I have picked up my books for the next semester’s courses. May be taking my three-old to the community college’s bookstore on the last business day before the start of school wasn’t such a fabulous idea. Still, I have to admit he was pretty good considering the long, long line we had to wait in. Anatomy, Psychology, and Chemistry down. Physiology, Human Development, and Nutrition, here we go.
Role of Nursing in Primary Care
Back when I worked in research within an membership association for primary care physicians, there was an emerging debate on the role of nurses in primary care. Could clinical nurses diagnose and treat patients as would a doctor? Doesn’t the need for primary care clinicians, specifically in undeserved geographical areas, support the need for clinical nurses to provide such care? This was over four years ago, and of course being in an organization specifically made by and for primary care MDs and DOs, the answer was no, the clinical nurse cannot provide similar patient care in terms of diagnosis and treatment that a physician can provide. A few of my co-workers had formerly worked for a predominant nursing association, in which the answer was of course yes, clinical nurses can provide the similar care for patients as would a physician.
Delving into the massive amount of information available online on the future of nursing in America, I decided to revisit this issue by first reading – ah um, skimming – the seven hundred page report The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, released in October 2011 by the Committee on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the Future of Nursing and the Institute of Medicine. This list of recommendations will at least be a good starting point into the topic. The embedded image links to a The National Academies Press publication page where the report can be downloaded for free.
Three Years Later
This blog was originally created at a time when I was miserably employed in a dead-end career. My sad little two entries were an attempt to find meaning once again in the struggle to advocate for human rights and the use of science, specifically medicine, as a tool to promote human rights.
Well, I didn’t get that far, but a lot has changed since then. My baby is becoming a big kid, I am now unemployed, and I am in school finishing the prerequisites for an accelerated BSN program in nursing. Unemployment is both a catalyst and a deterrent in pursuing a career in nursing. Being unemployed means that there is more time and a purpose to pursue a career that will help others and reconnect to my previous employment in primary care, but it also means that I am no longer bringing in the majority of the income that my family has relied on. Fortunately, my husband has been fully supportive of my goals during this time and our families have been extremely helpful. Now, if I can figure out how to obtain a job while being at school and still raise my child and have quality time with my child and husband….Hmmm, pretty tricky, but completely doable.
