NRS 440 Reflection Paper

Sample Answer

Nurses are a critical part of the healthcare sector with advanced education and competencies to practice alongside other healthcare professionals like physicians. The National Academy of Medicine Committee on the Future of Nursing 2020-2030 asserts that the decade ahead will provide a challenging environment for close to 4 million nurses due to their critical role in care delivery.

The report, “The Future of Nursing 2020-2030 Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity,” opines that nurses will work in different settings and practices to help the health system reduce health disparities and enhance equity for all people in the United States (Wakefield et al., 2022).

The purpose of this reflection paper is to assess the significance of nursing education and my overall educational progress based on the report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Options in the Job Market based on Educational Level
Associate degree in nursing (ADN) graduates are entry-level registered nurses (RNs) who work in different care settings primarily as caregivers and under close supervision of physicians. The outlook for registered nurses (RNs) based on the Occupational Handbook (2020) illustrates that the demand for this cadre of healthcare providers will rise by 7% by 2029 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023).

Many facilities hire RNs with a bachelor’s degree (BSN) in nursing. The job market for RNs with an associate degree in nursing continues to drop, implying that my options in the market are few. I can work in many settings and facilities based on my qualifications. Organizations can hire me based on my experience and not my education level.

Registered nurses (RNs) with ADN qualifications can work as school nurses, hospice and palliative care nurses, and critical care nurses. They also work as occupational health nurses, certified nurse midwifes, and travel nurses. As such, my educational level as an RN allows me to work in several settings with limited specialization based on organizational demands.

Advancing my Education and Professional Certification

According to the recommendations by the NAM report, nurses can only help the U.S. healthcare system reduce and prevent health disparities through advancing their education and professional certification.

Advanced degrees like Master of Science in Nursing (MS) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) will help nurses better their competencies and skills to enhance patient care. Professional certification through training will ensure that nurses get relevant knowledge and expertise in certain healthcare areas to enhance patient outcomes (Booth et al., 2021).

Current evidence-based practice and integration of health technologies implore nurses to advance their education and be better positioned to offer better care for positive patient outcomes.

Advancing my education is crucial to attaining improved competencies and skills for healthcare delivery. As such, my enrollment in the RN to BSN program at Grand Canyon University will help to attain better skills and continue with advanced education at the MSN level and later on, a DNP qualification.

I intend to complete the BSN and enroll for the MSN within one year. Upon completion of the MSN in 2027, I will enroll in the DNP program with increased specialty in clinical practice as an advanced clinical nurse practitioner who can practice independently.

The professional certification I intend to get includes a certificate in executive nurse practitioner and leader, managerial competencies, getting better clinical outcomes for patients.

Higher education is necessary for nurses, especially in clinical settings, to implement the best practices, and adhere to the standards of practice and code of ethics (Mlambo et al., 2021).

Therefore, the pursuit of both professional certification and advanced education is aimed at enhancing my job options in the market and improving care quality.

Effects of Level of Education on Competitiveness in the Job Market
The increasing demand for care and diversity in the nursing workforce and patients implores healthcare organizations to demand nurses with advanced education and qualifications.

As such, the demand for BSN-prepared nurses continues to rise with more care demands from the population (Bulto et al., 2024). Increasing my level of education means that I will have a BSN qualification and can work in more facilities across the healthcare industry.

The expected shortage of nurses and even physicians as projected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics means that by getting a higher education, I will be competitive in the job market, including independent practice in states that allow nurse practitioners (NPs) to practice to the full level of their education and training.

Therefore, getting an advanced education like a post-graduate degree and specializing in certain areas like critical care will enhance my job options and opportunities. Through these opportunities, I will meet the care demands of many patients, health populations, and vulnerable and marginalized groups.

My future role in nursing is to help reduce the current health disparities by expanding access to care for different populations. Through these efforts and collaborative work, the health system will attain equity for patients and health populations.

Nurse practitioners working as independent providers will enhance access to care, help integrate primary healthcare, and work alongside other providers to attain quality care among the population. As noted by the NAM report (2022), nurses will advance health equity and enhance health outcomes by helping people navigate the healthcare system.

They will also advance health by offering close monitoring and follow-up, offering holistic care, and providing culturally sensitive care based on patients’ cultural practices and needs.
Competency, Attitudes, Knowledge and Scope and Standards for Practice &

Code of Ethics

Continuing nursing education (CNE) plays an essential role in maintaining and improving competency, attitudes, and knowledge among nurses. Continuing education also helps nurses to meet and adhere to the Standards for Practice and Code of Ethics developed by the American Nurses Association (ANA).

