Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs

There are many different fields to choose from while working as a Registered Nurse. “Registered nurses work in hospitals, physicians' offices, home healthcare services, and nursing care facilities. Others work in correctional facilities, schools, or serve in the military.” (bls.gov). You can also specialize in a specific type of nursing by seeking employment in that individual line of work or by taking a certification test. “The Nursing2011 Salary Survey reports that nurses certified in a specialty earn an average of $10,200 per year more than nurses who are not.” (pncb.org). If you choose to go further with your education you can continue past a bachelor’s degree and get a master’s degree becoming a nurse practitioner.

I would be a valuable candidate and successful in Davenport’s Nursing Program, for a various number of reasons. I have previous experience working in the health field at Eaton County Medical Care Facility and recently Sparrow Hospital. I have just successfully completed my first semester of my junior year, at Davenport University. I also have completed two years of Health Technology classes at Lansing Community College as a Junior and Senior in high school. I participated in a variety of job shadows and volunteer experiences. I remain a genuine outgoing, caring and would be a goal driven individual that has high expectations for me.

While I have been working as a registered nurse for the past 2 years, I have learned how to manage a healthy split between time spent at work and personal time. If I am accepted into the Frontier Family Nurse Practitioner Program I am going to have to add study time into the mix. I have chosen to apply for the part time program because I believe this will allow me to focus more on my school work while I am still gaining nursing and patient experience on our Women’s Health unit.

Working in the emergency room, I get to see many people from different walks of life come into the department. The diseases and illnesses that are presented are often ones that can be prevented, perhaps through early intervention screenings or better patient education. During the NURS 4400 semester, I would like to be able to become more aware of how as a nurse, I can better prevent injury and illness, as well as provide patient education through out reach programs. I think this could best be achieved by being able to work with a home health nurse, school nurse or community health clinic.

Human flourishing, one of the National League of Nursing competencies, refers to the overall state of well-being of an individual within multiple contexts. This competency celebrates diversity, freedom, happiness, and holistic well-being of individuals within their families, communities, and society (Nursing Framework and Program Outcomes, n.d.). The concept of human flourishing embodies the elements of contrast and conflict in life, connection with the surrounding world, loving kindness, and harmony and stillness (McCormack, B., & Titchen, 2014). It is within both the challenges that arise in life and the joyous moments that the individual grows physically, psychologically, socially, and spiritually. Human flourishing requires one to embrace the unknown, the uncomfortable, and the contrasts that occur in life and find a sense of inner peace that enables one to show kindness and love to others (McCormack, B., & Titchen, 2014).

Nurses are consistently rated as one of the most trusted professionals in the United States. One of the reasons for this distinction may be the many nurses who obtain specialty certification within their practice area. Certification confirms the nurse has acquired a level of skill and knowledge above average (Rauen, Shumate, & Gendron-Trainer, 2016). It is important to me to obtain certification when I complete the master’s program in informatics at American Sentinel University. This paper will discuss the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) eligibility requirements to become board certified, the competencies required on the certification test, describing those I have mastered, those I have been

The health care industry is in need of a strong nursing workforce that can provide quality care. The present nursing shortage is only predicted to worsen as the baby boomers retire and health care needs expand. The shortage is projected to reach more than one million nurses, and reform is needed to increase the interest in nursing therefore funding is needed for this transformation ((American Association of College of Nursing, n.d.). Prevention is essential to quality care therefore public health nurses need to be trained and have incentive to take these positions (American Association of College of Nursing, n.d.). There is also a growing need for advanced nurse practitioners to assist in running clinics to personalize patient care and improve relationships between health care providers and patients (American Association of College of Nursing, n.d.). With around 2.4 million providers, registered nurses make up the largest group of health care professionals ((American Association of College of Nursing, n.d.). They are involved in every aspect of patient care, and when there are not adequate nurses to care for patients, barriers to quality health are created. This makes it so vitally important that the nursing shortage be addressed focusing on education, practice, retention, and recruitment (American Association of College of Nursing, n.d.).

Nurses are everywhere around us. While walking through a crowd at Wal-Mart or at a basketball game, there is a nurse out in the crowd. Whether that person is a Registered Nurse, Licensed Practical Nurse, or have their Bachelor of Science in Nursing, many of them come from the North Iowa Area Community College nursing programs. “The nursing programs are accredited by the National League of Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC).” (Nursing Schools Review) North Iowa Area Community College is known for its outstanding nursing program.

