Healthcare is evolving in today’s technology-driven environment. New diseases and infections are discovered almost every month, with the need for qualified medical staff with the right skills and expertise skyrocketing.
In these trying times, nurses are an indispensable part of any healthcare system. Besides, the pandemic has also proved the worth of nurses more than ever. Simultaneously, there is also an emphasis on the academic qualification of nurses to meet the need for diverse patient care.
Due to advanced patient care and patient satisfaction, using technology and advanced equipment has become indispensable. The changing needs suggest that nurses should have professional education and training more than ever now.
For many years, nurses were only required to pass an exam to be registered, but those times are long gone. While many nurses assume they’d still be relevant with an associate degree, the current trends and demands say otherwise.
The need for qualified nurses is on the rise, especially those with advanced degrees and training. Healthcare employers prefer nurses with advanced degrees because it helps healthcare facilities save time needed to train nurses for complex medical conditions.
Qualified nurses with advanced degrees are offered better positions in healthcare institutions. They have better prospects than those with associate degrees, which is one of the main reasons nursing degrees are essential now more than ever.
Below are more reasons detailing why advanced nursing degrees are essential now more than ever
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Changing needs of the industry
Nurses find a unique position to work alongside other healthcare professionals. More than ever, they are required to provide customized and improved service across various healthcare settings.
To meet the demands of improved service, which are patient-centric, evidence-based, and accessible, nurses must transition to advanced roles, which is only possible through advanced education.
Attending a physical university is out of the question because of an ongoing pandemic. Even if it was possible, allocating time and resources to work and study is very challenging. But luckily, nurses don’t have to attend classroom-based lectures anymore because of online degrees.
With most educational institutions offering online medical degrees, nurses keen on acquiring higher, more advanced roles in their careers opt for accredited online msn programs without attending a physical university or investing resources in traveling.
Lacing yourself with advanced trends and skills is the only way to ensure the sustainability of your job, as the concept of the survival of the fittest is still relevant like always.
Offer Improved healthcare service
One reason employers prefer nurses with an advanced degree is that their degree justifies their skills. This ultimately implies better patient care and improvement in healthcare overall.
Medical advancement is also a parameter of their competency level. Besides, higher qualification is also a sign of readiness and a growing ability to learn and assimilate new trends into service delivery.
Qualified nurses earn Magnet status
Healthcare providers are also making efforts to earn Magnet status. A Magnet status implies that a hospital or medical facility offers better service and patient care environment. One of the requirements is to have 80% of its nurses holding a bachelor’s or master’s degree to achieve Magnet status.
Thus, this is one of the biggest motivations for healthcare providers to take qualified nurses onboard. It sends cues about their quality of service. Therefore, all healthcare service providers who have already earned or want to earn the Magnet status are less likely to employ nurses without an advanced degree.
Integration of technology into the healthcare
The use of new technology and cutting-edge knowledge is widespread in the healthcare system. Nurses less equipped with advanced knowledge may not work around technology and computerized systems without education or experience.
The rise of informatics in the healthcare profession has made things complicated for the nursing profession. Contemporary service delivery trends need nurses to work with gadgets, use the internet, and work with a wealth of online information.
Therefore, more than ever, a nurse has to adapt to a tech-based environment, work with online patient portals and provide optimized operational efficiency.
Advanced nursing education can aid you in connecting with other experts across the globe and discuss rare health situations. Furthermore, you can analyze data and make informed decisions that comply with universal health standards. Finally, your education can bring new insights and improvements in healthcare.
Improving advocacy role of nurses
Nurses are an unavoidable part of healthcare systems. Their interaction with patients and other entities of the healthcare system is more frequent than others. This interaction makes them aware of the ground realities, needs of the patients, and requirements of improvements.
They see the impact of policies and changing rules more than others; therefore, they are also in the proper position to raise their voice. Unfortunately, they often struggle to find a commanding place on the table, with no opportunity to voice their concerns.
An advanced degree in nursing offers you the right competencies. It helps you surface as leaders of change and take up advocacy roles. With the proper communication and negotiation skills, you can take up critical roles as changemakers for patients and your profession. Without a doubt, higher education can impart you with such capabilities and the required level of confidence.
Conclusion
The concept of lifelong learning plays an essential role in the nursing profession. The Healthcare system is evolving and will continue to do so in the future. The developing needs of the system require nurses with modern education and an advanced concept of service delivery.
Without such knowledge and skills, nurses may fail to meet the new standards of service delivery revolving around information technology. The need for nurses to equip with new skills is more pressing than ever, with the pandemic as a significant turning point.
Their flexibility to embrace advanced learning can help them understand the complexities of patient care; hence, revolutionize healthcare in the end. Gaining an advanced nursing degree can prove to be a landmark for progressing their profession, simultaneously improving their performance.
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