A Tribute To Nursing : The current state of the Nursing Profession and it’s 2009 theme to ‘Build A Healthy America”
By Barbara Fisher, MSN, Ph.D, Regional Dean of Nursing, Florida
Rasmussen College School of Nursing
National Nurses Appreciation week is being celebrated May 6th through May 12th – the last day traditionally being held on the birthday of Florence Nightingale - the founder of today’s modern nurse.
The theme for this week of appreciation for 2009 is “Building a Healthy America”. In this day and time, this theme is so very, very appropriate. The nursing shortage is being felt nationwide on every front that nursing takes part in – be it education, hospital care, home health, hospice, emergency room… and the list goes on. It is also a time when more persons in America than ever before are finding themselves unemployed, or still employed but without healthcare insurance. The challenges that face all those that provide healthcare are seemingly more insurmountable everyday : the cost of healthcare has spiraled out of control, more people are uninsured and have no access to health care, there is a shortage of health care providers, and in the face of a swelling group of people looking for a new career catapulted by being laid off, there are not enough nursing schools available to provide the education and the training – for even in education there is a shortage of nurses qualified to teach.
While many industries recently are feeling the pangs of layoffs, having fewer workers to do the same amount of work, and having fewer resources at their disposal, the nursing profession has been experiencing the strains of these demands over the past two decades. The patient acuity and nurse -to -patient ratios have exceeded questionable safety levels in many hospitals. With fewer nurses supervising a larger and more acute census of patients, the quality care that makes nursing intrinsically gratifying for many nurses has been drastically reduced. The nursing shortage has worsened and by 2010 it is projected that more than one million new nurses will be needed.
In such pressed times then, one must ask … how “can” the Nurse of today strive to Build a Healthy America?
Nationwide and within each state, nursing lobbies are active and strong. They are consistently advocating for patient safety and quality of care. They still maintain the vision and spirit of nursing to truly advocate for the patient and those in need. For its nurses, the American Nurses Association remains committed to fight for a workplace environment that will retain the current nursing population and inspire young men and women to explore nursing as a career. In response to patient satisfaction surveys many hospitals are trying to creatively address the nursing shortage, looking at system and process changes that are needed to make both their patients and nursing staff more satisfied. The number of urgent care centers and walk in clinics have increased and in some cities more free clinics are being established.
Nursing Schools too are responding to the shortage of nursing personnel by offering two year associates degrees in nursing rather than the traditional four year degree programs. This brings the nurse into the workforce earlier. Bridge programs allow the professional to continue their education. Rasmussen College currently offers a diploma and associates degree in practical nursing at seven of its campuses and currently one associates degree in professional nursing at the Ocala campus. Over the next year an expansion of these programs to other campuses, plus the addition of the RN to BSN bridge program and the LPN bridge program will also be made available. Rasmussen is committed to hiring only the most dedicated nursing faculty that will always strive with excellence and dedication to serve the individual learning needs of each individual student. Each classroom, skills lab and clinical environment is structured in such a way as to maximize the learning experience for each student, giving them the opportunity and support to truly understand, integrate and synthesize the demanding nursing curriculum. Each student is pushed to their maximum potential to become the best possible nurse that they can be through the dedication of a superb teaching faculty and the commitment to excellence to which Rasmussen College steadfastly dedicates itself.
In spite of all the trivialities that the Nursing Profession faces…Nurses will never be a dying breed. Nursing is by definition and design not only a science but an art. It attracts and retains the individuals that are committed by their own intrinsic passions to care for and assist others. It offers diverse pathways for each unique individual. A myriad of opportunities exist such as school nursing, home health, emergency care, critical care nursing, the more autonomous roles of the nurse practitioner , nurse anesthetist, and nursing faculty, forensic nursing - to name only a few. There is one common bond that enjoins these diverse roles and professionals, and that is their passion to know the science, to be accountable, to hold themselves to a rigorous and higher set of standards, and the absolute commitment to remain dedicated in the face of any adversity, to provide care to the infirmed and sick.
The true professional nurse is one that sees their profession as much more than a job. It is a way of life. The ethics and moralistic standards that are expected from a professional nurse are more than a uniform….it is something that is embodied in the very core of these persons themselves. To them, Nursing is not perceived as an elite position. It is not for the weary or the faint of heart. It is a career that demands a constant search for knowledge, a keen sense of ownership in the duties they perform, and a willingness to roll up their sleeves and do the work!!!
It is these values, - these traits that are the make-up of every great nurse. It is these values that make Nursing one of the most honored professions in the world today.
Undoubtedly, at some point in our lives, we have all been touched by the caring heart and hands of a nurse as caregiver to either ourselves or a cherished loved one. With gratitude and appreciation we graciously received and let them comfort and provide. And in the taking, a part of our humanity was touched in such a way that we understood at least for that moment, what stirs them to continue in their quest to restore health in the ill, prevent illness in those at risk, and guide those who are emotionally or physically in need. And it is that passion of caring, that passion to serve, that nobility and honor in the humble gestures and acts of caring, that raise Nursing to the honor that it has so rightly earned……
As America struggles to get back on its feet in the wake of this most recent economic strain, it is important that anchors in tradition continue to be recognized and honored….and so….
A much heartfelt thank you and a most sincere & deep appreciation goes out to each and every Nurse …to each and every Nursing Faculty…and to each and every Student Nurse!! Each and every one of you should feel proud and stand tall for what you represent and for what you do…for you are truly the pulse in the heart of humanity!