Once again we stand at the threshold of a new year, a juncture to straighten our paths and discard the bad habits for good ones. It also brings on a new outlook, one of invigoration and enthusiasm. As a visitor and participant to many blogs and forums there is no shortage of acrimony, all that warrant merit. It’s time to recommit to our convictions and address all that is amiss. As our President-elect is sworn into office this new year, it would behoove us to adopt his theme of change. It's time to act on what needs to be corrected. We can start by simply speaking up rather than being silent. Every moment we take to correct a situation is a step in the direction for improvement.
Let us become more cognizant of what is in our power to better our profession. Be mindful that every small effort toward change is the first step to whole and complete change. Approach each day with a positive and constructive attitude. As the critical mass, each one of us is responsible for the change we want in our profession. We are professionals in the most vital occupation that exists and this attitude, and its reality, is supported by the legacy and ideals of Florence Nightingale.
Together, we can make each professional resolution, a comprehensive advocacy. Suggested theme for change in 2009: The best is yet to come.
By Jenn Foster
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
New Year’s Resolution: Education
The road ahead always appears long and difficult; the terrain unmanageable. Looking back at the road traveled helps to assess our needs, wants and what is right; often we struggle to make the necessary changes. A new year triggers a time of renewal for our hearts and minds and brings us to that proverbial clean slate that makes us more energetic for making those changes.
There is so much to be done – where do we start?
We can not accomplish everything overnight. The question for each of us is what can we do now? Keep it simple. Simply put, once begun is half done. It is that simple! The thing that we can be sure of is that we need to do something. A few mouse clicks on the internet can take us anywhere.
Everything in our profession revolves around education. We can not stand still. Assess the knowledge and credentials in which you are in need and recommit to education. Are you in need of a degree or just simply some refresher courses? How about ReLicensure?! Please see October 31 article from Villanova University concerning ReLicensure.
As this blog continues to evolve, research the opportunities that are provided. Explore the schools of nursing that participate (and the many that are forthcoming) for the program and specialty they offer and take that first step.
Many of you maybe ready for your next step, a new beginning. Please examine the postings on CareerBuilder.com at left for the latest job openings and click on “Nursing Positions in Pennsylvania” and “Nurse Educator Postings in Pennsylvania” for a complete list.
Thank you for visiting this site in 2008. Your comments are not only welcomed here but encouraged. Your contributions will help make each one of us better, and in turn, better the healthcare industry. I look forward to hearing from you in 2009.
By Jenn Foster
There is so much to be done – where do we start?
We can not accomplish everything overnight. The question for each of us is what can we do now? Keep it simple. Simply put, once begun is half done. It is that simple! The thing that we can be sure of is that we need to do something. A few mouse clicks on the internet can take us anywhere.
Everything in our profession revolves around education. We can not stand still. Assess the knowledge and credentials in which you are in need and recommit to education. Are you in need of a degree or just simply some refresher courses? How about ReLicensure?! Please see October 31 article from Villanova University concerning ReLicensure.
As this blog continues to evolve, research the opportunities that are provided. Explore the schools of nursing that participate (and the many that are forthcoming) for the program and specialty they offer and take that first step.
Many of you maybe ready for your next step, a new beginning. Please examine the postings on CareerBuilder.com at left for the latest job openings and click on “Nursing Positions in Pennsylvania” and “Nurse Educator Postings in Pennsylvania” for a complete list.
Thank you for visiting this site in 2008. Your comments are not only welcomed here but encouraged. Your contributions will help make each one of us better, and in turn, better the healthcare industry. I look forward to hearing from you in 2009.
By Jenn Foster
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Professional Standards and Expectations for Nurses
By: Stephanie Larkin
Every major profession carries with it a group of expectations and standards by which those that work within each industry must adhere to in order to maintain quality practice. These standards are, in many ways, how institutions and businesses gain the trust of their clients, or in the case of nursing the trust of their patients, which enables the institution to become legitimate.
There is no business sector which needs standards and expectations more than any profession within the medical and health services field. This is a field by which employees are working with people on a daily basis, and the quality of their lives and health care. As such, maintaining a set of practices and standards are imperative. Because nursing is the profession through which more patients will have one on one contact with than many other professions in health services, standards are even more important. While each country and each specialization of nursing carries with it its own unique sets of standards and expectations, nurses have a common ground where they meet, and why their standards are understood across every field, and every country.
Standards within a professional practice are known as statements of an authoritative nature through which the profession to which they relate to provide a unique description of the responsibilities of all practitioners within that profession. Further, the standards and expectations are in place to ensure that all practitioners are also accountable for the work and duties they perform. When it comes to nursing, this is done in order to create boundaries and to provide a level of care that is equitable for all patients. Further, the priorities and values of nurses must be common to each nurse within the profession, and the standards and expectations outlines this as such.
While standards will vary in specifics across nursing specializations, and across countries, there is a general mindset as to what is expected of nurses in terms of expectations and standards. They are intended to provide daily guidance to nurses as they practice. Accountability, ethics, competence, knowledge, and the practical application of knowledge are key elements that are common to all nursing standards and expectations.
Nurses are required to be held accountable for every action that they take on a daily basis. This requires constant documentation of every element of their daily job, and following a chain of command within their select position. They are also required to maintain ethical standards within their practice, and to follow all ethical guidelines as set forth by their governing body of nursing. Furthermore, nurses are expected to have a set amount of knowledge before they enter the field of practitioner work, and with that knowledge set come an expectation of competence and practical application. Nurses are expected to be competent in their knowledge base such that they know and understand what they are supposed to in the medical field, and also, are supposed to know how to apply that knowledge in a practical manner.
For example, nurses will be taught in school how to implement an IV procedure. Knowing how to do this is not enough, nurses should be able to apply this knowledge practically through the actual conduct of IV procedures, and should be capable and competent of doing so.
Quality Assurance is another issue that is common across all standards and expectations for nurses. Through this, quality assurance standards ensure that nurses are practicing with quality efforts which in itself promote their competence and practical applications. This will require continuous education on the part of the individual nurse, as quality assurance standards across many medical centers, cities, and countries are in a constant state of evolution. It is the responsibility of the nurse practitioner to understand their quality assurance expectations at all times.
Confidentiality is another element of most standards and expectations for nurses. This is a requirement that nurses do not have an option to practice or not. Legislation and privacy concerns are in effect all across the globe, and nurses have the expectation that they will maintain confidential and private information for their patients within the patient doctor realm. Patients use medical services under the understanding that their information and medical records are not being seen by the wrong person, or found in the wrong hands, and because nurses have the most contact between patient and doctor, these are standards of paramount significance to the nursing profession.
While these are only a tip of the iceberg when it comes to nursing standards and expectations, these standards are among the most common across specializations and countries.
Every major profession carries with it a group of expectations and standards by which those that work within each industry must adhere to in order to maintain quality practice. These standards are, in many ways, how institutions and businesses gain the trust of their clients, or in the case of nursing the trust of their patients, which enables the institution to become legitimate.
There is no business sector which needs standards and expectations more than any profession within the medical and health services field. This is a field by which employees are working with people on a daily basis, and the quality of their lives and health care. As such, maintaining a set of practices and standards are imperative. Because nursing is the profession through which more patients will have one on one contact with than many other professions in health services, standards are even more important. While each country and each specialization of nursing carries with it its own unique sets of standards and expectations, nurses have a common ground where they meet, and why their standards are understood across every field, and every country.
Standards within a professional practice are known as statements of an authoritative nature through which the profession to which they relate to provide a unique description of the responsibilities of all practitioners within that profession. Further, the standards and expectations are in place to ensure that all practitioners are also accountable for the work and duties they perform. When it comes to nursing, this is done in order to create boundaries and to provide a level of care that is equitable for all patients. Further, the priorities and values of nurses must be common to each nurse within the profession, and the standards and expectations outlines this as such.
While standards will vary in specifics across nursing specializations, and across countries, there is a general mindset as to what is expected of nurses in terms of expectations and standards. They are intended to provide daily guidance to nurses as they practice. Accountability, ethics, competence, knowledge, and the practical application of knowledge are key elements that are common to all nursing standards and expectations.
Nurses are required to be held accountable for every action that they take on a daily basis. This requires constant documentation of every element of their daily job, and following a chain of command within their select position. They are also required to maintain ethical standards within their practice, and to follow all ethical guidelines as set forth by their governing body of nursing. Furthermore, nurses are expected to have a set amount of knowledge before they enter the field of practitioner work, and with that knowledge set come an expectation of competence and practical application. Nurses are expected to be competent in their knowledge base such that they know and understand what they are supposed to in the medical field, and also, are supposed to know how to apply that knowledge in a practical manner.
For example, nurses will be taught in school how to implement an IV procedure. Knowing how to do this is not enough, nurses should be able to apply this knowledge practically through the actual conduct of IV procedures, and should be capable and competent of doing so.
Quality Assurance is another issue that is common across all standards and expectations for nurses. Through this, quality assurance standards ensure that nurses are practicing with quality efforts which in itself promote their competence and practical applications. This will require continuous education on the part of the individual nurse, as quality assurance standards across many medical centers, cities, and countries are in a constant state of evolution. It is the responsibility of the nurse practitioner to understand their quality assurance expectations at all times.
Confidentiality is another element of most standards and expectations for nurses. This is a requirement that nurses do not have an option to practice or not. Legislation and privacy concerns are in effect all across the globe, and nurses have the expectation that they will maintain confidential and private information for their patients within the patient doctor realm. Patients use medical services under the understanding that their information and medical records are not being seen by the wrong person, or found in the wrong hands, and because nurses have the most contact between patient and doctor, these are standards of paramount significance to the nursing profession.
While these are only a tip of the iceberg when it comes to nursing standards and expectations, these standards are among the most common across specializations and countries.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Overview of Nursing School Programs
By: Lisa Parker
If you are interested in obtaining a degree in nursing, you could not have picked a better time. Nurses are in great demand today, and with people living longer, that demand is likely to increase in the coming years. Nursing school programs can be characterized by the type of degree they offer, and although there are actually 5 degree types that one can obtain as a nurse, the more popular degrees are the Associate's and the bachelor's. However, if you are interested in newer professions such as forensic nursing, there are also certificate programs. Maybe you are considering legal consultation or teaching and you may even decide to get your master's degree. The other defining characteristic is whether you are in an online or distance learning program, or taking courses at a traditional college or university.The Associate's degree programs focus predominately on teaching students what is needed to prepare them to enter the workforce with the skills of a professional nurse. Their education typically has four major components, which consist of evaluation of care, health teaching, wellness and prevention, and the administration of treatments and medications. The evaluation component includes observation, nursing diagnosis, assessment, and intervention. The main focus of the Associate's degree is for their student to achieve employment either while in school or directly after graduation. Although it is not a requirement, most nursing programs for a bachelor's degree operate from the assumption that most of their students are registered nurses and/or they have already obtained their Associate's degree in nursing. The focus of these programs is to prepare students for a higher position, such as a supervisory role, or to enter into a master's degree program. These programs usually revolve around the cultural, political, economic and social issues that can affect patients and the health care industry in general. There is also a focus on understanding the allocation and management of resources, which includes but is not limited to, people, money, and time. The most common variations of the Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing or a student's route to this degree include going from an RN to a bachelor's degree. Other variations include the accelerated bachelor's program, LPN to a bachelor's, the traditional 4-year bachelor's, the online RN – bachelor's degree, and the second-degree bachelor's program. The master's degree program revolves around the type of career you want, as you can get a master's degree that focuses on a more specific nursing path such as, Nursing, Nurse Education, Midwifery, Administration, and Health Care Systems Management. If your focus revolves around Nursing, Nursing Education, Midwifery, or any other similar specialty, your training should focus more on the actual health and expanding upon the knowledge received in your previous educational programs. If you have decided on receiving a masters degree with a focus on Leadership in Healthcare Systems, Nursing Administration, Health Care Systems Management, or any other similar specialty, your program should focus on management, leadership, finance, managed care strategies, workforce management, and other courses designed to prepare students for obtaining leadership positions in their chosen health care organization.
It is important to note that in the field of nursing many programs often offer certificates as well as degree programs. The certificate programs are more specialized than degree programs and there are certificates that can be obtained before you receive a bachelor's degree or after you gain your master's degree. Some of the certificate programs that are pre-master's degree include case management and geriatric care management. A few certificates for those with a master's degree include legal nurse consulting and life care planning. Most online schools and traditional colleges and universities also offer more specialized programs like the Nurse Practitioner program and Clinical Nursing Specialist programs. As other nursing careers and specialties gain popularity, you should begin seeing more degree and/or certificate programs available in the field of Nursing. Unlike online programs, colleges and universities can boast a combination of classroom training, lab work, and on the job experience as a part of their programs. Although this has been the greatest advantage of traditional schooling, some online programs are starting to catch up, especially the distance learning programs. One of the greatest selling points of distance learning offered by traditional colleges and/or universities is the ability to graduate or "walk" with their traditional program peers. Yet, the main draw of complete online programs is the ability to gain a degree on your own time that works with your schedule while allowing you to work a full time job. Take your time and financial situation into account before settling in on a program. Regardless of the certificate or degree program that you choose, be sure that you pick a program that is good for you. There are many options available in the field of nursing and this information can help you find the correct path to the degree that you are seeking.
Lisa Parker is a freelance writer who writes about topics pertaining to nurses and the nursing profession including nursing school and nursing accessories.
