Why is education not valued within our profession?

[BrandyBSN]

why is education not highly valued within the nursing profession?

think about the large scheme of other "professions". education is held in high regard. why is this not the case in nursing?

bachelor's degrees in nursing are not met with enthusiasm. sometimes, they are met with distain. why are the additional two years not acknowledged as an important part of education?

so what if the extra two years are not completely focused on nursing. if achieving a bachelor's degree in business, all four years aren't geared exactly towards business courses, but no one would claim that these other areas of study do not apply. they just add a broader scope to the students knowledge base.

how could additional knowledge about foreign languages, literature, geography, political sciences, logic, religions, humanities, nature, music and other liberal arts and sciences not be a benefit to the nursing profession. our clients come from all races, creeds, and walks of life. why are we not encouraged to learn more about all of these very important areas of life. why do we constantly hinder ourselves by not encouraging the further education of our peers? why is a higher degree status so unattractive to some of us? if we consider these topics "useless" knowledge which does not warrant study, then do we consider these attributes within our client population to be useless as well? do what other cultures enjoy, believe, think, feel about other areas of life not matter? it should. how can we provide holistic care for the entire patient if we are only focused on their medical condition. what about the other factors of health, happiness, and quality of life? why is the study of these areas not encouraged?

when we discourage others, when we offer distain to nurses who have seen it fit to learn more than nursing theory and skill techniques, we are not only shortchanging our clients, but we are limiting the great potential that each and every one of us has. we are not "just nurses", all of us are people too, with our own interests, life stories, experiences. the broading of our minds, regardless of the topic studied is not a negative decision! all knowledge gained is worth the commitment. so why are nurses not encouraged to do so?

brandybsn

[psnurse]

Ok Nurs4kids and any other interested parties,

I agree that education isn't the only thing that keeps us where we are. I do my part on a daily basis. Keyword phrases, "I'm not going to do that" "Who's stupid idea was that?". So far, so good.

The comparison from nurse to electronic tech is not the one I was thinking of. Rather comparing the electronic tech to the engineer. That would be where the discrepancy between education in the same field leads to a difference in dollars. Also to a difference in responsibilities and advancement potential. I am aware that this probably did not escape you, rather you chose to voice a different point.

I realize that electronic techs are well compensated in many areas. Tech towns like Huntsville, AL probably have more positions than they can fill. My dad worked as an electronic tech for most of his working life. GO DAD!! But I graduated making more money than he did. So the money really does depend on what type of employer you choose to work for.

Where I currently live, in the great white north (BRRRRR), the electronic tech makes very little more than my teenage daughter makes at her summer job. But I got a decent raise in the move.

It doesn't explain why education is undervalued for nurses. I still put most of that on administrators accepting the low end education as justification to keep salaries in line with their acceptable limits.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

We can put it on admin but then we would not be taking responsibility for our own professional conduct. We are all grown ups and can decide for ourselves individually, and as a group, where our values are.

[psnurse]

In light of all the previous posts, those who think a technical education is adequate seem to be the majority. And canoehead, you are correct, this is their choice.

Following a course of deductive reasoning, the answer to Brandy's original question about why education is not valued in nursing is in danger of becoming "because a technical education is all that is required for a technical occupation".

Sad commentary indeed.

[Charles S. Smith, RN, MS]

Nicely said PSnurse...and I might add "at this moment in time". What we must focus on is not what has gone before, but what we want to look forward to next. I personally envision a very different nursing future for us all. I have posted on this topic in many threads. Please feel free to search the archives.

We have an opportunity and a moral imperative to reshape nursing into the profession it must be. Let's start the dialogue now, but move beyond the blame laying, the egocentricity, and the stranglehold of the past.

my best to all

chas

[psnurse]

For your vision, I thank you Chas.

[nightingale, RN]

Slurs... digs.. and gutteral expressions only further to separate us...

WE are in crisis... the more we work in negative indeavors... the longer we are side tracked on the issue of gaining professionalism.... How can we accomplish this?

So much has been said to justify the need for furthering our education and OUR cause. I thank those who expressed those thoughts....

B.:) :)

[Veneta Masson]

Please forgive this lengthy contribution to the discussion, but I've given the matter of nursing education a lot of thought. What follows is an excerpt from the chapter called "A Good Nurse" in a book I wrote called "Ninth Street Notebook--Voice of a Nurse in the City."

