Factors Affecting Nursing Education - Article Example

The significant increase in the population that is diverse is likely to continue affecting the nature of diseases. Thus, it will require continued changes in the nursing practice because the learners and faculty have to learn how to respect the diverse population with different beliefs and values. As noted by Diekelmann, (2012) on page 6, there is also a shortage of nursing faculty which has a constraint on nursing education. There are also changes in student demographics because the racial and ethnic diversity among students in schools is increasing. In addition, students are now entering nursing schools at older ages with different work experiences. Many are raising families and there are those with full-time careers. This has a constraint on their education because it needs a lot of flexible schedules.

The other factor affecting nursing education is the technological explosion in the health sector. A look at the current scenario in the healthcare sector shows that there is rapid growth in technology resulting in a radical impact on how nurses get educated (Willis Commission on Nursing Education, 2012). It has promoted technological applications, for example, telemedicine. Therefore, nurses in this century not only have to learn concepts of health promotion, reduction of risks, and disease prevention among others but need to be skilled in the use of computers. There is also distance learning that links students from different locations with the nursing faculty. The advancing technology continues to stimulate the critical thinking of students and their acquisition of skills in user-friendly environments. Read More