If you are interested in obtaining a degree in nursing, you could not have picked a better time. Nurses are in great demand today, and with people living longer, that demand is likely to increase in the coming years. Nursing school programs can be characterized by the type of degree they offer, and although there are actually 5 degree types that one can obtain as a nurse, the more popular degrees are the Associate's and the bachelor's. However, if you are interested in newer professions such as forensic nursing, there are also certificate programs. Maybe you are considering legal consultation or teaching and you may even decide to get your master's degree. The other defining characteristic is whether you are in an online or distance learning program, or taking courses at a traditional college or university.The Associate's degree programs focus predominately on teaching students what is needed to prepare them to enter the workforce with the skills of a professional nurse. Their education typically has four major components, which consist of evaluation of care, health teaching, wellness and prevention, and the administration of treatments and medications. The evaluation component includes observation, nursing diagnosis, assessment, and intervention. The main focus of the Associate's degree is for their student to achieve employment either while in school or directly after graduation. Although it is not a requirement, most nursing programs for a bachelor's degree operate from the assumption that most of their students are registered nurses and/or they have already obtained their Associate's degree in nursing. The focus of these programs is to prepare students for a higher position, such as a supervisory role, or to enter into a master's degree program. These programs usually revolve around the cultural, political, economic and social issues that can affect patients and the health care industry in general. There is also a focus on understanding the allocation and management of resources, which includes but is not limited to, people, money, and time. The most common variations of the Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing or a student's route to this degree include going from an RN to a bachelor's degree. Other variations include the accelerated bachelor's program, LPN to a bachelor's, the traditional 4-year bachelor's, the online RN – bachelor's degree, and the second-degree bachelor's program. The master's degree program revolves around the type of career you want, as you can get a master's degree that focuses on a more specific nursing path such as, Nursing, Nurse Education, Midwifery, Administration, and Health Care Systems Management. If your focus revolves around Nursing, Nursing Education, Midwifery, or any other similar specialty, your training should focus more on the actual health and expanding upon the knowledge received in your previous educational programs. If you have decided on receiving a masters degree with a focus on Leadership in Healthcare Systems, Nursing Administration, Health Care Systems Management, or any other similar specialty, your program should focus on management, leadership, finance, managed care strategies, workforce management, and other courses designed to prepare students for obtaining leadership positions in their chosen health care organization.
It is important to note that in the field of nursing many programs often offer certificates as well as degree programs. The certificate programs are more specialized than degree programs and there are certificates that can be obtained before you receive a bachelor's degree or after you gain your master's degree. Some of the certificate programs that are pre-master's degree include case management and geriatric care management. A few certificates for those with a master's degree include legal nurse consulting and life care planning. Most online schools and traditional colleges and universities also offer more specialized programs like the Nurse Practitioner program and Clinical Nursing Specialist programs. As other nursing careers and specialties gain popularity, you should begin seeing more degree and/or certificate programs available in the field of Nursing. Unlike online programs, colleges and universities can boast a combination of classroom training, lab work, and on the job experience as a part of their programs. Although this has been the greatest advantage of traditional schooling, some online programs are starting to catch up, especially the distance learning programs. One of the greatest selling points of distance learning offered by traditional colleges and/or universities is the ability to graduate or "walk" with their traditional program peers. Yet, the main draw of complete online programs is the ability to gain a degree on your own time that works with your schedule while allowing you to work a full time job. Take your time and financial situation into account before settling in on a program. Regardless of the certificate or degree program that you choose, be sure that you pick a program that is good for you. There are many options available in the field of nursing and this information can help you find the correct path to the degree that you are seeking.
Lisa Parker is a freelance writer who writes about topics pertaining to nurses and the nursing profession including nursing school and nursing accessories.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Nursing, the Next 10 Years, a Brief Overview
By: Craig Elliott
General Outlook for Nurses
The outlook for individuals considering entering the nursing field is excellent. Registered nurses, or RN's, make up the largest number of health care workers in the country. In addition, registered nurses will make up one of the fasted growing population of workers in all occupations over the next ten years.
Many registered nurses begin their career in the hospital setting. This allows the nurse to become familiar with various branches of medicine. While there is a demand for hospital nurses, this area of nursing will remain relatively level over the next ten years.
Many healthcare experts predict a surge in demand for registered nurses in the home health care setting. As Americans live longer, have more disposable income, and desire to remain home, nurses that can oversee care and treatment in the home setting will become increasingly valuable.
Another area of nursing that will see a surge in growth is with nurses who continue their education with Master's level work. With the rising cost of healthcare many families are using nurse practitioners and nurse midwives as a replacement for their primary care physician.
Hospitals, also, are realizing the cost saving benefit of highly trained nurses, and many employ nurse anesthetists, clinical nursing specialists, and nurse practitioners to keep their costs under control.
Not a Registered Nurse?
Job prospects for licensed practical nurses, or LPNs, while positive, are not as strong as those of registered nurses. Licensed practical nurses will continue to be in demand, particular in hospital and long term care facilities.
Many licensed practical nurses continue their schooling to become RNs while employed. The responsibilities of an RN are greater, but they also include more opportunities. RNs typically supervise LPN in a clinical setting, and the greater skill level allows the RN more job options.
RN or BSN?
The schooling necessary to become a registered nurse can be completed in anywhere from two to four years. The coursework is very intensive and involves many clinical hours. A program completed in less that four years, however, will leave you with an RN, not a BSN, or Bachelor of Science in Nursing. An RN is fully qualified to do all the duties required of a registered nurse, depending on the state. Obviously, the addition of a bachelor degree has many benefits.
An RN with a bachelor's degree in nursing is at an advantage when administrative positions open up in a hospital or clinical setting. In fact, due to the degree of federal and state oversight on healthcare facilities, many require a BSN for administrative, case management, and supervisory positions.
If you are considering working on your Master's degree, either as a nurse anesthetist, nurse practitioner, or to teach, you are required to have a bachelor's degree. While not all programs will mandate that your bachelor's must be in nursing, it is certainly helpful.
Considering a Career Switch?
Nursing is an excellent opportunity for individuals looking to move into a different career. With the high demand for nurses, many potential employees, particularly hospitals, will pay for most or all of your schooling. Even if you must foot the bills for your education initially, signing bonuses, combined with the near guarantee of a job upon graduation, takes much of the risk out of a career switch.
Another attractive fact concerning the nursing profession is the attractive tuition reimbursement plans offered by many employers. These offers, combined with the flexible shift scheduling available at many hospitals and care facilities make it possible to go from a LPN, to RN, to RN with BSN and on to acquiring a master's in your desired specialty without hefty student loans or a disruption of your income.
The Future of Nursing
Clearly all nursing professions will continue to grow over the next ten years. Nursing is an excellent career choice for those who wish to make a good income, have a flexible schedule, and continue their education. While the hours can be long, and the work physical, a quality nurse should never find themselves without their choice of jobs.
While long hours and the physical demands of the job may scare some people off, many others are attracted to the flexibility, the fast paced environment, and the ability to help others. For those concerned about the rigors of a nursing career, there are many positions available in private doctor's offices, public schools, and other lower stress environments. Nursing, whether in a clinical setting or administrative is a job in great demand.
Craig Elliott is a freelance writer who writes about topics concerning the nursing profession.
General Outlook for Nurses
The outlook for individuals considering entering the nursing field is excellent. Registered nurses, or RN's, make up the largest number of health care workers in the country. In addition, registered nurses will make up one of the fasted growing population of workers in all occupations over the next ten years.
Many registered nurses begin their career in the hospital setting. This allows the nurse to become familiar with various branches of medicine. While there is a demand for hospital nurses, this area of nursing will remain relatively level over the next ten years.
Many healthcare experts predict a surge in demand for registered nurses in the home health care setting. As Americans live longer, have more disposable income, and desire to remain home, nurses that can oversee care and treatment in the home setting will become increasingly valuable.
Another area of nursing that will see a surge in growth is with nurses who continue their education with Master's level work. With the rising cost of healthcare many families are using nurse practitioners and nurse midwives as a replacement for their primary care physician.
Hospitals, also, are realizing the cost saving benefit of highly trained nurses, and many employ nurse anesthetists, clinical nursing specialists, and nurse practitioners to keep their costs under control.
Not a Registered Nurse?
Job prospects for licensed practical nurses, or LPNs, while positive, are not as strong as those of registered nurses. Licensed practical nurses will continue to be in demand, particular in hospital and long term care facilities.
Many licensed practical nurses continue their schooling to become RNs while employed. The responsibilities of an RN are greater, but they also include more opportunities. RNs typically supervise LPN in a clinical setting, and the greater skill level allows the RN more job options.
RN or BSN?
The schooling necessary to become a registered nurse can be completed in anywhere from two to four years. The coursework is very intensive and involves many clinical hours. A program completed in less that four years, however, will leave you with an RN, not a BSN, or Bachelor of Science in Nursing. An RN is fully qualified to do all the duties required of a registered nurse, depending on the state. Obviously, the addition of a bachelor degree has many benefits.
An RN with a bachelor's degree in nursing is at an advantage when administrative positions open up in a hospital or clinical setting. In fact, due to the degree of federal and state oversight on healthcare facilities, many require a BSN for administrative, case management, and supervisory positions.
If you are considering working on your Master's degree, either as a nurse anesthetist, nurse practitioner, or to teach, you are required to have a bachelor's degree. While not all programs will mandate that your bachelor's must be in nursing, it is certainly helpful.
Considering a Career Switch?
Nursing is an excellent opportunity for individuals looking to move into a different career. With the high demand for nurses, many potential employees, particularly hospitals, will pay for most or all of your schooling. Even if you must foot the bills for your education initially, signing bonuses, combined with the near guarantee of a job upon graduation, takes much of the risk out of a career switch.
Another attractive fact concerning the nursing profession is the attractive tuition reimbursement plans offered by many employers. These offers, combined with the flexible shift scheduling available at many hospitals and care facilities make it possible to go from a LPN, to RN, to RN with BSN and on to acquiring a master's in your desired specialty without hefty student loans or a disruption of your income.
The Future of Nursing
Clearly all nursing professions will continue to grow over the next ten years. Nursing is an excellent career choice for those who wish to make a good income, have a flexible schedule, and continue their education. While the hours can be long, and the work physical, a quality nurse should never find themselves without their choice of jobs.
While long hours and the physical demands of the job may scare some people off, many others are attracted to the flexibility, the fast paced environment, and the ability to help others. For those concerned about the rigors of a nursing career, there are many positions available in private doctor's offices, public schools, and other lower stress environments. Nursing, whether in a clinical setting or administrative is a job in great demand.
Craig Elliott is a freelance writer who writes about topics concerning the nursing profession.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Misericordia University: An 84-year Tradition of Hospitality, Justice, Mercy and Service
Misericordia University - Description of Program
Misericordia’s nursing program is committed to providing an educational experience which produces competent nurses who are critical thinkers and educated consumers of research. This program prepares its graduates for productive careers in nursing and advocates for life-long learning. As an entry-level professional program, the nursing curriculum reflects a commitment to the relationship between liberal arts and professional studies that enables graduates to adapt to constantly evolving societal and professional needs. The Department of Nursing is committed to the provision of affordable, quality professional education that expresses the founding Sisters' values and attitudes of hospitality, justice, mercy, and service. The overall goal is to develop a competent professional who will provide the highest quality of care to individuals, aggregates, and populations.
The goals/outcomes support the mission of the University and the principles of academic excellence, service leadership, and professional preparation which are components of the Trinity of Learning. Evidence based practice is a strong component of this curriculum which requires students to critically think and problem solve. This curriculum will build on the reputation of the nursing program and continue to provide high quality graduates. The proposed changes are consistent with the program’s mission, goals and educational goals of the university.
Philosophy for Misericordia’s Department of Nursing
The nursing department at Misericordia University supports the mission statement and philosophy of the University. The undergraduate nursing program is based on a complementary relationship between liberal arts and professional studies. The approach to education focuses on critical thinking, as well as on the values and attitudes of justice, mercy, service, and hospitality. Humans are viewed as intellectual, spiritual and creative beings that are in constant interaction with their environments. Human beings have the potential for self-direction based on their developmental level and are characterized by the capacity for emotion, reasoning, and perceiving. The holistic view of humans takes into account the physical structure, mind and spirit of the individual, as well as the environment in which each functions. Humans interact on the basis of respect for each other’s worth and dignity.
The environment as experienced by human beings is multidimensional and dynamic. It can be viewed as encompassing biological, physical, psychological, socio-cultural, political and economic forces. Human beings experience the environment as individuals, families, groups and communities who can be described in terms of micro-systems and macro-systems.
Health is a dynamic sense of wellness, which results from a process of making choices over time. A particular sense of wellness is perceived by individuals and is influenced by their self-esteem, inner sense of meaning, and desire to achieve their highest potential.
Nursing is an art, involved in caring, and a science based on its own theory and research. The nursing process guides nursing practice and involves critical thinking as related to the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains of knowing. Ethical and legal issues have a strong impact on the practice of nursing. Professional nursing is a vital, effective health service to the community. The faculty believes that professional nursing is committed to making quality health care available and accessible to all, thus reflecting the commitment to mercy, justice, and service. Professional nursing exerts an influence on, and is influenced by several factors that contribute to the complexity of the health care system. These include: the newly developing patterns of providing services, the roles of other members of the health team, scientific and technological advances, research, and social and economic pressures. Leadership in nursing involves directing and managing client care, as well as collaborating with other health care professionals.
Learning is directed toward the development of values and professional role identification. It is lifelong and involves developmental changes. Learning involves critical thinking, which encompasses analysis and synthesis of knowledge. The faculty believes that learning occurs when the student actively participates in the learning process. Students have the responsibility to achieve their highest potential with the assistance of the faculty who act as facilitators. Teaching, therefore, is a collaborative process in which a student assumes progressive responsibility for personal learning.
Undergraduate education in nursing is built on a strong core of general education requirements and is generic in nature. Included within the undergraduate nursing curriculum are liberal arts and the sciences such as nutrition, anatomy and physiology, and developmental psychology, as well as other pure and behavioral sciences. The undergraduate program prepares nurse generalists who are capable of using nursing research, nursing process, and theories in a variety of settings. Students are prepared for graduate study in nursing.
Graduate education enables professional nurses to realize their creative leadership potential and provides opportunities for collaborative functioning with health professionals and others in effecting change in nursing practice and health care. Specialization occurs on the graduate level which provides for in-depth knowledge and experience in specific clinical and functional areas. Advanced knowledge provides the foundation for effective leadership in nursing. Scientific inquiry is an integral part of graduate education in nursing. Such inquiry provides the basis for acquisition of increased competencies in utilization of research and increased knowledge base in the analysis and synthesis of theories related to the practice of nursing. Graduate education provides the foundation for doctoral study in nursing.
