Being a nurse is, probably, one of the most interesting and responsible jobs in the whole world. It aims at helping people and being a connection link between professional doctors and ordinary people when the latter is in need of medical help and explanations. Educating nurses is an important aspect by means of which it is necessary to consider various recommendations (Benner, Sutphen, Leonard, & Day, 2009). IOM recommendations and their implementation to the Palmetto Hospital may help to improve the current healthcare situation in Miami as well as in any other part of the country.
The recommendation to increase the proportion of nurses with a baccalaureate degree to 80% by 2020 (Winters, 2013) makes nurse leaders work together and fund the progress in the chosen sphere. It is possible to offer flexible scheduling for students, who are eager to have part-time jobs and join the program in any season and support online education. Registered nurses like me can help to create appropriate conditions and inform potential nurses about the available possibilities via the Internet. The promotion of electronic journals and special literature by the already educated nurses can also increase the number of baccalaureates considerably.
The fifth recommendation of IOM, to double the number of nurses with doctorates (Winters, 2013), may be implemented in case nurses are encouraged to seek their doctorates and provided with supporting workplaces to develop their skills and knowledge. Many young people are eager to improve their knowledge; still, they do not know how to do it. The already experienced nurses should have a chance to share their own stories, how they could study, and why they decided to continue their education.
The sixth recommendation that promotes lifelong learning depends considerably on the possibility to get distance education at any time (Novotny & Davis, 2006). Universities should provide their students with the possibility to continue their education at different stages of life. These may be special certificates that prove the fact that a person gets the required portion of education and is free to improve his/her level of knowledge at any time. I may fit into this recommendation by means of sharing my own experience and explaining that lifelong education in the sphere of nursing is integral as true professionals should know how to use the current technologies and achievements to help other people.
My personal options in the job market with the educational level I have are huge indeed. I know that it is possible to increase the educational level and get more chances to succeed in the current job market. Good hospitals are in need of true professionals. It is not enough to know something about nursing and have a certificate. It is more important to know how to help people and demonstrate practical achievements. My practice shows me that even the students with the best grades can make mistakes (Litvak & Bisognano, 2011). Nurses should know how to change the situation within a short period of time and use their knowledge properly. The future of nursing should depend on people, who truly believe in their destiny to become a good nurse. I think that I have all chances to improve my skills and knowledge to become helpful for the sphere of nursing. Sometimes, I am ready to sacrifice my personal life and time to make something useful to the place, I am working at. I know that my help will never be extra, and I can be useful for someone in need. This is the destiny I believe in.
Reference List
Benner, P., Sutphen, M., Leonard, V., & Day, L. (2009). Educating nurses: A call for radical transformation. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.
Litvak, E., & Bisognano, M. (2011). More patients, less payment: Increasing hospital efficiency in the aftermath of health reform. Health Affairs, 30(1), 76-80.
Novotny, J., & Davis, R.H. (2006). Distance education in nursing. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.
Winters, C.A. (2013). Rural nursing: Concepts, theory, and practice. New York, NY: Springer.