Registered Nurses

Nurses: the heart of the hospital. A registered nurse does many jobs to care for their patients. In a recent article the American Nurses Association helps explain what registered nurses do. They write:
   RN's perform physical exams and health histories, they provide health promotion, counseling and education, they administer medications, wound care, and numerous other personalized interventions, they coordinate care, in collaboration with a wide array of healthcare professionals, and they direct and supervise care delivered by other healthcare personnel like LPNs and nurse aids.
These nurses are the main people their patients see. Nurses are the people that interact with their patients and make sure they are cared for properly. Registered nurses are the first and last people you see when you go to a doctor's office or a hospital. They come in and check your vitals and then they go get the doctor. When the doctor is done, your nurse comes back in to make sure you understand everything and to give you information on how to care for what you have.
I am in the process of getting my bachelor's degree in nursing. In 2008, the American Nursing Association passed a statement saying it would be recommended that all RN's get their BSN within 10 years of licensure. Nursing Link states 80% of all nurses should have their BSN by the year 2020. "According to the IOM, core competencies for today's nurses include: leadership, health policy, system improvement, research and evidence-based practice, teamwork and collaboration, competency in specific content areas such as community and public health geriatrics, and technological knowledge." Also, there is a shortage of nurse educators and with getting a BSN in nursing it puts you in a good spot to be evaluated for a teaching position.
University Alliance wrote an article on the expected shortage of qualified nurses. There is a shortage of nursing educators resulting in applicants being turned away from being able to become a nurse. Also, opportunities expanded creating more jobs for men and women. This results in less people going to school to become a nurse. "In as many as 30 states, healthcare organizations are finding i difficult to fill nursing positions. For example, America Journal of Medical Quality reported that by 2030, states such as Kansas, Missouri, and Iowa will lack sufficient numbers of RNs". This is a nerve-racking statement due to the fact people need nurses when they become ill or they are injured. Though, some states are trying extremely hard to get their students to go to nursing schools and get a degree in a healthcare profession. For example, many states are giving grants and scholarships to bring awareness to these types of jobs. There are also campaigns aimed at middle and high school students to help them learn about the positive aspects of a nursing career. With these campaigns and scholarships, hopefully, the healthcare profession will stop decreasing at the rate it is now.

Choosing the Right Nursing Program

Two thirds of every nursing class actually graduates. Many students believe they can graduate and become a nurse until they start their college courses. All over the United States, there are colleges that have nursing program, which will give you everything you need to become a nurse. The only bad part is that the nursing career field is extremely competitive. Sierra1399 wrote "I am a senior in high school and I plan on attending a junior college in California that has a decent nursing program. But all seem to be incredibly competitive. I really don't want to be on a waiting list for 3 years. I'd love to hear success stories." I agree that this field is competitive but that's how all jobs are now. I really enjoyed one of the comments Sierra1399 got back on her post. TheCommuter, BSN, RN responded to her by saying "I am a native Californian who moved out of state and got accepted into a nursing program immediately without any waiting lists or lotteries. If I had remained in California, I'd still probably be competing." In making this comment TheCommuter, BSN, RN urges us to think about the other states and or cities that also have colleges with nursing programs that will be easier to get into. When people think about a nursing program their mind immediately goes to a university but when in fact some of the best places to get a nursing degree is a community college.

CollegeAtlas.org ranked the top sixty-eight colleges with nursing programs. The school with the best nursing program as of 2015-2016 is The University of Pennsylvania. While this might be a good school there is probably a lot of competition to get in to this program. A school that is ranked the second best community college is Walla Walla Community College. This is a community college but community colleges have the same amount of resources as a university. Let's compare these two colleges. While the university is in Pennsylvania the in-state tuition as of 2011-12 was $25,660 dollars, the community college's living with parents tuition fee is $11,244 dollars. That is a $14,416 dollar difference but the only thing different is one is a university and the other is a community college. University of Pennsylvania's acceptance is 9.4%, while Walla Walla Community College accepts anyone as long as they can pay for their classes. The university is extremely competitive. The community college might be a little more competitive just because they are ranked number 2 for best community college with a nursing program. There are always other options to pursue your dreams, especially cheaper options. Whether you pay $14,000 dollars more doesn't give you an edge on someone that pays that much less than you. 

Some of the best nurses got their degree from a community college. In some cases a person learns more by going through a community college because the class sizes are smaller and the professor can slow down or speed up whenever they need to, especially when there is about twenty people to a class. For example, in my hometown there is a community college and a university about thirty minutes away from each other. The difference is the nursing students that come out of the community college are hands on and very communicative people while the students from the university would be reading a patients chart rather than talking to them and asking them. In my opinion, with the two options I would rather be hands on and more patient oriented, but some people just aren't that patient oriented. What would you rather be, more patient oriented and hands on or think about everything before you meet your patient?

Is Nursing a Calling or a Vocation?

     In recent discussions of nursing, a controversial issue has been whether whether a nurse is a calling or a vocation. On one hand, some argue that it is a calling. From this perspective, mya612 on allnurses.com, a forum where nurses and nursing students can go and talk about how this career choice affected their life, goes into detail on how she believes nursing is a calling. On the other hand, however, others argue that nursing is a vocation. In the words of Nurse_, BSN, RN, one of this view's main proponents,saying something is a calling requires doing the same job every single day with the same amount of passion " According to this view, nursing can't technically be a calling due to the fact nurses deal with a new case and a new patient almost every couple hours, depending on the type of nurse. In sum, then, the issue is whether you knew from a young age you wanted to help people or you just randomly stumbled upon it. 
     My own view is that nursing is a calling. Though I concede that when you know from a young age whether or not you want to help someone it becomes a calling, I still maintain that others may believe a calling is just a religious thing and a career can't be a calling. For example, I believe nursing is a calling for me because from a young age I knew I wanted to help and benefit people's lives, but my friend stumbled upon this career choice and fell in love. She doesn't believe nursing is a calling for her at all. Although some might object that nursing is a calling. I would reply that with knowing from a young age there was a path already set for you, that is a calling. The issue is important because this affects people's lives daily. Whether they believe it is a calling or just a career helps them follow through with what they want in their life.