Summary: Understanding Issues Facing Health Care Professionals
Understanding Issues Facing Health Care Professionals
Nurses play an extremely vital role in the world of healthcare and make up the backbone of the health care system. Florence Nightingale is noted as one of the first trained nurses. She trained at the first organized school of nursing, founded in Kaiserworth, Germany in 1846. Nursing has evolved exponentially since then. Technology changed the face of medicine and increased the workload for nurses. Currently, the United States is experiencing an extreme shortage of nurses and many nurses are "burned out" by the high demands of the profession. However, consumers expect well-trained and experienced nurses providing care in hospitals, clinics, and home health care facilities. Regulatory …show more content…
agencies provide oversight of the nursing profession as future trends such as nursing shortages, advanced technologies, and the "graying of American" give birth to new challenges in the profession of nursing.
History of Nursing
Nursing is the profession of providing care for sick or infirm. Before nurses, the care of the ill fell to family members, friends, or religious orders. "In ancient times, when medical lore was associated with good or evil spirits, the sick were usually cared for in temples and houses of worship. In the early Christian era nursing duties were undertaken by certain women in the church, their services being extended to patients in their homes" (Anwsers.com. par. 6). "Nursing care based on non-structured learning continued for centuries-sometimes with admirable results " (Sarkis & Conners, 1985, p. 121).
Then "In the 17th cent., St. Vincent de Paul began to encourage women to undertake some form of training for their work, but there was no real hospital training school for nurses until one was established in Kaiserwerth, Germany, in 1846" (Anwsers.com. par. 7). Florence Nightingale established " the Nightingale Training School for Nurses in 1860" (Sarkis & Conners, 1985, p. 122). It is here that nursing as a profession began and evolved to its current state.
Current Health Care Issues Facing Nursing
Nursing is a demanding profession. Nurses are bombarded daily with many tasks and responsibilities. There are two current health care issues facing the profession of nursing todaya misdistribution of nurses across the United States and burnout, both noted as causes for a nursing shortage.
There is a misdistribution of nurses across the United States and there are at least two apparent reasons for thisgeographic immobility and a lack of incentives for rural and inner-city hospitals (Williams & Torrens, 2005). In 1991, the RN to population ratio in the state of New York was 823 to 100,000; however, Arkansas' ratio was only 506 to 100,000. Many nurses are married with children and are second wage earners for their families; they are not able or not willing to move to locations where nurses are in need. Also, rural and inner-city hospitals often do not offer sufficient salaries, benefits and flexible working hours to lure nurses to move to these areas (Williams & Torrens, 2005). This misdistribution causes nursing shortages.
Another issue facing nurses today is burnout. Nursing is a very demanding and stressful profession. Burnout is described by Annette T. Vallano in Your Career in Nursing, as a form of mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, and interpersonal exhaustion that is not easily restored by sleep or rest. Nurses experience burnout when they are overwhelmed and unable to cope with the day-to-day stress of their work over long periods of time. Burnout may also be a reason that many nurses have decided to work only part-time, thus burnout may be a contributing factor to the nursing-shortage problem. Burnout can turn a typically enthusiastic caregiver to one who struggles through each working day going through the motions. Vallano has termed victims of burnout as the "walking wounded". One cause for the high rate of burnout amongst nurses is not only the stress of responsibilities and a fast-paced work environment, but also because nurses are so overwhelmed with the care of others, they often can't simultaneously care for themselves (Vallano, 2002). Kelli S. Dunham also has an explanation for the cause of burnout in nurses in How to Survive and Maybe Even Love Your Life as a Nurse, nurses are involved in the real muck and sometimes ugliness of life in a way few other professions aredealing with victims of violence, domestic abuse, child abuse and neglect, rape and poverty. Burnout may also be caused simply by the emotional stress and feelings of failure due to the nature of the job (Dunham, 2005). Not every patient will be a success story, especially for nurses working in certain fields such as trauma or oncologyit's a huge emotional toll.
Consumer's Perception and Expectation of Nursing
Nursing today is practiced in various settings and is a vital part of the health care system. Nurses are present in a hospitals, schools, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, out-patient centers, clinics, and homes. A consumer perceives these professionals as trained individuals that work to contribute to a patient's maintenance and health issues.
Nursing is seen as an ever expanding field. The degrees of nursing keep multiplying. Consumers are aware that is possible to be treated by an associate, bachelor, or master level nurse. A patient anticipates that the nurse will be able to implement the correct plan of action tailored to his/her welfare. The public expectation of profession is that it contains skillful nurses that have the necessary educational qualifications and experience to provide care. It's also perceived that the nurses are licensed and have a board of nursing insuring the nurses' capabilities to provide health care.
