My major concerns regarding instructors during nursing school were more about which ones I would be assigned and if I would “survive” the semester, than about whether there were enough teachers to go around.
In all seriousness, nursing is a course of study that requires a great deal of instructor attention and close supervision, especially in the clinical phase when students deal with their first actual patients. In fact, the recommended instructor to student ratio in school isn’t too far off from the recommended nurse to patient ration in the real world.
Accredited nursing programs across the country are struggling to fill open instructor slots so that qualified applicants with the desire to enter this recession proof field can get started. In 2006-7, an estimated 99,000 qualified RN nursing program applicants (40 percent of all applications submitted) were turned away, due to a lack of instructors. Fortunately, state and federal lawmakers are also jumping in and lending a helping hand to nursing schools.
In California, one of the states with the fewest nurses per capita, Senator Barbara Boxer has introduced legislation to establish mandatory nurse-to-patient ratios. The new law would also award stipends to nursing students who commit to working at clinics and other facilities that serve patient populations most in need.
California has also allocated $60 million in grant money for programs that will fund specialty training at community colleges while training nursing instructors. The “golden state” needs to educate about 206,000 more nurses and health care workers by 2014 to keep up with population demands.
At the federal level, the pieces of President Obama’s 2010 budget proposal that address the nursing shortage and corresponding nursing faculty shortage, are being praised by The National League for Nursing. The specific legislation affected is Title VIII and VII. The proposed federal funding allots $125 million for nursing education loan repayment. It also grants the nurse faculty loan program a 40 percent increase in funding.
*National League for Nursing; www.nln.org
This is an ideal time for LPN’s considering making the transition to RN, to make that leap. A typical LPN to RN transition program is one year long, however it varies based on the program and the intensity of the schedule the student elects to follow. There are both advantages and disadvantages for the LPN nursing student as compared to the newbie RN in training. Fortunately, the pros outweigh the cons.
LPN’s have already been out the in field, working side by side with RN’s in hospitals and nursing home settings. They understand the nurse’s place on the patient care team and have seen for themselves all the challenges and stress that nurses face. This undoubtedly helps to prevent the “RN burnout” that many new grad RN’s face during their first year.
LPN’s making the transition to RN’s also have working knowledge of patient care challenges. LPN’s who have worked in nursing homes have critical experience managing large patient loads and working with patients suffering from memory disorders such as Alzheimer’s. This is a group of patients that can require a period of adjustment and learning for the new RN.
The challenges faced by the transitioning LPN are related to their change of hat. Because of their role assisting RN’s with their duties, LPN’s frequently get the feeling that they know what it takes to become an RN because they have actually done it. Yes, they may have learned important clinical and patient care skills, but what LPN’s are missing that they will gain in their RN training, is the critical thinking and academic knowledge base.
As LPN’s they may be used to turning to the RN or the MD for help with critical patient care decisions. RN’s are expected to utilize their knowledge base and critical thinking skills to be instrumental in key decisions, even recognizing when a doctor has unintentionally made an error on a medication order. This requires a period of adjustment for the LPN nursing student.
However, the fact remains that LPN’s have a proven edge over their “newbie” nursing student counterparts in RN training programs. As the expression goes – they have been there and done that.
When I was in junior high and high school in Massachusetts back in the 1908’s, “foreign” languages were required courses. We had two choices: Spanish or French. Apparently the educators in central Massachusetts anticipated that the United States would eventually be conquered by French Canadians. Most of us viewed the required foreign language courses as irritation requirements that were unlikely to be of much use once we graduated.
Perhaps this was a sign of the times or perhaps it was a sign of the mainly Caucasian English speaking region I was growing up in. Whatever the reason, times have changed and the demographic of the U.S., including my hometown, has become much more diverse and reflective of our reputation as a “melting pot.”
These days, languages spoken across the country extend well beyond Spanish and French. Hospitals and clinical settings in particular are magnets for patients from all cultures, ethnicities and homelands, speaking a wide variety of languages. For this reason, nursing students and nurses who are multi-lingual are a valuable commodity in health care.
Sometimes the language barrier involves the patient, others involve the patient and family members and still others involve only family members. Most hospitals employ interpreters in some capacity, however, tightening budgets may cause unnecessary delays in finding an interpreter and getting them to the bedside (or emergency room gurney).
Savvy nursing students would be well advised to add at least one foreign language to their nursing education. Although with the increasing diversification of America’s patient population, the line between “foreign” and “domestic” may soon be erased. It is especially wise to speak, write and read multiple languages in the currently competitive job market. Being multi-lingual may give you just enough to edge out another new graduate for a coveted hospital job.