By Cynthia Mailloux, PhD, R.N.
Associate Professor
Chair Nursing Dept - Misericordia University
Friday, November 28, 2008
Solutions for the Current Nursing Shortage
By Stephanie Larkin
The nursing shortage in the United States is estimated between 340,000 to over a million nurses. Many of the nurses that are leaving the field are management and faculty nurses needed by nursing schools for training the new crop of nursing graduates. Many of these upper level administrative nurses are nearing retirement age, just at the time that demand for nursing care is increasing as the Baby Boomer generation reaches retirement age. The number of nurses in hospitals, public nursing, teaching and geriatric centers are all falling behind the demand, with little improvement seen in the immediate future. Some of the solutions for resolving the nursing shortage which have been suggested by various study groups and interested partners are as follows:
Developing public/private partnerships
In many instances, the plans for public/private partnerships involve public funding to increase faculty and attendance at nursing education facilities. Due to an aging population, the same time the demand for nurses is increasing; nursing educators are aging as well and subsequently leaving the workforce. A three fold program has been implemented to increase the number of classes, increase the number of faculty in the nursing field and increase the number of students who have been unable to enter the field previously because of lack of resources and limited enrollment quotas. Public funding will cover part of the gap between supply and demand in the nursing field.
Using technology as a training tool
Although a major part of nursing education is clinical experience, much of the classroom education can be handled through today's advanced technology. Internet education, distance learning, and accelerated learning programs based around adult work schedules are all ways in which technology can be used as a training tool for nursing educators. As the care of the patient becomes more related to technological advances, routine nursing practices can be drilled by using that same technology. Technology advancements can also be used in testing and certification settings for nursing educators.
Creating healthy work environments
Healthy work environments are important in every field, but more so in the hospital or clinic setting where patients are incapacitated with a variety of ailments, many of which are contagious. The strains of viruses and bacteria are often mutating faster than medical researchers can create designer drugs. In addition to physical ailments, the stress of caring for injured, ill or dying patients will take a heavy emotional toll on nurses. Creating better ways of keeping nurses healthy both mentally and physically helps to keep the nursing force strong and capable.
Changing roles for advanced practice nurses
The nursing shortage can also be alleviated by utilizing practical nurses. Already in the system, these nurses’ skills could be further enhanced by improving their education level through adult education, continuing education and seminars. Still better utilization could be made of existing nurses and staff who are interested in advancing their careers in nursing. Also, as more duties are being picked up by staff with intermediate levels of training, registered nurses are able to perform more of the teaching, administrative and more highly skilled nursing tasks.
Partnerships with nursing schools
Partnerships with nursing schools can take many different forms, each of which could be valuable in reducing the growing shortage of nurses. Assistance in replacing nursing school faculty is of key importance so that nursing classes can continue to be staffed adequately. Provision of grants, loans and scholarships in order to attend educational classes in nursing will allow students who would otherwise not be able to afford nursing school to attend. Adult education classes at nursing schools allow for an increased level of graduates in nursing. Using student nurses effectively could increase nursing caregivers on the job. By covering educational costs in return for a service commitment by graduate nurses is another way to increase the number of nursing staff in the field.
Financing alternatives
Many jurisdictions are recognizing the need to make additional public and private funding available to nursing students. Student loans, grants, low interest government loan scholarships, and employer paid training are just a few of the ways many individuals can afford a nursing school education. If the programs are accelerated so that the students are able to complete the course and enter the work force more rapidly, the education will cost less and the payoff will be larger for the student. This scenario could lead to a larger work force of capable, certified nurses.
It is becoming more and more apparent that there is a large and growing nursing shortage in the United States. It is imperative that actions are taken in order to avoid a complete breakdown in the health care system.
Message from the moderator:
Financial aid for higher education is available in the forms of scholarships, grants and loans for those applicants and nurses interested in becoming nurses and nurse educators at the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation (PHEF), link at left.
The nursing shortage in the United States is estimated between 340,000 to over a million nurses. Many of the nurses that are leaving the field are management and faculty nurses needed by nursing schools for training the new crop of nursing graduates. Many of these upper level administrative nurses are nearing retirement age, just at the time that demand for nursing care is increasing as the Baby Boomer generation reaches retirement age. The number of nurses in hospitals, public nursing, teaching and geriatric centers are all falling behind the demand, with little improvement seen in the immediate future. Some of the solutions for resolving the nursing shortage which have been suggested by various study groups and interested partners are as follows:
Developing public/private partnerships
In many instances, the plans for public/private partnerships involve public funding to increase faculty and attendance at nursing education facilities. Due to an aging population, the same time the demand for nurses is increasing; nursing educators are aging as well and subsequently leaving the workforce. A three fold program has been implemented to increase the number of classes, increase the number of faculty in the nursing field and increase the number of students who have been unable to enter the field previously because of lack of resources and limited enrollment quotas. Public funding will cover part of the gap between supply and demand in the nursing field.
Using technology as a training tool
Although a major part of nursing education is clinical experience, much of the classroom education can be handled through today's advanced technology. Internet education, distance learning, and accelerated learning programs based around adult work schedules are all ways in which technology can be used as a training tool for nursing educators. As the care of the patient becomes more related to technological advances, routine nursing practices can be drilled by using that same technology. Technology advancements can also be used in testing and certification settings for nursing educators.
Creating healthy work environments
Healthy work environments are important in every field, but more so in the hospital or clinic setting where patients are incapacitated with a variety of ailments, many of which are contagious. The strains of viruses and bacteria are often mutating faster than medical researchers can create designer drugs. In addition to physical ailments, the stress of caring for injured, ill or dying patients will take a heavy emotional toll on nurses. Creating better ways of keeping nurses healthy both mentally and physically helps to keep the nursing force strong and capable.
Changing roles for advanced practice nurses
The nursing shortage can also be alleviated by utilizing practical nurses. Already in the system, these nurses’ skills could be further enhanced by improving their education level through adult education, continuing education and seminars. Still better utilization could be made of existing nurses and staff who are interested in advancing their careers in nursing. Also, as more duties are being picked up by staff with intermediate levels of training, registered nurses are able to perform more of the teaching, administrative and more highly skilled nursing tasks.
Partnerships with nursing schools
Partnerships with nursing schools can take many different forms, each of which could be valuable in reducing the growing shortage of nurses. Assistance in replacing nursing school faculty is of key importance so that nursing classes can continue to be staffed adequately. Provision of grants, loans and scholarships in order to attend educational classes in nursing will allow students who would otherwise not be able to afford nursing school to attend. Adult education classes at nursing schools allow for an increased level of graduates in nursing. Using student nurses effectively could increase nursing caregivers on the job. By covering educational costs in return for a service commitment by graduate nurses is another way to increase the number of nursing staff in the field.
Financing alternatives
Many jurisdictions are recognizing the need to make additional public and private funding available to nursing students. Student loans, grants, low interest government loan scholarships, and employer paid training are just a few of the ways many individuals can afford a nursing school education. If the programs are accelerated so that the students are able to complete the course and enter the work force more rapidly, the education will cost less and the payoff will be larger for the student. This scenario could lead to a larger work force of capable, certified nurses.
It is becoming more and more apparent that there is a large and growing nursing shortage in the United States. It is imperative that actions are taken in order to avoid a complete breakdown in the health care system.
Message from the moderator:
Financial aid for higher education is available in the forms of scholarships, grants and loans for those applicants and nurses interested in becoming nurses and nurse educators at the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation (PHEF), link at left.
Monday, November 24, 2008
RN to BSN - Career Benefits and Education Options
By: Michael V. Gruber, Mph
The complexities of a changing medical field in technology, advanced information, and facing a growing leadership role among nurses has increased the need for a degree of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing among registered nurses (RN to BSN). This higher level of education takes commitment and dedication and in the following article, we will outline how to achieve these goals.
Advancing your nursing degree – The difference between RN and BSN
Beginning a career in nursing for those who desire an abbreviated education will get an associate’s degree (AD) which usually involves 2-3 years of schooling. A nurse may also follow a diploma program, usually through a hospital, that is also 2-3 years in length before becoming an RN. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Sample Survey, 70% of nurses have AD or diploma level degrees. An RN must also pass all required examinations such as the NCLEX-RN (National Council Licensing Examination for Registered Nurses) before practicing with patient contact.
For many nurses looking to advance their careers, a BSN is the natural next step. It is a 4 year program that includes research oriented learning, leadership training, and liberal arts. Many of the students that are enrolled in the BSN program are previous RN’s with associate degrees or diplomas. They are now going back to school with all the hardships involved; financially, time inflexibility, family and other outstanding commitments.
The differences between an RN and BSN are not necessarily clear to the patient who is being treated with basic care. A nurse treating a patient won’t be asked, “excuse me, are you a RN or a BSN?” Yet the differences lie within. The education gained, the additional technical training, and the potential advancement are not immediately recognized by the patient. A nurse with a BSN can review research papers, advocate for the patient, work with leaders in the hospital or medical facility with confidence and advanced management skills. A nurse with an RN may have all these abilities, yet a BSN enhances them and increases advancement opportunities.
Career Opportunities with a BSN
RN’s return to school for a number of reasons, yet many are personal in nature: To become leaders in the nursing industry, advancing their careers, or move to the next level and receive a master’s or doctoral degree.
Management-level nursing requires an advanced degree such as a BSN. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in management, nurses can become anywhere from the assistant head nurse or head nurse, to assistant director, director, and vice president and upwards. Other career opportunities include research, consulting, and teaching. A nurse with a BSN can manage a home health care clinic and ambulatory services, etc. Nurses can also move into the business side of nursing to becoming an manager of an insurance company, pharmaceutical manufacturer, and managed care organization (U.S. Dept. of Labor, 2005).
Salary Benefits of advancing a degree from RN to BSN
Advanced nursing degrees create new career opportunities and justify an increased salary. An RN and a BSN will receive the same salary for the same nursing position, but as the BSN moves through the ranks to a higher position, salaries tend to increase. For example, a promotion to a management position of head nurse with a BSN has a higher salary than being the floor nurse with an RN.
Education Opportunities and Education Cost
In 2004, there were 600 RN to BSN programs in the United States. Many RN's use the tuition reimbursement from their employer as an incentive to go back for the BSN. There are also accelerated BSN programs for those individuals who already attained bachelor or higher degrees and wish to go into nursing. There are more than 165 of these programs in the United States. These programs are 12 to 18 months in length (U.S. Dept. of Labor, 2005). In choosing the appropriate program, it is necessary to choose whether to work in a classroom setting or study through an online RN to BSN program.
The classroom setting has many benefits which include peer contact and live lectures. Sharing experiences with others and learning from other previous like-minded RN’s is a great benefit. The dilemma with classroom education for most nurses is the stringent scheduling and time management needed to attend class and work around an RN’s busy schedule.
An online nursing degree course is the other alternative. It is a way for nurses to work while continuing with their education with flexibility around time commitments. The non-clinical portion of the classroom courses are given online and the clinicals are usually arranged at a medical facility near the nurse’s home. There may be timed lectures or the nurses may do lectures at their own time with assignments being sent to the lecturer by fax or mail on designated due dates. Examinations are usually offered online. Many times the online school follows a semester schedule and has a set start and finish date, though this is not true for all schools. To learn more about online RN to BSN programs, refer to your school of choice and learn what that school offers.
Conclusion
Personal satisfaction, a qualitative factor that can not be measured or quantified, is what many BSN students say is most important about receiving their advanced degree. Our society is advancing in all areas, with technology and intellectual expertise. The information is available and the prerequisites allow many RN's to attain an advanced degree; the determining factor is, we must advance as a society and create leaders in all areas of industry. A BSN gives the degree and knowledge and critical leadership skills for an RN to advance in the world of medicine, business, and personal achievement.
The complexities of a changing medical field in technology, advanced information, and facing a growing leadership role among nurses has increased the need for a degree of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing among registered nurses (RN to BSN). This higher level of education takes commitment and dedication and in the following article, we will outline how to achieve these goals.
Advancing your nursing degree – The difference between RN and BSN
Beginning a career in nursing for those who desire an abbreviated education will get an associate’s degree (AD) which usually involves 2-3 years of schooling. A nurse may also follow a diploma program, usually through a hospital, that is also 2-3 years in length before becoming an RN. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Sample Survey, 70% of nurses have AD or diploma level degrees. An RN must also pass all required examinations such as the NCLEX-RN (National Council Licensing Examination for Registered Nurses) before practicing with patient contact.
For many nurses looking to advance their careers, a BSN is the natural next step. It is a 4 year program that includes research oriented learning, leadership training, and liberal arts. Many of the students that are enrolled in the BSN program are previous RN’s with associate degrees or diplomas. They are now going back to school with all the hardships involved; financially, time inflexibility, family and other outstanding commitments.
The differences between an RN and BSN are not necessarily clear to the patient who is being treated with basic care. A nurse treating a patient won’t be asked, “excuse me, are you a RN or a BSN?” Yet the differences lie within. The education gained, the additional technical training, and the potential advancement are not immediately recognized by the patient. A nurse with a BSN can review research papers, advocate for the patient, work with leaders in the hospital or medical facility with confidence and advanced management skills. A nurse with an RN may have all these abilities, yet a BSN enhances them and increases advancement opportunities.
Career Opportunities with a BSN
RN’s return to school for a number of reasons, yet many are personal in nature: To become leaders in the nursing industry, advancing their careers, or move to the next level and receive a master’s or doctoral degree.
Management-level nursing requires an advanced degree such as a BSN. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in management, nurses can become anywhere from the assistant head nurse or head nurse, to assistant director, director, and vice president and upwards. Other career opportunities include research, consulting, and teaching. A nurse with a BSN can manage a home health care clinic and ambulatory services, etc. Nurses can also move into the business side of nursing to becoming an manager of an insurance company, pharmaceutical manufacturer, and managed care organization (U.S. Dept. of Labor, 2005).
