Nancy Roche Writing 1010-018 4 December 2014 Literacy in Nursing: The Effects of Literacies on Nursing Students Introduction Through research and observation we have found that some of the literacies taught by the University of Utah Nursing Program are not always precise or the most ideal. Information taught by the University of Utah Nursing Program is not necessarily incorrect, it is merely our conclusion that all practices should be questioned in order for society to progress. There are numerous instances in the history of the scientific community being proven wrong despite years of social acceptance. Some of the literacies taught are becoming a problem in many aspects of the profession. With effects on students, coworkers, and patients there is much room for speculation. The practice of blind acceptance is crippling to any society, and the nursing literacy is no exception. Practices taught in the school of nursing should be questioned despite their social prominence. Literacies in History In our history there is no lack in examples of human error. Over and over again we prove ourselves wrong and still believe that our newest theory is without flaw. The nursing community is no exception to this trend. Practices taught to nurses have not always been appropriate for the patients needs, and have even been shown to be harmful to the patient. In the early twentieth century nurses were taught to apply antacid to pressure ulcers in order to dry them out. Though we now know wounds heal best under moist conditions. In the 1800s neurologist Silas Weir
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Mitchell pioneered the rest cure. The principles behind the cure are best illustrated in Charlotte Gilmans short story Yellow Wallpaper. In the story a woman suffering from manic depression is forced to a completely inactive lifestyle as her treatment. She was forbidden from physical activity or creative expression, especially writing. Her mental deterioration in the story was classic of women who received similar treatments at the time. This goes to show that practices taught to nurses have historically been riddled with errors and inaccuracies. The treatments being taught to nursing students are not necessarily harmful to patients, but constant questioning is prudent nonetheless. Literacies Being Taught The practices taught in nursing schools may not be the most effective or appropriate way to help those with medical needs. In many documented cases, universities and colleges have passed many nurses who did not posses the necessary skills to provide proper health care to patients. Although everyone is unique, and learns at a different pace, unsafe students let into the workplace can put patients at risk. "...the term "unsafe student" is used to describe students whose level of clinical practice is questionable with regard to competence, whose knowledge and psychomotor skills are lacking, or whose motivation or interpersonal skills are less than adequate..."(Luhanga, 257) These unsafe students are quickly overwhelmed and are triggered into making potentially life threatening mistakes. The fault does not rest solely on the students, but also on the textbooks used. This is yet another way in which students can be mislead during their educational careers. It is not a students fault for graduating underprepared in to their field of work, in fact they are the victims in this situation. Nursing is a practice that is learned through a two-step program: text based and practical learning. The text or classroom based literacies are where the majority of learning is done; or
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should be done. This is the time where a student learns all about the human body, general nursing duties, patient care etc. Without the adequate information, students are put into situations where they aren't prepared, resulting in unhappy or hurt patients. "Only 2% of the overall content and 1.4% of chapters in nursing texts were related to EOL care. Based on the analysis, many deficiencies were identified in the texts, including inaccurate information and a lack of information regarding critical EOL topics." (B.) When EOL care, or end of life care is not taught in full, students are forced to learn through experience and mistakes. When thrown into the nursing environment and forced to quickly adapt, students often feel emotional repercussions. Effects on a Student Practices of the college of nursing can easily result in emotional damage to students. When a student is ready to make the transition from classroom to a hospital, they are sent unprepared for all of the stressors that the occupation encounters. In the nursing community, there are many factors that can cause a student to become drained. "...three sources of stress: (a) from the physical environment, (b) from the psychological environment, and (c) from the social environment."(Storduer, 535) This article goes on further to show that these stressors include: the difficult workload, death and dying, and conflict with patients and others employees. The effects of these factors can greatly decrease productivity, attention, reliability, and overall patient care. Every nursing job includes the daily struggles of physical, emotional and social stressors, but for some, psychological stress is added. When students have pre-existing mental disorders, symptoms often worsen during college and post-graduate education. "Studies report a general increase in the severity of and extent of mental health problems among college/university students." (M.) When mental disease is added to the other factors, a student can become completely burned out. When this point is reached, the students studies, personal life and patient
