- 1. Recommendation 4: Increase the proportion of nurses with a baccalaureate degree
to 80% by 2020.
I believe that there is a need to increase the number of nurses who have a baccalaureate degree. This is due to the current growth in demand for complex care requires higher qualifications of the nurses (Cherry & Jacob, 2016). It is true that most of the nurses who were trained some years back focused mainly on managing some injuries and also acute conditions.
However, there has been a shift, and most of the health condition that is currently affecting most people are conditions such as hypertension, mental health conditions, diabetes, conditions of the heart and even arthritis. This condition needs complex management. Therefore, there is a need to improve the proportion to ensure that the care delivered to the individual is of good quality.
As a nurse I want to deliver the best and care of high quality to my clients and therefore having a bachelor degree will give me a chance. This is because, it provides the necessary competencies to facilitate high-quality care delivery (Cherry & Jacob, 2016). It also focuses on research, use of evidence-based practice and teamwork and collaborations. This will surely promote the best care delivery and management of the conditions, and I firmly believe I can fit in.
- Recommendation 5: Double the number of nurses with a doctorate by 2020.
This is another recommendation that I find it very appropriate. Increase in the number of nurses with a doctorate will enable the health care to have more staff, who will be able to carry out researches and establishment of a faculty position. The outcome of the study which are done mainly by the nurses with this level of education will enable the nurses to come up with recommendations of intervention which will facilitate adequate and quality delivery of care to the clients. It is also essential to have enough number of staff to have better outcomes and to promote timely delivery and filling the gap that may cause limitations in finding quality care intervention and also the removal of interventions that are not helpful to the patient. I find it necessary to have the number doubled.
- Recommendation 6: Ensure that nurses engage in lifelong learning.
With the current intention to deliver quality care to the clients, there is also a need to develop skills to fit the changes which occur continuously in the care delivery. I think it is necessary for the nursing education to understand these changes, and give the nurses the opportunity to transition to higher degree programs. This will surely provide nurses with the knowledge they need to take care of the client and also be in a better position to give competent nursing diagnoses which will promote better client management (Presti, 2016). Lifelong learning will improve the individual competency in delivery of care, and I can doubt that.
- How will increasing your level of education affect how you compete in the current
job market?
The current demand in health care, calls for high-quality delivery of care which has become more complex. Having the best level of education increases the opportunity to secure a job because the hospitals and other medical practices look for highly-qualified candidates which means you need to have a good education, and other characteristics such as level of experience (Auerbach, Buerhaus & Staiger, 2015). It also increases the knowledge base concerning better management of various condition which is a qualification.
- How will increasing your level of education affect your role in the future of nursing?
With an increase in the education levels, there will be more opportunities as different roles come in. Increasing the level of education will enable me to move to different programs and even to the doctorate level which will undoubtedly allow me to fit in the future of nursing. There are also increased ability to perform various activities such as carrying out researches and even some leadership roles
References
Auerbach, D. I., Buerhaus, P. I., & Staiger, D. O. (2015). Do associate degree registered nurses fare differently in the nurse labor market compared to baccalaureate-prepared RNs?. Nursing Economics, 33(1), 8-14.
Cherry, B., & Jacob, S. R. (2016). Contemporary nursing: Issues, trends, & management. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Presti, C. R. (2016). The flipped learning approach in nursing education: A literature review. Journal of Nursing Education, 55(5), 252-257.
