CampusRN Job Blog
Nursing field sees changes
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
As Karen Anglovich, RN, reflects on her more than 30-year career in nursing, she notes how the field has changed since 1973.
After graduating as a practical nurse, she began working at the former Wyoming Valley Hospital, a small community hospital in Wilkes-Barre, known at the time as the “baby hospital.” Anglovich, 55, is now the clinical nurse educator at Geisinger Wyoming Valley.
“Nurses back then didn’t have as many options,” she says. The training for nurses was more “on the job,” to prepare nurses to care for patients at the bedside. Today, the training for nurses has evolved, with a greater number receiving a four-year degree in nursing with an eye toward advancement.
The expanding role of nurses is celebrated each year during National Nurses Week, which begins Thursday. This year, the theme is “Nurses: Caring Today for a Healthier Tomorrow.”
Cynthia Mailloux, Ph.D., chairperson of the nursing department of Misericordia University in Dallas Township, agrees with Anglovich’s assessment. “The trend in nursing education is toward a four-year BSN, with some of the larger hospitals requiring a four-year degree.”
She notes there are several reasons for this shift. The level of patient acuity — or time required by a patient — has increased, and hospitals need to provide nurses with the necessary level of training to match the patients’ needs. Another reason is the “complexity of care,” as the level of technology involved is expanding. Misericordia recently relocated their nursing department into the College of Health Sciences Building, which features two simulation labs to reproduce real-life critical patient-care situations.
This high-tech education and increased knowledge base are what today’s nurses need to provide patient care.
“(The profession) is more complex, it is more than taking care of patients at the bedside,” says Anglovich. “Nurses today must be cost-conscious and proactive, the goal is to provide the best and most efficient care.” The role of the nurse as the bedside caregiver in the hospital setting has also been reduced. According to Anglovich, there is more of a mix of professionals caring for patients, with aides and licensed practical nurses taking on a larger role.
Retired nurse Ann Stashak, 76, graduated from Temple University Hospital in 1954 and soon began working at Berwick Hospital. Back then, RNs did everything for patients, including cleaning bed pans and providing baths, as there were no other bedside care providers.
“Years ago, nurses did a lot more bedside care, today they do not have as much time to spend at the bedside,” says Stashak.
As the RN’s bedside role in the hospitals has decreased, it has actually increased in the nursing home setting, says Cheryl Butry, RN, executive director at Heritage House. The role of the RN in nursing homes is more hands-on due to the fact that the patient population needs a higher level of care, with many needing post-operative care or rehabilitation care.
As nursing education has evolved to meet the patient needs, so have the number of opportunities for nurses.
“Due to the higher level of education, nurses are looking to advance,” says Butry.
Anglovich also sees this in the hospital setting, as nurses go from bedside care to administrative positions and pursue advance degrees such as nurse practitioner and nurse anesthetist. She finds this trend falls along generational lines, as older nurses generally stay committed to bedside patient care, with the younger generation looking for more opportunities and advancement.
One thing that is universal, says Anglovich, is “nurses just want to give good care to the patients and their families.” They see themselves as patient advocates as well as caregivers, she said. Read Full Article
posted in: Pennsylvania, Employer News
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