Professional Development
Introduction
As time winds down and I reach the end of my career as a nursing student, I look forward to the direction my career will go in the next couple of years. I start to reflect on what skills and qualities I believe I can bring to potential employers as well my strengths and weaknesses. I also become more grounded and start to plan out where I want to be professionally as I hit the one year and three year mark as a nurse. In the upcoming years, the number of nurse practitioners are set to grow by 94% come 2025 (Institute of Medicine, 2011), which is beneficial to me because I plan on becoming a nurse practitioner in the next five to ten years. The percentage of bachelor prepared RNs is also expected to be 80% by the year 2020 (Institute of Medicine, 2011). Also Heller, Oros and Durney-Crowley (2013), pinpointed trends
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Being able to accept guidance, criticism, and evaluation of my work and progress has always been something I have been good at. I believe that this greatly enhances my ability to grow throughout my career since it allows me to understand the areas that I may not be exactly proficient in and make the necessary changes to help me progress. I respect the integrity of my work, as well as taking time to build up self-discipline and the ability to say 'no ' when I feel like I have already taken on too many tasks. This helps in maintaining a balance, as well as making sure that I am not compromising the integrity of my work by rushing and sacrificing the quality. These strengths can help me throughout my nursing career because there are many times in any career where one will be asked to take on task after task. As a novice nurse I might feel obligated to become involved as much as I can on my unit but I also have to remember the aspect of self-discipline and remembering to say
What led me to nursing in the beginning was having a passion for people. I love the holistic approach and level of care that nurses bring to the literal bedside table. I knew throughout nursing school that I wanted to advance my education further than bedside nursing. I debated on whether to pursue a master’s degree in nursing and just become a nurse practitioner, but ultimately, I knew I wanted to advance my education even further to help make and promote changes in healthcare. By choosing to become a doctorally prepared nurse practitioner, I hope to change the stigma that is attached with being “just a nurse” and show that nurses play a vital role in redesigning
The second key message focused on the recommendation that registered nurses receive greater levels of training and education. This message emphasized the need for nurses to enter the work force with a baccalaureate degree, or obtain it shortly afterwards. It also stressed the need more graduate nurses, specifically “nurse faculty and researchers at the doctoral level” (IOM, 2011, p. 164). Innovative solutions were devised to speak to nursing school capacity and curriculum in order to attain the IOM recommended goal of 80 percent of nurses holding a BSN by the year 2020.
The national shortage of Registered Nurses (RNs) has helped generate formidable interest in the nursing profession among people entering the workforce and those pursuing a career change. According to a report issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service in 2002, the national population is continuing to grow and age and medical services continue to advance, so the need for nurses will continue to increase. They report from 2000 to 2020 the predicted shortage of nurses is expected to grow to 29 percent, compared to a 6 percent shortage in 2000. With the projected supply, demand, and shortage of registered nurses and nursing salaries ever-increasing, the nursing profession can offer countless opportunities. But first one must determine which educational path to pursue, Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or Associate Degree in nursing (ADN). Most will initially be educated at the associate degree level, even though the American Organization of Nursing Executives (AONE) has recommended a baccalaureate level as a minimal for entry-level nurses. With the expanding number of RN to BSN programs available there is always the option to further one’s education at a later date. The benefits for acquiring a BSN over an ADN include a better knowledge for evidence-based practice, an increased advantage for promotion, and the necessary gateway for higher education.
The shortage of registered nurses (RNs) in the United States has been a cyclical topic dating back to the 1960s. Only recently have employers in certain regions of the nation stated a decline in the demand for RNs. Consequently, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2014) report on 2012-2013 Enrollment and Graduations in Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing, American nursing schools denied admission to 79,659 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2012. The reported decrease in job availability and rejected admissions has left many individuals to question if the nursing shortage still exists. On the other hand, some experts project that the United States will be short more than one million RNs by 2020 (Dolan, 2011). Although some parts of the country are in less of a demand than others, it is undeniable that there is a national shortage of RNs.
Heller, B. R. , Oros, M. T., & Durney-Crowley, J. (2000). The future of nursing education: 10 trends to watch. Nursing and Health Care Perspectives, 21(1), 9-13.
Current literature continues to reiterate the indicators of a major shortage of registered nurses (RNs) in the United States. The total RN population has been increasing since 1980, which means that we have more RNs in this country than ever before (Nursing Shortage). Even though the RN population is increasing, it is growing at a much slower rate then when compared to the rate of growth of the U.S. population (Nursing Shortage). We are seeing less skilled nurses “at a time of an increasingly aging population with complex care needs and an increasingly complex technological care environment” (Mion). According to recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Department of Health and Human Services, it is estimated that “more than a million new and replacement nurses will be needed over the next decade” (Diagnosis: Critical).
