This paper examines three key recommendations from the Institute of Medicine's Future of Nursing report — increasing the proportion of nurses with baccalaureate degrees to 80% by 2020, doubling the number of nurses with doctorates, and ensuring lifelong learning — and analyzes their practical implications for nursing career development. The author reflects on how each recommendation affects personal competitiveness in the job market, arguing that experience functions as a critical complement to formal credentials. The paper also considers how the Affordable Care Act has expanded demand for qualified nurses and how ongoing education, whether formal or experiential, prepares nurses for evolving supervisory and leadership roles.
By increasing the proportion of nurses with advanced degrees, healthcare firms can hire skilled workers at a lower cost. It has been proven that workers are, in many instances, the highest cost incurred by businesses. By raising the proportion of nurses holding baccalaureate degrees to 80%, competition within the labor market is enhanced significantly. This competition will ultimately lower labor costs for employers. Through this dynamic, potential employees will work for less as the supply of labor outweighs demand. Therefore, candidates must possess skills that differentiate themselves from peers in the industry in order to remain competitive.
Aspects such as interpersonal skills, which are highly desirable within the healthcare profession, would become increasingly sought after. Transferable skills such as leadership and communication would be particularly advantageous to candidates seeking entry-level positions. Both of these components represent areas of personal strength. Leadership skills and communication acumen will help set strong candidates apart from the field when it comes to employment.
Job market options under this recommendation are varied and plentiful. The Affordable Care Act, along with consolidation among healthcare companies, has created a vast array of nursing positions from which candidates can benefit. As more than 30 million newly insured Americans enter the healthcare system, the need for skilled nursing professionals will become profound. Job prospects under this recommendation are therefore considerable (Bond, 1994).
Doctoral degrees are relatively rare within the nursing profession. As a result, they create a meaningful competitive advantage for those who hold them. However, for nurses whose graduation date falls well before 2020, opportunities for advancement may be limited as a greater number of doctoral candidates enter the market.
From a service perspective, society will benefit from access to better healthcare delivered by highly credentialed professionals. The expertise of doctoral candidates can be distributed throughout an organization, enriching the teams around them. From a professional development perspective, working alongside doctoral-level colleagues offers valuable experiential learning — one can gain skills and insights through daily collaboration that support personal growth. Options at the doctoral level remain limited, however, unless one actively pursues doctoral coursework (Christensen, 2011).
Of the three recommendations examined here, the commitment to lifelong learning is arguably the most important. A dedication to continuous learning equips nurses with skills that transcend their current role within an organization. It also allows nurses to anticipate future trends and adjust their competencies accordingly — a capacity that will become increasingly vital as the Affordable Care Act continues to reshape the healthcare landscape.
Lifelong learning allows nurses to adapt to the changing dynamics of the healthcare industry while simultaneously becoming more viable employees. A pertinent example is technology and its growing impact on the healthcare profession. With a commitment to ongoing learning, a nurse can better anticipate the need for technological skills and prepare to implement emerging tools and systems.
Those who engage in lifelong learning are substantially stronger candidates than those who do not. Continuous learning enables healthcare professionals to build knowledge that benefits their employers while making them more competitive in the labor market over the long term.
Education provides two distinct benefits within the job market. First, it increases an individual's competency with regard to their overall job function. Second, it allows employers to assess the value a potential employee may bring to the organization. An education in the healthcare field is broadly beneficial; however, the notion that nurses must obtain a master's or doctoral degree to remain competitive is debatable.
Experience, by far, is one of the most powerful ways to compete in the current job market. By deepening one's knowledge through hands-on experience, an individual is better positioned to add tangible value to their organization. Employers hire master's or doctoral candidates because they believe those candidates can contribute more than their bachelor's-level counterparts. If that added value cannot be demonstrated, the credential alone will not be persuasive. It is therefore reasonable to argue that experience creates a compelling value proposition that complements — and in some cases rivals — the value of advanced degrees. By gaining field experience, candidates are better able to respond to the evolving needs of employers (Simmons, 2009). Practical knowledge helps candidates compete effectively against those who possess only theoretical, classroom-based learning.
"Experience vs. credentials in nursing job market"
"Education shaping future nursing roles and responsibilities"
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