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EDITOR'S
NOTE
Nothing
personal
The education debate is about the future not about you |
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February 11, 1999
Is it an insult to suggest that a profession should raise its minimum educational requirement? Or is it instead a sign of the complexity of the field and of its value to society? I have been struck by the readers who have written to NurseWeek, frustrated and annoyed that I am arguing that nursing needs to raise its educational requirements to a bachelor’s degree by 2010. These people contend that it tears nursing apart to suggest such a thing and that it seems divisive to the profession and demeaning to AA nurses; they say it’s not supportive. These readers say that we should not waste our energy debating this question of whether two years of community college are enough to teach future nurses what they’ll need to know. I just don’t see how discussing what education level nurses will need in the new century is tearing anybody down. The question is simply this: Given what nurses will need to know, should a bachelor’s be required sometime in the future? What education will patients need nurses to have? I know some nurses think those of us who argue for a bachelor’s degree are saying that their AA degrees just aren’t good enough, that somehow we believe their educational achievements are unsatisfactory. But that isn’t the case at all. It isn’t personal. It’s not even about what we know or what we do as nurses in 1999. It’s about 2010. And later. The knowledge explosion, the aging of the population, new roles, and new technologies will create greater responsibilities for nurses and will require more time in the classroom and in clinical, hands-on education. Here’s some perspective. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, medical record technicians must have AA degrees. All accredited PT programs will be at the master’s level after 2001. Occupational therapists, recreational therapists, speech pathologists, and social workers already must have at least a bachelor’s degree. Certified aircraft mechanics need between 24 and 30 months of education. Police who work for federal agencies need a bachelor’s degree. And most hairdressers and barbers have about 12 months of training followed by a one- to two-year apprenticeship. Other occupations and professions have already been raising their educational requirements. Nursing has to do so too just to keep its place among them. Given what you do and what you see nurses doing every day and thinking about what nurses will be doing in 10 or 20 years, where do you see nursing education fitting in? What do you think? Barbara
Bronson Gray, MN, RN |
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