Regulatory Agencies
For the safety of patients, states have Boards of Nurse Examiners to protect and promote the welfare of the people by ensuring that each person holding a license as a nurse is competent to practice safely (http://www.bne.state.tx.us/).
The Board of Nurse Examiners includes a criminal investigation unit to investigate criminal charges against nurses ensuring license suspension if a nurse is not cleared of charges. Nurses are required to renew their licenses every two years.
The Joint Commission was established over 50 years ago by a group of healthcare professionals as a peer review and evaluates the quality and safety of care of 15,000 health care organizations. To maintain and earn accreditation, organizations must have an extensive onsite review by a team of JCAHO health care professionals at least once every three years.
(http://www.jcaho.org/general+public/who+jc/index.htm). The Joint Commission sets …show more content…
the
standards by which health care quality is measured in America and around the world.
Future Trends Facing Nursing
Today's health care system reflects a number of significant trends facing the profession.
For example, "...Nursing shortages have appeared in many areas, shortages that are predicted to worsen over time" (Lowenstein, 2003, p. 1). "The new nursing shortage is evidenced by fewer nurses entering the workforce, acute nursing shortages in certain geographic areas, and a shortage of nurses adequately prepared to meet certain areas of patient need in a changing health care environment" (National League for Nursing, 2005, par.
3).
Additionally, the "graying of America" (O'Neil Mundinger, 2004, par. 5), Americans living longer, has left the nursing profession " holding a double-edged sword" (O'Neil Mundinger, 2004, par. 4). As medical technology advances our lifespan continually increases. Illnesses once considered fatal are now merely chronic illnesses which give the profession cause to reevaluate its changing role in the care of the ill.
The United States is a veritable melting pot of diversity which is another significant trend facing nursing. "The consequence is a medical community challenged with accommodating a myriad of ethnic groups, each with different values, attitudes and traditions, in a way that provides equal care to each person" (O'Neil Mundinger, 2004, par. 5). Other issues the profession must address include: a means of effectively integrating new technologies, new treatments and new drugs into patient care; the growing trend of diseases carried from one nation to another; and the aging of the nursing work
force.
Nursing has evolved from the days of Florence Nightingale to a highly respected and educated profession. But there are challenges for the future. In short, " the nursing profession needs to begin to recognize new trends and patterns " (Lowenstein, 2003, p. 1), while also recognizing "it is crucial that nurses learn to generate new ideas for care, utilizing the new medical and communication technologies that are blossoming daily, but also keeping our high touch together with the high tech" (Lowenstein, 2003, p. 1).
Nurses play an extremely vital role in the world of healthcare and make up the backbone of the health care system. Florence Nightingale is noted as one of the first trained nurses. She trained at the first organized school of nursing, founded in Kaiserworth, Germany in 1846. Nursing has evolved exponentially since then. Technology changed the face of medicine and increased the workload for nurses. Currently, the United States is experiencing an extreme shortage of nurses and many nurses are "burned out" by the high demands of the profession. However, consumers expect well-trained and experienced nurses providing care in hospitals, clinics, and home health care facilities. Regulatory …show more content…
agencies provide oversight of the nursing profession as future trends such as nursing shortages, advanced technologies, and the "graying of American" give birth to new challenges in the profession of nursing.
History of Nursing
Nursing is the profession of providing care for sick or infirm. Before nurses, the care of the ill fell to family members, friends, or religious orders. "In ancient times, when medical lore was associated with good or evil spirits, the sick were usually cared for in temples and houses of worship. In the early Christian era nursing duties were undertaken by certain women in the church, their services being extended to patients in their homes" (Anwsers.com. par. 6). "Nursing care based on non-structured learning continued for centuries-sometimes with admirable results " (Sarkis & Conners, 1985, p. 121).
Then "In the 17th cent., St. Vincent de Paul began to encourage women to undertake some form of training for their work, but there was no real hospital training school for nurses until one was established in Kaiserwerth, Germany, in 1846" (Anwsers.com. par. 7). Florence Nightingale established " the Nightingale Training School for Nurses in 1860" (Sarkis & Conners, 1985, p. 122). It is here that nursing as a profession began and evolved to its current state.
Current Health Care Issues Facing Nursing
Nursing is a demanding profession. Nurses are bombarded daily with many tasks and responsibilities. There are two current health care issues facing the profession of nursing todaya misdistribution of nurses across the United States and burnout, both noted as causes for a nursing shortage.
There is a misdistribution of nurses across the United States and there are at least two apparent reasons for thisgeographic immobility and a lack of incentives for rural and inner-city hospitals (Williams & Torrens, 2005). In 1991, the RN to population ratio in the state of New York was 823 to 100,000; however, Arkansas' ratio was only 506 to 100,000. Many nurses are married with children and are second wage earners for their families; they are not able or not willing to move to locations where nurses are in need. Also, rural and inner-city hospitals often do not offer sufficient salaries, benefits and flexible working hours to lure nurses to move to these areas (Williams & Torrens, 2005). This misdistribution causes nursing shortages.
