Tag: Advancing Nursing Education

Getting Ready For Your Nursing Education

Preparing for your nursing education is not a walk in the park. There will be plenty of times when you have to do a ton of things in a short span of time.  Nursing is not like any other course that takes minimal preparation. What you are actually preparing for is a career right from the get-go.

There is a list of things to do that will go a long way as far as preparation goes. So jot them down and start tinkering on that list in preparation for your nursing education.

Get Organized
This is a to-do in your list that demands constant attention. Nurses are organized people. Learn to organize, set priorities and make a monitor out of it, so you may know your progress as an aspiring nurse.

Get a Group
Don’t isolate yourself. Nurses don’t work that way. They even create bonds with their patients. They talk and spend time with them. It takes a gathering or a committee of medical practitioners to perform an operation, not just a single nurse. Grow with your fellow nursing aspirants.

Go Get It
Keep things in perspective. Never lose sight of your ultimate goal which is to graduate and be a successful nurse. Stay motivated, even if you are discouraged at times, because you will learn from it. Don’t also be afraid to ask questions from your teachers or superiors when you have any.

Get Some Sleep
This may well be a trivial matter, but because nurses work with different time schedules, it is best that they grab some rest in between their shifts. And what better time to start conditioning yourself with work shifts than in nursing school.

Get Connected
Try to connect with your fellow classmates immediately after enrollment. This will eliminate the pressure of handling your lessons alone. Always remember, you don’t work in isolation; there are doctors and medical specialists you need to get in touch with so that you can survive your nursing education.

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.

 

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 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.

Nursing Standards of Care

A standard of care states what a person must do or perform in a health care activity. One particular example of standard of care may illustrate what you should do if you found a patient just fallen to the floor. The certified nursing assistant must call for help, adhere to the patient and look at the person to see if they are hurt or needs further treatment. If you can’t do these things, you are not following the standard of care. If you don’t do what is expected to a nursing assistant, you may be held accountable for any harm or damage done to the patient or citizen.

Different states have their own standards of care that must be followed by nursing assistants. Nursing assistants must report abnormal signs or symptoms they observe during their shift. In case a nursing assistant doesn’t report shortness of breath to the nurse, this nursing assistant isn’t providing care based on the standard of care in their state.

An institution or association may have their own standards of care. For instance, our national law states that patient and resident health information have to be kept discreet, that means no other person should access it unless authorized. In case a nursing assistant tells other people about the health condition of another individual, they’re not following a standard of care. All workplaces have a policy and procedure book that has standards of care. There are certain rules and regulations that must be strictly followed.

States provides the scope of practice for nurses, doctors, nursing assistants and others. They list exactly what a person can and cannot do in their job. If nursing assistant assists an individual with their medicines in a nursing home, they’re doing things outside of their scope of practice. They’re only allowed to do this in an assisted living home. Also, if a nursing assistant provides a person their medicine anywhere, they are not following their scope of practice.

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.

Nursing Challenges: Stress

Nurses face different challenges daily, not just in the hospital but in their personal life as well. Nursing is actually a career with lots of challenges. Nurses are confronted with emotional and professional demands that lots of people can’t even imagine. Taking responsibility for the wellness of people’s lives is a big challenge for individuals employed in healthcare. There have been numerous enhancements to controlling most of the physical perils of the nursing care. Good examples include universal safeguards and safety practices. However, there are concerning hazards to some nurse’s mental and emotional health.

Stress is associated with people working in the hospital. It may be the emotional and physical reaction experienced when a person is put in a situation he or she is not capable of handling. Nurses face different types of patients with different kinds of health conditions. These put so much stress on them while doing their own routine.

Signs and symptoms of stress include fatigue, disrupted sleep programs, high blood pressure and pulse, appetite loss or overeating, muscle tension, decreased libido, utilization of alcohol or drugs, irritability, eagerness, sadness, poor concentration, anxiety, worry, ambivalence, memory lapses, and lack of spontaneity. Physical results of stress may include cardiovascular disease, stroke, immune disorders, putting on weight, weight reduction, intestinal problems, diabetes, discomfort, headaches, fertility issues, allergic reactions, skin conditions, hair thinning, periodontal disease, and much more.

Stress could be handled in a number of ways in which can result in enhanced overall health and wellness for people employed in healthcare. Though the career has so many challenges, it’s still a satisfying profession which has a profound and positive impact on many people’s lives.

Efforts for Advancing Nursing Education

Creating larger, more extremely trained medical employees will improve access to higher-quality, more patient-centered and more cost-effective care. That is especially important now: Demand for medical care is growing as the population ages and millions more individuals are entering the medical care program under the Affordable Care Act. Nurses, the largest segment of the medical care work force, provide critical care to our members, many of whom are aging and managing multiple chronic health issues.

That is why AARP, the AARP Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) jointly released the Center to Champion Nursing in America six years ago, to help the medical career better serve consumers. When a subsequent, groundbreaking Institute of Medicine (IOM) review called for transformation of the nursing career, AARP teamed up with RWJF to launch a nationwide strategy to implement the report’s recommendations. These focus on nursing education, practice, leadership, diversity, data, inter-professional collaboration and more. Since its creation three years ago, the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action has organized action coalitions, groups of nurses and health professional champions comprising business, government, academia, consumer groups, philanthropy and other sectors in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The coalitions have so far jointly raised more than $6 million and released projects to advance nursing education, build the nursing workforce and expand access to nursing professionals and other advanced practice nurses. Seven states have removed major barriers to advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) practice and proper care, and one state has given gave APRNs full practice authority and expanded prescriptive power. Nine action coalitions, meanwhile, have been funded to test models to increase the number of baccalaureate-prepared nurses, a key IOM review recommendation. And leaders of national organizations comprising nursing education and community colleges have come together in support of nurses’ advancing the training and learning.