Nursing Research Papers

The following sample essay on Nursing Research Papers discusses it in detail, offering basic facts and pros and cons associated with it. To read the essay’s introduction, body and conclusion, scroll down.

During the past 100 years the way in which healthcare is being practiced has changed considerably, and so has the need for furthering and strengthening nursing education. There are several factors that have contributed to the changes, such as an aging population, an increasing awareness of economics, new and more sophisticated care techniques, and more innovating technologies.

In this rapidly changing environment technological competence and high skilled care techniques alone is no longer adequate; rather a broader knowledge base and further education is required.

The BSN degree is becoming more demanded and necessary in the growing nursing field today. This paper will acknowledge these issues, arguments and the changes that could lie ahead for the nursing community. The area of healthcare and nursing fields has had extraordinary growths and advances in patient care over the last ten decades.

The need for further nursing education is becoming an almost inevitable situation in order to provide the advanced cares necessary.

Changing the standard for nursing education should be done in order to provide the best and necessary care in order to save the lives of patients and protect the community from medical error. Nursing leaders and nursing educators have had difficulty establishing what the national standard for nursing education should be. Joel (2002, pg. 1) noted that “nursing has been dominated by an external loss of control” and has been “swept along by a host of societal and educational circumstances.

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Nursing Research Paper Sample

“Subsequently, there is no single standard for education required for entry into professional registered nursing practice. In most states, basic nursing education is provided at the following levels: 1. Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Diploma Program: A technical/vocational nurse training program administered at the Junior College or vocational school level that ranges, by state, from 9 to 18 months. 2. Associate Degree Nurse (ADN) Program: A two-year educational program administered at the Junior College level

leading to professional entry into nursing practice. 3. Baccalaureate Degree Program, generally a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Program: A four year nurse education program administered at the upper college level leading to professional entry into nursing practice. There are certain requirements for entry into and completion of each of these programs and each vary by state and are controlled by the Board of Nursing within each state, other healthcare-related groups, and of course the nursing profession itself.

Further, each state has certain procedures and laws that regulate licensure. There is a need for each of these nursing boards and legislatures to be able to recognize the value of a unified standard for entry into professional nursing. Currently all state boards of nursing require each nursing graduate to pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), developed by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN).

The NCLEX is a standardized exam that determines whether or not a candidate is prepared for entry-level nursing practice (NCLEX, 2008). he NCSBN has developed two licensure examinations to test the entry-level nursing competence of candidates for licensure, namely the NCLEX-RN for registered nurses and the NCLEX-PN for licensed practical/vocational nurses. In addition to those standards there are credentialing programs that are offered by the American Nurses Association, and a number of specialty organizations to give nurses higher training in specialized areas.

I believe the need for a unified standard is crucial for professional nursing and requiring higher education can only benefit patients in order to provide the best care possible. Healthcare is moving to places many believed not to be possible with so many care advancements which require training to be able to provide those cares. Advanced critical thinking is learned with higher education and necessary to provide the best life-saving skills that are in high demand.

Many arguments over the need for further education have been spoken and heard and there is yet to be a decision made on whether or not it should be required. However, few discussions have addressed specific reasons as to why the initial effort to require a baccalaureate degree for entry into registered nurse practice failed. I hope that the information I have presented in this paper will help those in the forefront of the current entry into practice effort to avoid previous mistakes. Considering the accelerated pace of todays educational, technological, and social changes,

it is imperative that the educational foundation on which our profession is based remains in step with these changes. Now more than ever, we must rededicate ourselves to making the initial entry proposal a reality. There are three major areas of concern that have been presented with changing the education requirements: the effects of the proposal on the nursing shortage, the cost to the taxpayer and the state of implementing the proposal, and concerns over career mobility and a “grandfather” clause (Incze, 1986).

There is also the opposition in terms of fairness and safety and the concerns revolved around the supply of nurses, the lack of appropriate educational facilities, and the higher educational costs to potential nurses (Hamlin, 1986). One could ask the majority of nurses in our country their opinion of the entry into practice issue, and most will likely not have a reply nor know about the issue. That is where the issue stands today.

Although some of the professional organizations and a few of the state boards of nursing have made advancements on these issues, the average nurse knows little or nothing about it. There are changes that need to be made in order to move forward with requiring further education and the entry into practice issues. First of all advocates of the issue must become more actively involved into including and educating nurses, the legislators, and the public on the issues at hand.

There needs to be influence and knowledge given to advance the issue and to develop a unified consensus within the healthcare system. Influence and knowledge can be exerted into several areas: most importantly, in the workplace by changes in institutional policies and opportunities given to the nurses who work there, in the community through working with local boards and awareness made, in healthcare organizations by forming interested committees and holding meetings, and in government through holding campaigns, writing letters, and ultimately voting.

Ultimately people must become aware of the issue in order for there to be any change; also if nurses do not become involved in the healthcare politics, they will have no voice or the power to control their own future. Unfortunately, the community and the nurses will suffer from the result of their lack of participation. References American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). (2009). ANCC nurse certification, Choose your specialty. Retrieved November 23, 2012 from www. nursecredentialing. org/Certification. aspx AACN supports NJ resolution to require BSN for state’s RNs.

(2006). RN Magazine 69(10), 14. American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS). (2009). Accessed on November 25, 2012 from: www. nursingcertification. org/. ABNS accreditation standards. (2004). Accessed on December 2, 2012 from: http://www. nursingcertification. org/pdf/ac_standards_short. pdf Aiken, L. H. , Clarke, S. P. , Cheung, R. B. , Sloane, D. M. , & Silber, J. H… (2003). Educational levels of hospital nurses and surgical patient mortality. JAMA 290(12), 1617-1623. American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2005).

Position statement on baccalaureate nursing programs offered by community colleges. Retrieved December 2, 2012 from: www. aacn. nche. edu/Publications/positions/ccbsn. htm American Nurses’ Association. (1965a). A position paper. New York: American Nurses Association. American Nurses’ Association. (1965b). Education for nursing. American Journal of Nursing, 65 (12), 106-111. A, M. S. , Sheila, A. C. , & Mary, B. L. (1983).

BSN vs. non-BSN students and success in graduate study. JNE. Journal of Nursing Education, 22(5), 190-194. Retrieved from http://search. proquest.com/docview/1026703207? accountid=9720 Cherry, B. , & Jacob, S. R. (2005). Contemporary nursing: Issues, trends, & management (3rd ed. ). New York: Elsevier Health Sciences. Craig, C. , Moscato, S. , & Moyce, S. (2012). New BSN nurses’ perspectives on the transition to practice in changing economic times. Journal of Nursing Administration, 42(4), 202-207. doi:10. 1097/NNA. 0b013e31824ccd95 Donley, R. , & Flaherty, M. J. (2008). Promoting professional development: Three phases of articulation in nursing education and practice. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing; 13, (3).

Retrieved November 22, 2012 from: http://www. nursingworld. org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/Tabl/hich/af0/dbch/af39/loch/f0%20eofContents/ George, S. , & Young, W. (1990). Baccalaureate entry into practice: An example of political innovation and diffusion. Journal of Nursing Education, 29(8), 341-345. Haase, P. (1990). The origins and rise of associate degree education. Durham: Duke University Press. Joel, L. A. (2002). Education for entry into nursing practice: Revisited for the 21st century.