NR 393 Discussion From the Past to the Future
NR 393 Discussion From the Past to the Future
NR 393 Discussion From the Past to the Future
Education will continue to guide nurses into the next century. In the beginning of what was considered nursing care, care was provided by family members or friends, with no formal education. Care was mainly to offer comfort, and they sometimes used remedies that were passed around from different sources. Then Florence Nightingale came along with discoveries of what we now call evidence-based practices to help with healing. Nightingale brought the nursing profession to light, taught nursing, and opened a school to teach students wishing to become nurses. School curriculums, length of schoolings, and licensure evolved through the years.
Nursing has learned how important education is, as nursing relies on education for every aspect of the profession. As educational information changes, nursing must adapt to the new information to stay up to date in their nursing practice. Caring is a vital part of nursing, however, nurses must have the knowledge for the why, what, when, how, and where, for interventions they apply. Education enables nurses to provide the patient-centered care that each patient needs. According to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, Nurse of the Future Nursing Core Competencies, nurses must possess knowledge, attitudes, and skills. (2016). Nurses learn basic knowledge and skills to start their career and then continue with education at the workplace through peers, continuing education, and advancement in degrees. Nurses should never discourage other nurses from advancing their knowledge and should be willing to share and offer education to their fellow nurses. Nurses must stop eating their young.
Education will always be a part of nursing and that is why it is timeless. “The primary goals of nursing education remain the same: nurses must be prepared to meet diverse patients’ needs; function as leaders; and advance science that benefits patients and the capacity of health professionals to deliver safe, quality patient care” (Institute of Medicine, 2011). Florence Nightingale met these objectives, and this education will take us into the next century. Nurses can never have enough education. Education makes us grow in our daily practices from what was learned in the past, to what we learn in the present, and to prepare nurses for changes in education to learn in the future. Caring and education are the basis for serving our patients.
References
Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the Future of Nursing, at the Institute of Medicine. The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2011. 4, Transforming Education. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK209885/Links to an external site.
Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. Nurse of the Future Nursing Core Competencies. (2016).
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Nursing is life long learning so we can endorse that education to others including our patients. When we think about social media, technology, and the speed that information now travels. History will become more relevant as the time to practice may decrease with these advancements and the ability to communicate those changes promptly compared to the past. Not only do nurses now have to understand the information they must know how disseminate it to others.
I like that you mentioned that nurses need to stop eating their young. It is so hard to think about being a nursing student, or a new grad, or being in a new area, and to not have this term heard somewhere in your training – and it is sadly, oh so true! One thing that has always helped me to remind others to be more kind to the “new guys”, is to remember we were ALL new at one point! We have all walked into nursing clinical for the first time and didn’t have a clue what to expect. Humans are meant to continually challenge the brain, to always be looking for new and better ways – and nursing is no different. However, no one can know everything! I like to remind my team that no one was born with a 100% proficiency rating in any job, and while some may be better than others, we are all in this together – taking it day by day, especially right now with Covid. Some may be better at certain procedures than you – that amazing! Use them, but don’t ever abuse or take advantage of someone.
As you mentioned, education is a truly critical part of what we do, who we are. If one generation of nurses is able to really take hold of this saying, and turn around the focus, I truly believe it could make a big difference. In healthcare, things are always changing, adapting, learning with us as we care for people every day. 50 years ago, people didn’t have 10 chronic conditions and acute illness, and hopefully, in 50 more, there can be a better focus on the importance of health and wellness. Education, always looking and learning, willing to change things up for the better. With the increased number of BSN students entering the workforce, I hope that we can express the importance of education, and how much of a difference it really does make!
Really enjoyed your post – thank you!
I completely agree that education will always be a huge part of nursing and I think calling it timeless is a perfect statement. We have come so far from where we were in the beginning of the nursing profession and we always talk about how much has changed even from when we became nurses. Even nursing schools are changing how they teach new nurses to reflect how our jobs are changing. For instance, I know my community college bought new manikins after I graduated to assist with skills that new nurses might be exposed to when they get into the field. We are using our drive for education to do many things including going back to school for more education as well as continuing to research evidence based practice. “For BSN and diploma programs, evidenced-based practice had greater emphasis in 2003 than in 1998, with this trend expected to continue” (Streubert, Jacobson, 2005). Education will always be a huge part of nursing because having educated nurses will allow us to better care for our patients and communities.
