...over. My first short term goal I want to accomplish is being a staff nurse III, in my unit. A staff nurse III position is considered a nurse who is known as a nurse leader in the unit. A staff nurse III, is the resource person in the unit. They are required to keep staff up to date with new information and participate in quality improvement projects. The next step in my professional goal is to become a clinical instructor. Clinical instructors are professionals that teach nursing students to apply knowledge in clinical settings (Koharchik & Jakub, 2014). A long term goal I want to pursue is becoming an neonatal nurse practitioner (NNP). NNP is an advanced nursing practice that utilizes extended and expanded skills, experience and knowledge in assessment, planning, implementation, diagnosis, and evaluation of the care required for neonates (Freed, Dunham, Martyn, Nantais-Smith, & Moran, 2013 ). I enjoy teaching, and the professional goals that I have chosen will give me the opportunity to teach others in a health care setting. Strengths, Ethics, & Values There were a couple reasons that I decided to return to school. First, I wanted to show my son that education is very important. If he wants to have a career, he needs a college degree. I want to teach him that knowledge is key to success. Second, I have been a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse for seventeen years. I was at a point in my life that I want to further...
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...Nursing Shortage Shortages of registered nurses have taken place repeatedly in the past. Agencies have examined the reasons for the decline in the supply of nurses. There seems to be a cycle of nursing shortages in the United States. “Economist argue that the shortages are related to the lack of increase wages, an imperfectly competitive market, geographic distribution problems, or the delay between salary increases and the ability to afford the education needed to enter the job market,”(ACHE, 2013). Other resources site the nursing shortage on the aging nurse population or the “baby boomers” leaving the workforce. The decrease individuals attending the nursing programs due to not enough professors to teach are causing a reduction in the number of graduate nurses. This paper will discuss two economist tools used to understand the nursing shortage. The two tools are supply and demand and marginal analysis. How the nursing shortage can affect the economy will also be discussed. Supply and Demand Nursing shortages are a predictable occurrence in healthcare. In the United States alone, five significant shortages have happened in the last 50 years (Censullo, 2008).The lack of nurses lasts 1 to 2 years. It is predicted the by the year 2016 nearly 587,000new jobs will be on available for new nurses (Aiken, Cheung, & Olds, 2009); the United States Bureau of Labor and Statistics have determined there will be a shortage of 581,520 nurses by the year 2018 (Conley, 2012). The decrease...
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...RN-to-BSN Nurses A Comparison of Critical Thinking Skills between Associate, Baccalaureate, and RN-to-BSN Nurses There are many differences in the competencies between associate and baccalaureate level nurses. Associate level nursing programs tend to concentrate on the more technical aspects of nursing which allows students once they graduate to provide appropriate care to patients and families, especially during times of illness. They may practice on a more restricted level, making their nursing skills limited to more direct patient care in nursing homes and hospitals. Baccalaureate nursing programs improve on these skills by teaching more critical thinking to allow a more thorough approach to caring for their patients. RN-to-BSN programs allow ADN nurses that have grown confident in their hands-on skills and want to gain more critical thinking skills the ability to build on their education and "prepare...for a broader scope of practice" (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2014). The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) notes multiple research studies linking fewer medication errors, lower mortality rates and more positive patient outcomes to nursing education received at the baccalaureate level (2014). BSN programs also help teach the leadership needed for nursing supervision and prepare their nurses for graduate studies. Critical thinking competency is key to the future of the nursing profession as the nurse's role is becoming increasingly...
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...Title: The Difference in competencies between Nurses prepared at the Associate Degree level versus the Baccalaureate Degree level. Name: Jason Nordstrom Grand Canyon University, Phoenix Arizona: NRS-430V-0500 November 07th, 2012 Introduction: Recent studies have shown that nursing practices and quality of overall patient care, have a direct link to the quality and level of nursing education. Today’s nursing education must be able to meet the demands, challenges and needs of a modern healthcare. According to the (AACN) Facts Sheets: It approaches today’s nursing workforce with researches, relating education to outcomes, and also outline the capacity and preparedness of four year college, as means of improving the level of education in the United States. The definition, history and competencies of BSN and ADN degrees are discussed below: Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN): An associate degree in nursing, on average requires from two to three years of formal education. ADN predominately prepares nurses for bedside patient care, in a healthcare facilities such as hospitals and long-term care. It is usually offered by community and junior colleges, and some nursing schools. Students with an ADN, meet academic requirement for NCLEX-RN exam, and are eligible for license as R.N. The ADN was started by Dr. Mildred Montag in 1951, as WWII was ending. This was an important and necessary step, in order...
