Lifelong Learning: The Evolution of Nursing Education

Summary

The video 'Lifelong Learning: The Evolution of Nursing Education' by Wesleyan University delves into the transformation within the field of nursing education over the years. It reflects on the past norms in nursing schools, where practical hands-on experiences and learning on the job were emphasized. However, the narrative transitions to contemporary times, highlighting the increasing importance of educational preparation, research, and evidence-based practices in nursing. Nursing is portrayed as a dynamic and advanced profession requiring continuous education and adaptation to technological and scientific advancements. It underscores the notion of lifelong learning for nurses and the ever-evolving responsibilities in patient care, which involve both technical proficiency and compassionate care.

Highlights

• Nursing education was once heavily focused on hands-on experience rather than scientific study 👩‍⚕️.
• Gender norms restricted female nurses from certain tasks, which changed drastically over time 👀.
• The nursing curriculum now includes evidence-based guidelines and critical patient care evaluations 📑.
• Lifelong learning is emphasized as a necessary component of a nursing career 📘.
• Advancements in wound care show nurses often surpass doctors in specialized knowledge and skills 🩹.
• Practices like assessing a patient's room and condition remain timeless in nursing education 🕰️.

Key Takeaways

• Nursing education has shifted from solely practical training to include a strong scientific foundation 🌟.
• The role of research and evidence-based practice in nursing has become pivotal in patient care 📚.
• Nurses now handle more complex tasks traditionally done by physicians, like administering IVs 💉.
• Continuous education is essential for nurses to keep up with technological advancements in healthcare 🏥.
• The balance between high-tech care and patient compassion remains crucial in nursing ❤️.

Overview

Nursing education has undergone a remarkable evolution, shifting from an era where hands-on experience took priority over scientific education, to today where a solid scientific foundation is crucial. The early norms, depicted in the video, reveal a time when gender roles restricted nurses from performing certain tasks. This has radically changed, with nurses now performing complex tasks like administering IV medications.

Current nursing education highlights the importance of continuous learning and evidence-based practice. This shift means that nurses must consistently update their skills and knowledge to match advances in medical technology and care strategies. The video underscores how nursing education now prepares students to handle intricate care scenarios, contributing positively to patient outcomes.

Through engaging personal anecdotes and historical insights, the video stresses the dual importance of technical and compassionate skills in nursing. While nurses now operate in high-tech environments, the fundamental practice of assessing patient conditions remains unchanged. Lifelong learning is spotlighted as a critical element of nursing careers, ensuring that care standards evolve alongside advancements in the healthcare field.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Morning Routine and Roll Call The chapter titled "Morning Routine and Roll Call" describes the daily start of the day. The individuals would wake up, shower, and get dressed before going to the dining room for breakfast. However, the sequence of events is clarified; roll call occurs before breakfast, during which uniforms are checked to ensure compliance, specifically the presence of a G belt.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Importance of Choosing a Good Nursing School The chapter discusses the critical importance of selecting a reputable nursing school for those aspiring to become professional nurses. It emphasizes that only through a good nursing school can one receive the essential preparation needed for a successful career in nursing. The text further implies that there was a lack of comprehensive education or information in the past, highlighting the evolving standards of nursing education.
• 01:00 - 02:00: Gender Restrictions in Nursing Practice During the War The chapter discusses the gender-specific restrictions in nursing practice, particularly highlighting the roles of female nurses during the war. Female nurses were not permitted to interact with male anatomy, with orderlies handling tasks like administering bed pans for male patients. These restrictions were in place until the demands of war required a shift in these roles as resources became scarce.
• 02:00 - 03:00: Evolution of Nursing Education and Career Ladders The chapter discusses the evolution of nursing education and career ladders. It highlights the hands-on learning approach in nursing, where learning was primarily done at the 'shoulder' of experienced nurses. There is a mention of the past challenges faced by nursing students, such as strict instructors who imposed rigid rules, like the prohibition of fetching bedpans for male patients. These experiences underline the unique educational methods in nursing compared to other professions.
• 03:00 - 04:00: Research and Evidence-Based Interventions in Nursing The chapter discusses the integration of educational foundations and scientific support in nursing practice, highlighting the historical approach where learning was primarily 'on the job' with support from instructors and staff. It contrasts this with the current trend of increasing formal education for nurses to solidify their professional roles.
• 04:00 - 05:00: The Reality of Lifelong Learning for Nurses The chapter delves into the avenues available for nurses to engage in lifelong learning, emphasizing the importance of creating structured career ladders. It highlights the need for stronger career pathways that enable more individuals to advance within the nursing discipline. The discussion underscores the necessity of enhancing skills through educational programs, particularly those offering a bachelor's degree in nursing. Furthermore, it touches on research that substantiates the positive impact of educational preparation on nursing practices.
• 05:00 - 06:30: Technological Advances in Nursing Practice This chapter explores how technological advancements have transformed nursing practice, enhancing patient outcomes and emphasizing the importance of a strong foundational knowledge in fields like biochemistry for making informed critical judgments. It discusses the role of research in demonstrating the value of nursing skills and how these skills differ based on educational backgrounds, ultimately leading to improved patient care outcomes.
• 06:30 - 07:00: Balancing High Tech and Patient Care The chapter discusses the evolution of education in nursing, emphasizing the importance of lifelong learning. It highlights a major shift in how education is formulated, focusing on evidence-based interventions. Nurses are now expected to understand that their education doesn't end upon graduation, but continues throughout their careers. This approach reflects the dynamic nature of the healthcare field and the necessity for ongoing professional development.

