NRS 415 Topic 1 DQ 2 How has nursing practice evolved over time?

NRS 415 Topic 1 DQ 2 How has nursing practice evolved over time?

How has nursing practice evolved over time? Explain the significance of evidence-based practice and critical

thinking in modern nursing. Identify one key nursing leader and summarize one historical event that has shaped contemporary nursing practice, the advancement of nursing as a profession, and the development of nursing roles. Select a leader and a historical event different from those identified by your classmates.

Initial discussion question posts should be a minimum of 200 words and include at least two references cited using APA format. Responses to peers or faculty should be 100-150 words and include one reference. Refer to “RN-BSN Discussion Question Rubric” and “RN-BSN Participation Rubric,” located in Class Resources, to understand the expectations for initial discussion question posts and participation posts, respectively.

American Association of Colleges of Nursing Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education

This assignment aligns to AACN Core Competencies 1.1, 9.5.

NRS 415 Topic 1 DQ 2 

Nursing has evolved due to the ever-changing healthcare culture and environment. Nurses must continue to strive for better education, training, technological intelligence. This is not only to better themselves but also to better care for the diverse patient populations and greater healthcare communities we serve. The nursing profession was transformed into a respectable vocation and set in motion to advance nursing roles through nursing education programs by Florence Nightingale.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) developed five core competencies that all health professionals should be able to demonstrate. By developing these competencies, the IOM creates a high standard. It also is the framework on which nursing programs can be built. These competencies ensure the nursing profession meets the needs and safety of the patients. Evidence-based practice (EBP) is one of these core competencies.

With the evolution of healthcare, new practices need to be developed to keep up with diverse patient needs. Evidence-based practice (EBP) uses scientific research to improve clinical practice. Evidence-based practice “integrates [s] best research with clinical expertise and patient values for optimum care and participates in learning and research activities to the extent feasible” (Institute of Medicine [IOM], 2003, Ch. 3).

The nursing practice meets the competency of EBP by integrating their clinical practice with the most up-to-date research and continuing education. Evidence-based practice utilizes scientific research and evidence to better standardize health care practices. Peer–review helps to put trust into new research when experts in the same field review and scrutinize new scientific work (Mahmoud & Abdelrasol, 2019). An obstacle to implementing EBP nursing is organizational limitations. These limitations include nurses not having time to read and understand research fully.

Additionally, they may not feel they have enough power to change patient care procedures. Healthcare teams are overcoming this by employing trained clinical librarians to support healthcare professionals by identifying and utilizing the best and most upto-date scientific literature (IOM, 2003). Enhancing the work environment to decrease workload, increase resources, and gain administrative support can also help reduce these limitations and enable the implementation of best practices (Mahmoud & Abdelrasol, 2019).

Critical thinking is a crucial attribute of professional nursing. This concept goes hand-in-hand with EPB. Critical thinking uses our knowledge as nurses to reason and identify strengths and weaknesses during problem-solving. It also prepares nurses with the skills to support EBP, such as reflection, evaluation, analysis, and interpretation. Nurses who can analyze information, evaluate evidence, and draw sound conclusions based on reliable data are vital players in the effective implementation of EBP. Their critical thinking skills enable them to identify gaps in current practices, evaluate potential solutions, and make informed decisions that improve patient outcomes. As such, cultivating and honing critical thinking skills among nurses is essential for the successful integration of EBP into clinical practice (Profetto-McGrath, 2005).

Florence Nightingale paved the way for the nursing profession by transforming it into a respectable and sought-after vocation. She did this by establishing a set of principles on the multiple methods used to promote health and improve the care of patients (University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, n.d.). Nightingale and her group of nurses helped decrease the death rate of soldiers from 40% to 2% during the Crimean War in 1854 (Alexander, 2019). She achieved this by improving sanitary conditions, as she believed poor sanitation led to increased mortality (Fee & Garofalo, 2010).

Nightingale continued to promote sanitary standards and practices as an integral facet of her work. She established the Nightingale Training School at St. Thomas Hospital in 1860 (Alexander, 2019). Nursing education programs were established in the United States of America based on the ideas of Florence Nightingale (University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, n.d.). As the demand for nurses grew, the need for regulating nurse education and a licensing system increased. 

The nursing profession continued to grow and became an integral part of health care in the 1900s (University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, n.d). This growth led to the diversification of services provided and an expanding set of special skills. Public health nursing, nurse-midwives, nurse anesthetists, and other specialties were and continue to be created (University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, n.d). In the 1960s, nursing programs were modernized (University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, n.d). Schools increasingly used an established scientific basis for instruction. Patient outcomes improved  and schooling continues to evolve to solve healthcare problems (University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, n.d).

References

Alexander, K. L. (2019). Florence Nightingale. National Women’s History Museum. https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/florencenightingale

Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on the Health Professions Education Summit. (2003). Health professions education: A bridge to quality. National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/10681

Mahmoud, M. H., & Abdelrasol, Z. F. M. (2019). Obstacles in employing evidence-based practice by nurses in their clinical settings: A descriptive study. Frontiers of Nursing, 6(2), 123–133. https://doi.org/10.2478/fon-2019-0019

The essentials: Core competencies for professional nursing education. (2021). American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

Profetto-McGrath, J. (2005). Critical thinking and evidence-based practice. Journal of Professional Nursing, 21(6), 364–371. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2005.10.002

University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. (n.d.). American nursing: An introduction to the past. https://www.nursing.upenn.edu/nhhc/american–nursing–an–introduction–to–thepast/

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