Nurse education has undergone significant changes in most of the
countries. Today emphasis is laid on the practical aspect of nursing
rather than the conventional theoretical approach. Today the role of
nurses is not restricted to mere taking proper care of the patient, but
they are also members of the doctors’ core team, assisting doctors in
discharging their duties smoothly and efficiently.
Nurse education courses are being planned in such a way that the
students do not face difficulty to cope up with the challenges involved
in the profession and moreover pick up both the theory and practice of
nursing in an effective way. Nursing students, therefore, are trained
by experienced nurses and educators.
Brief History of Nurse Education
‘The Lady with the Lamp’ Florence Nightingale is credited with
bringing about this change in nurse education. She set up the first
nurse training school at St Thomas’ Hospital in London in 1860. Nursing
practice was the main theme of Nightingale’s curriculum, which
highlighted the significance of task ability and sanitation. Ethel
Bedford-Fenwick, noted nurse at that time, echoed that the formal
nursing courses must not be restricted to hospitals.
In the United States, nurse education courses have solely been
proffered by the university schools. In the year 1923, the Yale School
of Nursing became the first autonomous school of nursing in the United
States. The first European institution to provide a nursing degree was
the University of Edinburgh, but that was as late as 1972.
Different Nurse Education Courses
Nursing schools offer education courses like the Registered Nursing
degree (RN) to Bachelor of Sciences in Nursing (BSN), MSN programs and
even impart CAN training as well as Parish nursing. Students aspiring
to make a career in nursing must choose courses according to the kind
of nursing job he/she wishes to take up.
There are also advanced courses meant for registered nurses who want
to improve their skill. Almost every nursing school offers clinical
training to ensure that the students get much-needed practical
exposure. (Aspirants are advised to make sure that whichever nursing
school they choose, it must be NLN accredited).
If your hectic schedule or some other reason prevents you from
attending regular classes, opt for California College for Health
Sciences. The online nursing school offers online diploma courses for
both bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, with specializations in
Nursing, Respiratory therapy, early childhood education, public health
and health care management and others.
Distance Nursing Education programs take the aid of technical
support and methods to impart students with quality nurse education.
These technical support comprise a different content-delivery methods,
like audio conference by telephone, audio cassette tape, videotaped
instruction, courier service, electronic mail, faxing, fixed computer
media (CD-ROM and floppy disk), Internet list-serves, room-based video
conference (interactive television), desktop video conference and World
Wide Web.
Future Prospects Of Higher Nurse Education Courses
Master’s program in nursing enables students to apply for higher
post in clinic. In addition, students can specialize in areas like
community health, adult health, family nurse practitioner and nursing
administration. Students having Bachelor of Science in Nursing or
Master of Science in Nursing, willing to become educational leaders in
academic and clinical establishments can pursue the Graduate
Certificate in Nursing Education.
The demand of nursing school graduates has increased considerably.
The United States is facing an acute crisis of nurses and if the trend
continues, the country will face dearth of 400,000 professional nurses
by the year 2020, posing a huge challenge for the country. To counter
this challenge and encourage nurse education, the national government
is offering financial aid as well as job placement assistance to
nursing students.