Nurses Should Become A Registered Nurse

The field of medicine is not a stagnant one. New discoveries in terms of illnesses, treatments, medications and human physiology are revealed every day. Today’s Registered Nurse must keep up with the changing of times and have a strong educational and clinical foundation. Gone are the days when nurses take simple orders at the doctor’s bidding. Today, a successful and competent nurse must be able to work with a level of autonomy and think critically. Critical thinking, along with many other skills, can be developed while undergoing a rigorous program that only a bachelor’s program can offer. In order to be successful and respected by practicing peers, all entry-level nurses should obtain a baccalaureate degree before entering the field.

Presently for entry-level work, it is adequate for a nurse to obtain her Associate degree to take the NCLEX and work as a Registered Nurse. Taylor III (2008) states that back when nurses worked under physicians with little autonomy, nurses could only see themselves as caregivers as opposed to being professionals. Nurses are still working under physicians today, however with greater autonomy comes great responsibility. Taylor III (2008) mentions that nurses are the least educated of the interdisciplinary health care team they collaborate with. How do nurses expect to be credible or respected when they do not have the credentials to support their thoughts and actions?

Additionally, the majority of the public believes nurses should have four years of education or more (Gray, 1999, as cited in Taylor III, 2008). The general public trusts nurses more than teachers and even physicians (Gray, 1999, as cited in Taylor III, 2008). In order to maintain the trust of the general public, the only ...

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...cited in Jacobs et al. 1998). It is time for egos to be set aside and leaders to see the overall benefit for all future nurses to have baccalaureate education, as this is what future health care will eventually need.

Ultimately, the leaders in the nursing community must decide what they want before actually implementing any standards and regulations in regards to entry-level requirements as a Registered Nurse. There must be a consensus and plan to make a bachelor’s level education the minimum requirement to practice as a nurse. The amount of knowledge, clinical experience, background in philosophical and ethical ideals entailed in a bachelor’s program is what is necessary to create a critically thinking, competent nurse. Setting a bachelor’s standard will also help maintain the public’s trust in the nursing profession as well as within the health care community.