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care are all negatively affected. It is the job of the nursing college to identify and assist these students, failure to do so is a failure to educate. Practices can also give a warped view of reality to nurses. When nurses are learning all the medical literacies, they usually arent working with patients or in real situations. When a new nurse is put into a severe health situation they dont understand how to act, and have to adjust in order to keep the patient calm and act professional. Nurses have to have some extraordinary traits such as, patience, friendly nature, compassion, love for others and the ability to feel the pain of others(Psychology), but in order for the nurse to possess those traits they need to practice. When a student is first becoming a nurse, its difficult to understand what emotions they need unless they have experience it in the work environment. This can be a setback for some nurses or even a wake up call that they might not be able to handle the disturbance or death of a patient. The medical field needs to emphasize how important it is to stay calm, adjust emotions to the patients comfort, and make sure to keep updated on literacies. Effects on Patient Care Practices taught in the medical field may not be ideal to help or connect with patients emotionally. It is important for nurses to connect with patients and makes them feel more comfortable and trusting. A nurse learns to go from one task to another quickly and efficiently, but sometimes that is not the best way. One participant wrote in to complain about what he called chart Nazis, nurses who spend more time making sure charts have been properly updated than worrying about patient care. The nurses spend more time sitting around talking, drinking coffee and charting than taking care of patients. (Johnson, 9). This would be an example of a practice that does not benefit the patients. A nurse can easily become distracted with other work and neglect their patient or patients. Nurses should know how to manage their
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time and balance it between work and patients; but in the hectic hospital setting, this can be difficult. This a phenomena that should be addressed in the College of Nursing, making sure students understand how to prioritize and remain professional is a huge part of their careers. Social Effects When literacy becomes more prominent in a culture its practices start to permeate across social boundaries. If a certain domain becomes prominent enough it can have almost total control over a society's beliefs. The medical community as a whole is a perfect example of this; most views adopted by it are adopted by society. This is usually not a bad thing. As a scientific community, the college of nursing bases its practices on educated reasoning and study. So practices are almost always accurate... until theyre not. In the 1940s, doctors across the country endorsed tobacco not only as non-poisonous but to treat a variety of ailments. Cigarettes in particular were prescribed to stimulate digestion, prevent tooth decay, and even encourage physical development. This notion was accepted and taught in all medical communities and became popular belief across the entire country. Sometimes a community will become too dependent on literacy for information and turn a blind eye to logic. It is not the communities job to educate each individual on every medical practice and study; it is the responsibility of those who have committed their lives to the field. Nursing schools are responsible for relaying accurate information to their pupils, but the pupils must be prepare for them to fail. Conclusion All nurses have made a commitment to help and aid anyone who needs medical assistance. In order to do this to the best of their abilities, an education current and accurate is necessary. For a nurse to complete their job, they must look at the information they are being given with an analytical eye. To ensure they can give the best possible care, this analytical eye must always be
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kept open. Nursing is a very challenging and demanding field to be in and it requires a large amount of dedication and emotional strength. All nurses are required to experience a large array of stressors on a daily basis and are vital assets to the medical community. This comes with its own array of responsibilities. The responsibility of ensuring a nursing students success and accuracy falls upon both the student and the institution. Both should always search for the best and most accurate information in order to fulfill their commitment to help those in need.
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Works Cited B, Ferrell, Virani R, and Grant M. "Analysis of End-of-Life Content in Nursing Textbooks." Oncology Nursing Forum 26.5 (1999): 869-76. Europe PubMed Central. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. "Blowing Smoke: Vintage Ads of Doctors Endorsing Tobacco." CBS News. CBS Interactive, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. Ieradi, Janet A. "Back in the Day: What We Can Learn from Outdated Nursing Practices." Nursing 40.4 (2010): 32-33. Lippinoctt Nursing Center.com. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. Johnson, Carrie. "Bad Blood: Doctor-Nurse Behavior Problems Impact Patient Care." American College of Healthcare Executives Nov.-Dec. 2009: 6-11. American College of Healthcare Executives. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. Luhanga, Florence, Olive Yonge, and Florence Myrick. "Hallmarks of Unsafe Practice: What Preceptors Know." Journal for Nurses in Professional Development 24.6 (2008): 257-64. Lippincott Nursing Center. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. M, Chernomas W., and Shapiro C. "Stress, Depression, and Anxiety among Undergraduate Nursing Students." PubMed. N.p.: n.p., 2013. US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. "Psychology in the Nursing Field." Psychology and Counseling Career Center. N.p., 23 Apr. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. Stiles, Anne. The Rest Cure, 1873-1925. BRANCH: Britain, Representation and NineteenthCentury History. Ed.
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Stordeur, Sabine, William D'Hoore, and Christian Vandenburghe. "Leadership, Organizational Stress, and Emotional Exhaustion among Hospital Nursing Staff." Journal of Advanced Nursing 35.4 (2001): 533-42. Wiley Online Library. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.
Five Easy Steps to Prevent Falls: The Comprehensive Guide to Keeping Patients of All Ages Safe; not Five Easy Steps to Prevent Falls The Comprehensive Guide