Graduate Education : Meeting Society Needs

771 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Professional development of nursing professionals

Graduate Education: Meeting Society Needs
Health care and the needs of society are ever-changing. Many of these recent changes, such as the Affordable Care Act, population growth, and a continuing nursing shortage have placed a strain on the health care system. This has driven the nursing arena to be prepared to meet the increased demands of society by educating nurses at the graduate level and integrating critical thinking, quality improvement and safety, through use of electronic healthcare record (EHR), leadership, research, and technology. Graduate nursing education will address the nursing shortage as well as the needs of society, by placing nurses in critical positions as scientists, educators, providers, and as leaders throughout the health care system.
All Americans deserve the right to accessible health care. Consequently, the government has started the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which is simply “quality, affordable health care for all Americans” (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 2010). The demand for health care is increasing yearly, which can be contributed to not only the aging and population growth, but also the Affordable Care Act. It is estimated that by the year 2019, over 32 million individuals will be gaining health coverage (Hofer, Abraham, & Moscovice, 2011). To be able to care for the rapidly growing number of health care recipients, continued changes must take place within the health care setting. Not only is there an increase number of people seeking health care but there is a shortage of nurses available to deliver quality patient care. The US Census Bureau (2014) states that the average age of nurses will continue to rise, with approximately fifty percent entering retirement by 2020. There is an...

... middle of paper ...

...d nurses: A consensus position, 2010). This will enable the health care arena to have the resources needed to improve health care delivery to patients (Grant & Greene, 2012).
The health care system will continue to see a rise in patients seeking health care. This is due to an increased number of people who now have health care coverage since the passage of the ACA, as well as the increasing number of the aging citizens and the growth of the United States population. Compounding the problem is the nursing shortage. The role of graduate education is to ensure all nurses have the tools needed to provide quality and efficient care health care. These complex issues with the health care delivery system are no longer problems of tomorrow; changes must be made now to ensure that the health care system has qualified professionals to meet the health needs of society today.

Show More
Related

  • Impact Of Dnp Degree On Nursing Practice

    901 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nursing, as a crucial part of the health care system, keeps evolving while dealing with an increasingly complex clinical situation that involves quality of patient care. Therefore, to successfully handle these scenarios, nursing needs to become more advanced, clinically and academically. A DNP degree is needed in this situation because according to Dunbar- Jacob, Navito & Khalil (2013), a DNP degree is considered to have more impact on nursing than a Master’s or Bachelor’s degree due to the advanced clinical education a DNP provides (p. 425). Hence, the DNP degree has an enormous impact in nursing practice especially in terms of improving clinical care, promoting leadership roles, and improving educational status.

    Read More

  • Building an Improved Infrastructure for Collection & Analysis of Nursing Workforce

    1420 Words  | 3 Pages

    The IOM report had four key messages needed for advancing the future of nursing. “Nurses should practice to the full extent of their education and training; achieve higher levels of education and training through an improved education system that promotes seamless academic progression; be full partners, with physicians and other health care professionals, …and; effective workforce planning and policy making require better data collection and an improved information infrastructure” (Institute of Medicine, 2011). The report also included eight recommendations needed to facilitate the necessary changes to in the nursing profession so meet to demands of the healthcare reform.

    Read More

  • The Benefits of BSN over ADN

    1007 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Role In Nursing Education, Nursing Practice And Nursing Workforce Development?

    1323 Words  | 3 Pages

    The nurses would perform as per their training, access the direct reimbursement for services offered thus more would be able to access care. The change would see more nurses take up leadership roles and participate in decision making. Being at the center of practice, the nurse would be the best placed to identify and effectively implement innovations on patient-centered care. Once implemented, the nurse residency programs would access funding harness the transition from training to practice.

    Read More

  • The Nursing Shortage

    2492 Words  | 5 Pages

    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).

    Read More

  • Should A Nurse Should Be A Baccalaureate Degree

    858 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...uickly changing medical technology and environment. The bickering and infighting amongst nurses has to come to a stop if the profession is to move forward alongside the other medical professions. It is too late to take nursing back to the point of basic care of the 19th century now fulfilled by certified nurse aides. A nurse is the first and last person many people will ever see. They provide complex care, recognize symptoms and changes when the ever shrinking physician pool is not available, advocate for patient and families, and care deeply for their patients recovery. In this paper the author used past nursing history, current medical demands and advancements, and clinical patient outcomes to argue that the minimum education for a nurse should be a Baccalaureate degree in order to meet the Institute of Medicines goal of 80% of nurses should have BSNs by 2020.

