Ethics in Nursing

In honor of National Nurses Week (celebrated every year from May 6 through May 12), I'd like to highlight some of the top reasons why The College Network (TCN) is dedicated to helping nurses continually improve their healthcare knowledge and gain advanced credentials throughout their careers. At TCN, we understand and appreciate nurses because they maintain selfless attitudes and they embrace their admirable roles in the following areas:

 NURTURANCE

When most people think of nurses, words like nurture, heal, and compassion likely come to mind. Nurses are dedicated to providing optimal care and putting patients at ease. They wear many hats, including those of caregiver, friend, teacher and therapist.

 TRUST

According to Gallop's annual "Honesty and Ethics" survey, nursing is considered the most trustworthy profession in the United States. The 2012 survey marks the 11th straight year that nurses have topped the list, ranking 10 percentage points above pharmacists and 15 percentage points above medical doctors. According to the survey, 85 percent of those polled ranked the trustworthiness of nurses as high or very high.

 LEADERSHIP

Although people may think of doctors as the leaders in a hospital, nurses are the true leaders of patient care. Nurses make sure patients understand instructions and procedures as well as ensure the safe implementation of interventions. Nurses also delegate various patient care activities to other members of the healthcare team. Additionally, nurses are the chief advocates for patient care needs, and they play a major role in improving patient outcomes.

 INFLUENCE

According to the American Nurses Association, "both the Affordable Care Act and the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) Future of Nursing report place nurses at the center of healthcare transformation in the United States." The knowledge and skills that nurses possess make them influential characters when it comes to changing healthcare policies, and they are increasingly being put in positions to make significant contributions to the improvement of the healthcare system.

 SERVICE

When asked why they wanted to become nurses in the first place, many (if not all) nurses will say they wanted to help people and make a difference in others' lives. Serving others and positively impacting the lives of patients and their family members is a large part of being a nurse. And it's also what makes nursing such a rewarding profession.

 EDUCATION

Nurses deserve a tremendous amount of respect for their dedication to staying relevant in the healthcare industry by continually seeking more knowledge and pursuing advanced degrees. According to the American Nurses Association's "Nursing by the numbers" fact sheet, 50 percent of registered nurses (RNs) have a bachelor's degree or higher, and 13.2 percent of RNs have a master's degree or a doctoral degree. 

If you are interested in seeking an advanced position within the great field of nursing (or in entering the profession for the first time), The College Network wants to help! Visit our nursing degrees page for more information.

Thank you, nurses, for all that you do!

Many states require nurses to obtain continuing education contact hours to help meet their licensure requirements.  A nurse might also decide to earn CNE contact hours because they are interested in keeping their skills up-to-date to provide better patient care.  Regardless of why you make the decision to pursue more education; you will gain more knowledge, higher competency and the ability to make more informed decisions. 

 The College Network® offers several online continuing education courses for busy nurses, and we are accredited as a continuing nursing education provider by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s COA.  You can gain valuable skills and earn 2.5 contact hours for each course listed below:

•         Ethics in Nursing
•         Medication Safety
•         Patient Rights

This year, The College Network is awarding contact hours for those attending the American Academy for Preceptor Advancement (AAPA) 2013 conference in Miami starting on February 22^nd.  “Crossing Bridges in Preceptoring: Specialization and Certification” at the Baptist Hospital of Miami will bring healthcare professionals from across the country to present informative lectures on preceptoring and the value it holds in today’s healthcare settings.

The AAPA would like to encourage all nurse preceptors to attend. The conference is open to the public, and you don't have to be an AAPA member to attend. If you are interested in registering for this unique event, you can visit the AAPA website for more information.

Americans have ranked nursing as the number one most honest and ethical profession on the Gallup annual poll once again, out of twenty one possible professions to choose. This has happened every year since the inclusion of nursing in the poll in 1999, with the exception of 2001, when firefighters were selected.

Nurses recently shared their reflections on the honesty and ethics inherent in the nursing profession. I am honored to feature a couple of the reflections on The College Network's Nursing Blog; they appear below.  To see what other nurses had to say, read the article on Nurse.com.

Michael Willie, RN
MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center, Baltimore

"Nursing is the most trusted profession because we deal with patients, their families and friends on such a personal level. We often need to be emotional, spiritual and physical with those we tend to. Every day, nurses remain genuine while balancing different patients with distinctive needs.

The ability to alleviate the stressors of our patients and soothe their anxieties without them feeling slighted gets a sincere response from our patients, and that’s how a bond is formed." 

Martha Lefferts, RN
Clinical Nurse 1, NICU • University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore

"Trust — in its simplest definition — is the reliance on the integrity, strength and ability of a person or thing. It is no surprise that nursing has been recognized by the public once again as the most trusted profession in America. Nurses not only are present with patients in their most intimate and vulnerable moments of illness, but also they are there in the strongest and most joyful moments of recovery. As nurses, we seek to be the ultimate advocate for our patients, taking an active role as part of the healthcare team. Evidence-based research and patient outcomes drive our practice at the bedside in order to provide the highest level of care for patients and families. It is the combination of science, leadership and compassion that allows nurses to foster a therapeutic and trusting relationship with patients, which ultimately demonstrates the high level of commitment we feel to those we care for." 

