Introduction
Life-long learning is a system of education that provides continuous improvement of professional knowledge and skills throughout life and constant improvement of professional level and expansion of professional competencies. The development of continuing professional education among nursing staff is significant, contributing to improving the quality of nursing competencies. These days, a range of new requirements for medical care is promoted, and it regards the field of bedside nursing as well. Modern health care providers are required to deliver patient-centered care of high quality, using the possibilities of an interdisciplinary approach. In addition, nursing practice problems are revealed, and solutions to them present a matter of numerous discussions and studies. Therefore, the necessity to regularly update the knowledge and skills of professionals is required. In this context, lifelong learning is essential to bedside nursing to provide safe and effective care, be a productive member of an interdisciplinary healthcare team, and prevent career burnout. The medical staff begins continuing medical education immediately after completing the basic training. In terms of time, it is stretched as long as the students work in medicine. This helps not only to increase their competence but also to move from one type of activity to another: for example, a ward nurse can become a nurse in the emergency department. The purpose of this article is to identify the advantages of continuing medical education.
The Necessity for Updating
In present-day developments, a range of studies is conducted in medicine, which contributes to the rapid growth of this sphere. Scientists elaborate on new equipment, which makes the work faster and more precise, and unrevealed diseases are discovered. Some improvements in bedside nursing are also proposed, and this appears to be a vital part of treatment and significantly influences patient outcomes. In addition, the needs of patients may change, and there is a necessity to address these requirements. For instance, Baumbusch et al. (2017) explore nursing for hospitalized older people. It should be mentioned that predominantly older people need bedside services, as they have severe diseases and limited mobility in most cases. Furthermore, Baumbusch et al. (2017) highlight that the number of hospitalized older people is constantly increasing. This category of people should be explicitly approached, and there is a necessity to understand their unique asks and needs. To perform this task, lifelong learning is essential for nurses who are at the patient’s bedside. The life expectancy and the number of elderly people are growing, leading to the emergence of new technologies and drugs. Due to the development of medicine in this area, there is a possibility of a lack of knowledge about applying these innovations. For this reason, health care providers should be aware of all the improvements and discoveries in treatment. In addition, nurses should adhere to continuing education to be competent and use the newest approaches.
Strategies For Lifelong Learning in Nursing
Continuing education has many advantages that can be noticeable in the long term. While educating themselves, nurses provide better care for a patient, which positively impacts the outcomes of their treatment. There is a tendency to supply an interdisciplinary approach in modern health care, which requires an in-depth knowledge of the whole sphere. This way is considered to improve the results of treatment. Qalehsaru et al. (2017) explore the topic of lifelong learning in nursing thoroughly, reviewing the strategies and approaches to this part of professional activity. The researchers highlight that it provides a comprehensive updating of knowledge and skills (Qalehsaru et al., 2017). They mark: “Use of lifelong learning strategies will lead to increased quality of education, development of nursing competency and finally, increased quality of patient care” (Qalehsaru et al., 2017, para. 1). Therefore, continuing education allows nurses to stick to an interdisciplinary approach, which guarantees better results for patients.
Fighting Burnouts
Furthermore, these days, the problem of burnout among nurses appears a pressing concern. This issue is highly relevant in bedside nursing, as professionals must care for people with severe illnesses and deliver compassion. In these circumstances, life-long learning is expected to contribute to finding the solution. The constant emotional stress caused by this factor can lead to burnout. The article “5 Ways to Fight Nurse Burnout” presents a continuous improvement of knowledge as an effective method of overcoming the psychological state of burnout. It is emphasized that continuous improvement in the professional sphere will prevent such a common problem as burnout: “Encouraging your staff to engage in continuing education can help them renew their passion for the job, and increased education has been shown to correlate with higher job satisfaction among nurses” (“5 Ways to Fight Nurse Burnout”, 2019, para. 11). The author highlights this method of dealing with the problem mentioned above since it is very effective. Moreover, today, a significant amount of attention is paid to this issue, and courses on improving qualifications also cover this topic. They include guidelines on how to cope with stress at the workplace and relieve the pressure.