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...and analysis: a model for written assignments Sharon L Edwards W hat is critical analysis? In the author’s personal experience this question has been answered by the following statement: ‘It is being critical of the literature.’ However, this does not answer the question. A literature search also failed to provide any information on critical analysis. The justification for developing a model for critical analysis, however, was not solely the lack of available literature. Other reasons included: to provide a definition of the terms; and to help both educationalists and students interpret the concepts involved. Nurse educationalists and nursing students lack a clear understanding of the critical processes and this could severely diminish the profession’s ability to articulate issues that are imperative to the advancement of nursing practice in the future. This article recommends a model of critical analysis that can be used by students and educationalists. It suggests that critical thinking and analysis are interrelated and complementary, but not synonymous. It gives examples of the model’s components in order to clarify their meaning. The model will hopefully give students a premise on which to base their assignments, and nurse educationalists will be able to incorporate it into their teaching practice. It will also provide an element of reality to critical analysis which will prevent it from becoming so abstract and idealistic as to render it impracticable. ANALYSIS OF...
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...The beauty of getting into the field of nursing is that there are two paths you can take to becoming an RN, either an associate’s degree or a bachelor degree. In this paper I will explain the differences between nurses that have an ADN versus BSN degree. Differences include a difference in the curriculum, the abilities emphasized, and the patient outcomes. Another path the nursing student can take is to pursue a Bachelors’ degree. This degree requires 4 years of school including all of the basic classes as well as the nursing courses. The additional courses required above those included in the associate nursing degree are additional nursing management courses, nursing theory and more of an expansion on course work. The student must still take the same board exams in order to get their license. Although taking the same test at the end of schooling for both degrees, there is an additional emphasis on preparing the nurse to take a leadership role with the 4 year degree than with the 2 year degree. The next difference that is the skill level that each the ADN graduate and the BSN graduate possess. The article “Analysis of Differences in Entry-Level RN Practice by Educational Preparation” (JE Smith 2002) examined surveys of new graduates and their experiences in their healthcare setting and how well they think they reacted to it. The article states that differences in the ADN and BSN changed the outcomes only slightly. The teaching activity was 42nd on the ADN list...
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...Mentorship Competency The success of any nursing student in any program in any clinical setting is multi-faceted enhancing the complicated nature of education and the perception of competencies whether student or educator. This is an important concept to be sensitive to as the process of moving forward with the knowledge and skill-sets needs to be supported and nurtured in order to facilitate the standard of care that is safe, accountable, and competent. The expectations of students within academia and within the staff mix on units can vary giving students a sense of role ambiguity diminishing the sense of belonging and taking away from the clinical learning experience. According to Higgins, Lathlean, Levett-Jones, & McMillan (2009),“Nursing students’ motivation and capacity to learn, self-concept, confidence, the extent to which they are willing to question or conform to poor practice and their future career decisions are influenced by the extent to which they experience belongingness (p.316).”Acceptance by senior and experienced nurses plays a pivotal role in the development of self-concept and application of theoretical perspectives into practice. Negative experiences with staff are detrimental to the learning process by creating environments of stress, anxiety, and an overall feeling of un-acceptance by staff, and at times, instructors. This can be attributed to the many factors that are influencing the profession of nursing including increased workloads, decreased staffing...
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...VARK: Analysis of Learning Styles Sejal Amin Grand Canyon University: N429V November 2, 2014 Learning style is a unique approach to learn based on strengths, weaknesses and preferences of an individual. Each person has a different learning styles and strategies depending on their preference, techniques, situation and environment. One has to process information, analyze the information and use it to make decisions and create new meanings and then if necessary change the process. Learning strategies is how a person approaches learning and uses the information. Learning strategies helps learner understand information, solve problems and be successful. Student Learning Style VARK has identified four different strategies to learning which is visual, aural, read/write and kinesthetic. VARK provides students information regarding indication of their stronger and weaker preferences. Each learning style has its own preferred method for intake and output of information. Not all students have one preferred method, one can use different learning style in different situations, which is multimodal. Visual learners take in information by pictures and analyzing each portion, aural learner prefer to hear things by taping lectures and attend discussions, kinesthetic learner can use samples, photographs etc., and read/write learner take in information by using dictionaries, reviewing notes, textbooks, handouts etc. According to VARK the results of the quiz taken was visual-three,...
