The Impact of World War II on Nursing Education in the United States

The United States going into World War II had a tremendous affect on nursing. The huge shortage caused Dr. Mildred Montag, a doctoral student at Teacher’s College and Director of Adelphi College’s School of Nursing, to initiate nursing programs that will allow nurses to graduate sooner and yet still be clinically prepared to care for wounded soldiers. The program was instilled with the idea that the United States would quickly produce “technical bedside nurses” working along with the more experienced, now considered as BSN nurses. This plan, thought to be temporary, quickly became the program of choice for many aspiring nurses.

The idea of choosing a diploma program had many benefits. One can complete the program in as little as two-years and it is more economical with the reduced tuition rates. While a bachelor’s degree is more time consuming, taking four-years to complete, the curriculum covers an ADN program as well as “liberal education, quality and patient safety, evidence-based practice, information management, health care policy and finance, communication/collaboration, clinical prevention/population health, and professional values” (Creasia, p25).

BSN uses theory and research-based knowledge in the direct and indirect delivery of care to patients and in the formation of partnerships with patients and the interdisciplinary health care team (AACN, 1998). These nurses are considered qualified for a multitude of nursing positions such as nurse managers and patient care coordinators. Overall BSN nurses are better qualified to care for the patient as a whole, instead of focusing on each specific medical condition.

In a situation with a homeless patient with multiple medical conditions such as HIV, TB, hepatitis, diabetes, hypertension, PTSD, and depression, this person needs quality care and special attention to details. HIV could have been related to unprotected sex; maybe this person cannot afford sexual protection. Or is this person an IV drug user, and exchanging needles with others within his community. What happened to this patient in the past or what feelings is he harboring inside that is making him turn to drugs for emotional relief?

His nurse should be asking such questions to get a better idea of how he lives on a day-to day basis. Maybe he can benefit from a methadone clinic. How does he feel about that? The nurse needs to also look within herself regarding this and other controversial treatments. In Health and Social Care in the Community, Reiley states, “given the lack of proactive care for homeless people and their high morbidity, they stand out as frequent attenders when they do access healthcare services, which can create ambivalent staff attitudes to this needy under class.

” As nurses, our attitudes and body language can have a great affect on whether or not such a sensitive population will return again for future medical services. This correlates on how the care and health of a person involves the four metaparadigm of nursing: person, environment, health, and nursing. In conclusion, obtaining a baccalaureate degree can give nurses the knowledge to provide better nursing care. Nurses learn how to think deeper and more complex, realizing that nursing care goes beyond hospital walls.

On a personal note, since my first day doing bedside nursing, I can honestly say that I feel like I am not doing all I can for my patients. Later on in my day while at home, I find myself reflecting on that day’s events and analyzing what I could have done better. Just because I have passed the NCLEX, does not make me as qualified as the other BSN nurses. I do believe that I can practice safe nursing, and that is the purpose of taking state boards.

What we fail to realize as diploma and associate nurses is that the “exam does not test for differences between graduates of different programs, measure performance over time, or test for all of the knowledge and skills developed through a baccalaureate program (AACN, 2011). Therefore is it our obligation to our patients and ourselves to continue on with education and to always remember, “Look at the whole patient, and not just the hole in the patient,” (Kelley, 2010).

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The Impact of World War II on Nursing Education in the United States. (2016, Aug 13). Retrieved from https://phdessay.com/adn-vs-bsn/

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