Expert Interviews, Guides & Advocacy Issues in Nursing

The prevailing powers of the age write history. Because patriarchy has predominated for the past 12,000 years, that also means most of modern history was arbitrated and recorded by men. Due to this prevailing power structure, the erasure of women’s contributions to science, technology, and medicine is well-documented, and there are indeed too many examples to quantify. Famous cases of men taking credit for women’s discoveries are also exceedingly common, as is the general disregard that academics have shown toward caring roles, professions which include nursing, social work, and teaching.

Transitioning from nursing school into clinical practice has always challenged new nurses. According to one study published in Nursing Economics, 17 percent of new graduate nurses leave the profession entirely within one year. To combat this trend, hospitals and nursing education organizations have created new graduate nurse residency programs to serve as a bridge between the classroom and the hospital, better-supporting nurses and making the process easier and less daunting.

We are thrilled to announce that the winner of this year’s NursingColleges.com Scholarship is Nakisha Dyson, a deserving graduate from St. Ambrose University. Nakisha graduated in May as a registered nurse with a bachelor’s degree in science through an accredited online program at St. Ambrose University. Her application stood out for its depth, originality, and a passionate commitment to the nursing profession.

Advocacy is woven deeply into the nurse practitioner (NP) role. It’s a part of the job that’s never finished. Advocacy can occur at a micro level, by advocating one-on-one for a particular patient, or at the macro level, by lobbying for policy changes; it’s often a mix of the two. For many NPs, advocacy concerns a particular issue close to their heart, one connected to underserved patients who deserve additional support. For Dr. Felesia Brown, the issue is health equity.

Home healthcare plays a significant role in reducing hospital stays and costly readmissions. It is frequently used to help patients recover from surgery, injury, or acute illness. As a result, home health nurses play an important part in the patient care continuum and in compliance with treatment regimens that ensure better outcomes.

Advocacy is woven deeply into the nurse practitioner (NP) role. It’s a part of the job that’s never finished. Advocacy can occur at a micro level, by advocating one-on-one for a particular patient, or at the macro level, by lobbying for policy changes; it’s often a mix of the two. For many NPs, advocacy is about a particular issue close to their heart, one connected to underserved patients who deserve additional support. For Dr. Kelli Garber, the issue is telehealth.

Nurses are expected to adhere to the morals of the profession and embrace them as a part of what it means to be a nurse. Having a code of ethics makes it clear what the profession’s primary goals, obligations, and values are.

Nursing, at its core, is the profession of caring for others. However, compassion, an essential trait for nurses, extends beyond caring for needs. According to researcher Beth Lown in a paper published in the Association for the Study of Medical Education Journal, “Compassion involves recognition, understanding, emotional resonance and empathic concern for another’s concerns, distress, pain and suffering, coupled with their acknowledgment, and motivation and relational action to ameliorate these conditions.”

There is a great variety in APRN opportunities, ranging from general to specialized. Read on to learn about the best graduate nursing degrees in 2023-2024, including those for NPs, CNMs, and CNSs.

Healthcare involves many more people than the physician and the patient. The modern healthcare team is a broadly interprofessional one, including nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, physical therapists, nutritionists, counselors, and social workers, just to name a few.