2007 with the hopes of creating excellence in nursing education by focusing on the wisdom and skills of the nursing educators. The Chief Executive Officer of the NLN Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN, explained that the fellows will support the mission and the core values of the NLN and will assist in the work required to prepare graduates from the different types of nursing programs. The fellows will be the mentors of the next generation of nurse educators and for those in the clinical practice who wants to be a part of a nursing faculty.