Pathways to entry into the practice of professional nursing is confusing - Essay Example

Professional Nursing: Are Numerous Pathways Confusing? Professional Nursing: Are Numerous Pathways Confusing? As Manevaland Teeter (2010) point out, there are mainly three traditional entry points into the practice of professional nursing in the United States such as diploma programs, associate degree programs, and baccalaureate programs. New and innovative pathways to the entry into the professional nursing field have been emerged during the past decade. According to Raines and (2008), the major emerging entry points include entry-level master’s programs, accelerated programs for graduates of non-nursing disciplines, and community college-based baccalaureate programs.

I strongly believe that these numerous entry points are not confusing, but they offer a range of benefits to nursing candidates.When there are many entry points to the practice of professional nursing, candidates get a great exposure to several potential entry choices. The numerous entry points greatly assist students to choose the most appropriate one by giving specific focus to their long term career goals, opportunities for college entrance, and personal and work obligations. These options are also beneficial for candidates to choose the most affordable entry point and avoid excess financial burden.

To illustrate, as Black (2013, p. 134) purports, typically the annual cost of diploma and associate degree programs is less than baccalaureate degree programs. Those candidates who choose to attend local schools and live at home may incur lesser costs than students attending schools at distance and living in hostels. Hence, they can thoughtfully identify the entry point that would best fit to their financial interests. Another potential benefit is that students can take the issues of accreditation and articulation into account while considering entry choice.

Similarly, the emerging entry points address various issues associated with traditional entry points, and therefore students can avoid unnecessary concerns associated with their entry into the nursing profession. To sum up, the numerous entry points do not cause any confusion to students who have a clear vision of their long term career goals and financial potentials. ReferencesBlack, B. P. (2013). Professional Nursing: Concepts & Challenges. Elsevier Health Sciences. Maneval, R. E & Teeter, M. M. (2010).

THE STUDENT PERSPECTIVE on RN-Plus-10 Legislation: A Survey of Associate Degree and Diploma Nursing Program Students. Nursing Education Perspectives 31 (6): 358-361.Raines, F & Taglaireni, M. E. (2008). Career Pathways in Nursing: Entry Points and Academic Progression. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. Retrieved from http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/vol132008/No3Sept08/CareerEntryPoints.aspx