Policy Formulation for Nursing Education - Essay Example

Policy Formulation for Nursing Education AbstractThe process of policy formulation lays down the basic principles which guide government in managing sectors of society. This paper relates to policy formulation for nursing education within the healthcare sector. The problem is focused on the need for nursing education to adequately respond with the wellness revolution which today demands new specialized roles among professional nurses. This wellness revolution encompasses, among other factors, the advent of technology, focus on acute illness, long-term care, and the growing aging population.

Meanwhile, there appears to be a proliferation of short-term certificate programs which overlap with the education and training of those holding professional licensed nurses. As the roles of professional nurses are encroached upon by these certificate-holding workers, the need for more nurses widen averaging 23% increase until 2016. Curricular revision in the nursing curriculum is therefore recommended in order to safeguard nursing education and the profession, slowly threatened by waning enrolment in schools and the entry of foreign nurses to fill the need nursing practitioners gap in the healthcare sector.

In the United States, policies are “the basic principle by which government is guided” (Health Policy Guide, 2004). Meanwhile, policy formulation is the process of developing these basic principles by which government manages sectors of society. Generally, the policy formulation process takes the steps of identifying issues, making decisions and allocating resources to fund policy implementation. This paper examines policy formulation in the case of nursing education, a major segment of the healthcare sector.

Defining the problem Nursing education prepares nurses for healthcare services in hospitals, medical clinics, hospices, home care, and other healthcare placements in the country. In the United States and other developed countries, the role of nurses has greatly evolved (McGill, 2011). No longer do they fit the traditional images of health workers with white dresses and caps, dispensing medicine and doing other assistance work in hospitals and clinics. Present-day nursing practice has greatly changed due to such factors as the advent of technology, focus on acute terminal illness, long-term care, and increase in the aging population, summed up as the “wellness revolution” (CNA, 1993).

Understandably, there is a critical need to re-examine nursing education in order to adequately meet the new healthcare environment. And upon examination, there is evidence that nursing education in the United States: (a) Lack of uniformity, resulting in a mismatch, among agencies governing the healthcare sector (Donini-Lennhoff, 2008) (b) Lack of standardized curriculum among nursing schools form state-to-state (b) Overlapping of the roles of professional nurses who graduate in a diploma course with healthcare workers who receive short-term certificate courses (3-monthes or less) as caregivers and nursing aides. (c) For the 4-year diploma nursing course, only 2-years are dedicated to nursing subjects, while 2 years are for general education, and (d) Lack of specialized subjects needed to equip new graduates for new roles in the healthcare sector (Nursing World, 2007).

Constructing alternatives Nursing education needs to evolve with the times. The curriculum needs (a) to introduce nursing subjects from 1st year not starting 3rd year (b) specialized skills for contemporary wellness should be introduced in the new curriculum (c) short-term courses which overlap with nursing practice should be regulated in order to safeguard the nursing profession. With the perceived increase in sophistication in the nursing profession, upgrading of the nursing education curriculum is critical to the new wellness environment.

At present there are 3.1nmillion registered nurses in the United States (NursingWorld.Com, 2011), but this number will be outpaced by the 23% increase in future demand until the year 2016 (Wikipedia, 2011).Conclusion The future appears dim for nursing education as pseudo-nurses, getting short-term courses certificates, encroached on the roles of professional nurses. Meanwhile the new nursing graduates need specialized skills to respond to the wellness revolution. The decision is in the hands of the American Nursing Association and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to jointly act on a curriculum reform policy in nursing education.

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