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...Bachelors in science in nursing is that a BSN nurses are better prepared in medical setting vs. an ADN nurse especially in the acute care settings. Hospitals want nursing to be better prepared especially with all the advancements in the medical field. “The complexity of medical and surgical interventions undertaken in hospitals requires an even bigger and more sophisticated clinical workforce” (Altamann 2011). A lot of ADNs do not have the complexity or the critical thinking as do BSNs do. ADN nurses only have 2 years to complete their program, therefore their programs are usually shortened in order to meet the 2 years, and also this program main purpose is hands on skills. The ADN program provided clinical skills so that a nurse could work in a clinical set up and do required tasks, it was all about looking after the patients, routine care and doing what the physician or practitioner told them to do. The most obvious reason nursing student chose to get their ADN is for the financial advantage and that it less time to complete their program. Many community colleges for nursing cost less money each semester to attend full time. Attending community college gives nursing students the chance to prepare for the financial demands of a 4-year university if they plan on transferring. If transferring were something the student would like to do. Some students are able to get scholarships and are able to transfer to a university. BSN nurses it different not only it is a 4-year degree...
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...VARK Analysis More and more, today’s student is becoming less traditional in many areas of their lives and fields of study. Variances can be found in the students’ culture and background, age, degree of intelligence and conditioning. This is becoming truer especially in the medical sciences such as nursing. Much of today’s earning of an advanced nursing degree is done in an environment where the student is not in the traditional learning setting which could include lecturing which can be defined as a passive form of learning. The modern curriculum must explore other methods in the delivery of its goals along with meeting the needs and expectations of the student (Alkhasawneh, Mrayyan, Docherty, Alashram, & Yousef, 2008). One such tool is the VARK method. VARK, which is an acronym for Visual, Aural, Read/Write and Kinesthetic. A common misconception of VARK is that it is a learning style itself. Rather, it is a tool to be utilized to determine the preferred learning style of the student. The VARK questionnaire, which consists of 16 questions, was developed by Neil D. Fleming. There are basically three principles associated with the VARK tool. First everyone can learn academic issues. However, everyone has their own specific learning style. Next, there is found to be an increase in learning motivation when an awareness of the learner’s specific is learning style. Finally concepts are learned through using the senses to differentiate various perceptions (Peyman, Sadeghifar...
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...Nurse Education in Practice (2008) 8, 103–111 Nurse Education in Practice www.elsevierhealth.com/journals/nepr Belongingness: A prerequisite for nursing students’ clinical learning Tracy Levett-Jones a a,* , Judith Lathlean b,1 School of Nursing and Midwifery, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia School of Nursing and Midwifery, The University of Southampton, Nightingale Building (67), University Road, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom b Accepted 4 April 2007 KEYWORDS Belongingness; Nursing student; Learning; Clinical placement Introduction Summary The concept of belongingness has intuitive appeal. Human beings are social creatures; the need to belong and be accepted is fundamental, and social exclusion can be devastating. This paper reports on the selected findings from the qualitative phase of mixed-methods study that explored nursing students’ experience of belongingness while on clinical placements. The 18 interview participants in this study were from Australia and the United Kingdom. They provided a range of perspectives on belongingness and how it influenced their placement experience. Central to this discussion was their strong belief that belonging is a prerequisite for clinical learning. This theme dominated all of the interviews. Given that the primary purpose of clinical placements is for students to learn to nurse, there needs to be a clear understanding of the relationship between belongingness...