Firstly, through continuing nursing education, nurses maintain their competency as they get up-to-date skills and knowledge on care delivery. Through CNE, nurses become aware of the latest developments in the profession, and this improves patient outcomes. Through continuing education, nurses get opportunities to specialize in certain areas leading to better competencies.

Continuing education improves nurses’ attitudes toward the profession, colleagues, and patients. For instance, it affords the nurse more knowledge of cultural diversity and its effects on nursing and patient care delivery. Nurses get to nurture a learning culture, especially lifelong learning, to maintain professionalism (Mlambo et al., 2021).

They also improve their attitudes towards patients based on the teaching of aspects like culturally competent care, patient-centered care, and evidence-based practice (EBP).

Learning is a source of knowledge and continuing nursing education will offer nurses new knowledge and approaches to disease and care situations by providing the latest information. Through advanced education, nurses will get new theoretical foundations for their practice and enhance their clinical decision-making attributes or skills.

Nurses also leverage higher education to align their practice with the Scope of Standards for Practice by ANA (ANA, 2022). Through continuing education, they get the knowledge and skills they require to meet practice standards (Harper et al., 2022).

Through better education, nurses also adhere to the code of ethics as they learn critical ethical principles and make decisions in dilemma situations (Bulto et al., 2024). The implication is that will lifelong learning and education, nurses should be permitted to practice to the full level of their education and competency.

Continuing Nursing Education

Continuing nursing education is an important part of enhancing better quality patient care. Nurses can only enhance their competencies when they focus on lifelong learning to acquire better skills, knowledge, and competencies.

The current health environment requires nurses who are prepared and can practice independently to reduce health disparities. The demand for BSN-prepared nurses and advanced practice nurses (APNs) continues due to the expanding healthcare needs as a result of an aging population and diversity (Uchendu et al., 2021).

Despite these factors, continuing nursing education should be the standard for better practice. However, it should not be mandatory since all nurses have different professional and career development priorities. Nursing credentialing bodies, state Boards of nursing, and professional entities like ANA should develop policies on minimal and entry levels so that nurses acquire the requirements that include advanced nursing education, including continuing nursing education.

Conclusion

Nurses play a critical role in healthcare delivery, including being primary care providers in certain areas. The job market and options for nurses based on their level of education will continue to expand or decline due to the demand for qualifications. Therefore, continuing nursing education (CNE) is important for improving competencies and effective care delivery. Nurses should enhance their competencies by getting advanced education and training based on their specialties.

References

• American Nurses Association (ANA) (2022). Nursing scope and standards of practice. (4th
  ed.). ANA.
  https //www.nursingworld.org/nurses-books/nursing-scope-and-standards-of-practice-4th-edit/
  Booth, R. G., Strudwick, G., McBride, S., O’Connor, S., & López, A. L. S. (2021). How the
  The nursing profession should adapt to a digital future. BMJ, 373. DOI 10.1136/bmj.n1190
  Bulto, L. N., & Hendriks, J. M. (2024). The role of nurse-led interventions to empower patients
  in cardiovascular care. European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 23(2), e17-e19. DOI 10.1093/eurjcn/zvad095.
  Bureau of Labor Statistics (2023). Occupational Outlook Handbook.
  https //www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/registered-nurses.htm
  Harper, M. G., & Maloney, P. (Eds.). (2022). Nursing professional development Scope and
  standards of practice (4th ed.). Association for Nursing Professional Development.
  Mlambo, M., Silén, C., & McGrath, C. (2021). Lifelong Learning and Nurses’ Continuing
  Professional Development, a Meta-synthesis of the Literature. BMC Nursing, 20(1).
  https //doi.org/10.1186/s12912-021-00579-2
  
• National Academies of Science, Engineering, & Medicine. (2021). The future of nursing 2020-
  2030 Charting a path to achieve health equity. National Academies Press. https //doi.org.10.17226/25982.
  
• Uchendu, B., Nurse, J. R., Bada, M., & Furnell, S. (2021). Developing a cyber-security culture
  Current practices and future needs. Computers & Security, 109, 102387. DOI 10.1016/j.cose.2021.102387
  
• Wakefield, M., Williams, D. R., & Le Menestrel, S. (2022). The future of nursing 2020-2030
  Charting a path to achieve health equity. National Academy of Sciences.
  DOI 10.1136/bmj.n1190