Salary Benefits of advancing a degree from RN to BSN
Advanced nursing degrees create new career opportunities and justify an increased salary. An RN and a BSN will receive the same salary for the same nursing position, but as the BSN moves through the ranks to a higher position, salaries tend to increase. For example, a promotion to a management position of head nurse with a BSN has a higher salary than being the floor nurse with an RN.
Education Opportunities and Education Cost
In 2004, there were 600 RN to BSN programs in the United States. Many RN's use the tuition reimbursement from their employer as an incentive to go back for the BSN. There are also accelerated BSN programs for those individuals who already attained bachelor or higher degrees and wish to go into nursing. There are more than 165 of these programs in the United States. These programs are 12 to 18 months in length (U.S. Dept. of Labor, 2005). In choosing the appropriate program, it is necessary to choose whether to work in a classroom setting or study through an online RN to BSN program.
The classroom setting has many benefits which include peer contact and live lectures. Sharing experiences with others and learning from other previous like-minded RN’s is a great benefit. The dilemma with classroom education for most nurses is the stringent scheduling and time management needed to attend class and work around an RN’s busy schedule.
An online nursing degree course is the other alternative. It is a way for nurses to work while continuing with their education with flexibility around time commitments. The non-clinical portion of the classroom courses are given online and the clinicals are usually arranged at a medical facility near the nurse’s home. There may be timed lectures or the nurses may do lectures at their own time with assignments being sent to the lecturer by fax or mail on designated due dates. Examinations are usually offered online. Many times the online school follows a semester schedule and has a set start and finish date, though this is not true for all schools. To learn more about online RN to BSN programs, refer to your school of choice and learn what that school offers.
Conclusion
Personal satisfaction, a qualitative factor that can not be measured or quantified, is what many BSN students say is most important about receiving their advanced degree. Our society is advancing in all areas, with technology and intellectual expertise. The information is available and the prerequisites allow many RN's to attain an advanced degree; the determining factor is, we must advance as a society and create leaders in all areas of industry. A BSN gives the degree and knowledge and critical leadership skills for an RN to advance in the world of medicine, business, and personal achievement.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
What is Holding You Back?
Are you happy with your present job, employer, and income? Are you living the lifestyle you desire? Do you feel the self-satisfaction and gratification you are looking for, maybe not at the end of each and everyday, but at the end of the week or even the month? How about self-esteem? If you answered yes, congratulations. For those that can not answer yes to these questions, where are you headed? Have you thought about what you want to do and where you want to go? What are your goals? Do you have a plan? Most important, what is your next step?! Undoubtedly, there are some obstacles.
Procrastination and Complacency
There are two very formidable opponents that face us on a human level: Procrastination and complacency. While there are similarities between the two words, they are two different conditions. The common theme of these two conditions is a lack of results.
Complacency is usually the result of accomplishment or achieving a certain level of success. Complacency is defined with “an unawareness of actual dangers.” Complacency creeps up on us unexpectedly, and most times we do not realize that we suffer from this condition until we are faced with the actual danger. The danger we could very easily face is allowing a lapse in our education, such as the mandatory continuing education required for re-licensure as talked about in a previous article dated October 31st on this site by Margaret Lyons, program coordinator at Villanova University.
Perpetual goal setting is one of the best practices we can employ to prevent complacency from setting in. Using a benchmark set by others can further insure that we will never have a goal in which we are satisfied. Tell yourself there is always someone doing it better, and find that someone.
We also need to create our own mechanism that will prevent complacency. It can be something simplistic such as an office bulleting board (hand-written to do list with due dates), or something more sophisticated employing technology (timed reminders on your computer). Keep your goals in front of you - carefully measured in achievable steps - so that you face them everyday. Choose the mechanism that will best work for you; just be sure to implement something. While at this juncture (nurses in Pennsylvania, California, Kansas and Delaware), have you addressed the mandatory continuing education for re-licensure?
Procrastination can be a byproduct of complacency however it has many sources. Unlike complacency, procrastination does not necessarily (and most times probably does not) result from success. It is a factor that prevents accomplishment.
Procrastination is a more conscious opponent usually a result of fear or poor prioritization. Concerning fear, it is never personal; identify and face your fear in order to alleviate anxiety. Our prioritization sometimes needs to be scrutinized. Life in nursing gives us a work load with more than our fair share. We begin to juggle instead of prioritize, and I am not referring to patient care here. When prioritizing, be sure your personal and professional advancement weighs in.
Time and Money
Now for the proverbial obstacles: Time and money. As you address procrastination and analyze your prioritization, commit the time needed for continuing education. Visualize where you will be and of the advanced opportunities afforded you once you have gained the desired (and necessary) degree. Do not let the economy be your excuse. Our profession is experiencing a shortage with a projected increase for the next 12 years. Nonetheless, by the time the economy improves, you could have positioned yourself for the place you want to be, rather than it being too late.
If you still have unfulfilled dreams and aspirations, take the first step to get started.
The Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation is the first place to look. See if you qualify for the financial assistance they offer. Simply click on their link at left. And do not stop there. Schools of nursing often have assistance for those in need as well. As an example, visit Villanova’s College of Nursing, link at left, to see what they have to offer and peruse their site to learn more about their programs to see if their program may be right for you.
As this site continues to build its resources, please visit frequently for opportunities in education, advancement and employment.
As always, thank you for visiting and please share your comments.
By Jenn Foster
Procrastination and Complacency
There are two very formidable opponents that face us on a human level: Procrastination and complacency. While there are similarities between the two words, they are two different conditions. The common theme of these two conditions is a lack of results.
Complacency is usually the result of accomplishment or achieving a certain level of success. Complacency is defined with “an unawareness of actual dangers.” Complacency creeps up on us unexpectedly, and most times we do not realize that we suffer from this condition until we are faced with the actual danger. The danger we could very easily face is allowing a lapse in our education, such as the mandatory continuing education required for re-licensure as talked about in a previous article dated October 31st on this site by Margaret Lyons, program coordinator at Villanova University.
Perpetual goal setting is one of the best practices we can employ to prevent complacency from setting in. Using a benchmark set by others can further insure that we will never have a goal in which we are satisfied. Tell yourself there is always someone doing it better, and find that someone.
We also need to create our own mechanism that will prevent complacency. It can be something simplistic such as an office bulleting board (hand-written to do list with due dates), or something more sophisticated employing technology (timed reminders on your computer). Keep your goals in front of you - carefully measured in achievable steps - so that you face them everyday. Choose the mechanism that will best work for you; just be sure to implement something. While at this juncture (nurses in Pennsylvania, California, Kansas and Delaware), have you addressed the mandatory continuing education for re-licensure?
Procrastination can be a byproduct of complacency however it has many sources. Unlike complacency, procrastination does not necessarily (and most times probably does not) result from success. It is a factor that prevents accomplishment.
Procrastination is a more conscious opponent usually a result of fear or poor prioritization. Concerning fear, it is never personal; identify and face your fear in order to alleviate anxiety. Our prioritization sometimes needs to be scrutinized. Life in nursing gives us a work load with more than our fair share. We begin to juggle instead of prioritize, and I am not referring to patient care here. When prioritizing, be sure your personal and professional advancement weighs in.
Time and Money
Now for the proverbial obstacles: Time and money. As you address procrastination and analyze your prioritization, commit the time needed for continuing education. Visualize where you will be and of the advanced opportunities afforded you once you have gained the desired (and necessary) degree. Do not let the economy be your excuse. Our profession is experiencing a shortage with a projected increase for the next 12 years. Nonetheless, by the time the economy improves, you could have positioned yourself for the place you want to be, rather than it being too late.
If you still have unfulfilled dreams and aspirations, take the first step to get started.
The Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation is the first place to look. See if you qualify for the financial assistance they offer. Simply click on their link at left. And do not stop there. Schools of nursing often have assistance for those in need as well. As an example, visit Villanova’s College of Nursing, link at left, to see what they have to offer and peruse their site to learn more about their programs to see if their program may be right for you.
As this site continues to build its resources, please visit frequently for opportunities in education, advancement and employment.
As always, thank you for visiting and please share your comments.
By Jenn Foster
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
College Nursing Grants – Financial Assistance
College grants help to increase nations’ healthcare workforce. Because of the shortages of nurses and educators that we face today, college nursing grants are offered with the hope of producing more nursing majors, direct care nurses, and nurse educators.
There are thousands of nursing scholarships and college nursing grants from local community-based to college scholarships that are available to nursing students. Financial assistance may come in many forms. Many provided online request information and forms to be filled up for easy inquiries and registration.
College nursing grants are offered to students who are not able to foot the bill for college education. The purpose of these grants is to make educational funds minimal for those who can’t afford. Grants are not only given to students but directly to the college to help expand curriculum, build new facilities, and hire fresh faculty. Compared to college scholarships, grants are need-based or a combination of need and merit.
College Nursing Grants are monetary gifts; they need not be repaid by students. They may be given in general categories or to different degree levels or those who pursue doctorate. College grants may come from federal and state, college and university, and public and private organizations. These college grants are not only awarded to the financially impaired but also to underrepresented students and minorities. In some cases, students may need to exchange their financial assistance for service after graduation. This also helps to retain well-trained professionals in health care professions.
The federal government provides grants and loan repayment programs in the fields of medicine and teaching to foster the growth of these socially necessary professions. The nursing profession affords above average income and earning potential depending on which professional level is earned.
Some examples of college grants are AACN, providing a variety of programs and resources to assist members in conducting research projects and using research to shape their practice; AANP (Grants and Scholarships), providing financial assistance to academy members who wish to pursue graduate study; ANF (founded in 1955), managing grants to support advances in research, education, and clinical practice; Moore Foundation, grant ensuring that additional nurses will be trained to meet the health care needs of San Francisco; and the National Black Nurses Association, established to provide professional and educational support to African American nurses, those that are working and those pursuing a nursing degree.
Undergraduate nurses who are actively enrolled in a 4-year nursing program are assisted by dozens of college nursing grants and scholarships. Because of the acute nursing shortage, more financial aid – specifically college nursing grants – are available to help with the nursing education.
Article originally posted on Staff Quest
There are thousands of nursing scholarships and college nursing grants from local community-based to college scholarships that are available to nursing students. Financial assistance may come in many forms. Many provided online request information and forms to be filled up for easy inquiries and registration.
College nursing grants are offered to students who are not able to foot the bill for college education. The purpose of these grants is to make educational funds minimal for those who can’t afford. Grants are not only given to students but directly to the college to help expand curriculum, build new facilities, and hire fresh faculty. Compared to college scholarships, grants are need-based or a combination of need and merit.
College Nursing Grants are monetary gifts; they need not be repaid by students. They may be given in general categories or to different degree levels or those who pursue doctorate. College grants may come from federal and state, college and university, and public and private organizations. These college grants are not only awarded to the financially impaired but also to underrepresented students and minorities. In some cases, students may need to exchange their financial assistance for service after graduation. This also helps to retain well-trained professionals in health care professions.
The federal government provides grants and loan repayment programs in the fields of medicine and teaching to foster the growth of these socially necessary professions. The nursing profession affords above average income and earning potential depending on which professional level is earned.
Some examples of college grants are AACN, providing a variety of programs and resources to assist members in conducting research projects and using research to shape their practice; AANP (Grants and Scholarships), providing financial assistance to academy members who wish to pursue graduate study; ANF (founded in 1955), managing grants to support advances in research, education, and clinical practice; Moore Foundation, grant ensuring that additional nurses will be trained to meet the health care needs of San Francisco; and the National Black Nurses Association, established to provide professional and educational support to African American nurses, those that are working and those pursuing a nursing degree.
Undergraduate nurses who are actively enrolled in a 4-year nursing program are assisted by dozens of college nursing grants and scholarships. Because of the acute nursing shortage, more financial aid – specifically college nursing grants – are available to help with the nursing education.
Article originally posted on Staff Quest
Friday, October 31, 2008
Do You Need Mandatory Continuing Education for Re-Licensure?
…If you live in California, Kansas, Delaware and now Pennsylvania, you do. About 60 percent of the states in the United States have some kind of CE requirement. Each State Board has its own specific requirements on the number of hours, prescribed time periods, and mandated topics such as domestic violence and medication error reduction, as in Florida. The National Council of the State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) is considering criteria for ensuring the continued competence of RNs. Nurses need to monitor the NCSBN Web site ( http://www.ncsbn.org/ ) for information about the development of recommendations based on a continued competence regulatory model.
The Pennsylvania State Board is implementing this process in a cyclical manner (see table below). You do not need to submit CE certificates with your renewal form but must keep the documents for 5 years for auditing purposes. If you do not complete the 30 hours your license will be renewed but you will incur fines. You then have 6 months to complete the CE or be subject to disciplinary action from the Board. Note: Continuing education must meet accreditation standards and certain course content is not acceptable for re-licensure such as: mandatory annual institutional policies, basic life support and self improvement. See www.dos.state.pa.us/nurse for more information.
If your expiration date on your license is:
October 31, 2010
Then you must obtain 30 hours of Board Approved CE from:
11/1/08 through 10/31/10
If your expiration date on your license is:
April 30, 2011
Then you must obtain 30 hours of Board Approved CE from:
5/1/09 through 4/30/11
If your expiration date on your license is:
October 31, 2011
Then you must obtain 30 hours of Board Approved CE from:
11/1/09 through 10/31/11
If your expiration date on your license is:
April 30, 2012
Then you must obtain 30 hours of Board Approved CE from:
5/1/10 through 4/30/12
(source: www.dos.state.pa.us/nurse )
Villanova University College of Nursing offers accredited continuing education in a variety of approved areas of study. Day programs on topics like clinical research, nursing management, role excellence and I.V. catheter insertion are just a few of the courses offered in the new state-of-the art Driscoll Hall. Online CE is also available at www.villanova.edu/nursing/ce.
