Introduction
Due to the constant improvement in the quality of medical care and the rapid introduction of new technologies in this area, lifelong learning for all medical workers is a critical condition for meeting professional requirements. Without constant monitoring of new information, equipment, and treatment strategies, medical knowledge becomes obsolete quickly and prevents nurses from maintaining the necessary qualifications. The desire to constantly improve their knowledge and skills is now becoming one of the essential career goals for many nurses, motivated to be high-level specialists and help patients more effectively. Continuing medical education and increased opportunities for higher degrees for nurses should be encouraged as it is essential in improving patient care.
Advancing Education: Insights from “The Future of Nursing 2020–2030”
The book “The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity” provides a detailed overview of the current professional competencies of nurses. It also analyzes the challenges that representatives of this profession may face in the future. The chapter “Educating Nurses for the Future” focuses on continuing education as an essential part of nurses’ work and provides compelling reasons for increasing nursing education. Among them, one can name the emerging need for a holistic approach to patient care, the rapid development of new methods of diagnosis and treatment, and the shortage of nurses with narrow specialization. The lack of nurses with BSN and Ph.D. degrees of training is especially noted (“The Future of Nursing 2020-2030,” 2021).
Exploring Job Market Opportunities with an ADN and RN License
My level of education now is an Associate’s Degree in Nursing (ADN) with a registered nurse license (RN). I have a relatively wide range of opportunities to work in various types of medical institutions. RNs with an ADN have options to work both in acute medicine, such as hospitals and emergency care facilities, as well as in ambulatory and home care and the field of palliative care. This is generally enough for employment and successful work for a certain period. However, I need to continue my education to advance in my career. That is because ADN does not allow nurses to develop their skills in medical leadership and nurse management and limits the opportunities for scientific work in nursing care.
Therefore, my next logical step is to get a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), which will expand my knowledge and skills in management and administration and help me gain essential research experience. The latter is significant for me, as at this stage, I plan not to limit myself to a BSN but also to get a Master’s Degree in Nursing (MSN). Although I have not yet decided on a specialization in Nursing care, I desire to develop in science, and I am interested in doing research.
Therefore, an MSN degree will help me realize that I am in this direction. My proposed timeline to achieve this goal is ten years because I plan to take my time and focus on constantly improving my practical skills and gaining work experience. This will help me become more confident in my actions and cope with a significant study load at more difficult stages of training.
Up-to-date data on the state of the job market in my specialization also confirms the correctness of my intentions. Increasing nurses’ education level is an essential competitive advantage now, and the situation will only worsen in the future. Professional associations estimate that in the US, as well as around the world, there is already a nursing shortage. This is due to the general aging of the population, the workforce, and family circumstances, as most nurses are female and have more difficulty achieving work-life balance (Drennan. & Ross, 2019).
It is also important to note the widespread problem of professional burnout in medicine. According to The US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the country will need up to 275,000 new nurses by 2030 (Haddad et al., 2022). Shortly, employment opportunities and the demand for highly qualified specialists will grow. The high demand for nursing care professionals will inevitably cause an increase in competition, as an influx of young specialists in low-skill positions is expected. I expect to be a sought-after specialist in my field, and I plan my educational track for the next decade to increase my competitiveness in this area.
Lifelong Learning in Nursing: Linking Education to Competency, Ethics, and Professional Standards
In their work, nurses in the US are expected to follow the ANA Scope and Standards for Practice and Code of Ethics. This detailed guideline combines nurses’ knowledge and practice requirements and the ethical norms and values shared by the professional nursing community. Continuing nurses’ education is also a critical point of these standards. Without constant work on improving the theoretical base and practical skills, nurses’ professional growth and development are impossible, and they do not compete adequately with the rest of the professionals.
However, along the way, a nurse may encounter limiting factors. There are factors such as a too-heavy workload in the workplace without the opportunity to improve nurses’ education, lack of time, and insufficient funds to continue their studies. Many of these problems can be solved if the nurse and the medical organization are interested in increasing competence.
For example, it is possible to divide the financial burden on training between the worker and the medical organization and introduce scholarship programs. It is essential to support the desire of employees to develop in their field in every possible way. I believe that today’s working conditions dictate the need for nurses to strive for the following stages of education. Professional associations and organizations should encourage this desire for the benefit of the medical community and patients in general.
An Argument for Lifelong Learning
Given the importance of higher levels of education for nurses, this condition should be mandatory for all nurses in active practice who plan to link their careers exclusively with medicine. It is worth developing not restrictive measures for workers but incentives to involve as many nurses as possible in the educational process and stimulate healthy competition. This is beneficial for both healthcare professionals and patients. On the one hand, encouraging nurses to work on their level of education will help stimulate the interest of medical personnel in self-development and working on their knowledge and skills. This will improve the quality of medical care and overcome the current lack of qualified personnel in nursing care.
On the other hand, the patient community can access better nursing care. This applies not only to working skills but also to creating a favorable psychological atmosphere for recovery and better care from the point of view of an integrated approach to the patient’s health. For the correct provision of assistance, experience and relevant knowledge are essential, which can be obtained from more than practical activities.
Studies support the importance of improving nursing education from a patient’s perspective. For example, a relationship has been proven between higher nurse education levels and reduced mortality in the clinic (Haegdorens et al., 2019). Since the main professional goal of a nurse is to help patients and alleviate their condition, such research results may also support mandatory continuing medical education for nurses.
Conclusion
The development of medical science will continue in the coming decades, inevitably leading to a change in current approaches to diagnosing and treating many pathological conditions. This determines the trend toward the promotion of continuing education for medical professionals, in particular for nurses. Despite the difficulties along the way, getting to higher levels of education will provide nurses with a stable career and improve the conditions of care for the patients they care for.
References
Drennan, V. M., & Ross, F. (2019). Global nurse shortages—the facts, the impact, and action for change. British Medical Bulletin, 130(1), 25–37. Web.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2021. The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Web.
Haddad LM, Annamaraju P, Toney-Butler TJ. Nursing Shortage. [2022]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Web.
Haegdorens, F., Van Bogaert, P., De Meester, K., & Monsieurs, K. G. (2019). The impact of nurse staffing levels and nurse’s education on patient mortality in medical and surgical wards: An observational multicentre study. BMC Health Services Research, 19(1). Web.