A Nursing Dilemma

Nurses,

When I was a student Nurse in the late 50’s, the educators in nursing started the movement to upgrade nursing from Florence Nightingale’s vocation ( “a calling”) to a professional status. They diligently and systematically phased out the diploma programs and moved nursing into the college setting.

We were very proud of their success. However, they made a major mistake by keeping the clinical experience out of the college curriculum's. New nursing graduates no longer were or are capable of giving basic nursing care when they receive their nursing degree.The pendulum was swung almost completely to the academic.

I was in a diploma program and was based at a hospital for three years. We lived in dormitories next to the hospital. We had two weeks off a year. We were not allowed to get married or pregnant. If we did, we were told to pack our bags and go home. Our nursing career was over. They didn't change those rules until the middle 1960's.

Our instructors and head nurses had served in the military during WWII. They had the almost impossible job of taking high school children and making responsible women out of us in a matter of two months. The discipline was high and intense.

We went into school in September and were caring for patients by November. In June, the nurses would take a leave of absence until their children went back to school in the fall. In my second year (eighteen years old) I was charge nurse of a post-op floor.

The clinical education outweighed the academic, but that education gave me an intensive study of Anatomy, Physiology, Pharmacy, and Chemistry. It also included professional ethics and History of Nursing 101. We spent many hours on ward duty. We worked in every department of the hospital, even the diet kitchen. When we graduated, we could work proficiently, were able to give comprehensive nursing care.

The educators have to bring the pendulum back to the middle for balance. The introduction of co-op programs in the colleges is imperative. Intensive clinical experiences in the academic setting would have many advantages.

New nurses graduating with basic nursing care skills would result in less stress in the work place for everyone. Under an educator's supervision (co-op program), student nurses would be trained in basic nursing care that is relevant to all area's including the specialties, Emergency Room, ICU,CCU, OR, NICU, etc.

At present, graduate nurses come out of school with very little knowledge of clinical nursing. This puts tremendous pressure on the new graduate as well as the nurses who they work with. They not only have a heavy workload, but now have to assume an educators role as well. That extra cap the experienced nurse now wears could be eliminated by a large degree. Student nurses should graduate with a working knowledge of basic nursing care. Nursing orientation could be drastically shortened.

Many hospitals require at least two years of medical nursing before a he or she is allowed to specialize. With a co-op program that time could be reduced by half.

The trend in nursing is going back to the bedside nursing with a huge nursing deficit coming when the “baby boomers” retire in a few years. The population projection then is 80,000,000 people. Out of that number how many nurses? Men and women who have chosen nursing as a second profession, will not provide replacement’s. They too will retire shortly after the “ boomers”.

The future of nursing has to improve if we are to maintain excellence. At present, there are not enough nursing educators. Many have been lost to attrition and low salaries. Educators must be paid more to equal or surpass the nurses working in the field.

Recruitment at the junior and high school levels must be continued.

Magnet status in hospitals is tantamount to retaining good nurses and improving the quality of a nurse’s life.

We need to utilize the knowledge of older nurses who are not working. Give us clinical instructor status to take the burden off the staff nurse.

I do not have a college degree, but I have 50 years of experience in my field.

I am of great value teaching in the clinical setting.

There are many of us who would and could be of assistance in the educator’s world.

I strongly suggest you use us to pass this legacy on to the future nurses of America.