It takes a lot to faze me, blood, guts and bodily fluids are of no exception. I'm looking into the health field, as a registered nurse. My ASVAB score pointed to more of a social and realistic career, which pointed to more health related careers. I'm currently in the Lycoming Career Technology Center for health careers and I'm in my third year. I knew I wanted to pursue a career in field and I knew it would be a Nurse. Being in any occupation of the health field isn't easy the same goes for nurses. Countless hours of college education, repetitive relearning classes, semi-high salary and long hours, doesn't sound fun for some, but for me, it sounds great.

Between you and I we have said it all, you brought up the element of putting more doctors into the system, however, I read one study that stated MDs would rather work in major cities and not small towns. So, I believe the shortage will be handled by Nurse Practitioners (NPs) and Physician Assistants (PAs).

We hear nurse’s talk about how rewarding their profession is but what they seldom talk about is how it can be very challenging as well. There seems to be many issues existing in the nursing profession. One of the most affective issues in nursing is the decreasing number of staff nurses. With inadequate staffing, nurses are demanded to have more responsibilities thus causing more stress on the nurse. This increase in responsibility causes nurses to neglect many aspects of their patients’ care. Patient care is suffering from the shortage of nurses as there is an increase in adverse patient outcomes due to the shortage. Also, there is evidence that there is a positive relationship between the number of staff and the effectiveness of their teamwork. The more staff available the more likely nurses will work together as a team. A new act is being implemented to help with the nursing shortage. This act is called the National Nursing Shortage Reform and Patient Advocacy Act. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the issue of nursing shortage and how the National Nursing Shortage Reform and Patient Advocacy Act is an example of evidence-based practice.

Nursing shortage is a global problem facing all health care system and the impact on nursing professional and patient care outcomes cannot be over emphasized. Despite all effort made by the ANA and health care institutions to address the issue of nursing shortage there seems to be no change and the problem still exist hence there is every need to implement a new plan to address the problem of nursing shortage (ANA, 2014). The project plan is aimed at introducing a policy plan that will help in eradicating nursing shortage. This paper will focused on nursing shortage’s impact on nurses, patients and nursing profession, and a proposed project that will focus on eradicating the problem of nursing shortage through the use of mentoring program for high schools and colleges student.

In order to increase new RN job satisfaction and retention, a mentorship program approach is vital for the success of new registered nurses and the success of the healthcare organization. The qualitative studies presented in this chapter involve experienced nurse mentors providing guidance, assistance, and ongoing support to newly hired or newly graduated RNs/mentees throughout the 12-month mentorship programs (Fox, 2010, p. 9). According to the 2010 Institute of Medicine report, the nursing workforce can be substantially strengthened and the quality of care and patient outcomes can be dramatically improved through nurse mentorship (p. 3). The three studies introduced in this chapter demonstrate the outcomes for nurses who have participated

In the early 1980s it came to light that while the supply of nurses had reached a record high, only 80% of hospitals nationwide had adequate nurse staffing levels (American Nurse Credentialing Center, 2011, p. 8). To address this issue a taskforce was formed within the American Academy of Nursing (AAN). Through an initial study of 165 hospitals, the AAN determined the characteristics of healthcare organizations that were magnetically attracting and retaining nurses as employees (American Nurse Credentialing Center, p. 9). In this study the AAN found “Forces of Magnetism” that contributed to the high level of job satisfaction amongst nurses, superior quality of care, low job turnover, and high level of nurse involvement in leadership, decision-making, and research. In the early 1990s, catapulted by the findings of this initial study, the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) developed the Magnet Recognition Program. The intention of the ANCC’s Magnet Recognition Program was threefold: To reward hospitals that demonstrated “excellence in the delivery of nursing services to patients;” to encourage quality in the nursing work environment to support practicing professional nurses; and to guide navigation for the dissemination of evidenced-based clinical nursing practice (American Nurse Credentialing Center, 2011, p. 14).

Increased accountability and responsibility is my main fear as I enter the health care workforce as a registered nurse. Over the last three years as a student nurse on clinical placement, every shift I was supervised and overlooked by a registered nurse at all times. As well as being provided a diverse range of advice and techniques to use when applying my nursing practice. As a nursing student it gave me room for minor errors, as I always had someone to correct it and demonstrate efficient practice. Yet knowing next year I will have to carry the responsibilities of a nurse independently puts a different perspective on my year ahead. A registered nurse is accountable and responsible for their own actions and distribution of care to enrolled nurses and a number of other health care workers (Nursing Midwifery Board of Australia, 2006). According to a Nursing Times paper, accountability and responsibility is a key stressor in transitioning from a graduate nurse to a fully qualified nurse (Whitehead and Holmes 2011).