The Role of the Masters Nurse - Term Paper Example

Masters Degree Part II The Role of the Masters Nurse Healthcare today, with all its changes demands better educated nurses. There is a need for morenurses, better educated nurses, and revised systems and environments for delivering nursing care to patients. The overall delivery of healthcare services has gone through continuous changes with patient care becoming increasing complex, lengths of stay more compressed, services offered in shorter amounts of time, and an explosion of new treatment modalities, as well as an accelerated need for continued education of healthcare professionals. This has all worked together to create a fragmented healthcare system with gaps in communication, numerous and repetitive handovers between caregivers, and an environment that is more discipline than patient centered care (Woodward, Webb, Prowse et.al.2005). Studies show that errors may very well not have anything to do with the competence of staff but with the complexity of the systems that have evolved. This paper will discuss this healthcare system and how the Masters prepared nurse fits into it as well as that of the Masters prepared nurse with a specialty in Education. Strong partnerships are needed to advance the profession of nursing and to address the myriad of challenges that will be faced in the near future. These partnerships have the promise of making the kinds of changes that could be lasting and advance the nursing profession in such a way as to put nursing at the forefront of addressing the present dysfunctions in the system. After all who better to address those dysfunctions than nursing who is the caring advocate of the patient and system.(Lukosium, DiCenso, Brown 2004). There is not single definition but this writer would expect to be a part of extending the traditional scope of nursing in a highly autonomous practice, which maximizes the use of nursing knowledge and contributes to the development of the profession. Those things ca occur through the professional activities that include evaluating nursing interventions, enhancing the nursing role in the new models of care delivery, research education, and facilitating change in healthcare policies and practices. There is an expectation to be able to use innovation in this advancement which cannot occur without the education that a Masters degree provides. The Masters further provides this writer with the ability to achieve an integration of that knowledge in such a way as to include clinical practice, education, research, professional development, and organizational leadership. Masters Nurses are definitely leaders in their profession. “Today’s assignment: Find more nurse educators.” (Tressman, 2009). The battle cry for staff nurses has only quieted for a short time, quieted by the economy at this time. Soon it will begin again. It is far from over. How do we fill those nursing position when we do not have educators. The average age of a doctorally prepared full professor is 59 years old, 56 for associate professors and 52 for assistant professors (Tressman, 2009). Most nurse faculty retire at 63 therefore the pool of professors will be very much decreased very shortly. More than 50,000 qualified ap0plicants were turned away from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2008 in a large part because of insufficient numbers of nurse faculty. Most of the major Colleges of Nursing have faculty positions that they are searching at this time. There are many other drawbacks including pay and benefits. However, nursing program deans firmly believe that the benefits of being a nurse educator far outweigh the drawbacks. Two of the reasons that most faculty give for the importance of their job are that they are involved in influencing the next generation of nurses and the they have the ability to create new knowledge through research that benefits nurses and patients. These are the very reasons why this writer would want a specialty in Education. If one has a passion for nursing, one has a passion for assuring that the next generation of nurses is well trained and ready to enter the field. This writer has been lucky enough to have a great mentor who was not only a great nurse but also a great advanced practice nurse and eventually a teacher. This paper will call her Jean. Jean was an ICU nurse for a few years and continuously felt like there was so much to do that she could not affect from her position that she went back to school. She at first decided to get a Masters degree in Health Care Administration because her thought was that she might be able to affect change through management and hospital administration. She became frustrated however, because it did not allow the time for the research that was necessary to affect change. Jean went on to get a second Masters degree in Education and eventually a PhD in Nursing Education. Jean, in a sense, picked became a mentor for this writer. The qualities that she possessed were and are the qualities this writer hopes to possess. She was wise in her passion for nursing. She understood that there were things that affected every nurse in such a way that they might make the wrong choices. She was committed to working on the processes related to the care they gave everyday and encouraging everyone to go back to school. She had an easy communication style and listened better than most. She was collaborative in all ways and a leader. Her critical thinking skills are far and above the average and she has a great passion for research. She once said, “I have been able to assist my profession to rise to a higher level of professionalism in practice, decision making, and leadership.” Certainly we would all wish the same thing. In conclusion, the Masters level is a very relevant level for professional and personal development in nurses. If nurses are to meet the demands of a changing healthcare, they must not only be better educated themselves but have passionate mentors in the field of Education that are able to continue to bring up the next set of nurses The diversity of professional roles will continue to change and the Masters prepared nurse will be ready to make the change with them. “Masters level education should be accepted as the gold standard for a “higher level of practice in nursing ” (Whyte, Lugton, & Fawcett). References Lukosius, D., DiCenso, A., Browne, G., Pinelli, J. (2004). Advanced practice nursing roles; development, implementation and evaluation. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 48(5). 519-526. Tabor, D., Quirk, R., Wilson, L. et.al. (2008). Pioneering a new role; the beginning, current practice and future of the Clinical Nurse Leader. Journal of Nursing Management. 16. 623-628. Tornabeni, J., Miller, J. (2008). The power of partnership to shape the future of nursing: The evolution of the clinical nurse leader. Journal of Nursing Management. 16 608-613. Tressman, S. (2009). Today’s assignment; Find more nurse educators. The American Nurse. 12-13 Wilson, L., Penn, B., Rosseter, R. (2008). Transitioning from nursing practice to a teaching role. Journal of Issues in Nursing. 13(3). Whyte, D., Lugton, J. & Fawcett, T. (2000). Fit for purpose: the relevance of Masters preparation for the practice of nursing. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 31(5). 1072- 1080. Woodward, V., Webb, C., & Prowse, M. (2004). Nurse consultants: organizational Influences on role achievement. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 15. 272-280. Read More