Consequently, there is a connection between lifelong learning and fighting nursing burnouts. Health care providers may renew their interest in the profession by making their knowledge more profound. In addition, it may supply the professionals with essential advice on solving this pressing concern, which will positively influence the practice in general, and therefore, the outcomes for patients. Thus, lifelong learning may contribute to addressing the problem of nursing burnout in the long run.
A Possibility to Learn by Doing
Despite all the apparent benefits of lifelong learning in bedside nursing, there are oppositions to the necessity to adhere to it and organize separate courses for nurses and physicians. McDiarmid (2021) researched the scientific medical sources that contribute to continuing the education of nurses. The process of upgrading qualifications has become too formalized, and there is no need to organize separate learning programs for updating knowledge and skills (McDiarmid, 2021). McDiarmid (2021) concludes that it is possible to learn all the new peculiarities in medicine by doing this: “Most of their CNE activities appear to be undertaken within their work environment” (para. 1). A nurse is required to study medicine to understand and follow the physician’s instructions accurately. This finding may be applied to bedside nursing as well. The more a nurse interacts with patients, the more she improves her skills. It is essential that in the continuing training of a physician, nurses also enhance their qualifications. Otherwise, there may not be well-coordinated work with a doctor due to the nurse’s lack of knowledge. Therefore, the significance of lifelong learning as a separate program may be overestimated.
The Importance of Comprehensive Approach
However, the argument regarding practical experience does not deny the importance of lifelong learning in nursing practice. Nowadays, nursing is rapidly developing, and innovative ideas are actively advanced. New approaches aimed to provide better outcomes are introduced, requiring specialists to receive new knowledge and look at the treatment from another perspective (Qalehsaru et al., 2017). An example could be a tendency for applying an interdisciplinary approach, which requires proper training (Qalehsaru et al., 2017). To understand the instructions of a physician using new technologies, a nurse must also know about them and be able to use them. Moreover, some competencies need additional time spent on them to guarantee a beneficial result. Apart from it, the needs of patients are changing, and health care providers should adapt to this reality. For this reason, the significance of a comprehensive approach should not be underestimated, especially in the context of bedside care. It contributes to the positive outcomes of the treatment considerably, helping patients with severe illnesses and restricted mobility.
Conclusion
In conclusion, lifelong learning plays a crucial role in nursing practice, especially in bedside services. It allows nurses to fulfill gaps in knowledge and skills, which may appear due to the rapid development of medicine. By improving their skills, nurses contribute to improving the treatment plan results since the result of surgery and treatment often depends on the mutual understanding between the nurse and the doctor. Moreover, it seems to help address a pressing concern of a high burnout rate among nurses. Finally, it provides a comprehensive approach to educating health care providers and delivering the latest information to them, and only fulfilling working duties cannot substitute it. A nurse’s continuing medical education is an educational process that contributes to the daily updating of knowledge, skills, and abilities by medical workers. In the conditions of constant medical progress, the nurse must also improve and develop existing competencies and, if necessary, master new ones. Thus, continuing medical education makes it possible to increase the efficiency of the professional activities of nurses and, consequently, the quality of medical care.
References
Baumbusch, J. Shaw, M., Leblanc, M. E., Kjorven, M., Kwon, J. Y., Blackburn., L., Lawrie, B., Shamatutu, M., & Wolff, A. C. (2017). Workplace continuing education for nurses caring for hospitalised older people. International Journal of Older People Nursing, 12(4). Web.
McDiarmid, S. (2021). Continuing nursing education: What resources do bedside nurses use? The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 29(6). Web.
Qalehsari, M. Q., Khaghanizadeh, M., & Ebadi, A. (2017). Lifelong learning strategies in nursing: A systematic review. Electronic Physician, 9(10), 5541–5550. Web.
5 ways to fight nurse burnout. (2019). Wolters Kluwer. Web.