The Evolution Of Nursing Practice Discussion

Assignment

Explain how nursing practice has changed over time and how this evolution has changed the scope of practice and the approach to treating the individual.

Nurses have the primary objective of providing improve care and achieving better care outcomes for patients, a situation that has caused nursing practice to evolve and change. Irrespective of the care setting, patients are deserving of care that is shifted towards meeting the unique needs of patients and away from nurses’ convenience. In fact, the health care system has transformed over time, thus necessitating that the roles of nurses similarly transform. Amendments in legislative and policy contents have outlined the new role of nurses within the evolving health care systems with a focus on improving care value, access and quality while delivering patient-centered care. These amendments clearly outline the structure of the new health care system and the new roles of nurses centralized around transforming the system to create a high quality and value driven environment that is more accessible to the patients. These changes are reflected in the scope of practice for nurses that enable them take on responsibilities that match their competencies (DeNisco & Beauvais, 2020)The Evolution Of Nursing Practice Discussion.

Compare the differentiated practice competencies between an associate (ADN) and baccalaureate (BSN) education in nursing. Explain how scope of practice changes between an associate and baccalaureate nurse.

ADN and BSN are two distinct education levels in nursing. ADN qualified nurses are considered technical nurses while BSN qualified nurses are considered professional nurses. ADN education has fewer requirements, takes shorter time to complete the program, while BSN has more requirements and takes longer to complete. In fact, BSN acquire complex competencies that allow them to take on more responsibilities in providing complex patient care. A nurse with ADN qualifications can offer simple nursing care services to include recording patient symptoms, taking medical history, educating patients on medical conditions, working closely with other medical personnel, and using simple medical equipment. In contrast, a nurse with BSN qualifications can take on the more complex nursing care services to include completing complex procedures either independently or supervised by physicians, taking on leadership roles, and managing other nurses (Joel, 2018)The Evolution Of Nursing Practice Discussion. The differences in competencies for ADN and BSN qualified nurses identifies the BSN nurses as offering safer care since they are better trained, prepared and ready to take on more complex care responsibilities and make clinical decisions with far reaching consequences. BSN training prepares nurses to deliver effective and safe care while meeting the nursing care needs of patients. The noted differences are attributed to ADN education focusing on training clinical skills, while BSN education focuses on training clinical, leadership, nursing research and management skills. Although ADN and BSN education prepares nurses to deliver nursing care meeting set standards, BSN is focused on research, community health, disease prevention, advocacy and informatics. In addition, BSN qualification requires nurses to have a good understanding of the cultural, social and economic issues that affect patients and health care systems (Zaccagnini & Pechacek, 2019)The Evolution Of Nursing Practice Discussion. In essence, both ADN and BSN education prepare nurses to acquire nursing and clinical practice competencies, while BSN goes a step further in teaching nurses’ management, leadership, public health, social science, critical thinking, communication, nursing theory, and nursing informatics competencies.

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Identify a specific client care situation and describe how nursing care, or approaches to decision making, differ between the BSN‐prepared nurse and the ADN nurse.

ADN and BSN qualified nurses have different responsibilities when facing patient care situations. Every patient care situation requires that the nurse provide care that is respectful of and responsive to the preferences, needs and values of the patients. Although BSN qualified nurses are not necessarily better than ADN qualified nurses, they have advanced skills that allows them to handle complex care situations as they emerge. Put simply, ADN education prepares nurses to deliver on care standards while BSN education prepares nurses to deliver on care standards, and manage cultural, social and economic issues that affect care delivery and outcomes (Ervin & Kulbok, 2018). In addition, BSN education includes communication skills for establishing trust and stronger relationships between nurses and patients, a prerequisite for improving care outcomes. Besides that, BSN education improves skills applied in technical proficiency, treatment evaluation and recovery, and medication administration, thus allowing nurses to significantly improve patient care (Butts & Rich, 2018)The Evolution Of Nursing Practice Discussion.

Discuss the significance of applying evidence‐based practice to nursing care and explain how the academic preparation of the RN‐BSN nurse supports its application.

Evidence-based practice (EBP) involves incorporating current evidence into experience and patient preferences to improve patient safety and care outcomes while reducing costs. Applying EBP requires that the nurse conscientiously, judiciously and explicitly apply the elements of EBP in making clinical decisions. In essence, the application of EBP is all about improving clinical nursing care while promoting the spirit of inquiry that always seeks to understand and improve (Loversidge & Zurmehly, 2019)The Evolution Of Nursing Practice Discussion.

BSN education prepared nurses to support EBP application. The education includes management, leadership, public health, social science, critical thinking, communication, nursing theory, and nursing informatics competencies and skills as part of the curriculum. In addition, the education trains nurses on how to use complex medical technologies, particularly those involved in informatics activities. Besides that, BSN education prepares nurses to better understand the complex issues affecting patients to include the environment (Zaccagnini & Pechacek, 2019)The Evolution Of Nursing Practice Discussion. In essence, BSN education prepares nurses to consider complex issues and make better decisions, all elements of EBP.

Discuss how nurses today communicate and collaborate with interdisciplinary teams and how this supports safer and more effective client outcomes.

Accurate communication and collaboration are critical elements that support interdisciplinary teams in achieving effective clinical practice. If communication and collaboration are hindered, then is a possibility that critical information would be missed or overlooked, care efforts duplicated, and care outcomes negatively impacted. This is an important issue when it is considered that the health care system and care delivery processes involve numerous patient handoffs and interfaces among many medical personnel with varying levels of occupational training and education. Achieving effective clinical practice among interdisciplinary teams requires that critical information be accurately communicated, thus making team collaboration an essential element. In fact, ineffective communication interdisciplinary teams places patient safety at risk since changes in status are overlooked, unclear orders are given, information is misinterpreted, and critical information is lacking. Lack of communication and collaboration creates situations where medical errors occur with the potential to cause severe injury or even death (Joel, 2018). As such, there is a need for nurses to engage in communication and collaboration with other members of the interdisciplinary teams to support safer and more effective patient outcomes.

References

Butts, J., & Rich, K. (Eds.) (2018). Philosophies and Theories for Advanced Nursing Practice (3^rd ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.

DeNisco, S. M. & Beauvais, A. M. (2020). Advanced Practice Nursing: Essential Knowledge for the Profession (4^th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.

Ervin, N. E., & Kulbok, P. A. (2018).  Advanced Public and Community Health Nursing Practice: Population Assessment, Program Planning, and Evaluation (2^nd ed.). Springer Publishing Company.

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Joel, L. A. (2018). Advanced Practice Nursing: Essentials for Role Development (4^th ed.). F.A. Davis Company.

Loversidge, J. M., & Zurmehly, J. (2019). Evidence-informed health policy: using EBP to transform nursing and healthcare. Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.

Zaccagnini, M., & Pechacek, J. M. (Eds.) (2019). The Doctor of Nursing Practice Essentials: A New Model for Advanced Practice Nursing (4^th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC. The Evolution Of Nursing Practice Discussion