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?
Since my strong suit is to be direct, I will say what surely many here are thinking. If I am the only one, oh well. I keep my own counsel.
Brandy,
I have a very strong feeling that once you graduate, then pass your NCLEX, and are able to use the legal title of RN behind your name. You still need to get a couple of years of experience under your belt, then you too I feel will see what matters more.
as far as i am concerned education matters! no matter how you put it, it sure does matter. if it doesn't matter, then why did we ever go to school to earn whatever degrees we have, be it ADN, LPN, BSN, or whatever. pursuing a more advanced education doesn't mean that lower levels of education make lesser nurses. it all depends on your goals, in what level of nursing you would want to be. if you want to be the bedside nurse, the basic staff nurse, then LPN/ADN/RN will suffice. if you want a step higher in the organizational structure, then go ahead with BSN and Masters. If you want to have more flexibility and independence, then go ahead with NP. this is not a contest amongst us. this is a personal decision of a nurse where he/she decides at what level she would like to practice her profession. an LPN/ADN cannot be a middle level manager because she/he doesn't have the education needed to fill the office. the BSN/MSN does. so, does education matter? oh yes. it all about a matter of personal wants and desires. i like vanilla but i know you like mocha. why should be argue? so, go ahead and do whatever kind of education you want to complete. the universities are just so willing to accept you. chi-ching! and the cash money flows... good luck you all.... soldiers of healthcare!!!
I can understand the many Nurses out there who want recognition for their successful completion of their education. That is as it should be. I firmly believe that if a Nurse wishes to wear her initials on her badge she should be allowed to. I applaud those who continue with their education to achieve higher and higher goals. With that said, reality sets in......
The patient you care for does not care how many initials you have behind your name, the patient cares about how you treat them, how you care for them and how you understand them. Bedside nursing required basic nursing skills, self-confidence and the ability to conect with your patient. Only one of those can you learn in school regardless what program you are in. If and when a nurse chooses to progress into management further education than becomes an issue.
Respect for the nursing profession has less to do with the level of education than it does about the level of care and committment one gives to their patients. A Self-confident, committed nurse will continue his/her education in a way that fullfills his/her needs, not just to aquire more initials. It's not a status thing, it's a learning thing. Some may continue in the college structure, others will not, perfering instead to devote their continuing education to their own areas of intrest.
From a personal stand point my area of intrest is Emergency Medicine and I am continously doing continuing education in that field. With some classes I get a little paper saying I was there, In others I get a card and in still others I will be allowed to add CEN to my title if I so choose. I don't take these classes for the paper, or the card, or the new initials. I take these classes to help me become a better nurse in my chosen field.
As an Old Dog Nurse I find the constant bickering about who has what degree tiresome. Each person needs to do what is right for themselves, do what will help them become better, stronger and happier in their chosen field. And the rest of us...should applaude them for their dedication and their decisions.
Ditto.... just a hunch too..... Nursing school and Nursing "on the floor" are two very different worlds...
I loved attaining my BSN (after my ADN) ... but come on.... it is so much "Ivory Tower Nursing"... a wonderful emvironment to discuss and debate issues from... a wonderful learning environment, yes....
You must "walk the walk" before you know to "talk the talk"... After a few years of being in the real world (of Nursing) I have changed many of my views on Nursing.
It is true to gain professional status as a group we need to have high goals and seek a higher education level. That alone will not solve our plight of OUR image. Now is not the time to expect this to happen...
People treat you the way you expect to be treated (I think I am quoting Oprah). I do not allow a negative or condecening attitude to permiate my surroundings. I have left more then one job because I did not like the way I was treated.
Brandy... your youth and enthusiasm is wonderful. Your training in Nursing will serve you well... I wish you peace, joy, patience, and continued energy to pursue your goals.....
I think perhaps it was Brandy's point that was missed. Her question was simple, why don't we value more education? If she had just stopped there, the remainder of the ensuing debate would not have been relevant. But she went on to surmise that perhaps this could elevate the status of the profession. Which of course hits some where they live and rather than answer the original question bought about a battle of the egos.
Interesting. An associates degree in the electrical field will qualify you to be an electrical technician. But you will never be the electrical engineer until you receive a bachelors. The difference? The technician can do the hands on work.... but it is driven by the vision of the engineer who dreams up the concepts and has the technician implement them.
I will agree there is more hands on practice in many ADN programs. So perhaps the idea of being a registered nurse technician, rather than a registered nurse, drives the ferocious defense of ADN entry level education. Justification for accepting the lowest common denominator for educational preparation. I can see the chips growing on all those shoulders already.
I have also read that the MSN prepared nurse should perhaps stay at the bedside. I suppose this nurse should also accept the same pay and have the same duties as the ADN. Then what is the point?
The fact of the matter is that nursing is more than a set of tasks. Life experience is beneficial to BSN and ADN students. Opening your mind to things you initially think are not applicable may lead to a broader base from which to think.