By Margaret “Peggy” Lyons MSN, CRNI
Program Coordinator, Continuing Education
Villanova University College of Nursing
The Pennsylvania State Board is implementing this process in a cyclical manner (see table below). You do not need to submit CE certificates with your renewal form but must keep the documents for 5 years for auditing purposes. If you do not complete the 30 hours your license will be renewed but you will incur fines. You then have 6 months to complete the CE or be subject to disciplinary action from the Board. Note: Continuing education must meet accreditation standards and certain course content is not acceptable for re-licensure such as: mandatory annual institutional policies, basic life support and self improvement. See www.dos.state.pa.us/nurse for more information.
If your expiration date on your license is:
October 31, 2010
Then you must obtain 30 hours of Board Approved CE from:
11/1/08 through 10/31/10
If your expiration date on your license is:
April 30, 2011
Then you must obtain 30 hours of Board Approved CE from:
5/1/09 through 4/30/11
If your expiration date on your license is:
October 31, 2011
Then you must obtain 30 hours of Board Approved CE from:
11/1/09 through 10/31/11
If your expiration date on your license is:
April 30, 2012
Then you must obtain 30 hours of Board Approved CE from:
5/1/10 through 4/30/12
(source: www.dos.state.pa.us/nurse )
Villanova University College of Nursing offers accredited continuing education in a variety of approved areas of study. Day programs on topics like clinical research, nursing management, role excellence and I.V. catheter insertion are just a few of the courses offered in the new state-of-the art Driscoll Hall. Online CE is also available at www.villanova.edu/nursing/ce.
By Margaret “Peggy” Lyons MSN, CRNI
Program Coordinator, Continuing Education
Villanova University College of Nursing
Nurses Who Serve Those Who Serve
By
Linda S. Smith, MS, DSN, RN, CLNC
Professor and Director of the Associate Degree Registered Nurse Program at the College of Technology, Idaho State University
Last year, New Jersey born Army Captain Maria Ines Ortiz was the first army nurse to be killed in Iraq since the 2003 US invasion. She was killed during a mortar attack in Baghdad’s Green Zone. Ortiz was doing what military nurses do best – caring for the sick and wounded on or near enemy lines. She was survived by her parents, four sisters, and a fiance’. Ortiz gave her professional nursing skills and dedication, as well as her life, to serve those who so selflessly and heroically serve us.
Many of us consider great military nursing to have originated with Britain’s Florence Nightingale. It is true that the events in Scutari, Turkey gave birth to professional nursing. It is not true that Scutari was the first military location for nurses. For America, military nursing officially began with the birth of our country - the revolutionary war.
Nursing during the Revolutionary War (1776) was not recognized as a separate and distinct service. It was often included and described along with such tasks as cooking, cleaning, washing, and sewing. “Nursing” was designed to keep sick men clean, well fed, and comfortable. Camp followers on both sides of the war effort were women who washed, cleaned, cooked, and “nursed” the men. And medical care given to the wounded included purging, blistering, and bleeding. Most battle wounds were followed by uncontrolled infections, forcing surgeons to amputate. Over 90% of deaths were caused by disease – 10% by battle wounds. Wounded men would be placed side by side with men suffering typhoid and typhus, thus wiping out whole wards.
The Civil War
In 1861, President Abraham Lincoln called for volunteers to help care for sick and injured Union Soldiers. Simultaneously, women in the north began to organize relief societies. Dorthea L. Dix came to Washington, DC to volunteer her services and was immediately appointed superintendent of women nurses of the Army. (Dix had already made significant contributions to the improvement of care for the mentally ill). Dix established strict criteria for her nurses, with the idea that these women would be nursing supervisors. Her nurses were sent to Bellevue Hospital New York City, for one month of training. Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, began her Civil war work in 1861 when she established an agency to distribute medical supplies to wounded soldiers.
Though enormously dedicated, hardworking, and successful, the idea of female nurses was met with opposition from male doctors and military personnel. These nurses were often outspoken about incompetence, pilfering, and corruption among army surgeons. Many hospitals had little food and even fewer supplies. Nurses wrote to their contacts and reported these terrible conditions – further angering the male physicians. They took cleanliness and organization into their own hands.
Transport services for sick and wounded men were available via railroad, steam ships and wagons, often taking days and even weeks to reach hospitals. Tents were pitched along waterways where a corp of male and female nurses worked. Religious sisters also became a vital part of the nursing staff.
Importantly, medical efforts during the Civil war led to many scientific improvements and paved the way for a new profession of nursing in the US.
Scutari and Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale’s best-known triumph, the organization of military nursing, took place during the Crimean War (named after Turkey’s Crimean Peninsula). In 1854, Great Britain and France declared war on Russia in order to protect Turkey from Russian attacks. Due to poor military decisions, fierce fighting and enormous numbers of causalities from wounds, cholera, and dysentery, men were dying by the thousands. Four miles of the Turkish “Barrack Hospital” housed Great Britain’s sick and dying soldiers. British people were outraged, as news of these atrocities reached England, and the Secretary of State Sidney Herbert asked his long time friend Florence Nightingale to organize a group of nurses for war service in Turkey.
Nightingale saw four miles of rat-infested corridors filled with starving, freezing men. They had no blankets, beds, or bandages. Amputations were performed without anesthetic or even the crudest sanitation. Nightingale and her 38 nurses arrived on November 5, 1854 and were given charge of 1,500 patients. In only a few months, Nightingale decreased the death rate from 42% to 2%. She transformed the Barracks into efficiently run hospitals and won the admiration and respect of the world.
Nightingale understood medical and military politics and the scientific method for gathering and reporting data. Advocating for the sick and wounded soldiers, Nightingale used her statistical and writing skills to influence increased funding and appropriations of supplies. The grateful British people donated $200,000 to her, which she used to start the Nightingale School of Nursing four years later in 1860.
Spanish American War
For the first time in US history, professionally trained nurses were accepted into military hospitals. During the Spanish American War, these contract nurses became forerunners to our present military nursing corp. The Spanish American War took place against Spain (Cuba) in 1898 and the first call for nurses came on May 7, 1898 because of the 30% sick rate among American troops. Typhoid patients would remain for hours and even days without care. Some had bedsores down to the bone. Because of the resistance to having female nurses, these health professionals knew they had to excel in every possible way. One single nurse often had to care for 40 or more delirious typhoid patients per day. Nurses worked at a frantic pace in unfurnished facilities. They also helped gather statistics and medical data related to typhoid – statistics implicating the contaminated water, food, and insects.
These trained nurses were considered by the men as angels of mercy. Thus, in December of 1898, a committee of women and nurses moved to establish a permanent Army Nurse Corp. In 1901, the Army Nurse Corp was established. In 1908 the Navy Nurse Corp (the only females in the Navy) became an important component of the US Navy. They won the praise and admiration of navel officials because, for the first time, two large nursing services were made up entirely of graduate nurses.
World War I
The US committed itself to WWI in 1917 and our Army and Navy Nurse Corp increased their numbers significantly to meet the needs of the American soldiers. Unfortunately, as our nation faced a devastating flu epidemic at home, more and more civilian nurses were leaving for military and Red Cross service. Therefore, student nurse recruitment efforts were increased.
Conditions in camp hospitals were difficult. However, World War I provided nurses with experience related to the new projectile bullets, shell fragments, poison gas, explosives, and other injury causing war machines. Nurses learned to use a weak chlorine solution for cleansing wound infections, and developed debriedment operations. Almost 300 nurses died in WW I, mostly due to disease exacerbated by overwork.
World War II
On December 7, 1941, Japanese pilots bombed Pearl Harbor and so began America’s involvement in WWII. Even before that date, however, the Nursing Council on National Defense was organized. Composed of representatives from the six American nursing organizations, this committee set out to recruit more student nurses, improve nursing education, decrease the numbers of inactive nurses, and educate and use voluntary nurses’ aides.
As with WWI, the war effort created a major civilian nursing shortage. A national plan for federal financial aid allowed schools of nursing to provide scholarships to needy student nurses and for refresher courses for inactive nurses. On July 1, 1943, a nursing student could join the Cadet Nurse Corp, receive full scholarships and a small monthly stipend. In return she had to promise to serve as a military nurse after graduation. Thus, students could complete their nursing education AND serve their country. Notably, and as a result of this national effort, nursing schools voluntarily upgraded curriculum and faculty to meet the military standards.
With the Cadet Nurse Corp and its 150,000 members, the concept of aid to nursing education became reality and civilian and military nursing collaborated. WW II also brought about the important idea of placing medical and nursing services as close to the war front as possible. The type of firepower used created more casualties but mortality was decreased because of the high medical standards and nursing services. By the end of the war, 100,000 nurses had volunteered for military service. Nurses went ashore with the invading troops and were placed where their special skills were most needed.
Today
Today, a career as a nurse in the military means that a nurse’s educational advancement and career goals can be met through military service. Experiences in state-side military hospitals and bases, as well as overseas duty positions, are available. Reserve nursing is also available to nurses who choose this type of military service.
American military nurses continue to stand firm in their beliefs and commitments for quality, efficient health care given to our nation’s sick and wounded military personnel. Just as was the case with New Jersey born Army Captain Maria Ines Ortiz, they are proving themselves as expert, valuable, dedicated nurses – they are bravely caring for and serving those who serve us.
References
Austin, A. L. (1975). Wartime volunteers-1861-1865. AJN, 75(5).
Berges, F. & Berges, C. (1986). A visit to Scutari. AJN, 86(7), 811-813.
Bullough, B. (1976). The lasting impact of WWII on nursing. AJN, 76(1).
Culpepper, M. M., & Adams, P. G. (1988). Nursing in the civil war. AJN. 88(7), 981-984.
Dolan, J. A. (1966). Goodnow’s history of nursing. Philadelphia: WB Saunders Co.
Kalisch, P. A., & Kalisch, B. J. (1978). The advance of American nursing. Boston: Little, Brown, and Co.
Selavan, I.C. (1975). Nurses in American history: The revolution. AJN, 75(4).
* Portions previously published Journal of Military Nursing Research, 1(2), 12-13, 1995
Linda S. Smith, MS, DSN, RN, CLNC
Professor and Director of the Associate Degree Registered Nurse Program at the College of Technology, Idaho State University
Last year, New Jersey born Army Captain Maria Ines Ortiz was the first army nurse to be killed in Iraq since the 2003 US invasion. She was killed during a mortar attack in Baghdad’s Green Zone. Ortiz was doing what military nurses do best – caring for the sick and wounded on or near enemy lines. She was survived by her parents, four sisters, and a fiance’. Ortiz gave her professional nursing skills and dedication, as well as her life, to serve those who so selflessly and heroically serve us.
Many of us consider great military nursing to have originated with Britain’s Florence Nightingale. It is true that the events in Scutari, Turkey gave birth to professional nursing. It is not true that Scutari was the first military location for nurses. For America, military nursing officially began with the birth of our country - the revolutionary war.
Nursing during the Revolutionary War (1776) was not recognized as a separate and distinct service. It was often included and described along with such tasks as cooking, cleaning, washing, and sewing. “Nursing” was designed to keep sick men clean, well fed, and comfortable. Camp followers on both sides of the war effort were women who washed, cleaned, cooked, and “nursed” the men. And medical care given to the wounded included purging, blistering, and bleeding. Most battle wounds were followed by uncontrolled infections, forcing surgeons to amputate. Over 90% of deaths were caused by disease – 10% by battle wounds. Wounded men would be placed side by side with men suffering typhoid and typhus, thus wiping out whole wards.
The Civil War
In 1861, President Abraham Lincoln called for volunteers to help care for sick and injured Union Soldiers. Simultaneously, women in the north began to organize relief societies. Dorthea L. Dix came to Washington, DC to volunteer her services and was immediately appointed superintendent of women nurses of the Army. (Dix had already made significant contributions to the improvement of care for the mentally ill). Dix established strict criteria for her nurses, with the idea that these women would be nursing supervisors. Her nurses were sent to Bellevue Hospital New York City, for one month of training. Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, began her Civil war work in 1861 when she established an agency to distribute medical supplies to wounded soldiers.
Though enormously dedicated, hardworking, and successful, the idea of female nurses was met with opposition from male doctors and military personnel. These nurses were often outspoken about incompetence, pilfering, and corruption among army surgeons. Many hospitals had little food and even fewer supplies. Nurses wrote to their contacts and reported these terrible conditions – further angering the male physicians. They took cleanliness and organization into their own hands.
Transport services for sick and wounded men were available via railroad, steam ships and wagons, often taking days and even weeks to reach hospitals. Tents were pitched along waterways where a corp of male and female nurses worked. Religious sisters also became a vital part of the nursing staff.
Importantly, medical efforts during the Civil war led to many scientific improvements and paved the way for a new profession of nursing in the US.
Scutari and Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale’s best-known triumph, the organization of military nursing, took place during the Crimean War (named after Turkey’s Crimean Peninsula). In 1854, Great Britain and France declared war on Russia in order to protect Turkey from Russian attacks. Due to poor military decisions, fierce fighting and enormous numbers of causalities from wounds, cholera, and dysentery, men were dying by the thousands. Four miles of the Turkish “Barrack Hospital” housed Great Britain’s sick and dying soldiers. British people were outraged, as news of these atrocities reached England, and the Secretary of State Sidney Herbert asked his long time friend Florence Nightingale to organize a group of nurses for war service in Turkey.
Nightingale saw four miles of rat-infested corridors filled with starving, freezing men. They had no blankets, beds, or bandages. Amputations were performed without anesthetic or even the crudest sanitation. Nightingale and her 38 nurses arrived on November 5, 1854 and were given charge of 1,500 patients. In only a few months, Nightingale decreased the death rate from 42% to 2%. She transformed the Barracks into efficiently run hospitals and won the admiration and respect of the world.
Nightingale understood medical and military politics and the scientific method for gathering and reporting data. Advocating for the sick and wounded soldiers, Nightingale used her statistical and writing skills to influence increased funding and appropriations of supplies. The grateful British people donated $200,000 to her, which she used to start the Nightingale School of Nursing four years later in 1860.
