NLN Trends Related to Cultural Transformation - Assignment Example

Running head: NLN Trends related to Cultural Transformation NLN Trends Related to Cultural Transformation Insert Insert Grade Insert Tutor’s Name March 7, 2012 NLN Trends Related to Cultural Transformation The nursing profession entails providing healthcare services to patients in order to help them recover and attain normal health condition. The mode of this service delivery has changed over time with the social, political, and economic changes that have been registered, and more changes are expected.

These have reflected in the education for the nurses as well. Heller, Oros, and Durney-Crowley (N.d) have identified some of the trends expected in nursing education in the future. Of the tend trends that have been identified, the trends like change of demographics and increased diversity among students and the patients alongside the increase of educated consumers relates to the cultural transformation that are expected in these nursing facilities. One of the factors that necessitate cultural transformation in nursing is the increased awareness of the consumers on their legal rights while receiving the services.

Legislative provisions have been enacted and movements are underway that advocate for improved quality of the services provided while upholding the rights of the users of the services. As the level of literacy increases, and with the increased use of modern information technology more individuals tend to understand their rights and their roles in ensuring that they receive quality health care. The change initiatives require the nursing homes to be resident-focused (Doty, Koren & Sturla, 2008) as opposed to the traditional institutional system where the nursing practice was restricted to the factors within the institution.

The nursing homes should be modeled to suit the patients and not vice versa. It is required that the patients be involved in the decision-making processes that are likely to affect the care that they are given in these centers. There is also a need to have the health facilities be transformed to a home-like environment with structures different from the hospital setting. This involves alteration of the physical environment of the nursing facility (Doty, Koren & Sturla, 2008). The consumers of these services are well aware of these provisions and requirements prompting the nursing facilities to alter their operational styles and their structure.

For the organizations that have applied the culture change model, the elder individuals in the care centers have better privacy as opposed to the earlier times. The needs and rights of the individuals are given the first priority with the patients able to make choices on the diet menu, the meal times or bed times (Doty, Koren & Sturla, 2008). The patients are also subjected to individualized care. Changes have also been recorded in the available treatment methods and the patients are aware of this.

The traditional social and cultural values in the care centers have to change to accommodate modern treatment methods like the Palliative and End-of-life Care technologies. The changing demographics among the patients and the nursing students are another factor calling for a change in the culture in nursing homes. With the improved health systems in the United States, there is improvement in the average life expectancy and the health care homes will receive increasing number of older people in the next one or two decades (Heller, Oros, and Durney-Crowley, n.d). There will be considerable diversity among this population with the elderly requiring more individual-focused care.

This implies that a culture should be developed that recognizes the diversity and cultural difference among the patients (Coe, 2012). The other demographic changes have been recorded in the nursing students in the United States (Heller, Oros, and Durney-Crowley n.d). The increased number of students undertaking nursing from different religious cultures, races, and ethnic communities requires that the learning and working environment for the employees be more relaxed to allow the nurses to develop their skills.

Some of the students have also had some previous professional experience before commencing the program. This wealth of social and cultural diversity is profitable in managing yet another culturally diverse population of the patients. Sharing with the individual experiences with other members of the staff is an effective way of improve cultural competencies in the nurses (Coe, 2012). The culture change models require creation of a good work environment for the employees in the healthcare centers.

The models advocate for the independence of the care providers while executing their duties. They need to be allowed to schedule their programs with the patients. Some of the students attend the nursing programs as senior students who have other family responsibilities (Heller, Oros, and Durney-Crowley n.d). These individuals need to be allowed to plan and arrange for their visits with the patients without the intervention of the top management of the health care center. The intended cultural transformations in the nursing sector have potential benefits to the quality of care and the general operations in these homes and some of the homes have realized this fact.

A national survey of nursing homes conducted in the US in 2007 by The Commonwealth Fund to investigate the impacts of adopting the new cultures indicated that nursing facilities that had adopted some culture change had enjoyed some benefits. These included increased occupancy rates, improved employee loyalty, reduced operational costs, and attraction of more clients (Doty, Koren & Sturla, 2008). It is projected that increased awareness of these benefits will motivate more nursing homes to adopt the culture change models.

References Coe, S. (2012). Cultural Competency in the nursing profession. Retrieved from http://www.nursetogether.com/Career/Career-Article/itemid/1154.aspx Doty, M., Koren, M., & Sturla, E. (2008). Culture Change in Nursing Homes: How Far Have We Come? Findings from the Commonwealth Fund 2007 National Survey of Nursing Homes. Retrieved from http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Publications/Fund-Reports/2008/May/Culture-Change-in-Nursing-Homes--How-Far-Have-We-Come--Findings-From-The-Commonwealth-Fund-2007-Nati.aspx . Heller, B., Oros, M., & Durney-Crowley, J. (N.d).

The Future of Nursing Education: Ten Trends to Watch, National League for Nursing Publications. Retrieved from http://www.nln.org/nlnjournal/infotrends.htm