Running head: EDUCATIONAL GOALS IN NURSING 1

Educational Goals in Nursing

Rosemary M. Jones

Pennsylvania State University

NUR390

Suzanne Kuhn
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Educational Goals in Nursing

The American Association of College of Nursing (AACN) believes education has a

significant impact on the knowledge and competencies of registered nurses (RN) today

(Rosseter, 2019). In the United States, nurses not only practice bedside caretaking; they work in

areas that involve case management, public schools, homes, health maintenance, and areas that

promote health and disease prevention. RNs that further their education are skilled in many

areas, such as critical thinking, leadership, patient health promotion, and case management

(Rosseter, 2019). Through various incentives, educational institutions and workplaces encourage

RN’s to further their education. I currently work as an RN at a level 1Trauma Emergency

Department (ED). Not only do I work with a diverse group of nurses that possess different

education levels; but my workplace continually encourages RN’s to further their education.

Many of the nurses I work with hold a Bachelor’s in Nursing (BSN) degree. Many

achieved this by graduating from a four-year university, and some accomplished this through a

university bridge program (RN to BSN). Some of the RN educators at my workplace have their

Master’s in Nursing. Those nurses not only work on the floor with us, but they teach part-time at

the local community college. I also work with nurses that have their Masters in Nursing Practice

(NP) and Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP). In our ED, we have a fast track area, where our

DNP and NP’s are assigned as the provider for that patient. With the support of the workplace,

many of the employees are furthering their education. The company I work for encourages their

RN’s to go back to school and further their education through various incentives. The first

incentive they offer is tuition assistance or discounted tuition at participating Universities. For

example, while pursuing your BSN, you can collect up to $5,000 in tuition assistance a year.

The other incentive offered is a “pay raise” through the workplace clinical ladder program. For
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example, if an RN accomplishes her BSN, she can earn an extra two dollars an hour. The last

incentive for achieving your BSN is a promotion (management, supervisor, or educator).

Not only does my workplace encourage RN’s to further their education, but my initial

licensure program encouraged advancement in school through multiple venues and incentives. I

completed my Associates in Nursing from a local 2-year community college. The college I

attended allowed Universities that offered RN to BSN programs to come on campus and promote

their school and provide further information; representatives from various universities visited my

college campus weekly. Another way the college promoted education advancement is by

making it mandatory to attend a career fair in the last semester of nursing. At the career fair,

multiples universities came and set up information about their university and BSN program.

Lastly, the college offered scholarships to first-time degree holders looking to get their BSN

right after graduation.

Focus on Education

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) published a report stating that nurses need to achieve

higher education levels and training through an “improved education system that promotes

seamless academic progression” (Gorman & Briere, 2011). Because the healthcare system is

continually transforming and changing, nurses need to further their education and training to

provide patient-centered care that is safe, accessible, and high in quality. The report by IOM

states multiple reasons for nurses to obtain higher degrees; these include an increase in the

American population, a growing community setting, and increased research in health care.

One reason that nurses should earn a higher degree is America’s demographic has

changed drastically since the 20th century. People nowadays are living longer, and IOM states

that by 2030, American’s 65 years or older will dominate at least 20% of the population
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(Gorman & Briere, 2011). American’s living longer will can an increase in chronic conditions

such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and mental health. The rise in chronic

conditions makes caring for patients more complicated; causing nurses to attain more

competencies to deliver high-quality health care (Gorman & Briere, 2011).

The second reason nurses need to obtain a higher degree is that nursing care is growing in

the community setting. Primary care, public health, and long-term care facilities all involve care

coordination and transition from acute care settings. According to IOM, current nursing

education needs to be updated and adaptive to reflect a patient’s changing needs (Gorman &

Briere, 2011). It is essential for RN's to familiarize and update themselves with health care

eligibility plans and social service programs. Education in these programs is vital because they

affect patient care in the community, which will affect a patient’s health.

Last, a third reason nurses need to obtain higher degrees is that health care research is

continually increasing. According to IOM, new approaches and educational models need to be

consistency developed to accommodate the rapid growth of health research (Gorman & Briere,

2019). IOM states for nurses to be successful at this; they need to move from task-based

proficiencies to higher-level competencies (Gorman & Briere, 2011).

