Options in the Job Market
One of the options that I can pursue in the job market with an associate degree in nursing is a home care nurse. In this case, I will be required to assess patients who have challenges in movement and develop an effective care plan. A home care nurse also has the duty to monitor a patient’s symptoms and vital signs to identify whether they are progressing positively or require an adjustment of their care plans. The position also requires one to administer medications and engage in pain management.
With an associate degree in nursing, I can also choose to become a patient coordinator. The position tasks nurses with the role of connecting patients with the healthcare system. The main duty is to ensure that the care received by a patient is appropriate for their condition (10 Jobs, 2021). A coordinator must ensure that patients understand their medical conditions and how to take prescribed medications. The position allows a nurse to work collaboratively with patients to make effective decisions about care plans. The job option is closely related to that of a care coordinator who cooperates with other health care providers to develop treatment plans for various patients. The treatment plans highlight patients’ appointments, medical interventions, and funding to cover received care.
My current level of education also allows me to become a clinical associate in the job market. The role requires one to handle various nurse duties such as moving patients and equipment. They also keep track of various monitors to ensure that they are functioning as required. While serving the position one can also help in collecting blood and other specimens as instructed by a physician. My current achievements in education also allow me to become a pediatric nurse (10 Jobs, 2021). The option requires a nurse to provide care to toddlers by monitoring their growth and development. This involves cooperation with parents and guardians to deliver appropriate child health care. The role requires one to be very familiar with diseases common among children for them to provide appropriate medication. My associate degree in nursing provides several options for me to pursue in the job market.
Professional Certification and Advanced Degrees
The advanced degree I would like to pursue in the future is the Master of Science in nursing for me to gain more skills and knowledge for me to advance my career. Pursuing an MSN will open more employment opportunities with higher pay, thus more chances of a better lifestyle (25 Reasons, 2021). The degree will enhance job security for me since nurses with the education level are in great demand. The advanced degree will also give me the capabilities to take up leadership roles in nursing practice. The program enables one to learn how to run a healthcare setting and manage a dynamic team to maintain proper medical records. Advancing my education will also offer me the chance to specialize in a field of great interest to me. Another reason for me to pursue an MSN is that it will enable me to keep up with the changing trends in nursing practice. I seek to achieve my MSN within the next two years while continuing to provide care.
Continuing Education and Competitiveness
Increasing the current level of education affects competitiveness in the job market since it helps a nurse gain more skills and knowledge to advance to higher career opportunities. The healthcare sector also seeks to identify nurses with advanced education since they help to enhance patient outcomes through the provision of quality care (Fawaz et al., 2018). Advancing one’s education helps promote competitiveness since it helps to ensure that a nurse keeps up with trends in the sector. In this case, one can easily use technology and other innovations to provide care without facing difficulties. Healthcare stakeholders focus on identifying nurse practitioners with such capability over those who possess basic skills. A nurse continuing their education also develops a specialty that is not pursued by many nurse practitioners, thus a chance for career development.
Continuing Nursing Education Relationship
Continuing nursing education plays a significant role in enhancing a nurse’s competency by helping them to gain new knowledge and skills in practice. Nurses who advance their education gain critical thinking and problem-solving skills necessary to address various problems presented by a patient in a healthcare setting. Continued learning also ensures that nurses stay up to date on new treatment methods and policies necessary to enhance the quality of care received by patients. Advancement in nursing education helps nurses to maintain their licensure, which is necessary for them to engage in the provision of care. A nurse who seeks more education gains the capabilities to provide evidence-based care to enhance patient outcomes.
Continuing education helps nurses to change their attitudes when offering healthcare to patients. Nurses who continue their education have a positive attitude towards treatment procedures by perceiving that their skills and knowledge are adequate to enhance a patient’s quality of life. Advancing one’s knowledge and skills also helps to change nurse attitudes towards patients by allowing them to gain knowledge on how to deal with people from different backgrounds and diverse health problems.
Continuing education has a significant impact on nurses’ knowledge since it enables them to learn more about healthcare (Fawaz et al., 2018). Advanced education also allows nurses to know about innovations and practices in healthcare and how to utilize them. Failure to increase one’s education can lead the information and skills previously learned by a nurse to become obsolete. A nurse who chooses to advance their education follows the ANA Scope and Standards for Practice and Code of Ethics, which requires registered nurses to further their education for them to keep up with current practice (ANA Standards, 2021). In this case, ANA advocates the need for nurses to pursue further education to know the new trends in practice.
Continuing Nursing Education
Advanced nursing education should be mandatory for all nurses to ensure that the care they offer to patients is consistent with current standards of care and health policies. The strategy helps to ensure that nurses are up to date with new advances in healthcare. Nurses who increase their educational levels gain more skills and knowledge necessary to enhance the quality of care offered to patients (Importance of Continuing Education, 2019). This also allows nurses to explore other areas of nursing, such as home health, wound care, and pain management. It also enhances the possibility of nurses working in collaboration with other health providers to enhance treatment outcomes. Continuing education should be mandatory for all nurses since it ensures that they are competent enough in emerging practices and innovations in healthcare.
References
Importance of continuing education. (2019). Duquesne university school of nursing. Web.
Fawaz, M. A., Hamdan-Mansour, A. M., & Tassi, A. (2018). Challenges facing nursing education in the advanced healthcare environment. International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, 9, 105-110. Web.
10 jobs you can get with an associate degree in nursing. (2021). Indeed Career Guide. Web.
ANA standards of professional performance. (2021). BSN Student Handbook. Web.
25 reasons to get a master’s in nursing. (2020). Nurse Journal. Web.