Streubert S., Jacobson, L. (2005). TRENDS in Registered Nurse Education Programs 1998-2008. Nursing Education Perspectives.
We use the lessons of the past to inform the future as we have learned from this course. Nightingale taught us to put eyes on the patient and use cleanliness to care for wounded persons. Mahoney kept fighting to treat patients of another color as she was discriminated against, simply because she wanted to help.
We are the future. We now have lessons to inform oncoming nurses on after this pandemic is through. I am almost positive that all of us could write a book on how much the hospitals have changed as a result of covid-19.
We will continue to learn from the past and make waves in the present and the future.
While Jean Watson was a 20th century nurse that still today her theory of caring continue to influence the care we give to our patients. As nurses and humans the way we care for our patients depends heavily on any aspects and as nurses specifically caring depends a lot on nurse experience and skills as nurses. our experiences as humans influence how we see others and how we empathize and communicate with others. According to Townsend “Caring in nursing is influenced by the environment and the individual perception of care. When a patient can openly speak about his/her problems and the nurse is perceived as being positive, providing a smile, has a pleasant tone of voice, and demonstrating body language that is accepting of the patient, the concept of caring is being practiced.” self care is an important part of being a nurse. in order for a nurse to be able to take care of his/her patients a nurse must first take care of herself. ” Caring for oneself, especially as a healthcare provider, is a primary premise of Watson’s Theory of Caring Science. A lack of self-care may result in consequences experienced that lead to burn-out, illness, substance abuse depression, compassion fatigue, decreased job satisfaction, patient harm, conflict, stress, medical errors, and unhappiness.” Townsend p (14). Jean Watson has undoubtedly has influenced evidence in nursing in the self care as a nurse directly affects the how well we care for our patients.
I think that self-care is a huge part of nursing and I also think it’s something that is being put on the back burner during this pandemic. I know personally that I have never felt more dejected going to work than I have with this second wave. Everyday is madness with short staffing and mandatory overtime to the point that there are days I could have a wonderful group of people and yet I still find myself stressed. There are many new nurses that I have assisted to train and I keep telling them that this is not how it normally is- we don’t normally have six patients with no aides and no charge nurse- we don’t normally have to relocate nurses to other floors to assist, we don’t normally have to work, but I can already tell that they are facing burnout and they haven’t even been working for a year yet. “Younger nurses reported relatively fewer self-care behaviors, making them more vulnerable to the symptoms of burnout than their longer-tenured colleagues” (Press Release, 2020). I think one of the most important things that I learned from back when I was on orientation is that you have to do things that make you happy or your work stress will soon spill over into your home life. I think it’s a very important topic that should incorporated into nursing education because its so vital to having successful nurses.
Reference:
Press Release: Nurse Wellbeing During the Pandemic: NurseGrid Survey of 12,000+ Nurses Reveals Self-Care Being Sacrificed. (2020). Dow Jones Institutional News.
While Florence Nightingale is the most well-known nursing philosophy, it is because it still rings true today and is something that should continue on. Her belief that nurses should provide a safe and caring environment to help promote patient health and wellbeing (Selanders and Crane, 2012). Florence Nightingale was also big on being a patient advocate. Which rings true today especially during the pandemic we currently are working in many of these patients are vented and cannot speak for themselves, nurses spend the most time with the patients and need to speak up and be their advocate, and especially due to often times in hospitals these patients cannot have visitors due to the exposure risk.
While Florence was a visionary and brought such good to the world of nursing she also had ideas that were not the best for nursing. Such as she believed that nursing was a profession for women. Many individuals in the history of nursing believed it should be for women. This is an issue we have even today where only 18% of nursing is males despite over 50% of the population being male. We need more male nurses in the profession, we need to be more inclusive. Nursing has also been known for eating their young and we as nurses need to break that part of our history, we need to nurture new nurses and teach them everything that they need to know but did not learn in nursing school. Nursing is too large of a spectrum to learn everything in nursing school, we need to help guide new nurses and decrease the burnout rate of nurses.
