NRS 440 Evaluate how advanced nursing education and lifelong learning can help improve patient outcomes

NRS 440 Evaluate how advanced nursing education and lifelong learning can help improve patient outcomes

NRS 440 Evaluate how advanced nursing education and lifelong learning can help improve patient outcomes

Advanced nursing education with continuing education is needed to ensure that nurses remain up to date in their profession. Lifelong learning comes in many forms of the nursing profession, such as workshops, conferences, enrollment in schools, nursing journals and continuing education units needed for license renewal. Expanding your nursing knowledge is the key to an excellent nursing career. Nursing educators are beneficial to encourage each potential graduate that continued education should be an ongoing focus for each nurse to improve patient care. The COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, social justice issues, health disparities, gender and race discrimination, and aging of a global population highlight issues transforming healthcare and are examples supporting the need for contemporary nursing education to be responsive so that undergraduate and graduate students can be prepared to be active agents in handling complex global health issues (Morin, et al.,2021).

Lifelong learning for nurses helps to master core skills and competencies needed in healthcare. Advanced education in any platform (school or workshop) provides a better understanding to work with a growing multicultural patient base. We must be able to respond appropriately to racial and ethnic minority groups to ensure our knowledge of how to initiate care is acceptable for each patient. Lifelong learning’s importance is underscored when we examine the nature of professional healthcare learning, which has become “more challenging than ever… because of the plethora of published literature and electronic information that exists, combined with the fact that new knowledge is emerging at an accelerating pace (Health Stream, 2021). Continuing education for healthcare professionals is essential for them to deliver high quality patient care. 

References: 

Health Stream Resources. (2021). Lifelong Learning in Nursing Is Vital. 

Morin, K.,Yu, D. (2021). Contemporary nursing education: Taking the inspiration from the ‘present.’ Journal of Advanced Nursing. Leading Global Nursing Research. Nursing Education. 

Continuing education credits are an educational requirement for professionals with healthcare careers. Continuing education has been highly effective at improving patient outcomes and saving lives. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing believes that education has a significant impact on the knowledge and competencies of the nurse clinician as it does for all healthcare providers (Rapoza et al., 2022). 

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Ongoing and higher levels of education are extremely important for the development of knowledge and skills in our nursing workforce. The IOM (2010) promotes the recognition and value of nurses at all levels of the profession (Rapoza et al., 2022). Multiple portals of entry are essential to ensure an adequate nursing workforce and support safe patient care. Evidence suggests that shared curriculum model collaboration between community colleges and universities has shown the most potential to accelerate the proportion of BSNs if increasing the mix of BSNs in the workforce remains a key objective (Rapoza et al., 2022). 

The Kutney-Lee and Aiken (2008) study examined the impact of the proportion of BSN-prepared nurses on 30-day mortality. The study included evidence that a BSN degree does have a positive association with patient outcomes such as 30-day mortality and failure-to-rescue rates. The study suggests that a 10% increase in the amount of BSN nurses can reduce the odds of 30-day mortality by 5-9% and was found to be statistically significant (Haskins & Pierson, 2016). 

Rapoza, S., Tucker, K., Campbell, S., & Morris, P. (2022). Improving the local nursing workforce through creation of an RN-BSN program. Teaching & Learning in Nursing, 17(4), 417–420. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/j.teln.2022.06.011

Haskins, S., & Pierson, K. (2016). The Impact of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Degree on Patient Outcomes: A Systematic Review. Journal of Nursing Practice Applications & Reviews of Research, 6(1), 40–49. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.13178/jnparr.2016.0601.0705

I appreciate you sharing this insightful discussion. I believe that by giving nurses a framework to work within, the application of the Christian worldview can help enhance patient outcomes (Han et al., 2020). Because they frequently have the most in-depth knowledge of their patients’ ailments and demands, nurses are in a unique position to assist patients in achieving their desired outcomes. A nurse with advanced nursing education can deliver more complex care than a nurse without this degree of education. A nurse with more education may also be better able to spot issues before they get worse and thereby avoid the need for more expensive treatment (Han et al., 2020).

