Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs

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

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).

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.

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.

The proudest accomplishment in my educational career has been graduating with a college degree in a field I absolutely love. With all honesty, I cannot attest that I have always wanted to be a registered nurse. As my college transcripts reflect, I have taken a hodgepodge of classes in attempt to find something; anything I can be passionate about. I found that passion in my first nursing class, Introduction to Healthcare Careers, that I took at the community college. Initially, I planned on taking a few medical terminology and anatomy classes to assist me at work as a paralegal. At the time, I worked for an attorney who specialized in personal injury and medical malpractice law. I would work 40+hours a week at the law firm and nursing school/clinical hours were done on nights and weekends. I survived and graduated with my Associates degree in nursing.

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.

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).

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.).

The U.S. healthcare system is no stranger to nursing shortages. In very simple terms, this type of shortage happens when a lack of skilled nurses negatively impacts individual patient care; shortage occurrences can transpire at a local, national or international level. It is a recurring problem we have been faced with for the past five decades. However, what we will be up against between now and 2025 is a predicament of far greater proportion than ever encountered before. “Considering the impacts this prolonged shortage will have on the U.S. healthcare system, nursing and other health-related organizations have even brought their concerns to lawmakers in the central government for immediate consideration” (Janiszewski Goodin 335). This quote

Growing up my mother worked as a nurse which consequently built a strong respect as well as admiration for the profession. However, up until the day I left for college I never considered this career for me. As a last resort I made checklist to try and determine the major that best fit my aspirations for the future. Nursing immediately jumped out at me and since then I have been infatuated with the goal of becoming a nurse.

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

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.