Spanish American War
For the first time in US history, professionally trained nurses were accepted into military hospitals. During the Spanish American War, these contract nurses became forerunners to our present military nursing corp. The Spanish American War took place against Spain (Cuba) in 1898 and the first call for nurses came on May 7, 1898 because of the 30% sick rate among American troops. Typhoid patients would remain for hours and even days without care. Some had bedsores down to the bone. Because of the resistance to having female nurses, these health professionals knew they had to excel in every possible way. One single nurse often had to care for 40 or more delirious typhoid patients per day. Nurses worked at a frantic pace in unfurnished facilities. They also helped gather statistics and medical data related to typhoid – statistics implicating the contaminated water, food, and insects.
These trained nurses were considered by the men as angels of mercy. Thus, in December of 1898, a committee of women and nurses moved to establish a permanent Army Nurse Corp. In 1901, the Army Nurse Corp was established. In 1908 the Navy Nurse Corp (the only females in the Navy) became an important component of the US Navy. They won the praise and admiration of navel officials because, for the first time, two large nursing services were made up entirely of graduate nurses.
World War I
The US committed itself to WWI in 1917 and our Army and Navy Nurse Corp increased their numbers significantly to meet the needs of the American soldiers. Unfortunately, as our nation faced a devastating flu epidemic at home, more and more civilian nurses were leaving for military and Red Cross service. Therefore, student nurse recruitment efforts were increased.
Conditions in camp hospitals were difficult. However, World War I provided nurses with experience related to the new projectile bullets, shell fragments, poison gas, explosives, and other injury causing war machines. Nurses learned to use a weak chlorine solution for cleansing wound infections, and developed debriedment operations. Almost 300 nurses died in WW I, mostly due to disease exacerbated by overwork.
World War II
On December 7, 1941, Japanese pilots bombed Pearl Harbor and so began America’s involvement in WWII. Even before that date, however, the Nursing Council on National Defense was organized. Composed of representatives from the six American nursing organizations, this committee set out to recruit more student nurses, improve nursing education, decrease the numbers of inactive nurses, and educate and use voluntary nurses’ aides.
As with WWI, the war effort created a major civilian nursing shortage. A national plan for federal financial aid allowed schools of nursing to provide scholarships to needy student nurses and for refresher courses for inactive nurses. On July 1, 1943, a nursing student could join the Cadet Nurse Corp, receive full scholarships and a small monthly stipend. In return she had to promise to serve as a military nurse after graduation. Thus, students could complete their nursing education AND serve their country. Notably, and as a result of this national effort, nursing schools voluntarily upgraded curriculum and faculty to meet the military standards.
With the Cadet Nurse Corp and its 150,000 members, the concept of aid to nursing education became reality and civilian and military nursing collaborated. WW II also brought about the important idea of placing medical and nursing services as close to the war front as possible. The type of firepower used created more casualties but mortality was decreased because of the high medical standards and nursing services. By the end of the war, 100,000 nurses had volunteered for military service. Nurses went ashore with the invading troops and were placed where their special skills were most needed.
Today
Today, a career as a nurse in the military means that a nurse’s educational advancement and career goals can be met through military service. Experiences in state-side military hospitals and bases, as well as overseas duty positions, are available. Reserve nursing is also available to nurses who choose this type of military service.
American military nurses continue to stand firm in their beliefs and commitments for quality, efficient health care given to our nation’s sick and wounded military personnel. Just as was the case with New Jersey born Army Captain Maria Ines Ortiz, they are proving themselves as expert, valuable, dedicated nurses – they are bravely caring for and serving those who serve us.
References
Austin, A. L. (1975). Wartime volunteers-1861-1865. AJN, 75(5).
Berges, F. & Berges, C. (1986). A visit to Scutari. AJN, 86(7), 811-813.
Bullough, B. (1976). The lasting impact of WWII on nursing. AJN, 76(1).
Culpepper, M. M., & Adams, P. G. (1988). Nursing in the civil war. AJN. 88(7), 981-984.
Dolan, J. A. (1966). Goodnow’s history of nursing. Philadelphia: WB Saunders Co.
Kalisch, P. A., & Kalisch, B. J. (1978). The advance of American nursing. Boston: Little, Brown, and Co.
Selavan, I.C. (1975). Nurses in American history: The revolution. AJN, 75(4).
* Portions previously published Journal of Military Nursing Research, 1(2), 12-13, 1995
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Nurses: Take Time for Health and Fitness
As a nurse, you are continually concerned with the welfare of others. The demands on your time for work (your patients), family, education can stretch you in so many directions that it is very easy to neglect the one person that you need to take care of first in order to take care of others – you.
Health and fitness are central to the medical field. As a nurse who treats people on the mend, you emphasize the patient’s need to follow doctor’s orders: Take their medicine, eat right, and get an adequate amount of sleep and exercise. You explain the importance of a good diet and to avoid toxic food and beverages, getting ample sleep and work in a daily exercise regimen. But do we practice what we preach? It seems impossible. What can we do now that will at least get us headed in the right direction?
A proper diet is the first place to start and it does not take any time out of our day to be sure that we are eating healthy. The best motivator may be to calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI) in order to measure your body fat relative to your height and weight. http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ Once you have assessed where you are and where you need to be, the next step would be to create a suitable diet. Build the proper diet using the food pyramid. MyPyramid.gov will create the diet that is right for you. http://www.mypyramid.gov/index.html
Next – sleep! This may be more challenging than coming up with the right diet, but sleep deprivation certainly hinders your mental health and is just as important to correct as your nutritional regime. What bad habits keep you from getting to bed when you should? Having something to eat or drink that you can forgo, knowing it will keep you up? Staying up to watch just a little more TV? Engaging in frivolous internet activity? You can start here by simply…going to bed.
Finally, the real challenge – exercise! How do we take time to work out? A much tougher question to answer by mere suggestion. Here is where we really need to find time in our day and then, what exactly do we do? There is truly only one way to implement exercise into your day and that is by dedicating the time needed. If it takes away family time, include family in your workout routine; everyone can go for a walk, go swimming, bike riding and lift weights. You may even find this to be quality family time and open up lines of communication to discuss family issues. The time in front of the TV can be the time we use for exercise. We can argue this time is used to “take our mind off things.” This will still be accomplished during your workout and will achieve the healthier objective of rejuvenating your brain. If you can not pull yourself away from the TV, then how about some calisthenics while watching?
Finalize your health and fitness regimen and keep to your established routine. You do not have to do everything at once but it is imperative to get started. As you get started, implement reminders that there is change in your life. Move your alarm clock to where you need to get “out of bed” to shut it off. This will get you out of bed in the morning (as opposed to giving your workout, to your snooze alarm) as well as being a “reminder.” Write a short shopping list of the nutritional foods you need to buy for your new diet – right now, right a couple of things down! Put that list in your car where you will see it as a reminder that you need to stop at the market on the way home.
In conclusion, living a healthier lifestyle will increase your energy level, sharpen your mental acuity and allow you to do exponentially more.
The following links may also be helpful:
http://www.prohealth.com/weightloss/tools/exercise/calculator1_2.cfm?b1=WTLRSWEBO
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
http://www.shapeup.org/interactive/rmr1.php
by Jenn Foster
Health and fitness are central to the medical field. As a nurse who treats people on the mend, you emphasize the patient’s need to follow doctor’s orders: Take their medicine, eat right, and get an adequate amount of sleep and exercise. You explain the importance of a good diet and to avoid toxic food and beverages, getting ample sleep and work in a daily exercise regimen. But do we practice what we preach? It seems impossible. What can we do now that will at least get us headed in the right direction?
A proper diet is the first place to start and it does not take any time out of our day to be sure that we are eating healthy. The best motivator may be to calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI) in order to measure your body fat relative to your height and weight. http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ Once you have assessed where you are and where you need to be, the next step would be to create a suitable diet. Build the proper diet using the food pyramid. MyPyramid.gov will create the diet that is right for you. http://www.mypyramid.gov/index.html
Next – sleep! This may be more challenging than coming up with the right diet, but sleep deprivation certainly hinders your mental health and is just as important to correct as your nutritional regime. What bad habits keep you from getting to bed when you should? Having something to eat or drink that you can forgo, knowing it will keep you up? Staying up to watch just a little more TV? Engaging in frivolous internet activity? You can start here by simply…going to bed.
Finally, the real challenge – exercise! How do we take time to work out? A much tougher question to answer by mere suggestion. Here is where we really need to find time in our day and then, what exactly do we do? There is truly only one way to implement exercise into your day and that is by dedicating the time needed. If it takes away family time, include family in your workout routine; everyone can go for a walk, go swimming, bike riding and lift weights. You may even find this to be quality family time and open up lines of communication to discuss family issues. The time in front of the TV can be the time we use for exercise. We can argue this time is used to “take our mind off things.” This will still be accomplished during your workout and will achieve the healthier objective of rejuvenating your brain. If you can not pull yourself away from the TV, then how about some calisthenics while watching?
Finalize your health and fitness regimen and keep to your established routine. You do not have to do everything at once but it is imperative to get started. As you get started, implement reminders that there is change in your life. Move your alarm clock to where you need to get “out of bed” to shut it off. This will get you out of bed in the morning (as opposed to giving your workout, to your snooze alarm) as well as being a “reminder.” Write a short shopping list of the nutritional foods you need to buy for your new diet – right now, right a couple of things down! Put that list in your car where you will see it as a reminder that you need to stop at the market on the way home.
In conclusion, living a healthier lifestyle will increase your energy level, sharpen your mental acuity and allow you to do exponentially more.
The following links may also be helpful:
http://www.prohealth.com/weightloss/tools/exercise/calculator1_2.cfm?b1=WTLRSWEBO
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
http://www.shapeup.org/interactive/rmr1.php
by Jenn Foster
Friday, October 24, 2008
Welcome CareerBuilder.com
As this blog site evolves, it is our intent to build a network of partners that could help all of us achieve our career goals. We are extremely excited and proud to have CareerBuilder.com as one of our partners. The job opportunities listed on their site for various nurse positions in Pennsylvania is extensive. They have averaged 1,600 nursing positions over the past month and over 50 nurse educator positions throughout our state.
There are several ways in which to search (at left): Peruse the latest listings in the CareerBuilder.com Job Stream unit; mouse-over “Nurse Positions in Pennsylvania” for a comprehensive list of nursing positions, “Nurse Educators” for teaching jobs available, and the “CareerBuilder” logo for their search engine.
CareerBuilder.com also offers a variety of other services including articles and advice for job seekers, resume help and uploading your resume for greater visibility among searching employers.
Those of you that are eager for a new beginning, prepared for a greater challenge, or are in transition, as CareerBuilder.com would say, “Start Building.”
by Jenn Foster
There are several ways in which to search (at left): Peruse the latest listings in the CareerBuilder.com Job Stream unit; mouse-over “Nurse Positions in Pennsylvania” for a comprehensive list of nursing positions, “Nurse Educators” for teaching jobs available, and the “CareerBuilder” logo for their search engine.
CareerBuilder.com also offers a variety of other services including articles and advice for job seekers, resume help and uploading your resume for greater visibility among searching employers.
Those of you that are eager for a new beginning, prepared for a greater challenge, or are in transition, as CareerBuilder.com would say, “Start Building.”
by Jenn Foster
Thursday, October 23, 2008
A Tribute to Nursing
To venture the task of discussing the great people and events that have made American nursing the powerful profession it is today, is to undertake an impossible task. I do firmly believe, however, that a taste of history is somewhat like eating one Idaho potato chip - it will stimulate and support a lifelong interest in the subject.
We in nursing are fortunate indeed to be able to emulate the leadership and political savvy of Florence Nightingale. She, more than any nurse before or since, shaped and expanded quality health care throughout the British Empire and world. Most people, however, think of Florence Nightingale only as the founder of nursing education. Though this is true, her contributions exceed far beyond nursing and into the realm of illness prevention, health promotion, and community health and safety.
Florence Nightingale (born 1820) was better educated than most men of her day. She was an accomplished linguist, mathematician, statistician, philosopher, and historian. She understood that contrary to the belief of the day, forward thinking people could alter their destiny. She had an insatiable curiosity and a probing, analytical mind. But her greatest handicap by far was being a woman.
Despite this handicap, Nightingale created and developed a system of education affording women a respectable profession. Additionally, she used her strong political powers to enact hospital and military reform. She reformed health care for the British Empire, including India. Nightingale presented rationale for her decisions and needs with expert mathematical skill. She used the power of the press and her own outstanding prolific writing abilities to keep public health issues in full view of the people.
Nightingale was a national heroine and she used this popularity, along with her expert health care and political knowledge, to influence major leaders, including the queen of England.
US Nursing
In the early 1900s, American women did not have the right to vote nor were they allowed political status. Though nursing was almost exclusively female, nurses as a group were enormously conservative in their approach to the women's movement. In 1907, at the 10th annual convention of the Nurse's Associated Alumnae of the US (now known as the American Nurses Association), the question of women's suffrage (right to vote) was hotly debated and a resolution in support of the women's movement defeated.
Nurse Lavinia L. Dock, however, stands out as one of the strongest, most pro-feminist American nurse of all time. She marched in Washington and went to jail for her belief in equal rights for women. When, in 1920, congress passed the 19th amendment to the constitution giving women voting rights, Dock continued her equal rights crusade in opposition to countless other discriminations against women. Her basic premise, until she died, was that all people are equal.
The power of the press was the motto and mission of Nurse Sophia Palmer, first Editor and Publisher of the American Journal of Nursing. Palmer had great insight into the need for nurses to control their own profession. Her editorials helped create the first American nursing licensing laws and boards in 1903. Palmer took risks and made a major difference for us all. Because of her and others, boards of nursing govern American nurses and American nurses have legal standards for practice and education. These standards forbid unqualified, unlicensed persons from calling themselves registered nurses or RNs.
This is an exciting time to be a nurse! Because of increasing population census, a growing number of elders, expanded technology, health care reform, and emerging nursing roles, many new nursing jobs in Idaho will surface. These new jobs will require well-educated, dedicated, competent, caring, decision-makers and client advocates. Nationally, the healthcare system will require more than 1.2 million new nurses over the next decade. That means that the second largest number of new jobs among all occupations will be for RNs.
