Effects of Continuing Education on Nursing Profession - Research Paper Example

? Effects of Continuing Education on Nursing Profession Effects of continuing education on nursing profession are both negative and positive. Different nurses participate on continuation of study with diverse motives; other to increase their knowledge and others to change careers. The purpose of the study is to investigate effects of continuing education on nursing profession. The study will be carried at Gloria hospital; random sampling will be employed to obtain subjects. Data will be analyzed with SPSS version 14 and interpreted in charts and tables. Introduction/ Background Information Continuing nursing education is a process whereby, a previously qualified nurse advances on the already acquired knowledge and skills. Nursing care has been changing, hence requires a nurse to update on their skills. International nursing bodies have encouraged nurses to continue with their studies to remain competent and deliver improved care. There are different factors that have influenced nurse’s decisions on continuation of education. These factors include; individual decision, organization decision and professional decision (Chaska, 2001). Dynamics that influenced a nurse’s decision on continuation of the study, will affect the outcome of study in positive or negative manner. For effective continuation of studies nurse are require to participate fully in the study. A vast majority of nurses have participated on continuation of the education, various impacts have been noted. Therefore, the study aims to find out impact of continued education on nursing profession. Research questions 1. What is the link between continuing of education and the level of competence among nurses at Gloria hospital? 2. What is the connection between continuation of education and the quality of care delivery among nurses at Gloria hospital? 3. What is the relationship between continuations of studies and shortage of staff (nurses) at Gloria hospital? Literature Review i. Education and level of competence Different studies have been done to evaluate the level competence among nurses who are pursuing continued education. According to the survey done by Emerson, it shows that there is positive relation between continuation of studies and the level of competence (Emerson, 2007). Obstetricians that have advanced in their area of specialization showed increased knowledge and capability to handle situations at hand, Johnston states that, nurses who were involved on mandatory continuation of learning, showed positive change in terms of behavior and practice. The level of referral drastically reduced after nurses were involved in the mandatory continuation on education (Johnston et al, 2009). According to the study, it explained that nurses acquired more knowledge regarding their specialty; the increased knowledge and positive attitude toward patients care enable them to perform their tasks more effective. Therefore, there were little referral compared before involvement in the studies. The study also indicates that, the program of mandatory continuing education acted as motivator among nurses, hence appreciated their work more, and show high level of competency (Emerson, 2007). ii. Continuation of education and the qualities of care delivery There have been different studies that have been conducted to evaluate the impact of continuing studies on the level of care delivery. Most survey conducted showed positive link between the level in the quality care delivery and increased level of education. According to the survey done by Moini, most of nurses who were involved in a program of voluntary mandatory education; showed high quality care delivery after enrollment to education. The researcher stated that, adult voluntary learning was the best way to advance individual level of education. Through identification of individuals need in a particular area, they will voluntarily enroll on continuation of education to upgrade their skills in the area required, hence, improving the quality of care delivery (Moini, 2012). According to the survey done among nurses who either voluntarily or involved in compulsory continuing education; the study showed that, 67% of the nurses were involved to studying a new area, and not building on what they previously acquired. Due to this specialization in the different field, it enabled nurses to have wider or broader knowledge on the care of patients. The study also showed that, about 78% of the nurses involved in continued education showed higher level of confidence while carrying out their tasks. The research state that, the level of confidence is as a result of sufficient knowledge, and the nurse knows what it is expected of them. iii. Continuation of education and shortage of staff According to the survey done by Oermann and Gaberson, it shows that despite the importance on continuation of studies; it always ends up creating shortage of staffs at the hospital settings (Oermann & Gaberson, 2006). Most of nurses have identified their need for continuation of studies; these has left most of the hospital setting with few nurses as most of them are either of educational vacation or resigned from their duties to advance their knowledge. According to Chaska, he stated that about 47% of the nurses participate on continuation of studies; after acquiring the knowledge and academic papers, they change their careers. About 57% of nurse who have changed their career, they have ended in teaching profession (Chaska, 2001). In conclusion, studies have shown that there is both negative and positive impact on continuation of education. Sampling Method The research will employ simple random sampling method. In random sampling, all participants in the distinct population will have independent and equal chance of being selected as one of the members in the subjects. The selection of one subject or nurse will not affect the selection of other. Study Area The study will be conducted at Gloria hospital. The hospital is located 50 miles of west of New York City. Ethical Considerations The survey will take into account the research ethical guidelines, which provides a framework for carrying out researches. The subjects to be involved in the study will be explained on the implications and benefit of the study before obtaining consent from them. The information given or availed by the respondents or the subjects will to be kept confidential; it will not at any time passed to other parties. With patient’s information held confidential, it will enable subjects to trust researcher and be loyal. The subjects will never at any point be coaxed to take part in the exercise; the exercise is voluntary in nature. There will be no respondent who will to be exposed to any form of sanctions if he/ she feel to withdraw from the study. Methodology i. Method of data collection Self administered questionnaire will be used as an instrument of data collection. The questionnaire will compose both closed and open ended questions. The developed questionnaire will be pre-tested so that to test and measure its validity. Pretesting of the questionnaire will be carried out in a sampled population resembling the actual population in terms of characteristics. The data collection will be done through a self-administered questionnaire. The idea or the purpose of the study will be explained to the subjects in order to obtain consent. The researcher with help of research assistant will check for completeness of the questionnaire. The questionnaires that will not be completely filled will be discarded. a) Questions in the questionnaire Do you have a feeling of confident to carry out nursing procedure after continuation of education? A. yes B. no If no in the above question please briefly explain why ……………………………. After completion of the study will you still remain in nursing profession? A. Yes B. No Data Analysis The data collected will be sorted, cleaned-out, coded then entered and evaluated with SPSS (Statistical Package For social sciences). The analyzed data will then be summarized and presented using, bar graphs, frequency tables, in text, pie charts, and Narrative. Potential Limitations There will be financial constraint to the researcher; it is the researcher who will cater for the total costs. After cutting unnecessary expenses, and the researcher to do most of the activities; the cost or the study still remained high. Time will also be a limiting factor; the study may take a longer. The research is too involving; the aim of the study is to evaluate impact or effect of continue education which takes quite a long duration of time. Non-disclosure from the respondents is one of the major potential limitations. It is assumed that most of the nurses feared to disclose about their education standards. Other major challenge that the research is going to face is lack of enough respondent to give adequate information. It assumed that only few nurses from one institution participate in the continuation of the study References Chaska, N. L. (2001). The Nursing profession: a time to speak. New York: McGraw-Hill. Emerson, R. J. (2007). Nursing education in the clinical setting. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby Elsevier. Johnston, M., Johnston, M., Davis, K., Davis, K., Gricar, J., & Gricar, J. (2009). The pharmacy technician: foundations and practices. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Moini, J. (2012). Comprehensive exam review for the pharmacy technician (2nd Ed.). Australia: Delmar Cengage Learning. Oermann, M. H., & Gaberson, K. B. (2006). Evaluation and testing in nursing education (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Springer Pub. Co. Read More