How Nursing Education Promotes Improved Clinical Outcomes

Nursing Practicing Today

The purpose of this paper is to provide an explanation concerning how nursing practice has changed over time and the implications of these changes for nurses’ scope of practice and approach to treatment as well as a comparison of the differentiated competencies of nurses with an associate (ADN) and baccalaureate (BSN) degree and the corresponding practices changes between their scope of practice. In addition, a description of a specific client care situation and how nursing care, or approaches to decision making, differ between the BSN-prepared nurse and the ADN nurse. Further, the paper presents a discussion concerning the significance of applying evidence-based practice to nursing care and an explanation of how the academic preparation of the RN-BSN nurse supports its application. Finally, a discussion concerning how nurses today communicate and collaborate with interdisciplinary teams and how this supports safer and more effective client outcomes is followed by a summary of the findings in the conclusion.

Explain how nursing practice has changed over time and how this evolution has changed the scope of practice and the approach to treating the individual.

In sharp contrast to the role that was played by nurses a century ago, professional nurses today serve as vital members of multidisciplinary health care teams, an evolution that has directly improved patient outcomes. The foundations for modern nursing began with Florence Nightingale’s seminal nursing work during the mid-19th century and women’s heroic life-saving actions on the Civil War battlefields shortly thereafter. Over the succeeding years, these early contributions helped the nursing profession gain newfound respect and appreciation, but nurses were still primarily relegated to a helper role rather than an active health care practitioner. As the nursing educators at Texas Woman’s University point out, “As one of the oldest occupations, nurses have faced and inspired an array of changes. The most remarkable not only raised the profession but patient outcomes and the overall state of health care” (How the Evolution of the Nursing Profession Benefits Nurses & Patients Alike, 2019, para. 5).

One of the most significant changes in the evolution of the nursing profession has been the introduction of formalized nursing education programs. Although training programs for nurses began operation during the late 19th century, the early initiatives were formalized during the second half of the 20th century into the national network of undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate nursing programming that is in place at present (How the Evolution of the Nursing Profession Benefits Nurses & Patients Alike, 2019). Today, the scope of professional nursing practice extends to virtually all medical and surgical specialty areas, as well as ancillary health disciplines with 2-year associate’s degree and 4-year baccalaureate programs leading to an ADN and BSN degree, respectively (Auerbach et al., 2019). The cumulative effects of this formalization and professionalization of the nursing profession have been dramatically improved quality of care for patients of all ages and conditions (Auerbach et al., 2019).

Compare the differentiated practice competencies between an associate (ADN) and baccalaureate (BSN) education in nursing. Explain how scope of practice changes between an associate and baccalaureate nurse.

The transition from ADN to BSN not only involves a fundamental shift from practicing as a technical RN to a professional RN, there is also a corresponding expansion of the scope of practice that is involved (ADN vs. BSN, 2022). For example, BSN nurses typically possess a greater level of autonomy in their day-to-day practice that provides them with the ability to make on-the-job decisions concerning patient care. Further, BSN nurses also serve in leadership roles as well as in administrative and management capacities and even research or education based on their greater understanding and knowledge of the larger health care issues facing the nation today (ADN vs. BSN, 2022).

Identify a specific client care situation and describe how nursing care, or approaches to decision making, differ between the BSN-prepared nurse and the ADN nurse.

A specific client care situation that is currently high profile is suspected monkeypox. In this specific situation, a 14-year-old white male presents with red bumps on his arms and complains of severe itching and recurring fever. In this case, the ADN nurse would be tasked with collecting the patient’s medical history and vital signs, updating his chart and performing periodic monitoring based on the guidance of physicians or nurse practitioners. Conversely, the BSN-prepared nurse would be responsible for the inspection of the symptomatic red bumps, interdisciplinary collaboration and the coordination of follow-up care by other providers. It is important to note, however, that BSN-prepared nurses may be required to perform all of the requisite nursing tasks required depending on the staffing levels of their respective organizations.

Discuss the significance of applying evidence-based practice to nursing care and explain how the academic preparation of the RN-BSN nurse supports its application.

Evidence-based practice (EBP) has emerged as the gold standard for nursing practice today. According to the definition provided by Farokhzadian et al. (2018), “EBP in nursing is the process by which nurses make clinical decisions using the best available research evidence, which is blended with their clinical expertise, patient preferences and clinical guidelines. This definition of EBP ensures a more patient-centered approach” (p. 1107). In fact, EBP also ensures that that nursing care provided patients is based on the best scientific evidence available. Likewise, EBP also provides a valuable framework in which nurse care can be provided in a self-competency fashion that promotes improved clinical outcomes (Farokhzadian et al., 2018). Consequently, curricular offerings concerning EBP for the academic preparation of the RN-BSN supports its real-world application in virtually all health care settings

Discuss how nurses today communicate and collaborate with interdisciplinary teams and how this supports safer and more effective client outcomes.

While face-to-face exchanges between health care practitioners typically produce the best results, nurses can also use a wide array of other communication tools to collaborate with interdisciplinary teams. Indeed, besides telephonic and email exchanges, nurses can also take advantage of virtual team applications that specifically support multidisciplinary collaboration. Moreover, most health care practitioners already possess the skill set that is necessary to use these tools effectively, and electronic health records combined with patient-centered, evidence-based interventions consistently provide optimal clinical outcomes.