Nurses Are What Nurses Do—Are You Where You Want to Be?

Abstract

Nursing performance, or the skills a nurse exhibits in practice, is limited by the extent or level of a nurse's knowledge base; hence, the expression "nurses are what nurses do" probes nurses' levels of satisfaction with their present educational status. Given the rapid changes in health care today, nurses are questioning their level of commitment to lifelong learning in meeting ever-changing demands. This article examines measures being taken to assess the adequacy of nurses' knowledge base in a field that requires continuous adaptation to change.

Should the Entry Into Nursing Practice Be the Baccalaureate Degree?

“…Yet despite having strength in numbers, nurses are the least educated of all the interdisciplinary health care team members with whom they collaborate. These teams consist of physicians, pharmacists, speech pathologists, and physical and occupational therapists, all of whom recognize the importance of and need for higher education to deliver appropriate patient care 5 …”

Situated Approaches to Information Literacy for Nurses: The View from a Canadian Nurse

“…The region has several small community hospitals and one small city hospital. As in other parts of Canada, healthcare facilities in this region are subject to ever changing conditions of fiscal restraints, chronic health conditions, enlightened consumers, spiralling costs and technological advances (Domino, 2005).…”

“…It is estimated that, within three to five years of graduating, one half of the nurse's knowledge is obsolete (Domino, 2005). The half-life is shorter for technological knowledge.…”

“…Benson (2004) identifies barriers such as organisation-centred rather than learner-centred initiatives and a lack of managerial support for identified staff needs. Staff shortages also impact on the quality of a community of practice when the nurses do not have the opportunity to participate and to collaborate and learn with their peers (Benson, 2004;Domino, 2005).…”

Mentorship in Forensic Nursing Research: Promoting the Next Generation of Forensic Nurse Scientists

“…Mentorship has often been referred to as a lost art within the nursing profession, however the new millennium has brought a re-evaluation and subsequent resurgence of this very effective and invaluable approach (Domino, 2005;Porter-OGrady, 2003). The focus for mentoring in nursing has shifted over the past 3 decades, paralleling the emerging concerns of the profession.…”