Nursing Education and Career Options
Education is very important to our lives. For instance, an individual can be a nurse in various ways; such as diploma, associate, baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral degree programs. The most general way of becoming a nurse is through degree programs. The minimum level for beginning professional practice in Nursing should be the baccalaureate degree in Nursing (American Nursing Association, 1965). Moreover, (Aiken, et al., 2005), argued that patients who are cared for by the nurses who have achieved the baccalaureate degree have better outcomes.
Concerning issues of entry into the nursing practice, there are certain forces at work in nursing education. The shortfalls include the shortage of nurse educators or instructors that has resulted in a lack of nursing education for qualified students. It is fundamental to consider how an educational experience influences beliefs on education. Other options may include enrollment in online courses.
It is important to develop a career option early enough since every individual has a personal story. Some individuals make choices early enough to become a nurse or a registered nurse. This is a wise decision followed by the decision to obtain a baccalaureate degree. Others may consider it a personal goal, while others consider it as a stepping-stone to the future. Knowledge and experience acquired by a nurse in practice provide a foundation for the nursing career (Benner, 2001). In addition, the professional contact that a nurse makes provides more avenues for career development. Finally, it is important to understand that education is the basis for career development. Some career opportunities may be available due to educational achievement. For instance, a baccalaureate degree is necessary for a community-nursing course, while a masters’ degree is necessary when one needs to move into a teaching profession.
Cultural Influences
There are cultural influences in assuming the role of a Community Health Nurse. The diversity of the world’s populations contained in individual’s psyches as illustrated by the Race- The power of illusion. The race is an important issue because it explains the difference between men. These differences include genetic variations that provide a common challenge to the assumptions of our common senses that human beings are classified according to physical traits.
The episode the eye-opening tale demonstrates how race justifies social differences as natural. Moreover, it demonstrates that race resides not in nature but politically, economically, and culturally. Cultural sensitivity has become a crucial issue in nursing. Ethnic and racial disparities have existed in the nursing profession for many decades; some of the factors that can contribute to biases include differences in genetic predispositions, social class, economic status, and educational level. However, cultural differences have made racial and ethnic minorities to be disadvantaged in the provision of quality healthcare. Various health attributions influence health beliefs, as well as, subsequent health behaviors.
Cultural diversity is increasing within the nursing workforce. People from different cultures may possess similar or different frames of reference to health and varied health needs. Thus, it is important to acknowledge and adapt to the patient’s cultural needs, which forms an important component of nursing. There are various factors to consider in healthcare when a patient has different cultural values and beliefs, for instance, as stated by Spector (2004), cultural competence is the ability by the healthcare providers and organizations to understand and respond effectively to the cultural and linguistic needs. Thus, the factors to consider include cultural awareness, beliefs, and values of the patient and the nurse.
References
Aiken, L.H., Clarke, S. P., Cheung, R. B., Sloane, D. M.; & Silber, J. H. (2005). Educational levels of hospital nurses and surgical patient mortality. JAMA. 290(12):1617-1623.
American Nurses Association: Educational preparation for nurse practitioners and assistants to nurses. Position paper, Kansas City, Mo. 1965, American Nurses Association.
Benner, P. (2001). From novice to expert: Excellence and power in clinical nursing practice, commemorative edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice.
Spector, R. (2004). Cultural diversity in health and illness. Upper Saddle River, UK: Capstone.