Furthermore, a number of research correlate advanced nursing degrees to patient safety outcomes. They discovered that patients who received treatment from advanced-degree nurses had a lower risk of problems or passing away within 30 days of admission than patients who did not.

Understanding how God works in our lives through his son, Jesus Christ, will help you find the solution. God sent Jesus Christ to suffer on the cross in order to cleanse us of our sins and grant us eternal life when we pass away (Goree et al., 2021). When we realize that God still loves us in spite of our flaws, we can also love others in spite of their flaws, including those who are ill or near death.

Thank you.

References

Goree, K. J., Rieg, L. S., & Hobus, M. E. (2021). Why Christian Nursing Education?. Journal of Christian Nursing, 38(3), 148-151. DOI: 10.1097/CNJ.0000000000000841

Han, Y., Kim, J. S., & Seo, Y. (2020). Cross-sectional study on patient safety culture, patient safety competency, and adverse events. Western journal of nursing research, 42(1), 32-40. https://doi.org/10.1177/0193945919838990

Healthcare quality and patient safety can’t be maintained without the right knowledge and abilities. As a result, the quality of nursing education is crucial to the continuation of reliable medical treatment. Several studies have compared nurses’ education levels to their amount of experience in the field and found a correlation between the two. New knowledge and the training offered in higher-level programs are often credited with improving the quality of treatment offered to patients. Nurses are expected to make better judgments, more quickly, with fewer mistakes, and more effectively advise patients and their families if they have a deeper grasp of patient care and the healthcare system as a whole. Different outcomes have been evaluated in studies to objectively determine the existence of substantial changes attributable to the additional training delivered. This does not imply that less-educated nurses perform a poor job or pose a safety risk, but it does suggest that more advanced nursing education may make a difference in patient outcomes (Martin-Thornton, 2002). To evaluate, researchers have compared things like death rates, the prevalence of problems like heart failure and blood clots, the success or failure of attempts to revive patients, the prevalence of hospital-acquired infections, and so on.

Rahman et al. (2015) performed cross-sectional research in Malaysia to foresee the effect of nurses’ levels of education on service quality and patient safety in the medical and surgical wards of private hospitals in Malaysia. A total of 652 nurses from the medical and surgical wards at 12 private hospitals participated in a questionnaire survey for the research. No correlation was found between the education level of nurses and patient outcomes at private hospitals in Malaysia, according to the research. However, there were many caveats to the research, the most notable of which was the very low percentage of highly educated nurses.

I agree that higher education levels in nursing are associated with better patient safety results. Baccalaureate nursing programs go in-depth on topics including physical and social sciences, nursing research, public and community health, nursing administration, and the humanities, in addition to the content covered in associate and diploma degrees. The supplementary studies aid the student’s professional growth, equip the new nurse for a wider range of practice, and teach the student about the cultural, political, economic, and social concerns that impact patients and influence healthcare delivery.

Nursing care that is informed by a Christian worldview has been shown to have positive effects on patient outcomes. The principles upon which the framework rests are held profoundly and universally by nurses, patients, and their families. Christian ethics provide a framework for making judgments in clinical practice. Nurses who adopt a Christian worldview are better equipped to care for their patients. As a bonus, they may develop trusting connections with patients and their loved ones, rather than ones based on mistrust.

Reference

Abdul Rahman, H., Jarrar, M. K., & Don, M. S. (2015). Nurse Level of Education, Quality of Care and Patient Safety in the Medical and Surgical Wards in Malaysian Private Hospitals: A Cross-sectional Study. Global Journal of Health Science, 7(6). https://doi.org/10.5539/gjhs.v7n6p331

Martin‐Thornton, R. A. (2002). Training Entry‐Level Nurses. AWHONN Lifelines, 6(4), 295–298. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1552-6356.2002.tb00481.x

