Letters Letters are welcome and encouraged. They should raise points of current interest in the care of critical or high acuity patients or address topics that previously have appeared in the American Journal of Critical Care. Please be concise; letters are subject to editing for length and clarity. Include your name, credentials, title (optional), institutional affiliation, city and state, and phone number (for verification, not publication). Address letters to [email protected]. Correspondence also may be sent via eLetters from the journal’s Web site, www.ajcconline.org.
Nursing Education Needs a Stronger Science Focus Thank you for the thought-provoking editorial in the November issue of the American Journal of Critical Care.1 I truly believe that it takes many components to be an excellent nurse, starting with a strong educational platform. Other necessary components are a variety of nursing experiences and, of course, a strong ambition to always learn more and keep the skills you already have sharp. I have an associate’s degree in nursing with 13 years of experience, 9 of those years in the intensive care unit. As I am starting the process of obtaining a registered nurse to bachelor of nursing science (BSN) degree, I feel I can add my 2 cents to the discussion of nursing education. Two of the reasons it has taken me so long to go back for my BSN are as follows: 1. The BSN program itself is severely lacking science courses. Instead, it is filled with humanities classes and psychosocial courses. Why nursing continues to try and separate itself from medicine mystifies me. To be respected by physicians and other colleagues, we need more focus on a strong knowledge of science. 2. As was stated in the editorial, monetary compensation is also a factor. Most nurses did not go into nursing for the money, but higher education, for most, means higher compensation. DAVID THOMAS, RN, CCRN Denver, Colorado FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES None Reported
REFERENCES 1. Munro CL, Savel RH. Avoiding the critical care nursing brain drain. Am J Crit Care. 2013;22(5):372-374.
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4037/ajcc2014620
Response: We congratulate the author on continuing his educational journey! The Institute of Medicine report1 recognized that nurses have experienced barriers in returning for additional education, and recommended that students’ transitions into higher degree programs be seamless. Identifying and addressing barriers to nurses gaining additional education is imperative. Whereas nursing education continues to be grounded in both basic and social sciences (both of which are essential), as patient care has increased in complexity the knowledge necessary for practice has increased as well. In addition to strong preparation in the sciences and clinical care delivery, nurses must also be competent in leadership, health policy, quality and safety, and health systems improvement. The knowledge base for nursing practice is extensive. CINDY L. MUNRO, RN, PHD, ANP Tampa, Florida RICHARD H. SAVEL, MD New York, New York FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES None Reported REFERENCES 1. Committee on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the Future of Nursing, at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2011.
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4037/ajcc2014257
10
AJCC AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CRITICAL CARE, January 2014, Volume 23, No. 1 Downloaded from ajcc.aacnjournals.org by guest on May 8, 2015
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Nursing Education Needs a Stronger Science Focus David Thomas Am J Crit Care 2014;23:10 doi: 10.4037/ajcc2014620 © 2014 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Published online http://www.ajcconline.org Personal use only. For copyright permission information: http://ajcc.aacnjournals.org/cgi/external_ref?link_type=PERMISSIONDIRECT
Subscription Information http://ajcc.aacnjournals.org/subscriptions/ Information for authors http://ajcc.aacnjournals.org/misc/ifora.xhtml Submit a manuscript http://www.editorialmanager.com/ajcc Email alerts http://ajcc.aacnjournals.org/subscriptions/etoc.xhtml
AJCC, the American Journal of Critical Care, is the official peer-reviewed research journal of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), published bimonthly by The InnoVision Group, 101 Columbia, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656. Telephone: (800) 899-1712, (949) 362-2050, ext. 532. Fax: (949) 362-2049. Copyright © 2014 by AACN. All rights reserved.
Downloaded from ajcc.aacnjournals.org by guest on May 8, 2015
Nursing Education Needs a Stronger Science Focus Thank you for the thought-provoking editorial in the November issue of the American Journal of Critical Care.1 I truly believe that it takes many components to be an excellent nurse, starting with a strong educational platform. Other necessary components are a variety of nursing experiences and, of course, a strong ambition to always learn more and keep the skills you already have sharp. I have an associate’s degree in nursing with 13 years of experience, 9 of those years in the intensive care unit. As I am starting the process of obtaining a registered nurse to bachelor of nursing science (BSN) degree, I feel I can add my 2 cents to the discussion of nursing education. Two of the reasons it has taken me so long to go back for my BSN are as follows: 1. The BSN program itself is severely lacking science courses. Instead, it is filled with humanities classes and psychosocial courses. Why nursing continues to try and separate itself from medicine mystifies me. To be respected by physicians and other colleagues, we need more focus on a strong knowledge of science. 2. As was stated in the editorial, monetary compensation is also a factor. Most nurses did not go into nursing for the money, but higher education, for most, means higher compensation. DAVID THOMAS, RN, CCRN Denver, Colorado FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES None Reported
REFERENCES 1. Munro CL, Savel RH. Avoiding the critical care nursing brain drain. Am J Crit Care. 2013;22(5):372-374.
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4037/ajcc2014620
Response: We congratulate the author on continuing his educational journey! The Institute of Medicine report1 recognized that nurses have experienced barriers in returning for additional education, and recommended that students’ transitions into higher degree programs be seamless. Identifying and addressing barriers to nurses gaining additional education is imperative. Whereas nursing education continues to be grounded in both basic and social sciences (both of which are essential), as patient care has increased in complexity the knowledge necessary for practice has increased as well. In addition to strong preparation in the sciences and clinical care delivery, nurses must also be competent in leadership, health policy, quality and safety, and health systems improvement. The knowledge base for nursing practice is extensive. CINDY L. MUNRO, RN, PHD, ANP Tampa, Florida RICHARD H. SAVEL, MD New York, New York FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES None Reported REFERENCES 1. Committee on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the Future of Nursing, at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2011.
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4037/ajcc2014257
10
AJCC AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CRITICAL CARE, January 2014, Volume 23, No. 1 Downloaded from ajcc.aacnjournals.org by guest on May 8, 2015
www.ajcconline.org
Nursing Education Needs a Stronger Science Focus David Thomas Am J Crit Care 2014;23:10 doi: 10.4037/ajcc2014620 © 2014 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Published online http://www.ajcconline.org Personal use only. For copyright permission information: http://ajcc.aacnjournals.org/cgi/external_ref?link_type=PERMISSIONDIRECT
Subscription Information http://ajcc.aacnjournals.org/subscriptions/ Information for authors http://ajcc.aacnjournals.org/misc/ifora.xhtml Submit a manuscript http://www.editorialmanager.com/ajcc Email alerts http://ajcc.aacnjournals.org/subscriptions/etoc.xhtml
AJCC, the American Journal of Critical Care, is the official peer-reviewed research journal of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), published bimonthly by The InnoVision Group, 101 Columbia, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656. Telephone: (800) 899-1712, (949) 362-2050, ext. 532. Fax: (949) 362-2049. Copyright © 2014 by AACN. All rights reserved.
Downloaded from ajcc.aacnjournals.org by guest on May 8, 2015
