Another post I made that (gasp) brought up the old "Should a BSN be the minimum requirement for bedside nursing?" topic up again. And it got me thinking:
We talk about if it should be or not but never seem to get anywhere with it.
Well, my problem with the whole debate is that nursing education is far from universal. In my opinion, at the ADN level, there is a fair amount of core requirements and theory. On the other hand, when we compare BSN programs to one another, the similarities are scarce.
This, to a degree, says to me we don't know what to teach at that level. It seems to advertise to the public that we have no universal nursing theory. If we can't agree on what our theory is, how will the public ever view us a profession worthy of respect?
So, I want to propose a few questions:
1. Should nursing education at the BSN level be made more universal? Or is it fine as it is, with each program having it's own unique flavor or personality?
2. Do you think the fact that we are so divided on what our nursing theory actually is promotes internal strife? Would having a more universal, core set of theories unite us? Or is the difference in opinion just a matter of flexibility?
3. If BSN education were to be more universal, what would be some elements that become a required part of their curriculum? Or do you think we can just do away with it and stick with ADN training being enough for bedside nursing?
Specializes in M/S, Pulmonary, Travel, Homecare, Psych..
Autumn Apple:
You're right! "Making things up as we go along." But who exactly is making those things up? You might study political and economic theory to understand that very often the "invisible hand" is making the decisions for those who relinquish important decisions to others in hopes they will be taken care of.
This notion is infantile and acceptingly paternalistic and not worthy of any group that purports to claim be a profession.
Autumn, please excuse my semi-ranting as the issue of ideological "universal precautions" if you will has been debated for a long, long time without much changing. Same polemics ad-nauseum but status quo as usual.
As you may live to observe, each generation tries to reinvent the wheel often falling prey to the profit motives of those who aren't nurses and could really care less about nurses or what we do to keep the machine running.
Hmph
Yes, I'm sure of it now. I suspected it before but now, I'm convinced we're not talking about the same thing.
AutumnApple
491 Posts
Hmph
Yes, I'm sure of it now. I suspected it before but now, I'm convinced we're not talking about the same thing.
Universal precautions?