Lifelong Learning: The Evolution of Nursing Education Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 well we would get up in the morning and we would shower and get dressed and then go over to the dining room have our breakfast you forgot huh you forgot roll call sorry well we had we could yeah but we could eat our breakfast before roll call excuse me no we had roll call before we went into breakfast oh did you and then you had to pull up your uni form to be sure you had on G belt you
• 00:30 - 01:00 couldn't wear [Music] gers if you want to be a professional nurse it is necessary to choose a good school of nursing because only in a good nursing school can you get the preparation on which your future as a nurse must depend in those days we didn't learn anything about about the
• 01:00 - 01:30 male anatomy at all and and the the guu either we learn we didn't know anything about it because we weren't allowed to go near the mail you know so we had orderly in those days that if the male needed a bed pan or whatever then you know they took care of that and we didn't we weren't allowed to but then during the war when things which I was here during the war became very very scarce you know
• 01:30 - 02:00 they order Le on the on the wards and and they didn't have order Le and so we had to sneak around we had one instructor that if she caught you ever getting a bed pan from it man she'd scream at you she'd stand at the end of the hall and color your name the educational system in nursing is um a little bit different as it evolved than some other uh professions because the focus was on learning at the shoulder of other nurses with some
• 02:00 - 02:30 Educational Foundation a little bit of Science and a little bit of support for all the things that you were doing but it was kind of learning on the job with the support of an instructor and some of the staff so it was upside down in the sense that usually if you're wanting to take on some kind of a professional role you have a good solid scientific foundation for that and some of the changes I think that I see are the movement to more education for nurses uh people walk up a
• 02:30 - 03:00 career ladder if they can't you know go to college right away they have opportunities to get into the discipline and they walk up a career ladder so I value that kind of thing too but but the career ladders have to be built stronger so that more people can uh move up that lad and have the advantage of the skills that coming out of a baloria program you know people have to apply to their practice there's been some wonderful research uh about the impact of educational preparation of nurses and
• 03:00 - 03:30 the outcomes that patients have and provides evidence for the value of of nursing practice also because the skill sets are are different you have a different foundation in which to make your critical judgments about patients and I think that's why the research is indicating that um the outcomes are better because you have that foundation in Biochemistry and whatever else that um helps you to make good decisions for patients there's so much more now research and uh report for
• 03:30 - 04:00 evidence-based interventions that that's I think a really major dramatic change in uh you know how how education is formulated um when when nurses graduate they have to know that it's lifelong learning ahead of them and that's got to be a constant they no longer can come out of school and say I'm set for a career and I'm going to go to work and that's the way it's going to be clearly that has not been the case for many years but that is a a real uh new
• 04:00 - 04:30 reality I think that people have to experience when they come out of school uh nurses now hang IV medications um in the units in the Intensive Care units they may have 5 10 lines going with different medications going a few years ago that would not have been done by nurses definitely Physicians would have done that and they probably would not have done that many meds in that route they would not have given IVs uh as much as they do now that
• 04:30 - 05:00 is so sophisticated the interaction of medications is really profound um and that goes along with other Med other Technologies as well um you just see that all over the place not only in intensive care you see it on the regular floors uh Wound Care by advanced practice nurses they many times know the technology that will work much better than the Physicians and it's a matter of educating the Physicians as to which product will heal that will wound
• 05:00 - 05:30 quicker the care has changed it's a much higher Tech care than it was uh I think new nurses have to know when to balance that they have to know how to balance the science and the caring part of their profession when I was with my granddaughter I tell you she's in nursing and one of her um things was that I looked at some of her curriculum and it said when you walk into a room and this is what we were taught that hasn't changed you assess the room you
• 05:30 - 06:00 look at the room the patient how the patient looks and what she's doing how you know how the patient's feeling remember we've always T that you walk in and look at everything and then you know whether the patient's progressing or whether it's they're deteriorating and that's still the same that's one thing that hasn't changed but mostly you know everything is is is in for you know new which is the way it should be you know it should nursing should progress just like any other
• 06:00 - 06:30 system