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

[BeachNurse]

Because I do not think that 16 weeks needs to be spent on nutrition. It was incoporated into my fundamentals of nursing courses..we spent several weeks on it, plus I was required to take a Health and Fitness class where I got it AGAIN for 16 weeks.

[thisnurse]

around and around we go.

this is never going to be settled. everyone says the same things in different words over and over and over.

brandy, i certainly dont mean to offend you but could it be that you feel a little strange because when you start with your BSN you will be in the same place as the diploma, ADN nurse?

it doesnt seem quite fair does it?

[Totone656]

Brandy I think it is great you are gaining a BSN, but you know what? When I applied for the position I have now the only question they asked was, "Do you have your Nursing Licence?" The nurse manager did not ask if I was a diploma, ASN, BSN, or MSN. All she wanted to know did I pass my boards. That is it nothing more nothing less.

I do believe in education, I told both of my sons as they made their way through grammar and High School to read and learn as much as you can because the governement can take away your freedom, your livelyhood, and even your personal belongings. But what you have in your brain is one thing they can't take away from you.

If we were to compare our college transcripts I assure you the only thing different between the two is you will have the upper nursing courses. I set my first degree up so I can get my BSN at a later date and if I do get my BSN I am getting it for me not for the job!

Good Luck on your graduation!

[Slowone]

"around and around we go.

this is never going to be settled. everyone says the same things in different words over and over and over."

This Nurse...YOU SAID IT!!!

I am so confused as to the point of this topic!

Brandy, who exactly are you tryng to prove yourself to? Is it yourself, your patients, your coworkers? Seek your BSN, hell go on for you MSN! Do what is good for YOU, don't spend so much time worring about what other nurses have done with thier education. The educational standards are set, decide where you want to fall, acheive it, don't pass judgment. What exactly is a "professional education" in your opinion?

This is a topic that is very TIRED! Let it go.

[Furball]

Originally posted by TracyB,RN

Maybe this just jumped out at me b/c the 16 week nutrition class was a requirement for my AD program. Why don't you think Nutrition is important & what else do you think is not necessary?

I am not trying to be an a**, about this. I am just curious.

Tracy, good nutrition is a CRITICAL component of general health and its' maintenance. I wish I had taken a nutrition class because when I started my career I was very weak in the subject. Many cardiac and diabetic patients asked questions that I couldn't answer at first. Prudent cardiac diets is an extremely important part of preop and postop teaching for CABG's so they reduce their chances of later MI's and redo's. Diabetics is another group that desparately need instruction, reinforcement and reinstruction. IMHO, nutrition is a needed course. You didn't waste your time in that one!

[BeachNurse]

I do not feel like arguing about nutrition! Each nurse needs more or less nutrition education depending on their specialty! I used a poor example...big deal.

My whole point is that I don't think the education system makes it any easier for nurses to continue their education by going back and requiring MORE pre-requisites just so that we can even begin--let alone complete the BSN. Learning takes place, for the majority, OUT of the classroom.

Nutrition was not the the focus of my posting, however, if you get some kind of joy in picking one piece out to harp on then so be it. Example of the pettiness I left behind when I left hospital nursing......

[KC CHICK]

Beachnurse, I too had nutrition incorporated in my ADN classes. We didn't have a specific required Nutrition class. Do you think I'm really using that information in the OR????? NOPE .

Each specialty has their own focus. The focus on nutrition is different for a dialysis RN than it is for a cardiac RN......and then there is surgery. We don't focus on it at all......we worry more about positioning and dealing w/patient fears. The only thing we want to know nutrition-wise: " Have they had anything to eat or drink since midnight??" We don't want them to eat anything at all.(before surgery, that is)

[BrandyBSN]