I support your opinion Brandy. I don't think it will ever be implemented for several reasons. From an administrative stand point acceptance of the lowest common educational denominator keeps our wages and our position on the lower rungs of healthcare intact. Makes us more controllable. Plays right into the hands of administrators. Although those resistant to change are often unable to see this from their position high on the us vs. them soapbox. From within the ranks, there is much insecurity about what requiring more education would do to those that are unwilling to acquire it. Would they make less money? Would they be relegated to technical tasks? They are the majority, and as such will most likely prevail.
Feel free to rip this up however you would like. But in the process please offer one insightful reason why you personally think more education is unnecessary. Tell me why being the electrical technicians of healthcare is ok with you.
You make a great comparison with the electronic technician vs engineer. Only problem, you put little thought into the facts. To compare the two fields, we must look at what each does. The engineer oversees the big picture. The engineer develops the product. The engineer passes his thoughts and ideas onto the technician. In medicine, the doctor is the engineer. The doctor oversees the entire process. The doctor uses the nurse to monitor his problem, just as the engineer does with the technician. The doctor passes his plan on to the nurse, just as the engineer does with the technician. The doctor is more the analytical function in medicine, as is the engineer in the electrical field. The nurse is the hands-on...the skill performer in medicine, just as the technician is in the electrical field. So see, before we compare oranges to apples, we must make sure are picking from the same orchard.
You are so quick to assume that people are intimidated by education. That's ridiculous. There's not an ADN practicing today that wouldn't be grandfathered in if the minimum was raised to a BSN. There's no reason for fear. The problem lies when people take the stand that more education ALWAYS means better nursing. I'm still waiting for that to be proven. Why are ADN's irritated by this concept? Because many of us work circles around BSN's on a daily basis. To have someone point a finger and say that WE are hurting the nursing profession is complete BS. The constant inner bickering between nurses, the desire for some nurses to alienate other nurses simply because one has more education, it's the inability to unite..it's all these things that hurt our profession, NOT the lack of BSN's in the field.
I personally feel that there needs to be SOME incentive for continuing education - otherwise, what is the point, other than personal satisfaction? I make the same as an ADN nurse at the bedside, yet, I put in more hours of schooling and have a higher student loan to pay off. What is the incentive for others to get a BSN?
I agree, Tracy, that a BSN does not guarantee a better nurse. Just as a BA in Business or a BA in Computer Programming does not guarantee a better employee in THAT field. But I do believe that further education does not hurt. If you take a damn good ADN nurse, or diploma nurse, and then give him/her a BSN, he/she is now, I believe, an even BETTER nurse than before, as you have equipped him/her with skills that he/she did not have before completion of the degree.
A BSN is more than just humanities courses. You'd be amazed and what you learn.
Some of the mentors I have learned the most from have been LPN's! They are nurses with years of experience, and truly know that the patient cares more about good pericare and a backrub than if the chart is in order. I was a BSN grad from a top program that gave me maybe two full-time weeks of clinical experience. I didn't learn a THING about what it is to be a nurse until I left school and worked with people.
I get an extra 50$ a paycheck because I have my BSN. Sooooo... I should make up the difference in the tuition costs by 2003. How's that for motivation? After that I'll have an extra 100$ a month to waste on chocolate and movies! That extra year will be worth it!
Brandy, be proud of your degree, just like an ADN nurse should be proud of hers. Nurses ***** about new grads from every type of program in my experience. Didn't you know that we never even went to nursing school? We just hatched as full blown perfect nurses, which is why we sometimes feel the need to put down new grads.
Not too long ago, I had one of my colleauges ask me, "Kelly, if you aren't planning on getting into management, then why did you get your BSN?"
I was floored! I told her that I had always wanted a college education and that it was actually cheaper for me to go to a 4 year program than it was the two year program. See the area that I grew up in, Erie Pennsylvania, has 4 colleges--Edinboro University(my alma mater), Gannon University(catholic and WAY expensive), Mercyhurst College(private and also expensive) and Penn State-Behrend. Only the first two offered Nursing programs and with Gannon being the only one that offered an ADN. Gannon was so expensive that getting my BSN at Edinboro which is a state school-therefore tuition is cheaper--cost less than getting an ADN at Gannon.
Actually, I never even considered going for the ADN--it was the BSN or nothing--sure it took me 5 years but I had fun while I was in college and I took classes on all kinds of interesting things and even learned how to speak spanish. Not that I remember much of it now--the Spanish--but it comes in handy now and then.
And in PA, they don't require that you obtain CEU's to renew your license. I think that it is a shame. A lot of nurses I know don't even subscribe to any nursing magazines. I work in Ohio now and have to get 24 CEU's every 2 years. My license and my patients are worth the expense.
I may return to school for my MSN. The things that are holding me back are time and money. Plus, I really don't want to have to take the GRE or MAT. I am so terrible at Math!
That extra year will be worth it!
Dave123
53 Posts
Since my strong suit is to be direct, I will say what surely many here are thinking. If I am the only one, oh well. I keep my own counsel.
Brandy,
I have a very strong feeling that once you graduate, then pass your NCLEX, and are able to use the legal title of RN behind your name. You still need to get a couple of years of experience under your belt, then you too I feel will see what matters more.
Just my opinion
Dave