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...Therefore entering a graduate program should not be taken lightly. In many disciplines it is required to have a graduate degree to practice independently in that career field (e.g. Social Worker and Psychologist). Nursing is now requiring nurses to have a graduate degree to advance into management positions. Employers are demanding their nurses to have more than just the knowledge to care for patients. They want the nurse who is placed in a management role to have the knowledge to be a leader. Nurses are returning to school to gain more knowledge in their career field, increase effective communication skills, have a higher potential for promotion, and to have a greater earning power. When deciding to return to graduate school, a student must have a strategy that is going to get them through the next two-four challenging years of their life. Personal and Professional Goals My reason for pursuing a graduate degree is to gain more knowledge in the healthcare industry, become a more effective communicator, advancement of career, and have a greater earning power. The healthcare field has changed considerably in the past 20 years and in the past nurses did not need a graduate degree to become managers; however, employers are now requiring nurses to have graduate degrees to become managers. Gaining a graduate degree will give me a sense of accomplishment in knowing that it was a goal...
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...specialized and excellent care to patients. BSN nurses have increased knowledge to provide patient care that will lead to decreased mortality rates while hospitalized and nurses are able to provide better education for discharge planning.(, 2014) Nurses provide teaching, leadership, medication and skills to have better patient outcomes. Olga Yakusheva a researcher from University of Michigan reported that 10% increase in the proportion of baccalaureate-prepared nurses in hospitals as shown a decrease in hospital deaths by 10.9%. (, 2014) In hospitals there are nurses working as LVN’s, ADN’s and BSN’s. Associate degrees nurses who have multiple years of experience have acquired the knowledge, skills and competence to prepare a patient for a good outcome at discharge. A nurse with a Baccalaureate degree will lead the nursing staff by collaborating plans of care for patients. Being a patient has helped me comprehend what fears a patient may experience. Patients have learned to ask, “How long you have been a nurse, how many times have you done this, and how much training have you had?” Nurses need to possess fundamental knowledge of patients’ health needs. Nurses should take part and lead professional initiatives. Improving the quality, safety and efficiency of care delivery are some of the initiatives nurses aim at. Nurses with Baccalaureate degrees are leaders of planning and prevention of how care should be delivered at home. Nurses with a BSN receive help from public and...
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...This assignment will evaluate and explore the experience of mentoring a student in practice, critically analysing topics that will reflect on the role of the mentor, within the context of the nursing profession. The placement area concerned is a 14 bedded acute elderly assessment ward, which caters for both male and female patients. Several students have been placed on our ward over the years, it is the mentors responsibility to provide students with appropriate support, guidance and supervision within the clinical environment, Myall 2008. One of the key issues that need to be considered in preparation for an effective learning environment would be making sure the student is aware of the situations that could arise on the ward, discussing typical events that could happen on a daily basis. clinical experience can be a stressful part of the nursing program, working in a unfamiliar area, working with difficult patients and the fear of making mistakes. Hutchinson (2003) believes that a teacher should aim to provide an environment in which learners feel safe to experiment, voice their concerns, identify their lack of knowledge and stretch their limits. One of the major factors affecting learning is the environment in which it takes place. It is the responsibility of professional staff to create and develop an environment conductive to learning (Price, 2004). This implies that the environment should be continually monitored...
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...Health Services Finance Recruiting and Retaining Nurses Health Services Finance HS543ON June 16, 2011 ISSUE/BACKGROUND With quickly changing demographics, new technologies, limits on resources and public expectations the health care arena is constantly changing at a quick pace (Nowicki, p. 338). The Bureau of Labor statistics reported in April 2011 that despite the recent economic downturn and high unemployment health care is continuing to grow. It was estimated that approximately thirty seven thousand jobs were added in March 2011 alone (AACN). The staffing of registered nurses has been a long time concern due to the fact the shortage greatly affects patient safety as well as quality of care (nysna.org). Studies have shown that adverse patient outcomes have been related to the ineffective nurse staffing as patients have had longer hospital stays, increased infections, and higher mortality rates (Needleman, et al, 2002). To relieve the pressures put on an organization with the shortage many have begun to substitute people who are not as prepared to care for patients. This has been done by hiring temporary nursing services or recruiting foreign nurses who are not familiar with the facility, policies and procedures or the patients ( nysna.org). The ineffective nurse staffing also leads to retaining issues as nurses experience decreased morale, increased stress and anxiety, increased physical ailments, and burnout. DEFINE THE PROBLEM The problem...
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