Selanders, L. C. and Crane, P. C., 2012. The Voice of Florence Nightingale on Advocacy. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. 17(1). DOI: 10.3912/OJIN.Vol17No01Man01
Before I came into nursing, men were doctors and women were nurses – that is the way the TV shows, it, so it must be true, right? Healthcare sexism is something that is beyond my own understanding, but I see it every single day. I believe that some people just can’t quite gather that it is okay for any person to enter a workforce field of their choosing – so if a guy wants to be a nurse, be one! One of the most amazing things about living in America is that we have this freedom to make the choice to choose and follow a career path, and no one can stop you, but you! Since my time in the field, it seems that we have more men in nursing, and seeing more women going into doctorate programs. But you’re right – it still a problem that needs to be worked on by those of us here and practicing, to utilize every person for their strengths, and work together as a team to have the best patient outcomes possible. There are many fields where men are better than women or vice versa, but as you said – nursing is far too diverse to not utilize everyone for their own talents. It will be interesting to see in another 5, 10, 25 years, how much the “melting pot” of nurses changes from today!
Great work on this post. I completely agree that more men in the field of nursing. When I first heard that statistic that men make up only 18% of the nurses, I couldn’t believe that was right. I knew it was far from an even split but didn’t realize it was that low. If had not been fire the hard work and dedication of Luther Christman these numbers would be even lower. It is my hope as a man in nursing that I can set an example in my practice to inspire more men to enter the nursing field. In my work high school ministry I often would talk with the male students about what they wanted to do after high school, rarely did any of them say nursing. Given what I know now, my hope is to be able to educate these students on the history of men in nursing and possibly inspire then to enter the field.
Thank you for sharing your post. I absolutely agree that we need to nurture our new nurses now more than ever. As a new nurse, it is already stressful and nerve racking to join the nursing workforce right after receiving your license. I have had new nurses voiced that some facilities do not provide a thorough orientation for their new nurses. Other facilities even cut their program in half lately because of the pandemic and the need for nurses to work the floors as soon as possible. And with reduced supplies throughout the facility, there is no time to really train a new nurse. I have even heard from several fellow nurses that when they accepted an offer as a new grad, they started on the floor hitting the ground running. Many felt unsafe because they were not properly oriented to the floor nor received sufficient amount of time to adjust to the workflow, especially when the pandemic arrived. I have heard from some graduating students that when high census occurred due to an influx of patients coming into the facility with COVID related issues, the staffing ratio was thrown out and became unsafe. And I have seen nurses floated too often to different floors when needed, and to floors they were not too familiar with. This is especially unsafe when each unit can already be packed and running at a fast pace.
Since Florence Nightingale made her contribution to the nursing profession, they were many other nurses who also played a part in the advancement of nursing as a profession. I don’t see one aspect that will improve nursing in the future. The focus to advance nursing depends on a few things practice, education, and leadership, to advance patient-centered care.
“Patients, in all settings, deserve care that is centered on their unique needs and not what is most convenient for the health professionals involved in their care. A transformed health care system is required to achieve this goal. Transforming the health care system will, in turn, require a fundamental rethinking of the roles of many health professionals, including nurses”(IOM. et, at., 2011)
Over the years nurses were focused on improving the profession. However, at the next level or taking the profession into the century, the focus must be patient-centered care. The Massachusetts Nurse of the Future Nursing Core Competencies model speaks of Patient-Centered Care. “The Nurse of the Future will provide holistic care that recognizes an individual’s preferences, values, and needs and respects the patient or designee as a full partner in providing compassionate, coordinated, age and culturally appropriate, safe and effective care”
To help we can teach nurses about cultural diversity. Understanding that one’s noncompliance is not resistance to care but lack of understanding and fear of the unknown. By showing respect and tolerance for their beliefs will help to enhance nurses’ awareness which will improve patients outcomes.
Institute of Medicine 2011. The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/12956Links to an external site..
Massachusetts Department of Higher Education Nursing Initiative. (2016). Massachusetts Nurse of the Future Nursing Core Competencies© Registered Nurse (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
Florence Nightingale was given credit to improving patient care during the 1800’s when she took action against unsafe conditions that were unsanitary and could negatively impact patient outcomes. She used medical statistics and patient demographics to gather the number of deaths in hospitals and mortality rate and how it directly correlated to the different illnesses and injuries noted. This is considered evidenced based practice. Evidence based practice is “An integration of research evidence, clinical expertise and a patient’s preferences. This problem-solving approach to clinical practice encourages nurses to provide individualized patient care”( EIU 2018).
