Importance of Nursing Education and Overall Education Goals

Importance of Nursing Education and Overall Education Goals

Nursing is a vital profession that provides an indispensable human resource to healthcare institutions. Education is critical to efficient nursing service provision, and professionals recommend a progressive knowledge and career-building education system. The IOM report on the future of nursing recommends continuous education programs that enhance the profession. I have gained knowledge about the importance of constant education and identified an appropriate higher degree. Interaction between continuous nursing education models and the professional scope of practice and code of ethics informs my decisions and exemplifies the need for progressive nursing education.

1. Discuss your options in the job market based on your educational level.

I have completed my ASDN program, and I have an educational background in-home care, rehabilitation in a hospital setting, LTC, hospice care, and family practice. I have also completed training in thoracic, vascular intensive care, and I am now an oncology/bone marrow transplant nurse. These qualifications give me an array of choices and opportunities in the job market. My knowledge in different areas of healthcare allows me to take up different jobs in various healthcare settings available for ASDN graduates. Besides working as an oncology/bone marrow transplant nurse, I can also work as a registered nurse in general practice. My knowledge of hospice and family practice allows me to take up jobs in hospice care or take on a career as a family nurse.

2. Review the IOM Future of Nursing Recommendations for achieving higher levels of education.

The Institute of Medicine collaborated with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to release a report titled The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. The report aimed at making recommendations that sophisticate the nursing practice and realize a better future for the profession. One key message of the report recommends that nurses achieve higher education (Institute of Medicine, 2011). The healthcare industry is a continuously evolving field that requires all involved parties to improve their knowledge and become acquainted with developing issues. The existing education programs lock out qualified candidates from accessing clinical placement, a crucial element in nursing education (Institute of Medicine, 2011). The report recommends looking into these challenges and new programs that uphold fundamental nursing principles and allow them to make career advancements.

Nurses are critical and indispensable in any healthcare setting. Investing in nursing education programs equals investing in better healthcare for any particular nation. According to the report, a progressive education system for graduate nurses should allow them to evaluate and improve patient care standards and increase nurses’ adaptability and education on managing a variety of complex conditions (Institute of Medicine, 2011). Graduate nurses who have received higher education levels add value to the existing faculty and contribute to the knowledge base on the provision of holistic and quality care. A seamless education system that allows nurses to move through various levels of education, as recommended by the report, increases nursing practice competency and encourages professional development.

3. Describe what professional certification and advanced degrees (MSN, DNP, etc.) you want to pursue and explain your reasons for attaining the education. Discuss your timeline for accomplishing these goals.

I want to pursue an advanced degree in DNP, doctor of nursing practice. I want to take a DNP advanced degree because it is a better fit for me as I work as an oncology/bone marrow transplant nurse. The DNP degree ensures that I advance in the oncology and bone marrow transplant department and expands my career options within any healthcare and clinical settings. Besides, the IOM report outlines that salaries for registered nurses with DNP degrees are generally higher (Institute of Medicine, 2011). Taking up a DNP program also gives me an edge because the hospital I work for employs NPs just as it employs physician assistants. I intend first to complete my BSN program and then possibly complete my Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in the next three to four years.

4. 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.

A teaching hospital/magnet hospital employs me, and such positions are highly competitive. I have been an employee in this institution for the last fifteen years since I started my CAN. In the fifteen years, I have demonstrated dedication, loyalty, education, and work ethic. It is evident that I have progressed in my training, and I have an interest in continuing to advance. Increasing my education level allows me to move along in my current job and possibly take up an administrative position in the institution. My long years of employment in the hospital and advancement in my education also improves my skills in service provision. I will be knowledgeable in providing quality care for a variety of patients and improving my status in the profession and the hospital.

5. Discuss the relationship of continuing nursing education to competency, attitudes, knowledge, and the ANA Scope and Standards for Practice and Code of Ethics.

Continuing nursing education is crucial to the nursing profession but must uphold specific essential requirements for nurses to deliver quality care. Contributors of the IOM report recognize the importance of an education system that promotes continuous learning and preserves fundamental nursing education elements, including competency, ethics, and integrity in providing care to patients (Institute of Medicine, 2011). To attain competency, students need to complete specific learning outcomes in a competency-based learning program. According to Gravina, a competency-based program of continuing education ensures that students progress in their personal and career advancement while maintaining the students’ levels of competency (Gravina, 2017). The program targets employed nurses who have attained an associate degree in nursing, as most of these nurses are working and continuously apply their knowledge and skills. However, according to Yoshioka and Kaneko, continuing education programs fail to provide nurses with adequate ethics training (Yoshioka and Kaneko, 2019). The report recommends better education programs that integrate the code of ethics into practice and training.

Administrators often voice concerns about continuous education and its influences on the standards for practice and the code of ethics. Ongoing training in nursing should promote a culture of safety and instill a sense of responsibility for the nurses through the Just Culture model (Olson and Stokes, 2016). The need for continuous education coincides with the standards of practice and code of ethics provision that allows only qualified nurses to attend to patients. Supervising nurses assess skills, training and experience of their supervisees, approves them and assigns them to a post that matches their education (Olson and Stokes, 2016). Knowledge and skills are indispensable in the healthcare setting, and nurses, in particular, need quality education that articulates the core values of the profession.

Practice boundaries in the nursing profession continuously evolve due to factors such as technology and diversity of patients. According to the IOM report, continuous education increases students’ competency and narrows the scope of practice through ‘life-long’ learning assessed through a demonstration of skill (Institute of Medicine, 2011). Nurse managers, through assessing education levels and observing progression in education to ensure nurses work within their scope of practice. Difference levels of education allow the nurses to practice within a particular range and withing regulations specified by various states. Undoubtedly, continual teaching and practice allow nursing teams to work together with physicians on a high level of teamwork and collaboration.

6. Discuss whether continuing nursing education should be mandatory. Provide support for your response.

I agree that continuing nursing education should be mandatory. There is a need for ongoing research and changes in healthcare to feed the need for evidence-based practice. Patient presentations in healthcare facilities are never constant, and the patients depend on physicians and nurses to provide appropriate and quality care. Making continuous nursing education mandatory ensures that nurses advance in their careers and allows them to continue to gain knowledge of various health problems and provide better care. Nurses with all levels of education need to be able to accurately identify and treat health conditions and contribute to ongoing treatment research for emerging diseases. Mandatory continuous education increases the number of professionals in the nursing pool and improves care for patients.

References

Gravina, E. W. (2017). Competency-based education and its effect on nursing education: A literature review. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 12(2), 117-121.

Institute of Medicine, 2011. The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/12956.

Olson, L. L., & Stokes, F. (2016). The ANA code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements: Resource for nursing regulation. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 7(2), 9-20.

Yoshioka, E., & Kaneko, S. (2019). The Current Status of Ethical Judgment Capacity and Ethical Training Regarding Continuous Nursing Education. International Journal of Nursing & Clinical Practices, 2019.

Yoshioka, E., & Kaneko, S. (2019). The Current Status of Ethical Judgment Capacity and Ethical Training Regarding Continuous Nursing Education. International Journal of Nursing & Clinical Practices, 2019.