Day 16 nursing as a degree
This is an interesting one. I already had a science degree before I went into nursing. I decided to do thevdiploma in nursing more for financial reasons than the expectations of acadamia. It seemed daft at the time that you got a bursary for the diploma but nothing if you studies the degree.
I was a single parent with a 1 year old when I decided to do my nursing. I just couldn't afford to do the degree, but it didntnbithervme already having a degree. It also meant I could do my course in 2 years rather than 3. There was no competition. I do remember one of the people interviewing me for the course asked me if taking a diploma would be a step back from a degree. I said this was not the way I saw nursing. It was on the job training. Learning from the front line. To unleash best from other people and doing the job.
Ok you can learn theories til they come out of your ears. Look at Mazlows Hiarchy of needs, holistic care, romanticism of nursing, evidence based practice. I could go on and on. It's putting this all into practice. You can have the cleverest person in the room, who can pass advanced anatomy and physiology but if you can't even communicate with the patient what is the point. Nursing is so much more than knowledge gained through degrees. It's the caring aspect, the instinct you learn over time. Just looking at a patient and knowing something isn't right. Not relying on machines to tell us. Listen to the patient. Look for what's hidden.
Maybe having a degree is seen as being more qualified to nurse. Ask a patient. Would they care if you had a degree, a diploma, a masters or a PhD? Not really. As long as you have the appropriate skills to do your job, surely that is enough.
I was a single parent with a 1 year old when I decided to do my nursing. I just couldn't afford to do the degree, but it didntnbithervme already having a degree. It also meant I could do my course in 2 years rather than 3. There was no competition. I do remember one of the people interviewing me for the course asked me if taking a diploma would be a step back from a degree. I said this was not the way I saw nursing. It was on the job training. Learning from the front line. To unleash best from other people and doing the job.
Ok you can learn theories til they come out of your ears. Look at Mazlows Hiarchy of needs, holistic care, romanticism of nursing, evidence based practice. I could go on and on. It's putting this all into practice. You can have the cleverest person in the room, who can pass advanced anatomy and physiology but if you can't even communicate with the patient what is the point. Nursing is so much more than knowledge gained through degrees. It's the caring aspect, the instinct you learn over time. Just looking at a patient and knowing something isn't right. Not relying on machines to tell us. Listen to the patient. Look for what's hidden.
Maybe having a degree is seen as being more qualified to nurse. Ask a patient. Would they care if you had a degree, a diploma, a masters or a PhD? Not really. As long as you have the appropriate skills to do your job, surely that is enough.
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