Registered Nurses

972 Words4 Pages
Educational Preparation Educational Preparation As of 2008, nurses made up the largest population of health care workers in the United States, with more than 3 million registered nurses (Rosseter, 2012). This means that nearly every American will come in contact with a registered nurse at some point in their life. At this point in time nursing is one of the few careers that does not have a defined entry point meaning that new nurses can have one of several different degrees when they start their careers. The three main entry points into the career of nursing are diploma level registered nurses, associate level registered nurses, and baccalaureate level nurses. Of the nurses practicing in the United States it is estimated that only about…show more content…
To be able to do this it will become more and more imparities that all nurses are trained to the same level. There is mounting evidence that that level of education needs to be the baccalaureate level. Nurses with higher levels of education have many competencies that associate and diploma level nurses do not. For every year a nurse is in school it is proven that their critical thinking, decision-making, and professionalism improve. As a country it will not be long before baccalaureate degrees are mandated for all nurses as they are in many places throughout the world. Many countries including Canada, Norway, Spain, and Italy have already standardized nursing to a baccalaureate degree (Zimmermann, 2010). The United States is also starting to see the transition; states including New York, New Jersey, and North Dakota are trying to mandate baccalaureate degrees (Lane, 2012). While mandates and legislation take quite a lot of time, the drive for a more qualified nursing staff is already being seen around the country and with this will come more positive patient outcomes. As nurses the drive for higher levels of education revolves around the bottom line of patient care and positive…show more content…
K. (2012). Nurses' Attitudes Toward Continuing Formal Education: A Comparison by Level of Education and Geography. Nursing Education Perspectives, 33(2), 80-84. doi:10.5480/1536-5026-33.2.80 Lane, S. H., & Kohlenberg, E. (2010). The Future of Baccalaureate Degrees for Nurses Susan H. Lane, and Eileen Kohlenberg The Future of Baccalaureate Degrees for Nurses. Nursing Forum, 45(4), 218-227. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6198.2010.00194.x Rambur, B., McIntosh, B., Palumbo, M., & Reinier, K. (2005). Education as a Determinant of Career Retention and Job Satisfaction Among Registered Nurses. Journal Of Nursing Scholarship, 37(2), 185-192. doi:10.1111/j.1547-5069.2005.00031.x Rosseter, R. (2012, October 24). Fact sheet: Creating a more highly qualified workforce. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/media-relations/NursingWorkforce.pdf Zimmermann, D. T., Miner, D., & Zittel, B. (2010). Advancing the Education of Nurses: A Call for Action. Journal Of Nursing Administration, 40(12), 529-533.
Open Document