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5/ accessHealthnews.net Spring 2013 More BSNs Wanted Nurses asked to get higher-level degrees By Tonia Wright The medical industry is asking nurses to go to school longer and graduate with higher-level degrees like a bachelor's of science (BSN) in nursing or a doctorate. The Institute of Medicine's (IOM) report, The Future of Nursing: Focus on Education, puts it this way: "Profound changes in the education of nurses—both before and after they receive their licenses—are required to develop a more highly-educated workforce. Nursing education should serve as a platform for continued lifelong learning and should include opportunities for seamless transition to higher Nursing students at Lex-La-Ray Technical Center in Lexington degree programs. The practice finger sticks to collect dry blood samples. committee recommends that nurses, nursing students and 1980s among nursing leaders. technological infrastructure to faculty continue their education Like Walker, she agrees that enable nursing students to and engage in lifelong learning." higher degreed nurses have the enroll in online courses. ability to make a huge impact on The IOM is pushing for 80 health care. "BSN-prepared Walker said that she doesn't see percent of nurses to have a BSN nurses are educated to function the current system going away. by 2020. Specifically, the IOM's in multiple roles, which make "We still need everyone in key recommendations state that them valuable resources in a nursing that we have," she said. nurses should: tight health care market," she "In some arenas, preference is Ÿ Practice to the full extent of said. Cretzmeyer is dual certified given to degreed nurses, their education and training. as a women's health and family especially in teaching hospitals Ÿ Achieve higher levels of nurse practitioner of 16 years and hospitals in urban areas. education and training and currently works in the OB- The important thing to through an improved GYN department at remember is that we don't know education system that Independence Women's Clinic. what all of this looks like yet." promotes seamless "You don't need a different academic progression. person for each aspect of care. Creating the vision Ÿ Partner with physicians and From direct patient care to case Nurses and other medical other health care management, the BSN-prepared professionals are teaming up to professionals, in redesigning nurse comes with a skill set to figure out what all of this could health care in the United produce high quality health look like. Organizations like the States. Missouri Action Coalition are outcomes," she said. forming to frame how a push to Parity in the nursing Winnie Youger, an RN since higher-level nursing will look profession 1983, works as an instructor in and feel. "The Missouri Action Park University Professor Gerry the Practical Nursing Program at Coalition was formed to focus Walker, DHEd, MSN, RN said Lex-La-Ray Tech Center in on four main areas or teams: this has been a long time Lexington, MO. She tackles this education, practice, leadership coming. issue from a rural versus urban and workforce," Youger said. perspective. In urban areas like "There is much work to be done in Missouri before the BSN can "The IOM report is really Kansas City and St. Louis, BSNprepared nurses might be be required of all RNs. It has landmark in the nursing required all groups involved to profession because for the first achievable in a hospital setting work together and to look at the time, it talks about bringing in the next several years," she "In non-acute care future of nursing and health nurses into an educational level said. settings, I don't think this will care in the state of Missouri." comparable to other medical professionals that they work occur because of the limited Park University's nursing with in the hospital," Walker number of nurses available program has been asking its said, who has been a licensed compared with the increasing students to help them see what registerd nurse for 21 years. "It number of people seeking health care. In rural areas, we would the BSN program should look puts them on a level playing like. Students are surveyed and field with other partners in the first have to achieve an all-RN asked how they could work staff in the hospital setting." medical arena that work in the toward a BSN, considering time, patient care environment—most money, finances and family. of those professions require a Youger said for that to be like these could possible, more nursing Factors bachelor's degree." instructors are needed along circumvent many students from with more nursing schools that earning a BSN in the standard Syble Cretzmeyer, MSN, WHNP, can accommodate increased 12 to 18 month time period. FNP, BC, said this conversation enrollment. Additionally, rural has been ongoing since the early areas need an improved Using feedback from students, Park offers a BSN online, over a five-year period. This accommodates students who work full time, have a family or simply can't afford to take more than one class at a time. "I am a big proponent of family," Walker said. "Without family, we can't be complete as nurses." The IOM report encourages bridge programs. It contends that educational pathways between undergraduate and graduate programs, like LPN to BSN, are designed to promote academic progression in a manner that requires less time, and in some cases, less money. The IOM report also encourages financial support from grants and scholarships to help build capacity for these programs. Cretzmeyer also encourages students to pursue opportunities that offer loan forgiveness for work commitment. The Lafayette County Community Health Foundation is one case in point. The nonprofit allows medical students to apply for educational loans that will be forgiven if they return to the county and work in their field. "Many institutions are willing to 'grow their own' employees in this manner," Cretzmeyer said. "It is a real win-win for everyone." Baby steps Even with the challenges that come with funneling more nurses into higher degree programs by 2020, Walker is positive about what this means for the nursing industry which makes up approximately 3 million nurses—the largest segment of the health care workforce. "We're just now taking baby steps," Walker said. "For the first time, nurses are getting to design our own path. And that's really exciting. It's us working together, not someone else saying this is what you have to do or this is how health care is supposed to look. This is nursing taking charge of itself." accessHealth accessHealth

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