...As an Associate Degree student, I acquired a basic understanding of illness and learned to use the fundamental nursing skills to nurse persons with various diseases and disabilities. As a student in a baccalaureate program, I improved my communication skills and was introduced to nursing outside the hospital while expanding my general knowledge of the social sciences and humanities. As a master's student in community health nursing, I studied public health, epidemiology, nursing theory, research, and teaching--but had little contact with patients. As a post-master's student in a nurse practitioner program, I learned a great deal about pathophysiology, pharmacology, and clinical medicine--but nothing new about nursing.

I sometimes wonder what would have happened had I not returned to school after finishing my Associate Degree. Would I be a less effective nurse, or a better one? After all, I would have 26 years of experience by now, uninterrupted by breaks for continued education and jobs that took me away from hands-on nursing.

It is a moot point. But the question of what makes a good nurse deserves an answer. Here is mine: Unlike medicine, which is a body of knowledge with applications for the diagnosis and treatment of disease, nursing is first and foremost an act, a process. Not the problem-solving process translated into nursing jargon, but the process of healing through care and nurture. You don't learn it from lectures or books as well as you learn it by watching, listening, and doing. It is performance art. Like dancing: Like playing a musical instrument. Most of what I know about hospital nursing I learned my first year in practice from Ruby Wright, an LPN, and Reiko Hatakeda, an RN. What I know about nursing in the community I learned as I went along from my own experience and my colleagues.

So why do I persist in trying to judge nurses according to their education and credentials and not according to their mastery of the healing art? I have to admit to a lingering expectation that there is some straightforward way to achieve and measure nursing expertise. And I want to believe that all the years I spent in classrooms and libraries have made me a good nurse. They have certainly made me a more astute diagnostician and a better technician. They have equipped me to work in certain settings and capacities. They have given me a deeper understanding of human nature and contributed to my intellectual maturity. But if I am a good nurse, I believe I owe it to practice and to informal learning from other nurses at all "levels". They and my patients are the only ones who can grant me that prized credential.

[Mito]

Brandy,

If your content with your education that is all that really matters. But please give up this constant BSN vs. ADN crap, I myself have read several of your posts that refer to your superior school and program (in your opinion that is).

Remember this famous quote : Self proclamation is no recomendation.

Mito

[BrandyBSN]

That was not the point of this debate at all. If you wish to make it such, that is your decision. I have not responded to any of the ADN VS BSN part of this for several days, and I have only responded when personally attacked. This debate is not about me, it is about why further education is not encouraged or seen as an asset. Read into it however you wish, criticize me directly as much as you wish. I won't apologize for having an opinion.

As far as post about my "superior" school? I dont recall those. If someone asks about programs, i tell whats good and bad about mine, entrance requirements, etc. Why does this bother you? Did I make you feel insecure? If so, i will apologize for damaging your ego, but not for the information relayed. It is fine with my if my thoughts and opinions are with the minority. I've never been much of a follower anyway, and I am used to being out on a limb by myself. But me, my posting contributions and my opinions are not leaving any time soon.

In the proud minority,

BrandyBSN

[NurseTami]

i feel that most places of employment do value education- most are willing to reimburse-aren't they?

i am 35 therefore i have life experience that doesn't come from a text. i also practiced nursing as an lpn for 10 years, then recieved my adn. i will go do the bsn thing, i need a break first.

i have known nurses with advanced degrees who do not know up from down. so, imho, an advanced degree doesn't mean any more than "a pisshole in the snow" if the person who wears it lacks the common sense and basic nursing skills to show it. however, i hope that i never become so enmeshed in my own education or knowledge that i forget that others may have the same without a degree to prove it.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

When I first got my BSN I was to get a raise of $200 a year which means I'll start making money.....ummmm......never.

So there is an arguement to be made that anyone posessing a BSN is particularly stupid when it comes to simple math skills.

I think I will do a research project on the accuracy of checkbook balancing as compared to nursing education level. Think I could get a grant for that?

[Q.]

So...because there are apparent idiots who at the same time possess advanced degrees, does that mean advanced degrees should not be encouraged?

Also, what about the idiots who DON'T possess an advanced degree? Where do they fit in?

I think the whole argument about how there are idiot RNs and compared to LPNs, and idiot BSNs compared to ADNs and so on and so forth is completely moot because that has absolutely nothing to do with the concept of higher education. That has to do with the individual person, which exists in all walks of life, not just nursing.

The argument should focus on why we don't value education in our field, in any capacity. Are certified nurses paid more? Typically not. Are BSNs paid more? Usually a mere 50cents, or not at all - like myself. So, what is the incentive to furthering your education and knowledge? Experience says alot, yes, but I'm sorry, there is no substitute for formal education. And I also don't see any downsides to formal education either. It's a win-win situation.

Susy K

MSN candidate