Dec 2, 2014, 10:57 AM, Posted by
Susan Dentzer
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Oct 8, 2013, 9:00 AM, Posted by
Charleen Tachibana
Three years ago this week, the Institute of Medicine issued a landmark report, Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. Its recommendations include increasing the proportion of nurses with baccalaureate degrees to 80 percent by 2020. Charleen Tachibana, MN, RN, FAAN, is senior vice president, hospital administrator, and chief nursing officer at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. Tachibana is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellow (2009 – 2012).
Virginia Mason Medical Center began a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN)-only hiring guideline in the summer of 2012. The change in hiring guidelines for our staff followed a decade of having educational guidelines in place for our nurse leaders. This was a critical step in our success, as our leaders were able to support and understand the need for this change. It’s important for leaders to model lifelong learning, including advancement with formal education. So, last August I also began my Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program.
The publication of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on the Future of Nursing really provided the momentum to move to another level. The prominence of this report has made this a relatively easy transition and provided the clarity on why this is critical for our patients and for our profession at this point in time.
Although we have focused this requirement on new hires, it’s been impressive to see the wave of staff RNs returning to school, many for their master’s or doctorate degrees.
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Aug 2, 2013, 9:00 AM, Posted by
Marni Storey
Marni Storey, BSN, MS, is interim director of Clark County Public Health in Vancouver, Washington, chair-elect of the Washington State Association of Local Public Health Officials, and a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellow (2013-2016).
I am often asked if I recommend public health nursing as a career option. My enthusiastic answer is ABSOLUTELY! I have been a public health nurse for more than 25 years and am one of a very few Americans who wakes up every day believing I have the best job in the world. There are many reasons I enjoy this profession, but three important pillars of public health nursing have kept me engaged for more than 25 years, and will keep me enthusiastic for many years to come.
The first pillar is that public health nursing services—including nursing assessment, intervention, and evaluation—are focused on a population, not on individuals. Whether you are interested in women, children, ethnic or cultural groups, or if you are interested in conditions such as HIV/AIDS, communicable diseases or obesity, the strategies used by public health nurses affect entire communities.
While challenging, this population focus is also rewarding because, as a public health nurse, you are developing an understanding of an entire group of people or community in order to effectively carry out your nursing duties. This is very different from the individual relationships you develop in other nursing fields. Also rewarding is the chance to witness community transformation as a result of the collective impact of communities working together.
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