I am a Diploma of Nursing graduate and am currently pursuing (by mandate) my online BSN. As the majority of nurses are employed in hospitals or acute care settings, I am continuously scratching my head, asking myself why the curriculum of these programs isn't structured to give nurses truly needed skills, knowledge sets, or resources to better care for their patients. Additional pharmacology and pharmacokinetics, advanced anatomy and physiology, emerging health risks and disease trends...this would seem like much more relevant information to add to a staff nurse's working armamentarium and improve the quality of care. Courses such as; Population Focused Nursing, and Concepts, Processes, and Trends in Contemporary Nursing-not so much! Then there is nursing theory-seriously, do nurses and other health care professionals really take these seriously? Come on-some of these (theories) are so convoluted, esoteric and just sound downright wacky and bizarre and have no true utility or use in the clinical setting. That all being said, I understand the need for lifelong learning and continuing education and if I were wanting to pursue a managerial role or prepare for advanced practice-certainly. Now however, I pay out $25,000 (with a pittance of tuition reimbursement), put my life on hold and sacrifice a great deal of my time, all to go back to the same job that I've done for almost 25 years, only now though with a better understanding of the primary healthcare delivery model and cultural diversity. I'm not suggesting this information isn't important, but I strongly feel that we've got it wrong in this regard. Academia has completely, completely lost touch with true bedside nursing!
As my old boss used to say, "those bridge programs put the BS in BSN." My RN-BSN program was, fortunately, cheap, and from an education standpoint, I certainly got what I paid for.
Nursing has done a great job of creating a "career ladder" that now the field is chock full of master's degree pseudo-positions like CNLs, CNSs, CNMLs, that as far as I can tell specialize in naval-gazing, self-aggrandizement, and maintaining a hierarchy based on useless degrees rather than ability. Similarly, what about those "doctoral prepared" PhDs with a specialty in "nursing theory" (still haven't met a single practicing nurse who has any idea what a nursing theory is supposed to do for us or patients) Without this false heirarchy, and loads of undergraduate students with these mandatory classes, these people would have to get real jobs. It's by far in their best interest to maintain the status quo and not push for a curriculum and subsequent care delivery system based on science because then they'd be pushed out.
frozenmedic, you hit the nail on the head with that response. This 'false hierarchy' that you describe is indeed real and and pervasive-I refer to them as the "educated idiots" as in "I can't necessarily do your job, but allow me to assist you regarding how to do your job". They are there M-F, 7-3 only, so don't look for a clinical specialist on weekends, nights, or holidays! Need help with patient cares-(insert sound of crickets). Also, as you mentioned, in studying nursing theory, I really had to ask myself if there are actually nurses that believe or find any utility whatsoever from this load of BS?? Some of them really are just so bizarre that I am left scratching my head-'energy transfers', 'helicacy', 'integrality'-really? What?
Well if someone is dumb enough to get an ASN instead of an ABSN when they already have a bachelors, then maybe they need the gen ed classes.
Hmmmm. I'm doing exactly that - primarily because it will enable me to actually work as nurse more quickly and then earn my BSN - hopefully - an NP. Locally, there is an accelerated RN-BSN program, but not a reputable Accelerated BSN for those of us that hold non-nursing Bachelors.
frozenmedic
58 Posts
As my old boss used to say, "those bridge programs put the BS in BSN." My RN-BSN program was, fortunately, cheap, and from an education standpoint, I certainly got what I paid for.
Nursing has done a great job of creating a "career ladder" that now the field is chock full of master's degree pseudo-positions like CNLs, CNSs, CNMLs, that as far as I can tell specialize in naval-gazing, self-aggrandizement, and maintaining a hierarchy based on useless degrees rather than ability. Similarly, what about those "doctoral prepared" PhDs with a specialty in "nursing theory" (still haven't met a single practicing nurse who has any idea what a nursing theory is supposed to do for us or patients) Without this false heirarchy, and loads of undergraduate students with these mandatory classes, these people would have to get real jobs. It's by far in their best interest to maintain the status quo and not push for a curriculum and subsequent care delivery system based on science because then they'd be pushed out.