Question

1.             Identify the roles of major nursing organizations that have an impact on nursing education.

2.               Describe the differences between the ANA, ANCC, CCNE, NLN, and STTI

3.               Recognize the significant impact which the state boards have on the quality of nursing education.

4.               Discuss the importance of regulation and its process and critical issues

5.               Describe the nursing education accreditation process and its importance.

6.               Describe the types of nursing programs and degrees.

7.               Identify the key concepts of the Essentials of Baccalaureate Education established by AACN.

8.               Explain the purpose of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree.

Answer 1

1. Identify the roles of major nursing organizations that have an impact on nursing education.

Professional organizations and associations in nursing are critical for generating the energy, flow of ideas, and proactive work needed to maintain a healthy profession that advocates for the needs of its clients and nurses, and the trust of society. It is responsible to make any changes in nursing education.

Nursing is characterized by great diversity. This is reflected in the scope of nursing responsibilities and activities, in levels of personnel, in organization of services, in educational preparation, and in financing of education. An appreciation of this diversity is necessary to provide the context for the findings and recommendations the committee presents throughout the remainder of this report in answer to our study charge.

The broad range of responsibilities of registered nurses (RNs), reviews their roles in relation to those of licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and other members of the typical organized nursing service staff, and how staffing mix and roles may vary among and within the different settings where patients receive direct care.

Professional development is a vital phase of lifelong learning in which nurses engage to develop and maintain competence, enhance professional nursing practice, and support achievement of career goals.

Nursing organizations like the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the National League for Nursing (NLN) have a broad focus, encompassing the entire nursing profession. Whereas organizations like the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN), the Society of Pediatric Nurses, the National Association of Orthopedic Nurses and others are focused on disease processes (diabetes, renal, cardiac), healthcare settings (hospital, clinic, surgical), age (pediatric, geriatrics), or advanced practice (Clinical Nurse Specialists, Nurse Executives, Nurse Educators).

Nursing organization unites you with your peers. When nurses unite we have a much stronger voice in the political arena on local, state and national level. Membership in a professional nursing organization provides nurses with continuing education, certification opportunities, role-related competencies and educational conferences. Changes in healthcare occur almost daily. Aligning with a nursing organization that supports your specialty or population of practice positions nurses to be on the forefront of practice changes. Nursing organizations promote and encourage the use of evidence-based practice to its members. Nurses who are certified in their specialty will find that their nursing professional organization will offer continuing education that is pertinent to their practice. Many nursing organizations hold annual nursing conferences. These conferences bring nurses together from across the country, and oftentimes worldwide, to share education and best practices. They also offer the opportunity to network with nursing colleagues from around the globe.

2. Describe the differences between the ANA, ANCC, CCNE, NLN, and STTI
ANA- ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting a safe and ethical work environment, bolstering the health and wellness of nurses, and advocating on health care issues that affect nurses and the public. ANA is at the forefront of improving the quality of health care for all.
ANCC- National voice for baccalaureate and graduate nursing education.
CCNE- Ensures quality and integrity of baccalaureate, graduate, and residency programs in nursing. Fosters trust in the public and continuing improvement in nursing education and professional practice.
NLN- Dedicated to excellence in nursing.
STTI- a national nonprofit organization dedicated to improving initiatives that support prosperity through science, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship.

5. Describe the nursing education accreditation process and its importance.
They receive provisional status to accept students and start nursing classes. It tells the school how many students can be accepted. The school reports back to Nursing Education Accreditation (NCE) about their progress (instruction, clinical placement and experience). A pass rate of 80% on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) must be shown in the 1st year. Final visit by NCE is made and if school passes they receive full accreditation. This is very important, because if your school isn't accrediting ate then you can't sit for the boards.

6. Describe the types of nursing programs and degrees.
Nursing Degree Types:
Advanced Practice Nursing (APN)
A growing field for students who want to learn the skills of nursing, but want to do more with those same skills is advanced practice nursing. While the definition of advanced practice nursing is broad, the applications of these skill sets are specific and vital for patient care.

Becoming a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM)
A certified nurse midwife program can allow you to work intimately with a new mother from pre-pregnancy to birth and eventual recovery after birth. With specialized training, a certified nurse midwife can be a valuable asset to help ensure a healthy pregnancy.

Becoming a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
The profession of nurse anesthetists is hardly known outside the medical field, although it is a necessary service. Gaining admission to a program that specializes in nurse anestethics can be very competitive. But it is certainly worth it.

Becoming a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
A clinical nurse specialist is a nurse with specific training in a field of medicine. This can include: Cardiac, Community Health, Home Health, Neonatal, School Health, Rehabilitation,
Mental Health, Perinatal, Oncology, Occupational Health. This list is by no means exhaustive; rather, it is merely meant to provide you a general idea of some of the different areas. These specialties can range from helping patients that are adults, children, and geriatric patients. Some clinical nurse specialists also deal with the parent-child relationship in terms of its effect on health and future health.

Becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
An LPN degree, or licensed practical nurse degree, when completed, helps assist in the care of the sick and infirm. In the current times of nursing shortages and low nursing school enrollment, the work of a nurse has become crucial to maintaining high standards of patient care. Note that in California and Texas, an LPN is actually referred to as a licensed vocational nurse (LVN). Working under the supervision of a doctor or registered nurse, an LPN is able to provide many various patient services:

• Answering patient calls
• Taking and monitoring of vital signs
• Application of dressings
• Administration of ice packs, alcohol rubs, and hot water bottles
• Treatment and prevention of bedsores
• Feeding of patients
• Maintaining proper medical record documentation

Becoming a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) in California and Texas
A licensed vocational nurse, or LVN, is California’s and Texas’ equivalent of the LPN, or licensed practical nurse. Both professions require patient care and interaction as well as a long list of responsibilities; the name just varies across states. The basic job description of an LVN is to care for the injured, ill, handicapped, or convalescent patient. Under this title, this LVN is able to perform many different job duties as well as patient care responsibilities:

• Help with patient bathing
• Taking blood pressure and pulse rates
• Giving injections
• Applying ice packs, compresses, and hot water bottles
• Monitoring and maintenance of patient temperature
• Dosing and administering of certain medications
• Dressing of patients
• Ambulation of patients
• Proper medical record maintenance
• Any job duties relegated from a supervising nurse or doctor

Becoming a Nurse Practitioner (NP)
Nurse practitioners can be involved in a variety of tasks and specialties including family care, pediatrics, geriatrics, adult care, acute care, neonatal care, women’s health, occupation health, anesthesiology, and midwifery.

Becoming a Registered Nurse (RN)
Registered nurses are in short supply and high demand. While nursing assistants and other lesser trained health care aides are filling in the gaps that a lack of registered nurses has left, the training and the experience that RNs bring to every health care setting is undeniable.

Getting a CNA Certification (CNA)
CNA certification to become a certified nursing assistant is a new way to get basic training in patient care. With the current nursing shortage in the United States, CNAs have found themselves in high demand and under significant pressure. They now have to deal with larger patient loads and more responsibilities than ever.

LPN to RN: Become a Registered Nurse
Many are unaware that a lot of studying and training is involved in the path of becoming a nurse. Prior to nursing practice, one must graduate from a nursing school, college or university that has been pre-approved by the state. Then, the student would have to register for a licensure examination known as the NCLEX or National Council Licensure Examination. Upon passing as either a licensed practical nurse (LPN) or a registered nurse (RN), the new nurse can then start practicing in a medical facility.

7. Identify the key concepts of the Essentials of Baccalaureate Education established by AACN.

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is the driving force for innovation and excellence in academic nursing. The Essentials Series delineates the national consensus by providing the elements and framework for building nursing curricula. The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice provides the educational framework for the preparation of professional nurses. The Essentials apply to all pre-licensure and RN completion programs, whether the degree is baccalaureate or graduate entry.

The nine Essentials are:
Essential I: Liberal Education for Baccalaureate Generalist Nursing Practice

• A solid base in liberal education provides the cornerstone for the practice and education of nurses.

Essential II: Basic Organizational and Systems Leadership for Quality Care and Patient Safety

• Knowledge and skills in leadership, quality improvement, and patient safety are necessary to provide high quality heatlh care.

Essential III: Scholarship for Evidence Based Practice

• Professional nursing practice is grounded in the translation of current evidence into one's practice.

Essential IV: Information Management and Application of Patient Care Technology

• Knowledge and skills in information management and patient care technology are critical in the delivery of quality patient care.

Essential V: Health Care Policy, Finance, and Regulatory Environments

• Healthcare policies, including financial and regulatory, directly and indirectly influence the nature and functioning of the healthcare systeme and thereby are important considerations in professional nursing practice.

Essential VI: Interprofessional Communication and Collaboration for Improving Patient Health Outcomes

• Communication and collaboration among heatlhcare professionals are critical to delivering high quality and safe patient care.

Essential VII: Clinical Prevention and Population Health

• Health promotion and disease prevention at the individual and population level are necessary to improve population health and are important components of baccalaureate generalist nursing practice.

Essential VIII: Professionalism and Professional Values

• Professionalism and the inherent values of altruism, autonomy, human dignity, integrity, and social justice are fundamental to the discipline of nursing.

Essential IX: Baccalaureate Generalist Nursing Practice

• The baccalaureate graduate nurse is prepared to practice with patients, inclusing, families, groups, communities, and populations accross the lifespan and across the continuum of healthcare environments.
• The baccalaureate graduate understands and respects the variations of care, the increased complexity, and the increased use of healthcare resources inherent in caring for patients.