RNs are prepared in three forms of education programs: baccalaureate programs (generally four years), associate degree programs (generally three years), and hospital diploma programs without formal higher education credit (generally three years).2 RNs provide and coordinate patient care, educate patients and the public about various health conditions, and provide advice and emotional support to patients and their family members. The professional nurse licensing exam is the same for graduates of these three types of RN programs.3 A different licensing exam is administered to LPNs.
APNs are RNs with specialties in Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Practitioners, Nurse Midwives, and Clinical Nurse Specialists.8 The APN licensure process is usually more complicated than for LPN or RN licenses. Most states require an applicant to have a current RN license to be eligible to apply for an APN license. Every state board requires APN applicants to first complete a master’s or doctor of nursing practice program at a four-year accredited university. Finally, applicants for an APN license must also earn an advanced certification in their field of specialization and complete a specified number of clinical practice hours before they are eligible to receive their license. The scope of practice for APNs varies from state to state; nonetheless, most states permit APNs to provide and coordinate patient care, and some states permit the provision of primary and specialty health care.3
The politics of nursing regulation
The politics of nursing have been characterized by low collaboration, strong opposition, and women’s rights. As aforementioned, regulations vary between states, which signals lack of national leadership and cohesion. The industry has also st...
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...s in economics by Milton Friedman and Reuben Kessel have contended that regulation in a professional field lead to barriers to entry erected for the advantage of those practicing in the field.4,15,16 Other researchers and analysts have countered that regulations may be necessary to establish and maintain quality.17–19 The deliberation surrounding who truly benefits from regulation is enduring, but physicians have been in the spotlight of the debate while nurse regulation has received less attention. The arguments provided in the physician discussion can be applied to the nursing field, but unique aspects of nursing should be taken into account; namely, that nurse functions may have historically and presently been undervalued due to the female dominance in the field, and that nurses may be undereducated and less united relative to other medical care professionals.
The history of nurses hadn’t developed until the nineteenth century. The first law was passed to require that nurses attain a license in 1938. After passing this law, the New York State began a movement to have certain programs to promise new standards in the field. Since the first schools were opened the training and criteria has changed tremendously. Education standards for nurses have improved in many different ways. Programs are an option throughout the country, and there are laws to back up the qualification and training standards for licensure. The nursing field is an important role as a part of the health care team, and can benefit one is so many ways. The history of nurses has changed from being a minor occupation to a major one. In today’s society people rely on nurses, doctors, and specialists more than ever. Nurses have brightened our future in the most beneficial way (Hopke 592).
Mason, D. J., Leavitt, J. K., & Chaffee, M. W., (2014). Policy and Politics in Nursing and Healthcare. Elsevier Saunders: St. Louis, MO.
The phrase politics of nursing or even politics in nursing has so much meaning to the individual nurse. In nature politics have a dichotomy nature, and depending on who you talk to, their individual slant is unique. This makes the discussion of politics a very complicated issue. Agreement is the basis for the efforts that arise from politics, yet with every issue there are two sides who have to compromise something to get a bit of what they want. So what happens when a nurses are so busy they cannot advocate for themselves? Who will advocate for nurses when they can no longer bridge their essential needs in a health care environment? Unions are a modern option for nurses who struggle with voicing their needs and patient needs in an outdated bureaucratic twenty first century capitalist world of health care. The purpose of this paper is to look into the contributions of Unions on nurses, patient care, and the way health care facilities address issues that limit a collaborative approach to health care.
Although our main mission is to provide great care to our patients, Florence Nightingale has taught us (Burkhardt & Nathaniel 2008, 3rd Ed. P18-19) that if we do not have legislative power many of our ideas can be oppressed therefore prevent the profession from thriving. To be well organized as a profession is very important, since many of the rules and regulation that govern us often come from a legislative process. According to Burckhardt and Nathaniel, we nurses, are nearly 3 million, ( Abood, S. January 2007). In addition to our caring skills we need to enact our lobbying and legislative skills to participate in the process and help protect the legitimacy of the profession. While many lawmakers may have advisers with some medical knowledge. However, many of these lawmakers have no background in the medical field particularly in the nursing field. We must get involved, let them feel our presence, not only through voting, but al...
The primary barrier to nurses being able to practice at their full potential is the states varied legislation (Fairman, Rowe, Hassmiller, & Shalala, 2011). The IOM (2011) report suggests that state scope of practice regulations should model the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Model Nursing Practice act and Administrative rules to provide legal authority to practice to the accomplished level of training. The IOM (2011) report also requested a review of states laws to identify potentially anticompetitive effects that do not protect the health and safety of the public. The new recommendations are to build a common ground with interdisciplinary groups and to include a diverse coalition for the Future of Nursing: Campaign for action (IOM,
Everyday in this world, elderly, adults, teens or children become ill or get into accidents and need medical attention. Whether these elderly, adults, teens or children are taken to a hospital, pediatrician, specialist, or clinic, a doctor and a nurse will tend to them. The nurse plays a role that is just as important as the doctor. Nurses work very closely with the families as part of the caring process. Every member of the family plays a role in different ways. The nurses are there to help the patient as well as the family step through the illness or injury. They provide information for the prevention of future illness and injury, and help to comfort the patient and his/her family. It is vital that a nurse understands that to be a nurse, you need a certain personality and understanding of the field.
