Once upon a time the American nursing profession was distinctively white and female, with little variation on that theme. Hospital-based nursing programs were about the only way you could get an education as a nurse, working alongside and subservient to physicians and many other healthcare staff for that matter.
Thankfully, that image has changed and along with it nursing schools, nursing programs, and the faces of nursing students. The contemporary prospective nurse comes straight from high school, from previous careers and with packaged with college degrees of a different sort, men, all colors, cultural backgrounds and belief-systems, and even from foreign countries.
At the same time the face of nursing students has changed, so too has Healthcare and the American hospital scene. Access to healthcare has been made possible for millions more Americans and therefore the spectrum of patient has expanded. Because the challenge that faces nurses is to effect patient care in the short-term and long-term the ability to connect and communicate is imperative. With a diverse team of nurses available to work with patients the fewer the obstacles to effective nursing. Simply put, patients are more apt to respond when the connect with a professional that looks like them and shares a like culture, language, or set of beliefs or one that is in tune with those perspectives.
Find out why the nursing profession is such a hot draw for professionals from other career backgrounds. What 2 major changes in nursing education is this population of student nurses driving forth and why?
Stigma remains attached to men in nursing, if not from within the industry, then without. Many patients, believe it or not, are unaccustomed to and even uncomfortable with a male nurse in attendance. Find out what are the most common practice venues for males in the profession.
The population of minority nurses has been steadily growing, which is a big plus for diversifying contemporary nursing teams. But some populations require support and assistance in this career field. To those ends a number of very active nursing associations rigorously provide professional support to their members.
Along the same lines foreign and international nurses and students have been critical components in the make up of U.S. nursing for decades. But does the current nursing shortage crack open new and hotter debate over international nurses?