Evidence based practice involves 5 steps:
- Forming a clinical question to identify a problem
- Gather the best evidence
- Analyze the evidence
- Apply the evidence to clinical practice
- Assess the result.
The research used in EBP can be controlled trials, evidence gathered from cohort, case- control analysis, observational studies, opinions from clinical experts, personal experiences, etc. As nurses when we use EBP we are able to stay updated on the newest protocols for patient care. This overall increases patient outcomes when we are using the most updated evidence supported clinical interventions. The lesson we have learned from Florence and her recognizing by using EBP that there needs to be infection control, we are able to improve patient outcomes today with the most relevant data. We should avoid thinking that we have all of the answers. Healthcare is ever changing and there is always a better way to do something. As nurses we should always speak up if we think we have a better or more efficient way of doing something because nothing is set in stone. Improvements and advancements are what keeps healthcare going.
Why is evidence-based practice in nursing so important? (2018, December 10). Eastern Illinois University Online. https://learnonline.eiu.edu/articles/rnbsn/evidence-based-practice-important.aspxLinks to an external site.
Campbell, W. (2019). Repository Home. https://sigma.nursingrepository.org/bitstream/handle/10755/623083/Campbell_W_p83595_1.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
I believe that one of the biggest challenges for nurses to be change advocates is to be afraid of people telling you “No.”. As humans, we like routines, we like schedules and planning and to know what is coming next. We get comfortable in knowing our jobs, knowing how policies and procedures work, and we don’t like it when they change! Healthcare requires one to always be open and mindful of practices that are always changing – so as humans if we can avoid that, we will. Being able to stand up for what you know, is a huge step in being able to be a change agent. Florence decided many, many years ago to do something different – because the current ways just weren’t working. We are still seeing people stand above the pack and try something new for the best interest of the patient. It is okay to question “what if?’. Is it okay to say, “I wonder if we tried this, for that…”. Who knew that leaving Petri-dishes out for longer than anticipated would lead to the creation of the world’s first antibiotic – penicillin? Many medicines today are created for one purpose and found to have other beneficial properties. In order to adapt to the times, we need to have people who are willing to try something new.
As a new nurse during a pandemic, I have acted as a change agent in my nursing practice. From the beginning we have been adapting to wearing masks all of the time and protecting ourselves along with our patients. Having a no visitors policy during this time has put a strain on our patients and I can tell they are affected. I have been trying my best to try and spend just an extra second with each patient especially the older ones that I know need their families. It can be so hard for them to be stuck in a hospital without any visitors and most older people do not know how to communicate with their families through their electronics. They rely on us to care for them, I have made it my duty to do so and make sure I spend my time giving a thorough update when their family members call.
In the American health care system, advanced nursing occupies a special role. The country’s 3.1 million nursing, as part of the biggest medical care occupation, operate in multiple environments and sectors and are primary suppliers of medical services (Long, 2014). Although most nurses operate in acute-care facilities such as hospitals, the experience and expertise of nurses range far beyond the walls of hospitals. Nurses improve the wellness of patients, families and communities by operating individually and with other health care practitioners. Millions of Americans look to nurses for basic health care programs and instruction in health care. And guidance and therapy for wellbeing. In ensuring a cutting-edge therapeutic relationship, nurses are vital ties. Nursing tends to be an outstanding job to the American public. Although many can think of a nurse as somebody who manages care of sick patients, nurses often perform a broad range of health care roles in many different environments, collaborating alongside other health care providers both collaboratively and separately.
For one, most Americans are acquainted with nursing staff who provide adult patients with a variety of nursing and health care resources. From elementary to high school, nurse educators have a long tradition of offering health care to school children. In providing services for those living in long-term care institutions such as nursing homes, nurses play a significant role. Staff with health issues due to employment also search for nurses hired by company and industry. A nurse practitioner is visited by many persons as their main caregiver. Nurse midwives are also favored by pregnant women as their healthcare professionals during pregnancy and birth. And every day, nurse anesthetists assure that surgeons receive secure anesthesia treatment in operating rooms around the nation (Long, 2014). Today, nursing schools search for the best candidates, and for both women and men, nursing is widely respected as an outstanding career path.
References
Long, K. (2014). Preparing nurses for the 21st century: reenvisioning nursing education and practice. Journal Of Professional Nursing, 20(2), 82-88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2004.02.002Links to an external site.