There are several factors that are considered the causes of the nursing shortage. Literature suggests that the shortage is linked to factors related to current population trends and the nature of the health care e...
Routson, J (2010) Healthcare Reform and Nursing: How the New Legislation Affects the profession; HEALTHeCAREERS.com. Retrieved, September, 16, 2011 from: http://www.healthecareers.com/article/healthcare-reform-and-nursing-how-the-new-legislation-affects-the-profession/158418
The type of education varies based on the type nurse one pursues to become. Becoming a licensed practical nurse (LPN) or licensed vocational nurse (LVN) requires you to attend a yearlong educational program. This program is offered at technical schools, vocational schools, or community colleges. At these various programs, the student will receive lectures and hands on clinical practice. However, those seeking to be become registered nurse (RN) must receive at the least, an associative degree in nursing. After obtaining an associative or bachelor’s degree in nursing, the graduate will have to pass the licensing exam to officially become a registered nurse. Being successful on the licensing exam is required to become a registered nurse. Becoming an advanced practical nurse (APN), requires the student to obtain a Master’s of Science in Nursing. After graduating, the graduate will have to successfully pass the licensing exam also. The type of nurse one chooses to become dictates the type of education he or she has to
Although nursing has not always been considered a profession, it has been known in the Unites States for many centuries. In the 1900s, women were not educated in medical art, but men always counted on them to take care of the sick or wounded people. With the organization of the Nurses Associated Alumnae of the Unites States, the history of nursing started. It became clear to people all across the United States that preparation was needed to protect the sick the injured and sick from unskilled nurses, who had no well-known knowledge to give the proper care to injured. In the early 1900s, almost all of the United States passed a nurse licensure law. Training hours became shorter and qualifications were strictly enforced for attending nursing schools. During the Great Depression, nurses attending school had a difficult time. The Works Progress Administration used most nurses. The Civil Works Administration employed others to help better the depression. ”Virginia Henderson, who is well known as ‘the first lady of nursing’ graduated from the Army School of Nurs...
My journey to finally realizing of becoming a student in this RN Executive Program has been a long journey filled with excitement and disappointing periods. I 've started this quest in the Summer of 2015 and here I am, two years later, starting my first class in the program, Nursing 301.
Health care reform has been a major issue over the past decade. The Nursing industry has in particular experienced a period of unpredictable change. On Dec 24, 2009, a landmark measure was passed in the senate by a vote of 60 to 39. This decision to pass the health care reform will change America forever. Nurses will constitute the largest single group of health care professionals. They will have a huge impact on quality and effectiveness in health care. The nursing industry will help hold this new program together by acting as the glue (The nursing industry will be the glue holding the new health care in tact.) It is estimated that by 2015 the number of nurses will need to increase to over 4 million. Nurses are the backbone of the health care industry thus creating better polices for this profession will help ease the workload and high demand. A nurse’s main concern is always to insure quality care and the safety of their patients. Under the new health care reform several new measures have been set into place to ease the transition and improve the quality of care for all patients. One program is designed to fund scholarships and loan programs to offset the high costs of education. Nursing shortages and the high turnover has become a serious epidemic. Health care reform is supposed going to solve many of these problems.
According to Hamric, Spross and Hanson (2005), “advanced practice nursing is the application of the expanded range of practical, theoretical and research based- competencies” to provide patient care in different settings (Pulcini, 2013). Advanced practice registered nurse APRN is a nurse that completed a graduate level program that can practice as a certified nurse practitioner, (NP) certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), clinical nurse midwife (CNM) or clinical nurse specialist (CNS) (Scope and standard, 2010). To be licensed to practice as APRN, they need to pass a national certification exam and maintained their license via recertification through continuous competencies.
Upon attending a nurse organization meeting at NYSNA Inter-regional Meetings, I truly saw the works of consummate professionalism in action. The hierarchy in this meeting ensured a productive and organized flow, while the eager involvement of the attendees gave this meeting a democratic component, so that all opinions and considerations could be prioritized. NYSNA’s comprehensive mission is to provide a supportive network for nurse professionals and to ameliorate public health through effective leadership. This organization’s vision entertains the notion that nursing is a transmuting, innovative field in which its professionals serve the community and health care system. Within the scope of this network’s vision, nurses play a substantial role in advocacy and human rights.
Nurses need to speak up about health care policy changes, become politically engaged and active in current events such as elections. “Knowledge about the policy process and active participation in local, state, and national political arenas are necessary for nurses being successful in influencing policy and legislative decisions (Primomo & Bjorling, 2013, p. 1)”. Everyday nurses are faced with the issues regarding patient outcomes, safety and satisfaction plus other workplace issues. If nurses advocate for better working environment changes can come. The role of nurses is advocating for the patients due to their ethics and professional background. Any issue that directly affects the nursing profession comes through the legislative process. Therefore nurses must take a stand and get involved by giving sitting down with legislators and let their voices be heard. “The experiences of many nurses practicing in the real world of healthcare are motivating them to take on some form of an advocacy role in order to influence a change in politics, laws, or regulations that govern the larger health care system (Michigan Nurse, 2014, p.