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.

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.

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.

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

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.

According to the website of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing it states, “Because nursing care poses a risk of harm to the public if practiced by professionals who are unprepared or incompetent, the state, through its police powers, is required to protect its citizens from harm.” This statement is very significant because it simply states the basis of why there is a State Board of Nursing, it is to regulate nursing practice. It is imperative that patients are protected from harm and that the nurse practices within their scope of practice. Due to the fact that there are governing agencies and legislation for nurses it decreases the likelihood of incompetent care to be given. Nurses are educated to provide safe and competent care and that is validated with a nursing license. If the care given to patients is not safe there are consequences and these are enforced by the State Board of Nursing. Additionally, nurses are professionals who implement ethics, values, and goals.

“Nursing shortage has become one of the most pressing concerns for hospitals nationwide” (Rosenstein, 2002, p.26) and a common impractical solution to avert poor patient care is “ working overtime or exceeding the 40h” (Kunavikikul, 2015, p.391). Nurses who worked continuous 12hours shifts or exceeded 40hours of work a week developed extreme mental and physical exhaustion and it “ was found that performance of fatigued nurses deteriorates” (Kunavikikul et al., 2015, p.388), increasing their vulnerability for making errors. In Mrs. N’s case, the night nurse along with the majority of nurses working on that acute medical floor, all worked 12hour shifts toppled off with overtime that exceeded the 40hour weekly mark. Consequently, these nurses

I am defined by the multiple communities that I belong to. In each one there are leaders who set the tone and determine how well the community does financially, physically, and socially. I aspire to be a nursing leader in my community and use my public health platform to help change people’s lives by promoting and protecting their health. I have chosen to apply to the Population Health Nursing Program at the University of Hawaii Manoa because

As described by Standard 13 of the American Nurses Association (ANA), the nurse administrator “supports research and its integration into nursing and the delivery of healthcare services” (American Nurses Association [ANA], 2009, p. 81). Accordingly, for this analysis, I have selected Competency 1, which states that the nurse administrator “creates the environment and advocates for resources supportive of nursing research and scholarly inquiry” (ANA, 2009, p. 81).

Following Critical Care registration, nurses interested in furthering their career development may pursue a Master of Science degree in different areas of critical care. Some of these units are Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU), Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICU), Coronary Care Units (CCU), Surgical Intensive Care Units (SICU), Medical Intensive Care Units (MICU), and Burn Units.

When a person walks into a doctor’s office, a walk-in clinic, or a hospital they are most likely to see a registered nurse before any other person giving care. Registered nurses are everywhere. They work in just about any building that provides care to patients. Nurses truly helped make the medical field what it is. Without nurses the medical field would collapse.

As a registered nurse proving health care, I will try to use the knowledge gained from education and experience over the years to advance to a position that direct and associate with other nursing professionals to influence the legislation and federal government,

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.