Introduction
The internet is a very important tool in every profession. One needs to be updated with the current knowledge in order to be able to find help from the internet. In most cases, the internet has proved to be a very good source of information for professional nurses. Although there are various types and forms of information available on the internet, not all of them are credible. Some information available online are just people ideas which are not based on valid facts.
One such credible health-related website is the American Nurses Association (ANA) whose domain is known as the nursingworld.org. The purpose of the website is to represent the interests of the American registered nurses. The website promotes nurses rights all through their workplace while encouraging high standards in the nursing practice. The website helps over 3.1 million registered nurses in America to accomplish their duties. Besides, it helps nurses to provide their expertise in the development of the country’s health policies and advocate for the right procedures to be followed. The website further promotes and supports the development of nursing as a trusted and important profession. The search engine used to locate the website is called Google.com.
A thorough analysis of the website
The website provides users with details on where it gets its information and offers firsthand information through videos based on various speeches. The website gives names of people and institutions that are part of their information including date of publications. The website is easily accessible and provides guidelines on how to navigate through the internet. For instance, the website warns the user when there are eminent risks including virus. The ANA website is also published in an eye-friendly font that is easy to read.
Since its inauguration, the ANA website has encouraged the development of the nursing profession. It has a reliable Education Resource Centre (ERC) that gives detailed information and provides its users with the needed help in developing their leadership skills while pursuing higher education. With a wide range of information, a nurse can provide care to the patient with the highest level of attention as well as be able to explore different career opportunities. The ERC gives information about education offerings and partnerships with other education organizations that offer health related programs. The feature helps nurses to make decisions on advanced education. In addition, the site provides its members with online programs at discounted prices. The online programs help nurses that have tight schedules to adjust to the school timetables around their shifts. The ANA also gives information to the nurses on how to conduct themselves at workplace as well as how to relate with their patients and colleagues. The organization website has a wide range of health-related groups that are working on educating and facilitating change from traditional practices. The networks provide the fastest means of knowledge exchange among nurses.
The website has a code of ethics that controls the amount of information shared with the public. It has principles and guidance for nurses on how to interact on social media. Besides, the website advises the nursing groups on how to retain their professional standards on social media. For instance, the website has a privacy setting that allows nurses to alienate personal and professional information. The system ensures that private information provided by nurses is safe from unauthorized persons. The privacy settings provide tips on how to avoid problems while using the website. It has security policies that keep its users safe from hackers.
The credibility of the website
The organization website is a perfect place to network with other nurses, ask questions, get answers and share specific knowledge. In fact, it helps one to build on the professional relationships (Brumbaugh & Calhoon, 2014). Since it is a member’s only site, one is sure that the questions are answered with the help of a nurse.
Nurses use research to help them advance in promoting quality health care for everyone. The nursing fraternity uses research to help redefine health policies around them. Thus, the ANA website is a very important research tool for all nurses given that it serves as a research toolkit. With the rapid change in science and technology, one needs to keep up with the technological advancements (Folk, 2012).
The importance of evaluating information found on the internet
A nurse needs to evaluate the information found on the internet since not all information is based on facts. First, the internet has many users and individuals who provide information but they have neither expertise nor experience in the related field. Second, some people offering information are fraudsters that are looking for innocent individuals to con. Thus, a nurse should only use credible website to find an online program or information to use in the nursing profession. Third, a nurse via the ANA Speakers Bureau should identify and request for a speaker of choice. The speaker should meet them at the nurses’ next meeting or event. The website also has articles on work safety that a nurse can use to ensure that he/she is free from health-related hazards at work.
Summary
In conclusion, the internet is very important in a professional’s life. However, nurses ought to ensure that the information is valid and right to avoid unnecessary mistakes or nursing errors. In fact, to the professional nurses, the internet allows them to network and nurture their relationships with other nurses at different levels. Thus, this attribute makes the internet an important tool in the professional life of nurses.
References
Brumbaugh, K. & Calhoon, E. (2014). Google drive: Searching and evaluating resource credibility. Huntington Beach, CA: Teacher Created Materials.
Folk, M. (2012). Online credibility and digital ethos: Evaluating computer-mediated communication. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.