Private Nursing Education for Public Healthcare
A few members of a graduating nursing class. (Thanks to nursing-schools-in-maryland.com for the pic!)
A lot of people in the media have been having miniature strokes about the latest developments in the Obama healthcare saga. Those against it claim it’s the evil socialist healthcare monster re-awakened (which is rubbish, of course), and those in favor of it claim it’s the ultimate liberal triumph of Obama’s healthcare mandate (which is closer to the truth, but still not the whole picture).
Janet Cross, noted healthcare training advocate, was kind enough to take time from her website to offer us this great guest post about the future of nursing and nurse training in America, For more of her work, see her posts on LPN programs, and more recently, her attempt to raise awareness about accelerated nursing programs in NY.
There is one thing that both the left and right forget about when discussing this crucial healthcare topic through their chosen media mouthpieces – no matter which side they’re on, after they’ve finished their mini stroke, a nurse is going to wind up taking care of them – and we don’t have enough nurses in this country to meet the demand! Everyone is focused on jobs and the economy, but seems to be neglecting the jobs-creation and economic benefits of the new healthcare plan. Simply put, we’re going to need more infrastructure. More hospitals, more clinics – and more nurses and other qualified professionals to staff them.
A nurse working on upskilling after the day is done. (Image credit: http://nursing-schools-in-michigan.com)
As if that wasn’t enough benefit, a number of private nurse training institutions are popping up all over the country to help deal with the projected staffing demands: RN programs in California and accelerated nursing programs in NY, from one end of the country to the other. They’re going to be cranking out new nurses and nursing staff as fast as possible to meet the demand – but we have to remember that quantity isn’t the same as quality, especially in something as vital to our well-being as healthcare workers. So just because you’re currently living in New York, don’t assume that have to attend an LPN school in New York. It might be more expensive to relocate to attend a nursing school in New Jersey, but if you’re going to wind up with a salary with an additional $20,000 per year tacked on, the cost of moving to attend school suddenly doesn’t seem so high – and it really can make that much difference in the nursing field. To steal something from the Simpsons, “Did you go to Hollywood Upstairs Medical College too?” isn’t a question you ever want to hear your healthcare staff asking each another.
In case (as Janet hopes) this has inspired you to consider a career move into the healthcare or nursing sectors, we’ve put together some information on some of the more prominent schools with nursing programs in America to help you decide what might be right for you.
Continuing education for Nurse Practitioners
Free nursing continuing education
Colleges in California for nursing