Baccalaureate Education for RNs

The journal article titled “Baccalaureate Education in Nursing and Patient Outcomes”

studied the relationship between a patient’s outcomes in the hospital and the association between

an RN’s education (Blegen, Goode, Park, Vaughn, & Spetz, 2013). The study found that

hospitals that employed RN’s with a baccalaureate degree or higher had lower heart failure

mortality, decreased post-operative deep vein thrombus (DVT) or pulmonary embolisms (PE),

and shorter hospital length of stays (Blegen, Goode, Park, Vaughn, & Spetz, 2013). Heart failure
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mortality rates decreased along with post-operative DVTs and PE’s because baccalaureate RN’s

use more critical thinking skills during patient care. For example, patients with heart failure

need to be monitored and assessed continuously. An RN with a baccalaureate education is

quickly able to identify and intervene with a patient’s deteriorating health status. Baccalaureate

RN’s knowledge of DVTs and PEs are enhanced by their ability to identify risk factors, signs,

and symptoms. These RN’s have more of an understanding of the medications (anticoagulants)

and mechanical prophylaxis required to prevent DVTs and PEs; allowing them to educate

patients on the culture and prevention of DVTs and PEs. Last, baccalaureate RN’s are associated

with shorter hospital stays because they tend to be educated further on a patient’s discharge

education and care coordination. An educated nurse can explain discharge instructions

adequately to a patient while effectively assessing a patient’s ability to understand the

instructions.

Transition Shock

Duchscher’s (2009) article, titled “Transition shock: The Initial Stage of Role Adaptation

for Newly Graduated Registered Nurse” aims to look at the transition role of newly graduated

nurses from student to RN. The article does this by comparing how RN’s experienced their

transition through the scope of physical, emotional, developmental, and sericulture changes.

This article helps reinforce the importance of bridging the nursing education curriculum with

workplace expectations (Duchscher, 2009). I can relate to this article because as a new

graduate, I was consumed with emotions, stressful situations, and anxiety.

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After graduating with my degree, I made sure to apply to hospitals that had a New Graduate

Program implemented into their training. At my place, the New Graduate Program spans over a

year. It includes a 12-week orientation and training for the department, an academy that

provides for virtual lectures, simulations, and online modules; and monthly new graduate

forums. During the emotional stage of transition shock, Duchscherq (2009) states that one of the

fears new graduates face is not being able to cope with their new roles and responsibilities.

During my orientation, I felt like I could not cope with the task of being an RN. Even in a safe

learning environment, I felt incompetent at times. Looking back, I glad I had a trainer that let me

ask lots of questions and assigned educator that would check on how I was doing during the

training process. I feel that Duchscher's article helped encourage a lot of workplaces to put

together a transition program for new graduate nurses. Support and professional development

from managers, educators, and practitioners assist in keeping nursing retentions high and in

keeping nurses in the department they are trained in (Duchscher, 2009).

Educational Goals

While enrolled in the BSN program at Pennsylvania State University, I hope to gain

knowledge in a variety of nursing areas to further my advancement as an RN. These areas

include applying critical thinking, collaboration and leadership, and learning more about

evidence-based practice. While attending the BSN program, I hope to further my knowledge of

critical thinking skills as it relates to the clinical setting. Second, my goal of learning how to

collaborate with coworkers and practice leadership in nursing is essential because it’s important

when providing safe patient care. The third goal I am committed to is learning more about

evidence-based practice and applying it daily in my nursing career. I look forward to using

evidence-based practice techniques to improve nursing practice and patient outcomes.

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References

Blegen, M. A., Goode, C., Park, S. H., Vaughn, T. E., & Spetz, J. (2013). Baccalaureate

Education in Nursing and Patient Outcomes. The Journal of Nursing

Administration,2(43). doi:10.1097/NNA.0b013e31827f2028.

Duchscher, J. E. (2009). Transition shock: The initial stage of role adaptation for newly

graduated Registered Nurses. Journal of Advanced Nursing,65(5), 1103-1113.

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.2008.04898.

Gorman, C., & Briere, R. (2011). The Future of Nursing: Focus on Education. Institute of

Medicine of the National Academies. Retrieved May 24, 2019, from

http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/Reports/2010/The-Future-of-Nursing-Leading-

Change-Advancing-Health/Report-Brief-Education.aspx.

Rosseter, R. (2019, April). The Impact of Education on Nursing Practice. Retrieved May 23,

2019, from https://www.aacnnursing.org/News-Information/Fact-Sheets/Impact-of-

Education.