NR 390 Week 6 Discussion, Amazing Changes and Events

Amazing Changes and Events (graded) The mid-to-late 20th century was filled with amazing changes and events in professional nursing. Select one of these changes or events, describe it, and explain how that change or event has impacted the quality of nursing practice today. There are two aspects that caught my attention in this week's lesson; the division of nursing care into specialties as well as the implementation of national certification. By the 60s, intensive care units and coronary care units were established and nurses were becoming more focused on specific physiological conditions. This continues to be the case in modern day hospital care. Most hospitals, especially the bigger ones, are divided by units where nurses specialize in a certain division. I work in a telemetry unit where patients are continuously monitored with cardiac monitors. Our patient population can include a myriad of diseases, but we primarily get patients with cardiac conditions such as arrhythmias, congestive heart failure, MI, etc. Another topic discussed in this week’s lesson that caught my attention is the certifications available for nurses. All RNs receive a license from the State Board of Nursing which identifies the nurse as having met the minimum requirements to practice nursing. However, as a nurse begins to work in a specialized unit in a hospital, she may seek to become nationally certified. This coming August, I will be testing for the PCCN certification through American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). Our lesson states that this is the trend in nursing for the past 20 years. It is certainly something that nurses in our unit are encouraged to pursue.