There are various opportunities and benefits for BSN-prepared nurses. BSN-prepared nurses have numerous job opportunities and options that include care provision as a registered nurse and leadership roles such as clinical nurse manager, chief nursing officer, or nurse head. Moreover, as a BSN-prepared nurse, one can work in the labor and delivery unit and work as a nurse anesthetist or a patient educator (Anbari, 2015). This indicates that when nurses enroll for a nursing degree, they have more opportunities, especially in leadership scope when compared to the LPN nurses. Professional Development of Nursing Professionals Essay
To effectively meet the needs of the geriatric and increasingly diverse population, it is vital for the nurse’s role and education to evolve. The demographic shift has a significant effect in the healthcare industry, and particularly for nurses. The older adults and diverse populations have specific health needs and thus nurses need the essential skills and competency to meet these needs to facilitate optimal patient outcomes (Ma et al., 2018). Attaining higher educational levels in nursing will equip nurses with the expertise and knowledge to adjust to the challenges and changes of healthcare. Nurses who are highly educated and specialty training will have the ability to prepare for and meet the diverse needs of patient populations (Ma et al., 2018). Moreover, higher education and professional development equip nurses with the leadership and critical thinking skills necessary to handle challenges present when working with diverse and geriatric populations.
New evolving roles require the nursing professionals to be skillful and proficient at recognizing how community characteristics impact populations and patients; understand the complex health needs of the geriatric population, develop and implement care coordination initiatives; collaborate effectively with other interprofessional and leverage data and technology to facilitate better care provision (Salmond & Echevarria, 2017). Nurses thus need to participant in nurse-led innovations and quality improvement initiatives whose purpose is to improve the quality of care and increasing access to care. Nurses also need to generate evidence and participate in research to ensure the provision of evidence-based practice aimed to improve patient outcomes and prevent adverse events (Salmond & Echevarria, 2017). Moreover, nurses need to take part in professional development, training, and embrace technology to facilitate better care provision. For example, telehealth can allow nurses to monitor older adults with chronic conditions while at home and thus improve care outcomes.
Conclusion
The IOM report recommends changes within the healthcare system that include improving the scope of practice for nurses and higher education for nurses. This will improve access to care and also improve the quality of care. Nurses need to be proactive in designing solutions that aim to attain better patient outcomes. Nurses need to do more and have the required expertise to effectively manage and provide care to aging and diverse patient populations.
References
Anbari A. B. (2015). The RN to BSN Transition: A Qualitative Systematic Review. Global qualitative nursing research, 2, 2333393615614306.
Ferrell, B., McCabe, M. S., & Levit, L. (2013). The Institute of Medicine report on high-quality cancer care: implications for oncology nursing. In Oncology Nursing Forum, 40 (6).
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