I dont even know what to say, so I am posting to say that I give up. If you can't see the point I was trying to make, then repeating it is not going to do any good. Thank you for the nurses here who have used logic and reason to either agree, or disagree with this topic. If nurses themselves can not see the increased value that our profession would have if we required a 4-year professional education, then there is no way that anyone else will ever take us seriously, or view us as anything other than bed pan slingers. Maybe that is the image you want, and the image you enjoy. I for one do not. We will continue to bellow from our "trained", uneducated standpost, we will continue to whine about benefits given to those professions who have seen it fit to require more education for entry. We will continue to drive away the best and the brightest students. Why would they want to join a profession that has come to an intellectual standstill. Its all a moot point. It doesnt matter. You will believe what you want to believe, harbor what views you want to harbor, and resist betterment for as long as you want to, while the rest of the profession world passes us by. We will never be more, unless we require more, both of ourselves, and of our peers. I'm sure none of you know how much I hate the terms "think outside of the box". I never understood how illogical reason could exist. Then again, I have never met so many people who refuse to even open the box, let alone to look outside. So, this is it. I give up, and my contribution to this thread is finished. We can't improve what we are afraid to look at, and we cant dance if we are scared to step on toes.

Flame away, for I am finished, but please be cautious not to set your box on fire.

BrandyBSN

[KC CHICK]

You...... give up???? How come I don't believe that??:)

Brandy, if everyone in the world had exactly the same views....the world would be a very boring place. I understand you must be frustrated due to the fact that you cannot convince everyone to think the same way you do about this subject. The answer, however, is not to give up and tell everyone that disagrees w/you that they are wrong for opinions that differ from your own.

Nursing attracts people from all walks of life to enter the profession. Why on earth would it be 'better' for the profession to only attract traditional students?? I consider myself one of the 'best and brightest' students, as do others that post on this board consider themselves to be. We are no less 'bright' for having gone through an ADN program. I don't think the profession is any less a profession because I have a two year degree. It's the way nurses behave that earns them respect.

Universities teach a 'set' way of thinking...in your case, inside the box. Many times throughout your career in nursing you will be forced to think 'outside of the box' for the benefit of your patients. Nothing is black and white/cut and dry in the real nursing world. Get used to it.

PS:

Temper tantrums often do not earn respect...... regardless of degree status.

[Mijourney]

Hi all. See my last post under professionalism and credentials. This issue will not go away and it shouldn't. Somehow, we nurses need to get beyond discussing our concerns about superiority (the AMA and AHA love this) to how we can save and improve the integrity of the nursing profession and thus provide even higher quality services to the public. IMO, we are sinking at an increasingly rapid rate into quicksand, and we are in danger of being totally marginalized in the health and medical care industry. In the information age, knowledge is power. What are we afraid of?

If you don't want to further your education in nursing, then do it in something else. I think that anything that helps to move those practicing in the nursing profession beyond the status quo will help. High salary doctors and other health care workers are out there saying that they deserve every penny and more that they get for patient care because of their extensive education. We nurses are fighting to be heard in areas of patient care and quality because our education is not respected. How many of us have been consulted as public or patient health advisors during today's crises?

[donmurray]

While I agree on the need for more recognition of the educational attainments of nurses, there will always be a shortfall if only the "cream" (whatever that may be) are targeted for recruitment, since you will be fishing in a smaller pool, competing with career options which may well have more superficial attractions. Education is in the individuals' own interest, as well as that of the profession, and can even be a goal in itself.

What it is not, is an expensive, ostentatious pocket watch, to be taken out, not to tell the time, but to dazzle others less fortunate with its brilliance. imho

[nurs4kids]

KC..Very well said!!

I'm sure Brandy will come back to this thread after she cools off. It is frustrating when you can not get a majority to buy into a package you're so passionate over. Brandy's not irrational, as a matter of fact, she's very unique and does not realize it herself. Brandy sees all BSN's as she sees herself, she does not see the realistic side of what we experience everyday. Brandy's education IS superior to mine, and if all BSN programs were as good as hers then it WOULD greatly improve the respect of nursing for that to be the entry level. Sadly, enough, that isn't the case. I recently oriented a new BSN that could not calculate to save his life. He told me he had one, yes ONE, calculation test in his entire four years. In my three years of ADN, we had one test every two weeks. Big difference there, eh? So, I strongly believe in education.

I still feel it's not so much about the quantity of education as it is the QUALITY OF EDUCATION. That is why I feel our image will only be improved when we REFLECT professionalism, not when we can show a piece of paper.