The World Health Organization (WHO) endorses naming 2020 The Year of the Nurse and Midwife in order to advance the vital role of nursing to transform health care around the world. According to Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of WHO, nurses are the “bridges” of health care, serving as a crucial link between communities where they serve and the complex healthcare systems within which they work.
In addition, this year marks the 200th birthday of the woman considered to be the founder of modern nursing: Florence Nightingale.
Having a year focused on promoting the nursing profession will:
- Offer a platform for recognizing past and present nurse leaders
- Raise the visibility of the nursing profession in conversations around policy
- Invest in the development and increased capacity of the nursing workforce
Two nursing careers we at SimTalk Blog and Pocket Nurse® think are important and deserve attention during this banner year are nursing educators and nurse entrepreneurs.
Nurse Educators
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that by the year 2022, 1.1 million registered nurses will need to be active in the workforce. They will be replacing up to 500,000 retirees and filling the 100,000 new RN positions that open each year.
Who is going to educate all these new nurses?
The list of benefits that nurse educators convey to students is a long one. Nurses who become nurse educators understand the challenges of the career, are equipped to deliver the knowledge and information nursing students needs, and convey critical, lifesaving information essential to running a successful healthcare organization.
Nurse educators provide technical skills that students need, but they go beyond the basics, especially when they incorporate simulation into their curriculum. Educators also teach refined skills and communicate the depth of knowledge vital to advance the quality of patient care.
Nurse educators will teach students the importance of:
- Community nursing
- Leadership skills
- Implementation of evidence-based practice
Today’s nurses can pursue a career in nursing education, care for patients, and pave the way to quality health care.
(Source: “Nurse Educators’ Vital Role in the Future of Nursing”, DailyNurse, June 30, 2017 )
Nurse Entrepreneurs
By now, many readers will be familiar with the history of Pocket Nurse , and of nurse entrepreneur Anthony Battaglia, MS, BSN, RN, President and CEO.
Battaglia has always been proud to be a nurse; he is equally proud of being involved in simulation education, and helping educators teach the upcoming generations of nursing and healthcare students.
Read our post about The State of Simulation Education.
Battaglia writes the following:
“All nurses have a common gift: the gift of helping the ones in need and nurturing their healing process.“They also spend countless hours helping each other through mentoring, precepting, sharing experiences on social media, or teaching. In other words, they constantly help each other grow.
“Nursing entrepreneurship is very similar. Nurses possess an abundance of ideas that have the potential of changing the industry for the better.”
Two challenges nursing entrepreneurs face are funding for their ideas and trusted distribution channels. Battaglia encourages nurses who want to create educational solutions. “By sharing ideas, nursing instructors and entrepreneurs increase their chances of finding a trusted distribution channels,” Battaglia says. “If you believe you possess an idea that can change/improve an aspect of the medical/nursing market, share it with other trusted nurses and entrepreneurs. By sharing your idea(s) and embracing constructive feedback from fellow healthcare providers, you will be able to refine your vision and turn your dream into a helping tool that many will thank you for.”
A trusted distribution channel will start a venture, which turns an idea into a concrete project, offering the creator and the distributor the opportunity to grown and help the community. Battaglia says, “’Mutual growth’ does not mean ‘taking advantage of someone else’s good idea.’”
How are you celebrating the Year of the Nurse and Midwife in 2020?
