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?
I don't feel threatened by anyone with any level of education. I think, however, your asking the wrong question at the right time. Why are nurses not respected period. The answer as far as I have determined follows several schools of thought;
1. nursing is just starting to build the body of knowledge and educational requirements to become a seperate profession.
2. the profession is dominated by the type of individual (male or female) who is easily manipulated by their employeers re: mandatory overtime, poor wages (taking into account the level of responsibility) and unsafe pt. loads "what I like to refer to as the Nightengale Effect"
3. there are much more lucrative professions being offered in both college and university these days
As with probally many others, I have been watching this thread and can not resisit any longer.
As some of you know, I am a Canadian. Fairly recent grad. Second career.
I attended a large cardiac science conference today. Most of the presenters where MD's or PhD RN's. Their focus.....research. One or two had their masters. It was all very interesting. They are paid much more than the staff RN ( like me). However, they have a role to play ( like me).
Some of the people posting ( like Brandy and Mito) are student nurses, asking questions. This is a good thing. However, they will have to find their own way in the "real world"........which is SO SO very much different than the "student world". It is kind of like my grandfather saying " you can't put an old head on young shoulders". We can rant and rave with our ideas and thoughts, but until you have been there, AND got the t-shirt......well you know the rest of the story..........experience is a great teacher.
One final thought...........I have never heard anyone complain that they got TOO MUCH education. Any BScN nurse I know, is happy with their education.........masters... happy.
HOWEVER, lots and lots of RPN's (LPN's)..aides.. wish they had more. Education is never a bad thing. Education is a priviledge. It is a personal goal. It is a treasure no one can take away from you. Get it. Keep it. It will never lose it's value.
Vanetta, JPM and Mito, thank you all for great points!!
I'm not convinced education isn't valued in nursing. The more education a nurse has and the more certifications a nurse holds makes her/him more marketable. The more educated/certified, the higher on the ladder a nurse is capable of climbing. The lack of value in education comes in bedside nursing. Could this be because the expectations at the bedside are all equal? If you hold a higher degree yet you CHOOSE to remain at the bedside, should you be paid more than another nurse doing the same job?? Should I be paid the same as an ICU nurse although her patients require much more knowledge AND skill? What if I hold a BSN and she holds an ADN, should I STILL be paid more because I have more education? Are there other ways to show value other than monetary compensation? I'm not convinced that someone should make more based solely on higher education. Experience DOES play a huge role in ANY job, this is why job
requirements not only have education minimums, but ALSO experience minimums. Many PROFESSIONS will even take experience OVER education, so the asset of experience can NOT be downplayed. One minute we are saying we want equal pay for equal work, then next minute we're wanting to be compensated by education; regardless of what job we're doing. If that's how it can be done, then I think I'll go work in dietary and lean on my ADN for pay. After all, the work's easier and the liability isn't nearly as high.
Education is important and SHOULD be encouraged. As for the perception of education in nursing, how are we judging it's value?? I'm getting mixed signals here. Is it valued by monetary compensation?? Or are we just speaking of how we, as nurses, value education? Is it being judged by how the public views nursing? If education is NOT valued in nursing, then what motivates a BSN to get a MSN, a ADN to get a BSN, a LPN to become a RN?? Don't try to tell me these nurses are working full time jobs, caring for kids and family AND returning to school just because they, themselves, hunger for education. They hunger for money, and that comes with more education. What other way do we expect to be shown value??
'round and 'round we go.....where we stop, no one knows.
nurs4kids, i am catching the same vibe you did...that this now implies safety issues for patient care. it was a poor move to bring it to this forum since the thread starter stated the thread was not discussing if a bsn was better than an adn in providing patient care.
absolutely love your post molly......you've got the right idea. unfortunately, maybe that's what it will take for all of us 'catty' individuals to be civil to each other...although it is -without a doubt- a poor reason for pursuing higher education.
my opinion.
anne.
in the timeless words of rodney king ,"can't we all just get along?".
I agree, moving it to this forum was not a good idea. THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH PATIENT SAFETY! All nurses, regardless of educational level passed the NCLEX to insure safe patient care. This is only about education, and its value, and in no way, shape, or form is to be interpreted as saying that the lack of a BSN puts our patients in jeopardy.
Specializes in Informatics, Education, and Oncology.
I believe education is valued in nursing in fact sometimes to the exclusion of practical experience.
I graduated from an Associates Degree program in 1985 (DANG I'm old ), practiced in multiple acute care settings for 10 years and finished my BSN completion in 1996. I was fortunate to have an employer at that time that provided 100% tuition reimbursement and I was motivated. The legacy that my mother left all her children was that education is the key. She use to say that "It's something NO ONE can ever take away from you"
I'm in graduate school know and those words motivate and guide me when I've spent 12 hours at work and am looking at 6 more hours of study.
I value education because that is the way I was raised, I don't impose those beliefs on anyone else. I've seen the BSN entry debate from both sides. Practical experience combined with education is the key to good nursing. Our profession does seen to give contraditory messages related to valuing higher education while minimizing clinical experience.
), practiced in multiple acute care settings for 10 years and finished my BSN completion in 1996. I was fortunate to have an employer at that time that provided 100% tuition reimbursement and I was motivated. The legacy that my mother left all her children was that education is the key. She use to say that "It's something NO ONE can ever take away from you"
nightingale, RN
2,404 Posts
Vanetta:
Thank you for joining in on the discussion. I hope to hear some more of your sensitive nonjudgemental thoughts.... p.s. love the yin/yang too!
WE ALL have much to give and to share... if only....
:) :) :) B.