Nursing

The IOM published report, “Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health,” makes recommendations for lifelong learning and achieving higher levels of education.

In 1,000-1,250 words, examine the importance of nursing education and discuss your overall educational goals.

Include the following:

Discuss your options in the job market based on your educational level.
Review the IOM Future of Nursing Recommendations for achieving higher levels of education. Describe what professional certification and advanced degrees (MSN, DNP, etc.) you want to pursue and explain your reasons for wanting to attain the education. Discuss your timeline for accomplishing these goals.
Discuss how increasing your level of education would affect how your competitiveness in the current job market and your role in the future of nursing.
Discuss the relationship of continuing nursing education to competency, attitudes, knowledge, and the ANA Scope and Standards for Practice and Code of Ethics.
Discuss whether continuing nursing education should be mandatory. Provide support for your response.
You are required to cite to a minimum of three sources to complete this assignment. Sources must be published within the last 5 years and appropriate for the assignment criteria and relevant to nursing practice.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

ANSWER

Future of Nursing

As a student and future graduate of Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), I have always had the ambition of looking to advance my education. My degree is an important factor in my life, as according to the American Nurses Association, having a BSN or higher is a good quality in an ambitious nurse (Craft-Blacksheare, 2018). My goals align with the goals of the Institute of Medicine, which is 80% of nurses in the United States to possess a BSN degree (or higher ) by 2020). According to the data collected by the American Nurses Association, 54% of employed nurses have at least a BSN, in a study conducted in 2016 (Craft-Blacksheare, 2018). The pressure of pursuing higher education in nursing continues to intensify as its importance and significance continue to be manifested in the healthcare sector. For instance, the State of New York has been at the forefront of pursuing Senate of the importance of Nurses pursuing further studies. According to t them, nurses need to earn a minimum of a BSN to become licensed to practice. Other States are picking up speed to ensure that such laws are approved to have competent nurses within different healthcare sectors and avoid incidences that are attributed due to a lack of BSN degrees (Craft-Blacksheare, 2018).

As a student and future graduate of Bachelor of Science in Nursing, there are several professions and careers that I can pursue. For instance, I can work as a registered nurse at a hospital. Several legal mandates require nurses serving at different hospitals to have BSN (Craft-Blacksheare, 2018). Several Units like the Intensive care and emergency unit require professionalism and nurses who are alert at all times. Pursuing a course in BSN ensures that one is fully equipped to handle the pressure and complexity of such professions, which ensures that human lives are saved. I can also be a clinical nurse specialist depending on a specialist of my choosing. An instance of a nursing specialist includes pediatrics, critical care, or oncology, which entails a person of my profession to diagnose and prescribe the appropriate drugs that are relevant to my diagnosis.  Having a BSN will also allow me to become a nursing manager (Craft-Blacksheare, 2018). The role of a nursing manager in different health sectors is in ensuring patient care satisfaction and overseeing the training and development of staff. A nursing manager ensures that the budget is understood and appropriately applied, and the human resources and strategic planning principles align with the goals and objectives of the hospital.

According to IOM Future of Nursing Recommendations for achieving higher levels of education, nurses need to further their studies and equip themselves with new skills relevant to patient care. The modification is done by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 2010 acts as guidelines in ensuring nurses play a crucial role in ensuring the change in the healthcare system were phased appropriately by the end of the year 2020 (Altman et al., 2016). The role and responsibilities highlighted by IOM ensure that I have the ambitions to further my studies, including pursuing a Master’s Degree in Nursing. Having a certification of MSN ensures that I am more specialized in skills and training and gives me the ability to work in various areas within the nursing field. By relevance, a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) is advanced from of BSN, equipping one with additional and relevant skills in nursing practice. Thus, there are various benefits that accrue from pursuing an MSN, including earning better compensation benefits. For instance, nurses earn an average national salary of $83,577 per year, while those with a bachelor’s degree earn an average of $114,470 per year (Altman et al., 2016). Earning and pursuing MSN takes two years to achieve success and graduate from the course.

Increasing my level of education from a Bachelor’s degree to a master’s degree will give me a competitive edge over my competitors in the job market. Linda Aiken, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, and FRCN, asserts that the need for nurses with a bachelor’s degree is on the rise in the United States (Altman et al., 2016). Aiken states that there is a developing and huge push for nurses to have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in nursing. There is also a strong preference within the healthcare sector for nurses to have a bachelor’s degree. Thus, those with a BSN are more likely to be hired in various sectors than their counterparts who do not have the same certifications. In addition, in a study co-authored by Aiken in 2013, nurses who had a bachelor’s degree in nursing and worked in various sectors recorded a lower patient mortality rate than other hospitals (Altman et al., 2016). Nurses with a bachelor’s degree also have a competitive edge in the leadership sector. Most of the nurse managers are appointed according to their qualifications, especially those possessing a bachelor’s degree.

Another competitive edge derived from further education is the worrying U.S estimation of physician shortages by the end of 2030 (Buhlman, 2016). This is due to many nurses failing to pursue further education, then leaving gaps like those of physicians that can only be failed with those who have been properly certified according to their level of education and documentation. By the end of 2030, the United States estimates to have a total of between 40,800 and 104,000 physicians working in various hospitals if the current trend continues to persist (Buhlman, 2016). According to Anabell Castro-Thompson, for the healthcare sector to reduce the existing disparities among many minority populations and provide better health outcomes, many nursing students need to further their studies and fill the existing gaps.

The continuation of nursing education is an important factor for nurses, as there exist various benefits from this practice (Bennett, 2017). For instance, continuing education keeps nurses up to date on the latest advances in care and treatment. A good example is the development and spread of COVID-19, which acted as a test for time and competency for various nurses, as the virus was new to both scientists, doctors, and nurses. Having the appropriate education level ensures that nurses can protect themselves and other people during such a crisis, thus saving the lives of many people as the appropriate medicine and vaccine are researched. In addition, furthering the nursing education level ensures that nurses can explore other areas of nursing, including wound care, pain management (like the study and implementation of meditation), and case management concerning various niches. For instance, the existence of COVID-19 enabled many nurses to develop new skill sets and knowledge regarding the handling of pandemics. Thus, further education ensures that nurses are ready and equipped with the necessary knowledge to combat unforeseeable diseases and viruses.

References

Altman, S. H., Butler, A. S., & Shern, L. (Eds.). (2016). Assessing progress on the Institute of Medicine report The Future of Nursing.

Bennett, L. L. (2017). The Gap Between Nursing Education and Clinical Skills. ABNF Journal, 28(4).

Buhlman, N. (2016). How nurses’ work environment influences key performance indicators: data show that a high-quality nursing work environment sets the stage for nursing success and gives hospitals a competitive edge. American Nurse Today, 11(3), 54-58.

Craft-Blacksheare, M. (2018). New careers in nursing: An effective model for increasing nursing workforce diversity. Journal of Nursing Education, 57(3), 178-183.

Institute of Medicine. (2011). IOM advocates for Higher Levels of Nursing Education. Retrieved from https://www.americansentinel.edu/blog/2011/01/10/iom-advocates-higher-nursing-education/