Training opportunities for nurses are instrumental in addressing public health issues and meeting the needs of patients properly. The provision of training options has gained especially high significance in the current environment of a health crisis, namely, the COVID pandemic. For this reason, considering the recommendations offered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to encourage improvements in nursing practice should be regarded as an essential guide toward addressing some of the key concerns. Namely, four primary recommendations can be singled out of the range of suggestions that the HRSA provides to nurses (HRSA, 2019). The focus on increased communication, the promotion of continuous learning, enhancement in the quality of education, and the increase in preparedness through policy improvements can be regarded as the current priority. Since the described changes contribute to integrated care by embracing diversity and promoting evidence-based practice, they need to be applied to the current public health context.
The focus on communication appears to be the cornerstone principle for effective dissemination of knowledge and development of skills in nurses for addressing public health issues. The rationale for the promotion of communication and the application of innovative tools for cross-disciplinary collaboration is quite self-explanatory. Namely, the inclusion of the specified policies into the current system of nurse training will allow sharing experiences and expanding the knowledge system of nurses so that they could address a variety of cases.
The emphasis on diversity has a similar rationale at its core. Inciting the process of training nurses to consider culture-specific issues associated with health, the specified recommendation is rooted in the need to address the needs of each patient individually while being aware of the health issues to consider when handling a specific case (Bigley, 2016). Paying attention to the unique vulnerabilities of marginalized groups and the challenges that people from particular backgrounds face is crucial to providing adequate care and preventing major health problems from occurring.
The focus on unceasing learning as part and parcel of nursing education is another recommendation provided by HRSA that is bound to improve the quality of healthcare training substantially. Acquiring new skills as new challenges emerge is central to effective care and the introduction of a systematic approach to patient care (HRSA, 2019). The described framework will contribute to the development of skills needed to manage the needs of diverse groups, as well as develop a quick response to newly emerging health issues.
Finally, the focus on building preparedness toward health crises should be included into the training program as a crucial part of being able to support the community and provide immediate assistance in case of need. As the COVID-19 pandemic has shown, building an immediate strategy for handling a public health issue and preventing its further spread is central to shielding vulnerable populations from major health issues (Bigley, 2016). Therefore, the recommendation to focus on building preparedness offered by the HRSA should be taken with due seriousness and incorporated into the training program.
By encouraging continuous learning and, thus, improving the quality of nurse education, as well as prioritizing communication and diversity, nurses will be able to provide integrated care of the required quality level. As a result, improvements in access to healthcare services, as well as better management of patients’ needs, provision of care, and prevention of health issues can be expected in the target community. By introducing the specified notions into the contemporary nursing environment, one will be able to advance the development of integrated care and create extra opportunities for patients to receive care of proper quality.
References
Bigley, M. B. (2016). HRSA’s transformation of public health training. Public Health Reports, 131(1), 4-6.
HRSA. (2019). Integrated care: Meeting America’s 21st century healthcare training needs. Department of Health and Human Services.