Professional Development in Nursing
The IOM published report, “Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health,” makes recommendations for lifelong learning and achieving higher levels of education.
In 1,000-1,250 words, examine the importance of nursing education and discuss your overall educational goals. Include the following:
- Discuss your options in the job market based on your educational level.
- Review the IOM Future of Nursing Recommendations for achieving higher levels of education. Describe what professional certification and advanced degrees (MSN, DNP, etc.) you want to pursue and explain your reasons for wanting to attain the education. Discuss your timeline for accomplishing these goals.
- Discuss how increasing your level of education would affect how your competitiveness in the current job market and your role in the future of nursing.
- Discuss the relationship of continuing nursing education to competency, attitudes, knowledge, and the ANA Scope and Standards for Practice and Code of Ethics.
- Discuss whether continuing nursing education should be mandatory. Provide support for your response.
You are required to cite to a minimum of three sources to complete this assignment. Sources must be published within the last 5 years and appropriate for the assignment criteria and relevant to nursing practice.
Sample Answer
Professional Development in Nursing
Nursing professionalism is very important in the health care system since the nurses are the ones most associated with patient contact, and thus their role in refining patient care. So, nursing profession education is critical and is an essential step towards enhancing the quality of care (Innes & Calleja 2018). The Healthcare industry is continually changing. Thus the nurses require to constantly expand their education adapting to these changes to enhance patient care. This paper seeks to reflect the significance of nursing education on my overall educational goals.
Options in Job Market Based on My Educational Level
Being a registered nurse (RN) in the US, there’re numerous job opportunities for me. RNs’ job opportunities encompass practicing as RN by affording care in my RN scope; the clinical nurse manager that encompasses supervision on daily nursing actions in the care units; and delivery and labor nurse that involves the provision of care and patient-based education for women during the prenatal care and postnatal care. According to Hayde (2019), RNs have an opportunity to work as the nurse anesthetist which encompasses working together with the anesthesiologists, surgeons, and other health care specialists to direct anesthesia to the clients during the surgical procedures; patient educators that includes developing the educational programs for different patients and besides work as nurse head or the chief nursing officer whose responsibility is directing the managers and nursing staff.
IOM Future of The Nursing Recommendations for Attaining Higher Educational
Levels
The 2010 IOM report highlights the education for nurses as it’s the primary thing that may change the US health care system (Hudspeth & Klein 2019). Indeed, the second key message reveals that nurses must attain high levels of education and training through an enhanced education-based system that nurtures unified academic progression. A proper education system is significant to guarantee that the current and future care providers may afford safe, high quality, and patient-centered care in diverse settings, mainly the public, primary, and community care. Although applications for the entry-level baccalaureate programs continue to increase, a primary problem is a limited number of clinical appointments and the nurse faculty. The schools must hire high qualified staff to make sure that the nursing students attain the best education. In addition, the IOM report recommends executing the nurse residency programs, rising number of care providers with baccalaureate degrees, and double percentage of the nurse having doctorate degrees. Other recommendations involve ensuring that the care providers know the importance of lifelong learning and preparing the nurses to advance health change.
Becoming more competent and conversant as an RN in different health care areas is likely to enhance one’s competitiveness. Thus, I plan to obtain professional accreditations and advance my level of education. I intend to acquire Critical Care Nursing (CCRN). By achieving this particular certification, I’ll be able to provide critical care and work in trauma centers, ICUs, and cardiac care units. I plan to complete the accreditation directly after I am done with my undergraduate studies. After completing my BSN education, I plan to enroll in an MSN to advance my nursing-based education. The specialty I plan to advance here is the Family nurse practitioners (FNP). FNPs afford complete care via health education, management of disease, and delivery of preventative healthcare services (Naef et al., 2019). This specialty motivates me since FNPs have an extensive knowledge base and as well bear experience inpatient population, and with it, I will be capable of working in different care settings. I intend to enroll for the MSN directly after graduating and being a registered nurse. Since I will have completed my BSN and will be accredited to practice as RN, I plan to complete the MSN specialty in 3 years after completing my undergraduate education.
Impact of Increasing the Education Level on my Competitiveness
Education plays a significant role for the nurses by developing the main competencies, and thus increasing my education level will make me more viable in the job market. For instance, through advancing my education to be an NP, I will be well prepared to lead, making me more appropriate for leadership and management positions. Furthermore, pursuing the MSN will develop my limits, making me part of the policymaker. Therefore, pursuing further education will afford me several more opportunities to select from in the job market. Nurse practitioners have an extensive scope of practice, more clinical involvement, and an advanced degree in nursing. Thus, developing my education will place me in an ideal position for my professional growth. It is a fact that NPs may be efficient and have excellent staffing options to the doctors as autonomous practitioners. Thus, my education advancement will let me be a cooperative team member providing resolutions to busy health care settings.