Education is key to advancing our knowledge and skill set as nursing professionals. Expediential growth of nursing in the past decade has driven the need for improvements in the way in which we practice and care for the patients we touch on a daily basis. An example of this is seen in the drive for registered nurses to obtain a bachelor’s degree or BSN. “Evidence has repeatedly demonstrated that organizations with a higher percentage of BSN-prepared nurses achieve better patient outcomes, including lower mortality, a decrease in failure-to-rescue rates, and fewer hospital-acquired infections” (Straka,.2019). With increased level of education from the ASN to BSN level comes knowledge of subjects such as community wellness, nursing research and pharmacology. These subjects are imperative to providing care aimed at decreasing chronic illness and help manage our every expanding patient population. “In addition, a meta-analysis exploration of BSN degrees and patient outcomes determined that higher BSN degree rates led to decreased failure-to-rescue and mortality and improved patient outcomes” (Straka,.2019).

On a personal level this subject is conflicting for me and does not have one concrete answer. I am a big component of increased education and growth of experience and knowledge to better our patients, but I also believe experience has a lot to do with our abilities as registered nurses. Many of the most skill and success nurses I have met in my career have been originally associate educated practitioner’s. Their path through nurses has been mapped by a combination of skill, experience and increased education. The shift to requirements for BNS programs is something that will be a requirement of many healthcare settings, but I do not believe a nurse’s abilities to practice is sticky determined by this one factor.

Reference:

Sumpter D; Blodgett N; Beard K; Howard V, Nursing outlook [Nurs Outlook], ISSN: 1528-3968, 2022 Nov-Dec; Vol. 70 (6 Suppl 1), pp. S20-S31; Publisher: Mosby; PMID: 36446537, Database: MEDLINE PubMed

Straka, Kristen L.; Hupp, Diane S.; Ambrose, Heather L.; Christy, Lauren. In: Nursing Management (Springhouse). May 01, 2019, 50(5):52-54 Language: English, Database: Journals@OVID

To answer this discussion question, one must first understand the meaning of a “lifelong learner”. Life long learning is the “ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons” (Roman-Cohen, 2020). What this means is that the person is determined to learn and understand a topic. In healthcare, there is constantly something new to learn, a new process to change, a new way of doing a task available. A person can be a lifelong learner without an advanced degree. They can have optimal patient outcomes without additional letters behind their name. Research is varied on the subject of if advanced degrees increase positive patient outcomes. Some research suggests that “higher nurse education is associated with lower risks of mortality and failure to rescue” yet the same study mentions that more research is needed on the topic to find a true association (Audet, et al., 2018). If we think back to pre-pandemic times, the goal was the majority of nurses needed to be BSN prepared nurses. However, realism hit hard when the pandemic hit and simply any nurse was needed. Did the BSN prepared nurse work harder than the ADN prepared nurse? No. Were outcomes increased due to a higher degree during covid? No: No one knew what to do with these patients and everyone was working hard, researching their way through the treatment of the virus. The BSN degree prepares nurses to be advanced in managerial skills and to have better critical thinking skills, but it is not quite fair to say that just because a nurse has a BSN that they are a more prepared nurse than one that has many years of experience and has an ADN. I take this stand not because I do not agree with increasing education (because I love learning and love reaching new goals), but I work with some of the smartest, most amazing nurses who do not have their BSN but are constantly learning and perfecting their craft.

The christian worldview plays a part in patient outcomes because humans were made in the image of christ. We are there to take care of those who need us with care, compassion, and dignity.

References:

Audet, L-A., Bourgault, P., & Rochefort, C. M. (2018). Associations between nurse education and experience and the risk of mortality and adverse events in acute care hospitals: A systematic review of observational studies. International journal of nursing studies. 80. 128-146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2018.01.007

Roman-Cohen, T. (2020). Follow these four simple steps to become and lifelong learner. https://www.mba.com/business-school-and-careers/career-possibilities/follow-these-four-simple-steps-to-become-a-lifelong-learner

Advanced nursing education and lifelong learning is associated with improved patient outcomes. When nurses are enrolled for advanced learning programs, they gain more advanced knowledge and skills that they use in caring for patients. Nursing education at degree, masters and PHD level includes research which equips nurses with knowledge that they can use in implementing evidence based practice. Evidence based practice is associated with improved patient outcomes. Advanced nursing education helps patients by improving their safety. When patients are nursed with highly qualified nurses, there are decreased mortality rates, shortened hospital stays and reduced re admissions (Harrison et al., 2019).

