By Sunday Iduh
The Benue State House of Assembly, recently repealed the State Schools of Nursing and Midwifery Law No. 8, 2012 in order to transfer the premises, physical facilities and documents of the schools to the College of Health Sciences at the Benue State University.
This, the Assembly said would enable the students to earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing and midwifery, upon graduation from the College.
Very few universities in Nigeria, such as the University of Ibadan, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and University of Abuja run degree courses in nursing. The law by the Assembly was to further ensure that Benue indigenes who hitherto traveled to distant places to seek degrees in nursing with attendant costs and risks can easily obtain the degrees in nursing courses here in the state.
Moving the Schools to the College of Health Sciences, Benue State University, which has qualified manpower, will ameliorate the challenges of sufficient number of qualified trained nursing tutors with first degrees in nursing, as well as adequate hostel accommodation for students and an e-library for better learning.
It will also give lecturers in the schools of nursing and midwifery who will be moved to the university the opportunities of quickly advancing to the level of professorship. Staff of the schools who may not be qualified to be absorbed by the College of Health Sciences of the Benue State University would also have nothing to be afraid of as they will have the choice of remaining with the state Ministry of Health and Human Services which, is saddled with the management of the schools.
If you want to be a nurse, you must have formal education in nursing and pass the relevant nursing examination. There are no exceptions made for anyone and there are several reasons for it. For instance, in order to treat the sick and injured, you have to be properly trained.
When you start thinking about a nursing career, your thoughts must be on the nursing school. This is where one can learn all of the ways to keep self, and patients safe while receiving adequate healthcare delivery. The reasons why a nurse must have a degree are many. Some of them include: Better Patient Care: Research now links registered nurses with at least an associate degree to generally more positive patient outcomes, fewer medication errors, lower mortality rates and higher diagnostic proficiency. Medical advancements have been seen to open avenues to quality services. Higher education could also broaden your competency in healthcare financing, public health, systems thinking, quality care, and community health.
These classes help you to develop your skills through data analysis and technology. For anyone to have a competitive advantage in any career, the need to pursue programmes that prepare to assume roles in acute care, primary care, specialty practices and long-term care are crucial.
Changing industry demands is another. As the medical industry adapts to new technology and policies, the changing consumer market demands highly qualified nurses. With an influx of baby boomers needing care and more qualified nurses retiring every day, there’s need to make sure the number of current nurses will meet the needs.
With this transition, the healthcare sector is strongly relying on information technology. The evolution of the internet now offers medical practitioners a wealth of information in medical databases which is analyzed for better clinical procedures and strategies. They are also able to connect with medical researchers who might be continents away working on rare diseases or conditions
More than ever, nurses now need to be better prepared to meet the diverse needs of patients. A nurse must, therefore, adapt to the high tech environment to facilitate an up-to-date service and advice patients on the most advanced treatment methods.
Today, the growing role of informatics is changing the coordination of care and how patients information is recorded and communicated. Advancing your education can thus enable you to achieve better outcomes, optimize operational efficiency, and reduce costs. The new abilities learned can be innovative, allowing you to learn how to analyze data and automate clinical care. Educated nurses bring unique insights to the medical field.
The nursing profession is continually evolving, resulting from employer standards, a change in the population, and external pressures. A well-trained workforce can improve the healthcare system and empower nurses to be well-prepared to handle complex challenges in the industry.
The required level of education for nurses has been widely debated over the years by nursing organizations and key stakeholders in the medical sector. Several studies have supported the significant link between furthering education and better outcomes in patients.
An advanced degree programme can introduce nursing students to different levels of competences in areas such as leadership, health policy and quality improvement. Students seeking further education can be introduced to different levels of preparation in research skills and assessment of gaps in practice and teamwork.
An increase in the number of nurses with degrees is crucial, following the increased scope of patient needs and expectations. A degree should enable you to master more than just the basic knowledge of care and gain a stronger foundation for adapting to evolving models of healthcare.
As a nurse, you need to be competent enough to provide patient-centered care by recognizing and responding to physical, social, and mental needs.