In 1965, the American Nurses Association shared its vision for the future of nursing education. A primary goal in its message was that a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) becomes the minimum requirement for entry into nursing practice (Nelson, 2002). Fifty years later, debates on this issue continue. In its report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change and Advancing Healthcare, the Institute of Medicine shared its recommendation that 80% of nurses possess a bachelor’s degree by the year 2020. A significant number of health care facilities have adopted the practice of hiring nurses with BSN over those with two year Associate’s Degree of Nursing (ADN) or a three-year hospital based diploma program. Stakeholders in the Registered Nurse (RN)
For many years, the nursing shortage has been a relevant topic in today’s society. The nursing shortage is defined as a lack of trained nurses to provide care for ill individuals. Nursing schools inability to grow programs quickly enough to meet demands (Nursing Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2014). The shortage is not only an issue in the United States but all over the world. This problem affects a wide range of people from current registered nurses, patients, and other members of the healthcare team. According to the Nursing Association of Colleges of Nursing (Rosseter, 2014), the nursing shortage is due to the expansion of healthcare and nurses who are baby boomers beginning to retire. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Employment reports,
There will be far more registered nurse jobs available through 2022 than any other profession, at more than 100,000 per year. With more than 500,000 seasoned RNs anticipated to retire by 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the need to produce 1.1 million new RNs for expansion and replacement of retirees, and avoid a nursing shortage. (2015, American Nurses Association) For the past 16 months as a nursing student I have witnessed many issues that have a positive and a negative impact on the field of nursing. Sadly, the most negative impact that has stood out to me is the staffing. RNs have long recognized and continue to emphasize that staffing issues are an ongoing problem, one that affects the
The nursing shortage is currently a growing issue in The United States. The shortage began in the late 1990's. “This downsizing and shortsightedness regarding recruitment and retention contributed to the beginning of an acute shortage of RN's by the late 1990s... the current shortage has lasted longer and been more severe than any nursing experienced thus far." (Huston 2017 pg 69). As a result of advancing technology and extensive research on medicines, the average lifespan of humans has increased. With an increase in the demand, “the U.S. nursing shortage is projected to grow to 260,000 registered nurses by 2025. A shortage of this magnitude would be twice as large as any nursing shortage experienced in this country since the mid-1960s.” (AACN 2014). There are many factors that contribute to this nursing shortage, including the outdated misconceptions about the nursing professions, retiring nurses, and underfunding of nursing programs, especially issues in
Upon graduation, a nurse is a competent caregiver, and chosen an area of specialization. In these first 2-4 years, new nurses learn to master their new profession and start specializing in their fields of interest. Depending on how that field captures the nurse’s passion, determines how fast they become specialized. However, at the five-year mark, an experienced nurse should know if they should continue their education, and how they would like to proceed with their career. Some nurses choose to advance by and becoming a nurse practitioner, or return to academia in order to teach the next generation, and many will be content with remaining in their specialty. Whatever the decision, those five years of experience will help determine that path. Focus on the basics, such as the meta-paradigm of nursing, provides a solid start—but it is the individual nurse who determines their
Several years ago in 2008 the RWJF and the IOM collaborated for two years to discern the future needs of the nursing profession. Most importantly, the objective was to outline the critical actions needed to ensure nursing was ready to seamlessly move towards the future. This was no easy task as nurses work in such diverse settings such as outpatient areas, acute care settings, the community, and long term settings to name a few. Couple this with the fact that nurses have a variety of educational avenues such as the associates, diploma, or bachelor’s degree open to them to achieve the status of registered nurse (Institute of Medicine, 2010). All of this considered, the committee did design four key messages regarding the future of nursing as key in the transformation of health care as evidenced in their "Future of Nursing" report.
Based on the inquiry of empowering professional development, many findings come into play. At times we feel as though professional development is worthless and a waste of time. Gusky also, addresses that at times why so many professional developments are inadequate. There are reasons why we feel that way and reasons of which we should not have if we were actually getting something out the workshops. A common goal must first be set in the mind of the participants thus leading to the building of professionalism of the school system. In this review we will look at some aids and guides to successful professional development.
Issues and trends in the nursing profession are constantly changing due to discoveries in technology and research, changes in reimbursement and legislation, and the changing needs of our population; in fact the only constant in healthcare is change. This course has provided me with a foundation and better understanding of the need for higher education to empower nurses to become leaders and help shape the future of the nursing profession. Nurses are the “backbone” of healthcare and this is becoming more evident with the changes we are currently seeing in the healthcare industry.
Being a teacher is not an easy task as many people could think. To be a teacher does not only imply to know the subject to be taught, it also includes being willing to constantly improve oneself integrally, as much as updating the resources and materials one uses in teaching. Reflecting and analyzing over and over again the best way to teach to learn and how to make students to extend what has been learned. The many hours spend in the classroom will never be enough to plan lessons, prepare materials, review pupils tasks and exams, as well, all the administrative requirements one has to cover for whatever institution we work. Besides all this a good teacher, a professional one, will have to find the time to keep preparing to improve oneself.