RNs work to promote health, prevent disease, and help patients and families cope with illness and disability. They are advocates and health educators for patients, families, communities. RNs develop and manage patient treatment plans; instruct patients and families in proper care; and help individuals and groups take steps to improve or maintain health and quality of life.
Though there will always be a need for hospital nurses, in the future, a growing number of nurses will be employed in home health, long-term care, hospice, parish nursing, prison care, community care, surgical centers, and ambulatory clinics.
This week, please stop for a moment to thank a nurse who has helped you or someone you love find health, wellness, strength, and an improved quality of life. Individuals, families, communities, organizations, specialties, and health services have discovered the importance of quality nursing. Florence Nightingale, we are proud to be walking in your nursing shoes.
By Linda S. Smith, MS, DSN, RN, CLNC
Professor and Nursing Program Director, Idaho State University
We in nursing are fortunate indeed to be able to emulate the leadership and political savvy of Florence Nightingale. She, more than any nurse before or since, shaped and expanded quality health care throughout the British Empire and world. Most people, however, think of Florence Nightingale only as the founder of nursing education. Though this is true, her contributions exceed far beyond nursing and into the realm of illness prevention, health promotion, and community health and safety.
Florence Nightingale (born 1820) was better educated than most men of her day. She was an accomplished linguist, mathematician, statistician, philosopher, and historian. She understood that contrary to the belief of the day, forward thinking people could alter their destiny. She had an insatiable curiosity and a probing, analytical mind. But her greatest handicap by far was being a woman.
Despite this handicap, Nightingale created and developed a system of education affording women a respectable profession. Additionally, she used her strong political powers to enact hospital and military reform. She reformed health care for the British Empire, including India. Nightingale presented rationale for her decisions and needs with expert mathematical skill. She used the power of the press and her own outstanding prolific writing abilities to keep public health issues in full view of the people.
Nightingale was a national heroine and she used this popularity, along with her expert health care and political knowledge, to influence major leaders, including the queen of England.
US Nursing
In the early 1900s, American women did not have the right to vote nor were they allowed political status. Though nursing was almost exclusively female, nurses as a group were enormously conservative in their approach to the women's movement. In 1907, at the 10th annual convention of the Nurse's Associated Alumnae of the US (now known as the American Nurses Association), the question of women's suffrage (right to vote) was hotly debated and a resolution in support of the women's movement defeated.
Nurse Lavinia L. Dock, however, stands out as one of the strongest, most pro-feminist American nurse of all time. She marched in Washington and went to jail for her belief in equal rights for women. When, in 1920, congress passed the 19th amendment to the constitution giving women voting rights, Dock continued her equal rights crusade in opposition to countless other discriminations against women. Her basic premise, until she died, was that all people are equal.
The power of the press was the motto and mission of Nurse Sophia Palmer, first Editor and Publisher of the American Journal of Nursing. Palmer had great insight into the need for nurses to control their own profession. Her editorials helped create the first American nursing licensing laws and boards in 1903. Palmer took risks and made a major difference for us all. Because of her and others, boards of nursing govern American nurses and American nurses have legal standards for practice and education. These standards forbid unqualified, unlicensed persons from calling themselves registered nurses or RNs.
This is an exciting time to be a nurse! Because of increasing population census, a growing number of elders, expanded technology, health care reform, and emerging nursing roles, many new nursing jobs in Idaho will surface. These new jobs will require well-educated, dedicated, competent, caring, decision-makers and client advocates. Nationally, the healthcare system will require more than 1.2 million new nurses over the next decade. That means that the second largest number of new jobs among all occupations will be for RNs.
RNs work to promote health, prevent disease, and help patients and families cope with illness and disability. They are advocates and health educators for patients, families, communities. RNs develop and manage patient treatment plans; instruct patients and families in proper care; and help individuals and groups take steps to improve or maintain health and quality of life.
Though there will always be a need for hospital nurses, in the future, a growing number of nurses will be employed in home health, long-term care, hospice, parish nursing, prison care, community care, surgical centers, and ambulatory clinics.
This week, please stop for a moment to thank a nurse who has helped you or someone you love find health, wellness, strength, and an improved quality of life. Individuals, families, communities, organizations, specialties, and health services have discovered the importance of quality nursing. Florence Nightingale, we are proud to be walking in your nursing shoes.
By Linda S. Smith, MS, DSN, RN, CLNC
Professor and Nursing Program Director, Idaho State University
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Paying Homage to our Mentor
Florence Nightingale was a revolutionary and well ahead of her time. We know of her numerous and purely astounding accomplishments with nursing through advocacy, reform, and the transformation of nursing into a legitimate profession. But do we truly grasp the depth of her accomplishments?
Born into an affluent family, Florence Nightingale ignored the societal norms of the time, which separated social class and disparaged nursing, and got down in the trenches to treat the poor and impoverished. In the process she addressed equality for the indigent and for women.
Claiming to have heard the voice of God on several occasions, Florence Nightingale’s calling must have been a powerful one. Father Henri J. M. Nouwen in his book, “Bread for the Journey” wrote a daily meditation entitled, “Downward Mobility.” He wrote the following:
“The society in which we live suggests in countless ways that the way to go is up. Making it to the top, entering the limelight, breaking the record – that’s what draws attention, gets us on the front page of the newspaper, and offers us the rewards of money and fame.
The way of Jesus is radically different. It is the way not of upward mobility but of downward mobility. It is going to the bottom, staying behind the sets, and choosing the last place! Why is the way of Jesus worth choosing? Because it is the way to the Kingdom, the way Jesus took, and the way that brings everlasting life.”
This certainly describes the path in life Florence Nightingale chose and the conviction to her divine calling. Florence Nightingale rejected her life of privilege and had the courage to oppose her parents’ wishes, despite their attempts to steer her away from nursing, to do what she believed she was called to do. Florence Nightingale looked for her downward mobility to transform nursing and address the injustices of society. It was action that she took or as the saying goes, “She walked the walk.”
Her true accomplishments: Not as much transforming nursing into a legitimate profession, as much as making it a vocation; not as much treating the ill for their physical needs, but the healing of their whole being; not as much her advocacy and reform for the time, but setting a precedence for all time; and maybe most of all, treating people as equal and as children of God. All because she answered her calling and of her “Downward Mobility.”
There are only a few people in the history of mankind that truly denied their very selves to embark on a journey that was ominous, perilous and denigrated to accomplish so much for the destitute, never to be repaid by worldly riches… or paid at all. Thank God nursing got one of them.
by Jenn Foster
Born into an affluent family, Florence Nightingale ignored the societal norms of the time, which separated social class and disparaged nursing, and got down in the trenches to treat the poor and impoverished. In the process she addressed equality for the indigent and for women.
Claiming to have heard the voice of God on several occasions, Florence Nightingale’s calling must have been a powerful one. Father Henri J. M. Nouwen in his book, “Bread for the Journey” wrote a daily meditation entitled, “Downward Mobility.” He wrote the following:
“The society in which we live suggests in countless ways that the way to go is up. Making it to the top, entering the limelight, breaking the record – that’s what draws attention, gets us on the front page of the newspaper, and offers us the rewards of money and fame.
The way of Jesus is radically different. It is the way not of upward mobility but of downward mobility. It is going to the bottom, staying behind the sets, and choosing the last place! Why is the way of Jesus worth choosing? Because it is the way to the Kingdom, the way Jesus took, and the way that brings everlasting life.”
This certainly describes the path in life Florence Nightingale chose and the conviction to her divine calling. Florence Nightingale rejected her life of privilege and had the courage to oppose her parents’ wishes, despite their attempts to steer her away from nursing, to do what she believed she was called to do. Florence Nightingale looked for her downward mobility to transform nursing and address the injustices of society. It was action that she took or as the saying goes, “She walked the walk.”
Her true accomplishments: Not as much transforming nursing into a legitimate profession, as much as making it a vocation; not as much treating the ill for their physical needs, but the healing of their whole being; not as much her advocacy and reform for the time, but setting a precedence for all time; and maybe most of all, treating people as equal and as children of God. All because she answered her calling and of her “Downward Mobility.”
There are only a few people in the history of mankind that truly denied their very selves to embark on a journey that was ominous, perilous and denigrated to accomplish so much for the destitute, never to be repaid by worldly riches… or paid at all. Thank God nursing got one of them.
by Jenn Foster
Thursday, September 4, 2008
L.E.A.D. (Learn. Educate. Advocate. Disseminate.)
It may seem old fashioned to affirm; nursing is a calling. Goetzman (2005) defines a great nurse as: (a) someone who comes to the profession with natural talents; (b) a creative mind, ready to innovate in ever changing patient situations; (c) a deep sense of compassion, enabling them to intuitively provide the emotional as well as physical care their patients need; (d) and an affinity for collaborative work, as the rigors of the job include working with a team of other nurses, physicians, and family members all holding the same goal in mind to provide the best possible care of the patient. What about the individuals who feel the calling to join the nursing discipline but whose talents are not well defined, and creativity is limited? Do individuals who lack the so called natural elements of nursing have an inability to reach the levels of nursing compassion, innovation and collaboration? It is possible to have the heart of a nurse and yet require assistance in completing a nursing actualization. The possibilities lie within nursing education. Colleges’ doors are being pounded upon by individuals who wish to answer the nursing calling. The need for nurse educators is not being met by colleges and the nursing discipline in need of members who will keep the profession’s commitment to serve as the first line life savers, care givers and health promotion innovators. Nursing today is rapidly moving into the path of a perfect storm; complex healthcare infrastructure, shortage, and an educational void (Bartels, 2005). The future quality and maybe professional existence of nursing is dependent on discipline individuals realizing their duty to learn, educate, advocate and disseminate lessons learned (L.E.A.D.).
Learning is a fundamental element of nursing’s foundation. The knowledge of nursing is vast, complex and in a state of constant evolution. Learning takes courage and the realization that educational stagnation is devastating for the profession and patient outcomes. Nursing leadership is not for a few in the profession. Every nurse is a leader. Miracle (2006) notes lifelong learning as a characteristic of leadership. It is worth noting that every nurse who is not afraid to learn does not have to utilize lessons learned to leave the bedside; learning is necessary at every level of nursing. However, learning tends to open doors that an individual never knew existed. Acting to learn may move an individual to hunger for greater challenge such as becoming involved in hospital, local and national organizations to promote excellence in the discipline. Motivation for preceptorship and mentorship without need of request may follow. Knowledge empowerment can open a nurse’s vision to become a professional innovator in ensuring the continuance of the profession. The individual may dare to take on a baccalaureate, masters or even a doctorate program. Learning can open awareness paths unknown to the stagnant nurse. Once knowledge empowerment takes place a drive to educate colleagues blinded by stagnation may become a renewed nursing mission.
Educate is an act of growth and an opportunity which every nurse needs to embrace. Educating is career building, and a life restoring action congruent with nursing’s calling. Taking the hand of a novice and providing the leadership that teaches successful strategies has rewards equaled to life restoration. Is it not life restoring to lead others to practice in a life saving profession? Effective leaders are people who can empower others and assist them in identifying their passions and talents so that they can make the most significant contribution possible (Grossman, 2007). The key is to remember that you are the leader upon which the future of nursing depends. A progression away from stagnation and embrace educating those who feel a calling to be a nurse, novices newly graduated, or experienced professionals awaken to the realization of the need to stay current is the cultivation of the nursing mission. There is no need to limit nursing’s potential. Nurses with master’s or doctoral degrees have many career choices (Nursing Education, 2006). Excuses abound in limiting the self in taking on an advanced educator role; lack of time, age, and resources. The time issue can be rectified by taking the on line route to an advanced degree. The age excuse is no excuse as second career individuals are attempting to enter nursing programs; awaiting your presence. Resources can be attained via the workplace, nursing organizations, grants, scholarships and tuition management programs. Nurses, realize that by limiting yourself, you are limiting the present and future of the profession. Nursing must develop self and professional advocacy.
Advocate is nursing’s voice in action. Silence is important in promoting patient comfort. It is not and should never be nursing’s defining characteristic. It is nurses who consistently rank as the most respected professionals in America (DeMoro, 2007). Others deem the nursing profession as an entity worthy of advocating respect, trust, and excellence in care. Knowledge stagnation is contrary to professional advocacy. Communicating nursing’s contribution to humanity should be a nurse’s life slogan. There is no greater act of advocacy than sharing lessons learned, triumphs, and life changing nursing experiences with others who have a vision to follow in your foot steps. Every time a nurse takes a step toward growth, professional advocacy takes place. However the crux of advocacy depends on nurse’s willingness to advance and educate. Who better to carry on Nightingale’s legacy than you? Evolving into a professional educator by reaching for a Masters and doctorate is within every nurse’s grasp. Advocacy via educating is an opportunity that can not be discarded. An advance degree in nursing is an excellent way to build self esteem, knowledge, and leadership in the profession; it can be one of the most rewarding choices a nurse will make (Nursing Education, 2006). One of the greatest rewards of advancing professionally is the strengthening of your nursing voice; advocacy. Once a nurse utilizes professional voice, disseminating lessons learn is sure to follow.
Disseminate is a selfless act of spreading nursing’s calling to learn, educate, and advocate. Once a nurse awakens the individual inherent leadership synonymous with the profession, communicating lessons learned follows and is typically displayed by cultivating mentorship. Mentoring is thought to be one of the highest forms of leadership and consequently, to be very significant in assisting individuals to empower themselves (Grossman, 2007). A great remedy in overcoming nursing advancement barriers is mentorship. Sharing strategies in dealing with time management, financial restraints, and self doubt can impact the present and future quality of the nursing profession. Establishing the ground work for increasing the number of educators in hospitals and colleges can have a direct impact not only in ensuring professional excellence but in diminishing shortages as doors are opened to a greater number of nursing students. Mentorship is a professional development strategy that strengthens collegial relationships, facilitates the retention of skilled nurses, and enhances overall practice (Nickle, 2007). Nursing’s present and future is in the hands of every practitioner and their willingness to answer the calling to L.E.A.D.