Nurses with advanced qualifications are good nurse educators. They can share the knowledge that they gained through their education with patients so that they can make informed decisions and in some cases take precautionary measures to reduce complications of their diseases. Lifelong learning in nursing keep nurses up to date with current trends which they can apply to nursing practice to improve patient outcomes (Coster et al., 2018). For example, in the care of diabetes patients should get regular screening for diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy. Research has showed that nurses with advanced qualifications improve patient outcomes. In a study by Harrison et al., 2019, cardiac arrest patients who were in care of nurses with a bachelors degree in nursing were discharged with good cerebral function compared to those who were nursed by less qualified nurses. I agree to this notion of advanced nurses improving patient outcomes. At one of the hospitals where I have worked, less qualified nurses were not comfortable working in the emergency department because they were not competent in performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Therefore, the emergency department was staffed with nursed with advanced qualifications. The Christian Worldview encourages loving one another as God has loved us. This love for patients goes a long way in improving patient outcomes.

References

Coster, S., Watkins, M., & Norman, I. J. (2018). What is the impact of professional nursing on patients’ outcomes globally? An overview of research evidence. International journal of nursing studies, 78, 76-83.

Harrison, J. M., Aiken, L. H., Sloane, D. M., Brooks Carthon, J. M., Merchant, R. M., Berg, R. A., McHugh, M. D., & American Heart Association’s Get With the Guidelines–Resuscitation Investigators (2019). In Hospitals With More Nurses Who Have Baccalaureate Degrees, Better Outcomes For Patients After Cardiac Arrest. Health affairs (Project Hope), 38(7), 1087–1094. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2018.05064

Lifelong learning and advanced nursing education are critical components in improving patient outcomes. Lifelong learning allows nurses to stay up to date on the most recent discoveries and research on effective practice methods, resulting in better care and better patient outcomes (Thomas, 2018). According to (Hamadi et al., 2021), magnet-certified healthcare facilities keep track of their employees’ continuing education, including certification. Many healthcare organizations and departments have set goals for the percentage of certified employees. When applying for a new job, having a certification in your specialty increases your marketability and demonstrates your dedication to education. A BSN program provides nurses with a well-rounded education. They are prepared to apply their critical thinking, problem-solving, and attention to detail skills to a broader range of situations.In addition, they learn clinical, leadership, and case management skills. Nurses with the knowledge and training to provide the best possible patient care, resulting in fewer clinical errors and fatalities (UWF, 2018), According to research, higher-educated registered nurses have fewer medication errors, better patient outcomes, and lower patient mortality rates. In February 2013, Mary Blegen and colleagues published their findings from a cross-sectional study of 21 University Health System Consortium hospitals in the Journal of Nursing Administration. They discovered that hospitals with a higher percentage of baccalaureate- or higher-level RNs had lower congestive heart failure mortality, fewer decubitus ulcers, fewer failures to rescue, fewer postoperative deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, and shorter lengths of stay.Furthermore, in the October 2012 issue of Medical Care, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania discovered that surgical patients in magnet hospitals had a 14% lower risk of inpatient death within 30 days and a 12% lower risk of failure-to-rescue when compared to patients cared for in non-magnet hospitals (Hamadi et al., 2021). The study’s authors conclude that investments in highly qualified and educated nurses, including a higher proportion of baccalaureate-prepared nurses, are largely responsible for the improved outcomes.

Reference

Thomas, J. (2018) Professional development in nursing Trends in health care: a nursing perspective https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs440vn/trends-in-health-care-a-nursing-perspective/v1.1/#/chapter/3

Hamadi, H. Y., Martinez, D., Palenzuela, J., & Spaulding, A. C. (2021). Magnet hospitals and 30-day readmission and mortality rates for Medicare beneficiaries Medical care, 59(1), 6–12. https://doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0000000000001427