    Read More

  • Role of Nurses in The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

    664 Words  | 2 Pages

    About 32 million people will represent the newly insured, affecting the health care system and nurses are the fundamental in health system. Health care reform is positive for nurses. The health care bill provides money for advance practice and general nurse education. The law also creates a grant program for innovative safety net programs, such as nurse-managed health clinics. Due to the shortage of family Physicians, nurse practitioner programs are going strong. The health care reform is a good opportunity for nurses; the law will permit different approaches to deliver primary care and with the decreasing number of physicians going in to primary care, Nurses represent the best way to provide primary care to the millions of new insured people. (Satowski, 2010)

    Read More

  • Nurse Shortage in America

    2249 Words  | 5 Pages

    There is a shortage of all health care professions throughout the United States. One shortage in particular that society should be very concerned about is the shortage of Registered Nurses. Registered Nurses make up the single largest healthcare profession in the United States. A registered nurse is a vital healthcare professional that has earned a two or four year degree and has the upper-most responsibility in providing direct patient care and staff management in a hospital or other treatment facilities (Registered Nurse (RN) Degree and Career Overview., 2009). This shortage issue is imperative because RN's affect everyone sometime in their lifetime. Nurses serve groups, families and individuals to foster health and prevent disease.

    Read More

  • Essay On Core Competencies In Nursing

    1392 Words  | 3 Pages

    Healthcare is a continuous emerging industry across the world. With our ever changing life styles and the increased levels of pollution across the world more and more people are suffering from various health issues. Nursing is an extremely diverse profession and among the highest educated with several levels ranging from a licensed practical nurse (LPN) to a registered nurse (RN) on up to a Doctorate in Nursing. Diane Viens (2003) states that ‘The NP is a critical member of the workforce to assume the leadership roles within practice, education, research, health systems, and health policy’.

    Read More

  • America's Nursing Shortage Analysis

    1181 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Nursing Shortage

    2000 Words  | 4 Pages

    The nursing shortage most likely does not mean a great deal to people until they are in the care of a nurse. The United States is in a severe nursing shortage with no relief in sight due to many factors compounding the problem and resulting in compromised patient care and nurse burnout. Nursing shortages have been experienced in the past by the United States and have been overcome with team effort. However, the current shortage is proving to be the most complex and great strides are being made to defeat the crisis before it becomes too difficult to change. Researchers anticipate that by 2010, the United States will need almost one million more registered nurses than will be available (Cherry & Jacob, 2005, p. 30).

    Read More

  • Professionalism In Nursing Education

    1719 Words  | 4 Pages

    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)

    Read More

  • Education of Nurses

    909 Words  | 2 Pages

    The field of medicine is a continually evolving field. There are developments in medicine made daily that affect both medical professionals and patients. While the positive progress of medicine offers many obvious advantages, it is important that the knowledge of everyone involved with health care grows with these advancements. With the evident importance of nurses in the healthcare setting, the education of nurses is clearly significant. There are many problems in the nursing field that are associated with the inability to set standards at the entry level (Jacobs et al., 1998). The writer believes that the nursing degree should always be advanced to a bachelor’s degree, and then fostered with continuing education courses. Furthermore, the bachelor’s program should place an importance on forming a good knowledge foundation and then building clinical skills. Ultimately the writer believes a highly clinical and critical thinking bachelor’s program is the best educational preparation for an entry level nurse.

    Read More

  • The Iom's Four Key Messages Of The Future In Nursing

    1517 Words  | 4 Pages

    There has been a drastic cut in both the Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates. According to Robert (2012), “cuts of more than $360 billion to Medicare and Medicaid will be made over the next 10 years. The focus of nursing needs to emphasize more on wellness care and prevention rather than acute care” (McNeal, G., 2012). Nursing practice will need to shift more towards community and population focused nursing. Baccalaureate prepared nurses are provided with a curriculum that includes both community health and leadership skills that are not included in the associate program. By encouraging associate’s degree nurses to obtain a bachelor’s degree in nursing, an increase in the awareness of the needs of the community and population may be seen. The IOM report has outlined the anticipated obstacles that healthcare will face if changes are not made. By allowing nurses to provide care within their full scope of practice, quality care may be provided at an affordable cost to the population. The use of advanced practice nurses in primary care may provide quality, access, and cost efficient healthcare to high-risk populations and possibly decrease hospital admission rates, thus lowering the overall cost of healthcare. If nurses partner with doctors and other healthcare providers, it may improve healthcare by providing seamless transitions (Institute of Medicine,

    Read More

  • The Future of Nursing

    1056 Words  | 3 Pages

    n.d.a The Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action. Retrieved from http://www.rwjf.org/en/topics/rwjf-topic-areas/nursing/action-coalitions.html Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. n.d.b. a. n.d.b.

    Read More

More about Graduate Education : Meeting Society Needs

Open Document