Leadership in nursing education is within the grasp of every nurse. Nurses forging toward educational advancement strengthen nursing’s professional foundation. Professionalism is not an award or a gift. Professionalism is the result of a collaborative knowledge development dedicated to constant cultivation and a commitment to never stop learning.
Roxana Gonzalez RN, CCRN
Saint Michael’s Medical Center
Newark, N.J.
References
Bartels, J. E. (2005). Educating nurses for the 21st century. Nursing & Health Sciences, 7(4), 221-225.
DeMoro, R. A. (2007). Nursing power goes beyond bedsides: Nurses will be the group leading the healthcare revolution in America. Journal of Patient Advocacy, 103(9), 11.
Goetzman, A. (2006). Educating the nurses of tomorrow. Creative Nursing, 11 (1), 3.
Grossman, S. (2007). Assisting critical care nurses in acquiring leadership skills. Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 26(2), 57-65.
Miracle, V. A. (2006). Leadership. Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 25(2), 93.
Nickle, P. (2007). Cognitive apprenticeship: Laying the groundwork for mentoring registered nurses in the intensive care unit. Dynamics, 18(4), 19-27.
Nursing Education: At the Crossroads of Change. (2006). Critical Care Nurse, 26, supplement, 49-73.
Learning is a fundamental element of nursing’s foundation. The knowledge of nursing is vast, complex and in a state of constant evolution. Learning takes courage and the realization that educational stagnation is devastating for the profession and patient outcomes. Nursing leadership is not for a few in the profession. Every nurse is a leader. Miracle (2006) notes lifelong learning as a characteristic of leadership. It is worth noting that every nurse who is not afraid to learn does not have to utilize lessons learned to leave the bedside; learning is necessary at every level of nursing. However, learning tends to open doors that an individual never knew existed. Acting to learn may move an individual to hunger for greater challenge such as becoming involved in hospital, local and national organizations to promote excellence in the discipline. Motivation for preceptorship and mentorship without need of request may follow. Knowledge empowerment can open a nurse’s vision to become a professional innovator in ensuring the continuance of the profession. The individual may dare to take on a baccalaureate, masters or even a doctorate program. Learning can open awareness paths unknown to the stagnant nurse. Once knowledge empowerment takes place a drive to educate colleagues blinded by stagnation may become a renewed nursing mission.
Educate is an act of growth and an opportunity which every nurse needs to embrace. Educating is career building, and a life restoring action congruent with nursing’s calling. Taking the hand of a novice and providing the leadership that teaches successful strategies has rewards equaled to life restoration. Is it not life restoring to lead others to practice in a life saving profession? Effective leaders are people who can empower others and assist them in identifying their passions and talents so that they can make the most significant contribution possible (Grossman, 2007). The key is to remember that you are the leader upon which the future of nursing depends. A progression away from stagnation and embrace educating those who feel a calling to be a nurse, novices newly graduated, or experienced professionals awaken to the realization of the need to stay current is the cultivation of the nursing mission. There is no need to limit nursing’s potential. Nurses with master’s or doctoral degrees have many career choices (Nursing Education, 2006). Excuses abound in limiting the self in taking on an advanced educator role; lack of time, age, and resources. The time issue can be rectified by taking the on line route to an advanced degree. The age excuse is no excuse as second career individuals are attempting to enter nursing programs; awaiting your presence. Resources can be attained via the workplace, nursing organizations, grants, scholarships and tuition management programs. Nurses, realize that by limiting yourself, you are limiting the present and future of the profession. Nursing must develop self and professional advocacy.
Advocate is nursing’s voice in action. Silence is important in promoting patient comfort. It is not and should never be nursing’s defining characteristic. It is nurses who consistently rank as the most respected professionals in America (DeMoro, 2007). Others deem the nursing profession as an entity worthy of advocating respect, trust, and excellence in care. Knowledge stagnation is contrary to professional advocacy. Communicating nursing’s contribution to humanity should be a nurse’s life slogan. There is no greater act of advocacy than sharing lessons learned, triumphs, and life changing nursing experiences with others who have a vision to follow in your foot steps. Every time a nurse takes a step toward growth, professional advocacy takes place. However the crux of advocacy depends on nurse’s willingness to advance and educate. Who better to carry on Nightingale’s legacy than you? Evolving into a professional educator by reaching for a Masters and doctorate is within every nurse’s grasp. Advocacy via educating is an opportunity that can not be discarded. An advance degree in nursing is an excellent way to build self esteem, knowledge, and leadership in the profession; it can be one of the most rewarding choices a nurse will make (Nursing Education, 2006). One of the greatest rewards of advancing professionally is the strengthening of your nursing voice; advocacy. Once a nurse utilizes professional voice, disseminating lessons learn is sure to follow.
Disseminate is a selfless act of spreading nursing’s calling to learn, educate, and advocate. Once a nurse awakens the individual inherent leadership synonymous with the profession, communicating lessons learned follows and is typically displayed by cultivating mentorship. Mentoring is thought to be one of the highest forms of leadership and consequently, to be very significant in assisting individuals to empower themselves (Grossman, 2007). A great remedy in overcoming nursing advancement barriers is mentorship. Sharing strategies in dealing with time management, financial restraints, and self doubt can impact the present and future quality of the nursing profession. Establishing the ground work for increasing the number of educators in hospitals and colleges can have a direct impact not only in ensuring professional excellence but in diminishing shortages as doors are opened to a greater number of nursing students. Mentorship is a professional development strategy that strengthens collegial relationships, facilitates the retention of skilled nurses, and enhances overall practice (Nickle, 2007). Nursing’s present and future is in the hands of every practitioner and their willingness to answer the calling to L.E.A.D.
Leadership in nursing education is within the grasp of every nurse. Nurses forging toward educational advancement strengthen nursing’s professional foundation. Professionalism is not an award or a gift. Professionalism is the result of a collaborative knowledge development dedicated to constant cultivation and a commitment to never stop learning.
Roxana Gonzalez RN, CCRN
Saint Michael’s Medical Center
Newark, N.J.
References
Bartels, J. E. (2005). Educating nurses for the 21st century. Nursing & Health Sciences, 7(4), 221-225.
DeMoro, R. A. (2007). Nursing power goes beyond bedsides: Nurses will be the group leading the healthcare revolution in America. Journal of Patient Advocacy, 103(9), 11.
Goetzman, A. (2006). Educating the nurses of tomorrow. Creative Nursing, 11 (1), 3.
Grossman, S. (2007). Assisting critical care nurses in acquiring leadership skills. Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 26(2), 57-65.
Miracle, V. A. (2006). Leadership. Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 25(2), 93.
Nickle, P. (2007). Cognitive apprenticeship: Laying the groundwork for mentoring registered nurses in the intensive care unit. Dynamics, 18(4), 19-27.
Nursing Education: At the Crossroads of Change. (2006). Critical Care Nurse, 26, supplement, 49-73.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Be the Change You Want To See In Nursing
Understaffed. Overworked. Precarious situations. Underappreciated. Ready to give up. Start a new career.
After reading and participating in many nurse blogs and forums, there is certainly a fair amount of acrimony toward the nursing profession by its own. After talking with a number of nurses, this sentiment and the stories that are told have been corroborated. Some of these stories are truly alarming; some situations are in need of immediate intervention.
The writer of this blog holds the nursing profession and nurses in the highest regard; even places these individuals on a pedestal! They deserve the highest respect.
The answer, however, lies with the multitude that comprises this esteemed vocation. Our healthcare system is dependent upon you for the change that needs to occur. This seems unfair and unjust. The reality is, it’s not going to come from anywhere else. At stake, as many nurses have pointed out, is the care that is needed, and that is given to, our families, friends and one day ourselves. You are the critical mass. We the people are dependent upon you to change the environments of where you perform your duties in an extraordinary way, and to impose the nurse’s oath, on any entity in opposition.
While the work environment at some facilities maybe better than others, there is no utopia. You have a far better chance of making your current work place the place where you want to work as opposed to finding job gratification elsewhere. Moreover, many are ready to quit the profession altogether. Before leaving for greener grass, why not channel that energy and use it to better your existing situation? Some questions worth asking yourself: How do I make my current employer, the place where I want to work (and do the thing I want to do!)? What can I change about myself that will help change the environment? How can I influence my colleagues to create change? What am I going to do differently to initiate change? When am I going to speak out, rather than remain silent? Change does not happen overnight. It comes about in steps and it must be brought about constructively. Be content with what you are able to accomplish, no matter how small, and find a way to build on it. Your demeanor is also essential for change, as it will determine the degree of effectiveness.
It is crucial that working environments change and the mood and tone improve. This profession needs to answer the call of its impending crisis -- and there is one!
There seems to be doubt as to whether or not there is a nursing shortage. Please see the following link: http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Media/FactSheets/NursingShortage.htm
The crux of the problem going forward is the insufficient number of nurse educators. The industry struggles now to maintain its current number of educators which is unable to meet demand (capacity of nursing students at schools of nursing). With the number of current nurse educators due to retire over the coming years, the problem will only escalate.
The fact is, healthcare is in dire need of nurse educators. This is an opportunity for those of you where change is inevitable to help remediate the situation. Below is a link for the schools of nursing in Pennsylvania as well as a link for financial aid. You may find it to be a possible solution.
With regard to adverse working environments, I strongly encourage some constructive dialog to begin on this column, so that together we can put an end to this impasse.
http://www.allnursingschools.com/find/PA/
http://www.futuresinnursing.org/aid/special_programs_educators.shtml
by Jenn Foster
After reading and participating in many nurse blogs and forums, there is certainly a fair amount of acrimony toward the nursing profession by its own. After talking with a number of nurses, this sentiment and the stories that are told have been corroborated. Some of these stories are truly alarming; some situations are in need of immediate intervention.
The writer of this blog holds the nursing profession and nurses in the highest regard; even places these individuals on a pedestal! They deserve the highest respect.
The answer, however, lies with the multitude that comprises this esteemed vocation. Our healthcare system is dependent upon you for the change that needs to occur. This seems unfair and unjust. The reality is, it’s not going to come from anywhere else. At stake, as many nurses have pointed out, is the care that is needed, and that is given to, our families, friends and one day ourselves. You are the critical mass. We the people are dependent upon you to change the environments of where you perform your duties in an extraordinary way, and to impose the nurse’s oath, on any entity in opposition.
While the work environment at some facilities maybe better than others, there is no utopia. You have a far better chance of making your current work place the place where you want to work as opposed to finding job gratification elsewhere. Moreover, many are ready to quit the profession altogether. Before leaving for greener grass, why not channel that energy and use it to better your existing situation? Some questions worth asking yourself: How do I make my current employer, the place where I want to work (and do the thing I want to do!)? What can I change about myself that will help change the environment? How can I influence my colleagues to create change? What am I going to do differently to initiate change? When am I going to speak out, rather than remain silent? Change does not happen overnight. It comes about in steps and it must be brought about constructively. Be content with what you are able to accomplish, no matter how small, and find a way to build on it. Your demeanor is also essential for change, as it will determine the degree of effectiveness.
It is crucial that working environments change and the mood and tone improve. This profession needs to answer the call of its impending crisis -- and there is one!
There seems to be doubt as to whether or not there is a nursing shortage. Please see the following link: http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Media/FactSheets/NursingShortage.htm
The crux of the problem going forward is the insufficient number of nurse educators. The industry struggles now to maintain its current number of educators which is unable to meet demand (capacity of nursing students at schools of nursing). With the number of current nurse educators due to retire over the coming years, the problem will only escalate.
The fact is, healthcare is in dire need of nurse educators. This is an opportunity for those of you where change is inevitable to help remediate the situation. Below is a link for the schools of nursing in Pennsylvania as well as a link for financial aid. You may find it to be a possible solution.
With regard to adverse working environments, I strongly encourage some constructive dialog to begin on this column, so that together we can put an end to this impasse.
http://www.allnursingschools.com/find/PA/
http://www.futuresinnursing.org/aid/special_programs_educators.shtml
by Jenn Foster
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
The Nursing Shortage
The projected nursing shortage in our state is 17,000 nurses by the year 2010 and 54,000 in 2020. There is no shortage of applicants as waiting lists at Pennsylvania's 127 schools of nursing are growing. However, without a sufficient number of nurse educators, this shortage will become a reality. It is not an overstatement to say that the crisis is now!
Additionally, thousands of qualified college nursing applicants are being turned away, left to find opportunities in other states or even to pursue other worthwhile occupations. The inability to educate the number of people needed, coupled with the forecast that 75% of current nurse educators will retire by the year 2019, will lead to the biggest nursing shortage ever.
There are many talented and dedicated nurses in the field with overwhelming conviction for their vocation, yet may feel stagnated with their current assignment.
The Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation is searching for those nurses who have had rewarding careers and are searching for deeper fulfillment. You can give exponentially by becoming a nurse educator. By sharing your experience along with your knowledge to hundreds of nursing students, you will be helping to assure that care for the sick will not only continue but reach higher levels of quality care and medical assistance.
Additionally, thousands of qualified college nursing applicants are being turned away, left to find opportunities in other states or even to pursue other worthwhile occupations. The inability to educate the number of people needed, coupled with the forecast that 75% of current nurse educators will retire by the year 2019, will lead to the biggest nursing shortage ever.
There are many talented and dedicated nurses in the field with overwhelming conviction for their vocation, yet may feel stagnated with their current assignment.
The Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation is searching for those nurses who have had rewarding careers and are searching for deeper fulfillment. You can give exponentially by becoming a nurse educator. By sharing your experience along with your knowledge to hundreds of nursing students, you will be helping to assure that care for the sick will not only continue but reach higher levels of quality care and medical assistance.
This is an opportune time for those looking for a new career path. You can affect the entire nursing industry and renew your vocation to nursing by choosing to become a nurse educator. Please give this opportunity serious consideration.
For information on continuing education, a list of graduate schools in Pennsylvania and financial aid, please click on the following website link: http://www.futuresinnursing.org/aid/special_programs_educators.shtml
by Jenn Foster
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
