Advanced aging and the diverse American population require a high level of expertise in patient care. Most of the aged patients suffer from chronic illnesses which require high-quality skills and knowledge for better care outcome. Consequently, the diverse population requires nurses with adequate knowledge and skills, such as better communication and a better understanding of different cultural norms and beliefs. As such, registered nurses, and nursing associates do not have the necessary qualifications in providing better care services for this population (Kearney, 2019). Hence the need for better education to increase the number of BSN who have the right competencies and qualifications to take care of this delicate population. Further educational advancement also gives room for specialist nurses who are needed to take care of patients with critical illnesses.
Significance of Professional Development, Lifelong Learning, in Relation to Diverse Populations Across the Life Span and Health-Illness Continuum
The nursing profession is very challenging due to the continuous changes in information and ways of providing care. To keep up with the changes, there is a need to adopt a lifelong learning attitude for better professional development and improve the quality of care provided. Consequently, nurses encounter patients from different cultural backgrounds, different age groups, and diverse illnesses (Whitehead, Dittman, & McNulty, 2017). As such it becomes very hard to take care of such patients while relying primarily on the education that was gained before in graduate school. However, lifelong learning will help in keeping up with the3 current information and technology required in taking care of this diverse population
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