I completely agree with you that advance practice nursing is one of the most exciting developments of modern nursing. It is so easy for us to see the benefits associated with nurses exercising their full scope of practice, and what it can do for society as time progresses. Something I feel that we should be careful to avoid with regard to the advancement of nursing practice is allowing those who pursue these roles to lose their fundamental nursing knowledge and purpose. A nurse’s aim is to care for a patient, not their illness. I feel that this is the great benefit of APRN, that they have a holistic viewpoint that other providers do not. This is what will draw the public to their care, and perhaps bedside experience is a necessary aspect of that viewpoint.
Great points! Best of luck in the future.
As one who has never found much interest in history, this class has truly given me an insight I wasn’t expecting.
There have been many advancements already in the history of nursing. From ensuring the right people become nurses, to not just formal education but requiring continuing education and licensure to ensure that education is adequate, to adjusting with the times for charting, medicinal and technological advances, along with the continued growth in life expectancy we see today, and the comorbidities that have been associated, we have greatly extended not just length of life, but the quality of life. No longer are we treating a person with one disease or illness. No longer are we going from room to room with a lack of hygiene or understanding of how pathogens spread. While this year has been and continues to be a challenge with Covid-19, as was seen 100 years ago with the Spanish Flu, I believe that many advancements have come from our history, and the history continuing to be made today. However, it’s important that nurses today understand this, and continue to educate others about our history through communication, education, and through our actions in our daily practice.
Our first lesson this week reviews the important associations that have been, and continue, to focus on higher nursing education. We have learned the history of the importance of continuing to grow not only the knowledge of nurses entering the field, but encourage continued education and further degrees of our nurses. (Chamberlain, 2020). Healthcare is a field that is always changing and adapting to the need at that time, and without this heavy focus on education, our lessons through the history of nursing wouldn’t have us where we are today in not only caring for our patients but our communities.
I love that our second lesson this week, Sharing and Using History to Inform the Future, focused on the importance of EBP (Evidence-Based Practice), and how despite research showing that the practices, policies, and procedures followed today are the best, this data and research are ever-changing, as is the healthcare field, and we truly never know if, or when, that learning will stop. Nursing was done completely differently 50 years ago and will be done completely differently 50 years from now. One of my favorite things about being blessed to be in this field is the ever-changing environment, in which one truly never stops learning. (Chamberlain, 2020. Week 8 Lesson: Sharing and Using History to Inform the Future). I have had many opportunities in my nursing career, and if there is one thing I have learned, it’s to be flexible and understanding of the situation being presented to you. Healthcare isn’t black and white, no “How To” book ensures every situation and the answer to ensuring a cure. I’m thankful that I learned this in primary nursing school, and I try to push this onto the students that come through my units, and onto the new nurses that I am blessed to help train. What works for one patient doesn’t work for every patient, and it is important to evaluate all the information you have to adapt and do what is best for your patient. With Covid being a daily part of our lives, we are having to learn new treatments and technologies to help every patient. One treatment isn’t a one size fits all. This virus is affecting some very mild, with maybe a sinus infection or cough, while It is causing a system-wide immune response, cardiovascular compromise, and respiratory failure in others. Oddly, what an iconic year to have such a large force have such an important focus on healthcare and nursing.
American Nurse has a focus on increasing nurses’ education, and the importance of continued education and licensure. In the last ten years, there has a huge push to increase the number of nurses holding a BSN by 2020. Though the goal was for 80% of nurses to hold a BSN by 2020, “The percentage of employed nurses with a bachelor’s degree or higher in nursing in the United States reached 56% in 2017, up from 49% in 2010” (American Nurse, 2020). The American Nurse also reported that there has been an increasing number of nurses serving on boards, and the number of male nurses, as well as nursing diversity, has also increased in the last 10 or so years.