Letters of recommendation are a crucial part of the job search process. A recent article from nurse.com shared some useful insights from Nursing Managers and educators on what they seek when reading letters of recommendation for for new graduates looking to begin RN careers, as well as insights on professional and personal qualities sought in new-hire nurses. Below are some highlights from the article, which can be read in full here:

"The qualities I'm looking for are initiative, commitment to safe practice, great character, personal ethics and potential for leadership because all of this makes a great nurse in the end. I don't care if you ace all your exams. I may look over 100 letters a year so if I don't see those qualities spelled out, I'll pass on to the next person." - Anna Tigar, RN, Nurse Manager at NSLIJ Health System/Lenox Hill 

"The way to obtain a positive reference letter is stay in touch with professors, not on a daily basis, but drop them an email, let them know how you are progressing in your courses, send a holiday card. You may want to use this person again, even after you graduate, so it should be an ongoing relationship. Ideally, the letters are written by someone who knows you well, not the clinical instructor you had last month. I want to see that they are familiar with your achievements." - Geraldine Varrassi, RN, EdD, Nurse Educator at NSLIJ Health System/Lenox Hill

"A detailed scenario is always the best way a teacher can describe the superior qualities of a candidate. For example, maybe this student handled a difficult situation with extraordinary tact and knowledge, as in helping a patient and their family cope with a new diagnosis of cancer or diabetes.” -  Linda Bell, an RN-C who oversees a 37-bed medicine unit at North Shore-LIJ Health System's Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City

THE COLLEGE NETWORK IS NOW OFFERING ANCC ACCREDITED CONTINUING NURSING EDUCATION

The College Network has officially begun offering three continuing education courses for nurses that provide valuable contact hours upon successful completion.

Indianapolis, Ind. – Aug 31, 2011 – The College Network is accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to offer continuing education courses for nurses.  Available today at http://collegenetwork.com/nursingCNE, these courses include Ethics in Nursing, Medication Safety and Patient Rights.  Upon completion of each course, nurses will receive 2.5 continuing education contact hours.

Developing continuing nursing education courses was a natural progression for The College Network, which has provided distance learning and education support for nurses for nearly 20 years.  The courses developed will allow nurses to increase their knowledge in specific areas, understand issues emerging within the rapidly changing healthcare industry, and retain licensure in the 33 states that require specific numbers of contact hours each year.

“The topics of the first continuing education courses launched by The College Network were chosen because they address some of the key issues facing nurses today,” said Gary Eyler, Chief Executive Officer at The College Network. “They are designed to be convenient and flexible so nurses can participate but also continue to maintain their current work/life balance, which reinforces our commitment to providing quality education to all nurses.”

The College Network plans to continue developing continuing education courses for nurses at all levels of their careers.  Future topics may include courses on preventing infections and effective confrontation skills.

Shawn Camp knows a thing or two about becoming certified in his field. He already has his Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) and his Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI) certificates. “I have a bachelor’s in computer information,” Shawn said. “I wanted to earn my Certificate in Project Management because that certification places you in the middle of everything that a corporation wants in an employee.”

Because he’s originally from Boston, Mass., Shawn found the opportunity to earn his Project Management Certificate from Boston University Corporate Education Center very enticing. The fact that he could earn the certificate completely online also caught his interest. “The nearest school to me that offers this program is four hours away. Online education was just a much better option for me in this case,” Shawn said.

With all the education that Shawn continues to accumulate, he hopes to one day be a network administrator or to be able to run his own computer firm. “I’m really excited to just get this experience and move on from there. I want to see where it takes me,” he said. “This certificate shows your willingness to learn, your ability to take on more responsibilities, adds more weight to your resume and, in some cases, even gets your foot in the door.”

Coming from a technology background, Shawn knows the importance of keeping up with trends in today’s highly technical world. “Technology changes every six months,” Shawn said. “If you can keep up with everything that’s changing in today’s world, you’ll be all the more valuable to employers.”

Have you been considering going back to school, whether it be for a certificate or a degree? Let The College Network help you meet your goals! The College Network works to offer online degrees from leading universities. Our distance nursing degrees include MS in Nursing Management, LVN to BSN programs, Associate Degree in Nursing online, Online Paramedic to RN program, Bachelor of Nursing programs, RN to MSN Bridge Programs and more. Our certificate programs include: project management and PMP preparation courses, paralegal, lean six sigma green belt, hospitality, human resources and more.  

Did you know that by the year 2020, there will be an estimated shortage of 800,000 RNs?  With the world population living longer and needing more care, the healthcare field is one of the best places to get a job, and will likely stay that way for many years to come. With over 100,000 vacant positions and an ever-growing need for healthcare workers, the career outlook is excellent for RNs. Because of the increasing need for nurses, some hospitals are offering signing bonuses of up to $14,000 for experienced nurses.
 

Nursing is a highly regarded profession. A 2004 Gallup Poll announced that the public again voted nurses number one for "honesty and ethical standards of various professions."

Today many colleges offer wonderful nursing degree programs. One major thing you need to make sure of before selecting a program is that the program is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission or the (NLNAC). By selecting a school with accreditation you usually guarantee that you will be able to sit for your boards.

The LPN to RN program offered through The College Network is not only NLNAC accredited but is also regionally (Middle States Association of Colleges & Schools) accredited too. This means it's the same degree as your local campus based program (assuming it's fully NLNAC & regionally accredited) but the difference is you never have to sit in a classroom with TCN.