The recent media buzz sparked by controversial and glib remarks on The View TV show in response to Kelley Johnson’s (Miss Colorado) talent segment monologue on Nursing at the 2016 Miss America pageant has inspired a wave of response from nurses and nurse supporters. And rightly so! Derogatory and off-hand comments that questioned the professionalism of nurses, suggested that nurses do not use stethoscopes, they want to be doctors, and are rudimentary in the whole health care process ignited a wave of response that has pushed nursing into the media limelight and provided a platform for the celebration of the day by day heroism and dedication offered by nurses across the globe.
Miss Johnson’s intent for choosing this monologue was to advance the voice and awareness of nurses, and she succeeded brilliantly! Her courage has inspired nurses and others to express their appreciation and understanding of the nursing profession and all of its multifaceted aspects. In response to both her monologue and the media backlash, social media has provided an effective means for sharing the amazing capabilities and strength of nursing – a perfect example of how information technology can be used in improving communication and mobilize action.
Nurses are true professionals that wear many hats and dedicate themselves to provide holistic, client-centered care. To do so, nurses must seamlessly flow between many areas of responsibility and apply an astounding number of competencies and role functions. Nurses are the most constant professional throughout the entire healthcare experience who serve clients in a multitude of capacities.
These roles and capacities are increasingly tied to the continued evolution of nursing informatics, from bedside to community. Nursing informatics and the use of technology in nursing serve as underlying layers of nursing that few in the media understand. Informatics facilitates the day to day aspects of nursing through electronic documentation, communication, client teaching and discharge planning, and is key to the seamless operation of the entire interdisciplinary team.
Every nurse is touched by informatics in some way, and this influence is skyrocketing with each passing year. Nurses work hard to keep up with trends in the profession, including the role of nursing informatics in practice. Beyond documentation, electronic health records, and other uses of technology in health care, the scope of nursing informatics is widening. New trends including mobile health or mHealth, eHealth, and telehealth are pioneering forward to become everyday ways for citizens to engage in health monitoring, prevention and health promotion related tracking and information sharing.
The Nursing Informatics Learning Center approved CEU courses offer ways for nurses to continue their evolution in nursing informatics theory and know-how from the comfort of their own home and earn their state or provincial licensure requirements at the same time. They also help to prepare nurses who wish to become certified in nursing informatics. Nursing informatics knowledge and care is just one aspect of the complex repertoire of skills that nurses bring to their profession each and every day. Yet this knowledge intertwines and supports all other competencies that nurses must demonstrate. Developing this knowledge is key to the current and future success of nursing evolution.
#NursesUnite
#NurseNation
#nursinginformatics
#CEU