Another factor that I believe is going to greatly increase in the healthcare field is the use of technology. Even in my young nursing career, I have seen many technological advances. I remember being in nursing school when the hospital I was training at had gotten in new cardiac monitors in the ICU that could “talk” to the computers and automatically sync the vitals to the nurses charting. In the ER, my first job, we went from multiple whiteboards for patient tracking, to an automated system through computers and large screens. Today, I am a circulating OR nurse for a small pain clinic – and we have all decided we don’t need all the extra fancy technology. All charting is done on paper, to the ease of the nurses and the doctors. We have mattresses that can be programmed to change positions of patients to ensure Q2 hour “off-loading”, preventing bedsores, SCS’s to prevent DVT’s, even stethoscopes that can “hear” the patient’s heart rhythm and tell you what it is, instead of hearing it yourself and determining the rhythm, even cardiac monitors that can automatically sync your patient’s vitals to the computer. While the advancement of technology can truly be a blessing, I also feel that it can be a huge burden. One part of what I do is always “lay hands” on my patients. Something I was taught in the ER, and just can’t justify with myself to stop. With all the technological advances, it’s too easy to start to rely on technology. It is absolutely, critically, important to personally see your patient. While some aspects are proven to be hugely beneficial to the patient, the nurse still needs to make sure that the device is working as expected. I know I have said it before, but never treat the machine. Nurses are keenly intuitive to our “6th Sense”, that gut feeling when something just isn’t quite right. That little voice in the back of our heads, guiding us and ensuring we are doing the best we can. I have found that newer nurses today are so reliant on technology, that they forget there is a patient they are tending to. I had an experience where a patient developed bedsores within an 8-hour shift because the nurse assumed the airflow mattress was working as expected and never double-checked. It had stopped working, and the patient developed a preventable ulcer.
Nursing history needs to be continued to be passed from our elders to us, no different than we need to pass it onto the incoming generation of nurses, and them to those following them. Today we have textbooks and the internet, but history at one point was through stories from our elders. Grandparents telling us at our bedtime stories of when they were young. I see nursing continuing in a direction of increased reliance on technology, increased demand for further education and licensure, and hopefully not less “word-of-mouth” historical storytelling. It is important to remember what nursing was 150, 100, even just 50 years ago, and imagine where nursing is going. What can we do today, to improve the outcomes of our patients in the future? I believe it is important for more nurses to be actively involved in research, in evidence-based practice studies, and ensuring that their facilities are using the most up to date data. The Spanish Flu devastated the world in 1918, and in 2020 it has been Covid. Think about how much medicine has advanced in the last 100 years. What will be the pandemic of 2120, and how can our actions today influence how medicine is being done in those times?
References:
American Nurse. (May 7, 2019). Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Extending the Vision. Retrieved 12/15/20 from Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Extending the vision – American Nurse (myamericannurse.com)Links to an external site..
Chamberlain School of Nursing. (2020). Week 8 Lesson: Guiding Principles and Documents. Retrieved
12/15/20 from Week 8 Lesson: Guiding Principles and Documents: Nursing History-Allen (instructure.com). Chamberlain School of Nursing. (2020). Week 8 Lesson: Sharing and Using History to Inform the Future. Retrieved 12/15/20 from Week 8 Lesson: Sharing and Using History to Inform the Future: Nursing History-Allen (instructure.com)
Nicely stated post. I have learned more than I thought I would from this class. There was a lot of nursing history that I was not aware of.
Communication is vital among members of a healthcare team to provide the best care for a patient. A lack of communication can lead to missed care or of catching a health problem early, before it advances into a bigger health problem. When a patient has an interdisciplinary team involved in their care, everyone’s input should be listened to and considered to provide the patient-centered care that is needed for an optimal outcome and better quality of life.
Education is also vital for nursing, as it guides our daily practice with knowledge of the patient’s condition and how nurses can intervene to aide the patient in recovery. However, there is something to be said about intuition, but knowledge and experience also stimulates intuition. You are correct that education is ever changing, and in the future, nursing will evolve into different and newer practices.
Technology is amazing today, and I can only imagine what the future will bring. I can remember watching like futuristic TV shows back in the day, and it is hard to believe that some things are here today. I would have never thought in years past that I would be able to do such things like talk to my doctor over the computer or have information at my fingertips with a cell phone, or even having a cell phone for calls. But, as you state, nothing replaces laying hands on the patient. Machinery cannot speak about what the patient is feeling, show their expressions, or tell us their thoughts.
When I started school for my BSN, I really did not know that it would make such a difference as it has. I now see how learning about such things as cultures, history, communities, leadership, diversity, communication, and so many more, tie into my nursing career. I think a BSN degree should be required for today’s nurses. I know it is cliche, but a BSN degree really does make you a more well rounded educated person.
Thanks for your informative post that I enjoyed reading. Good luck to you and everyone else in the class.