Another issue facing nurses today is burnout. Nursing is a very demanding and stressful profession. Burnout is described by Annette T. Vallano in Your Career in Nursing, as a form of mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, and interpersonal exhaustion that is not easily restored by sleep or rest. Nurses experience burnout when they are overwhelmed and unable to cope with the day-to-day stress of their work over long periods of time. Burnout may also be a reason that many nurses have decided to work only part-time, thus burnout may be a contributing factor to the nursing-shortage problem. Burnout can turn a typically enthusiastic caregiver to one who struggles through each working day going through the motions. Vallano has termed victims of burnout as the "walking wounded". One cause for the high rate of burnout amongst nurses is not only the stress of responsibilities and a fast-paced work environment, but also because nurses are so overwhelmed with the care of others, they often can't simultaneously care for themselves (Vallano, 2002). Kelli S. Dunham also has an explanation for the cause of burnout in nurses in How to Survive and Maybe Even Love Your Life as a Nurse, nurses are involved in the real muck and sometimes ugliness of life in a way few other professions aredealing with victims of violence, domestic abuse, child abuse and neglect, rape and poverty. Burnout may also be caused simply by the emotional stress and feelings of failure due to the nature of the job (Dunham, 2005). Not every patient will be a success story, especially for nurses working in certain fields such as trauma or oncologyit's a huge emotional toll.
Consumer's Perception and Expectation of Nursing
Nursing today is practiced in various settings and is a vital part of the health care system. Nurses are present in a hospitals, schools, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, out-patient centers, clinics, and homes. A consumer perceives these professionals as trained individuals that work to contribute to a patient's maintenance and health issues.
Nursing is seen as an ever expanding field. The degrees of nursing keep multiplying. Consumers are aware that is possible to be treated by an associate, bachelor, or master level nurse. A patient anticipates that the nurse will be able to implement the correct plan of action tailored to his/her welfare. The public expectation of profession is that it contains skillful nurses that have the necessary educational qualifications and experience to provide care. It's also perceived that the nurses are licensed and have a board of nursing insuring the nurses' capabilities to provide health care.
Regulatory Agencies
For the safety of patients, states have Boards of Nurse Examiners to protect and promote the welfare of the people by ensuring that each person holding a license as a nurse is competent to practice safely (http://www.bne.state.tx.us/).
The Board of Nurse Examiners includes a criminal investigation unit to investigate criminal charges against nurses ensuring license suspension if a nurse is not cleared of charges. Nurses are required to renew their licenses every two years.
The Joint Commission was established over 50 years ago by a group of healthcare professionals as a peer review and evaluates the quality and safety of care of 15,000 health care organizations. To maintain and earn accreditation, organizations must have an extensive onsite review by a team of JCAHO health care professionals at least once every three years.
(http://www.jcaho.org/general+public/who+jc/index.htm). The Joint Commission sets …show more content…
the
standards by which health care quality is measured in America and around the world.
Future Trends Facing Nursing
Today's health care system reflects a number of significant trends facing the profession.
For example, "...Nursing shortages have appeared in many areas, shortages that are predicted to worsen over time" (Lowenstein, 2003, p. 1). "The new nursing shortage is evidenced by fewer nurses entering the workforce, acute nursing shortages in certain geographic areas, and a shortage of nurses adequately prepared to meet certain areas of patient need in a changing health care environment" (National League for Nursing, 2005, par.
3).
Additionally, the "graying of America" (O'Neil Mundinger, 2004, par. 5), Americans living longer, has left the nursing profession " holding a double-edged sword" (O'Neil Mundinger, 2004, par. 4). As medical technology advances our lifespan continually increases. Illnesses once considered fatal are now merely chronic illnesses which give the profession cause to reevaluate its changing role in the care of the ill.
The United States is a veritable melting pot of diversity which is another significant trend facing nursing. "The consequence is a medical community challenged with accommodating a myriad of ethnic groups, each with different values, attitudes and traditions, in a way that provides equal care to each person" (O'Neil Mundinger, 2004, par. 5). Other issues the profession must address include: a means of effectively integrating new technologies, new treatments and new drugs into patient care; the growing trend of diseases carried from one nation to another; and the aging of the nursing work
force.
Nursing has evolved from the days of Florence Nightingale to a highly respected and educated profession. But there are challenges for the future. In short, " the nursing profession needs to begin to recognize new trends and patterns " (Lowenstein, 2003, p. 1), while also recognizing "it is crucial that nurses learn to generate new ideas for care, utilizing the new medical and communication technologies that are blossoming daily, but also keeping our high touch together with the high tech" (Lowenstein, 2003, p. 1).