Resources for Nurses
Because nursing and healthcare are huge fields, there are an unlimited amount of resources available for nurses. Nurses can find resources based on specialty and even geographic location. Schools of nursing are available in every state and region and are full of information about nursing and continuing education.
One way nurses can gain information about their specialty is joining an organization for nurses. From the American Academy of Nurses to the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Society, an organization is available for every specialty of nursing. Nursing organizations are also available on a state to state basis and also in different cities and regions. Many of these organizations have annual publications, meetings, and newsletters to keep members informed of recent changes in practice, job listings, and often even contain articles about evidence based practice. Some organizations also publish journals written by members of various specialties. Scholarly journals are a good way for nurses to stay current on trends in medicine. Joining a professional organization is also a good way to support a specialty within the nursing profession and contact other professionals with similar interests. Many organizations have websites with contact information. Most journals are available online as well, providing easy access for members. Journals from various organizations are usually free for members and available to non members for a nominal fee.
State nursing organizations are an excellent resource for nurses. State nursing websites and boards of nursing are experts on the law in each state. These can be valuable resources for the nurse if he or she is confused about her role or a law. State websites can provide contact information, license renewal information, and also statistics about the nursing population in various states. For advanced practice nurses, state websites can contain the necessary forms for gaining prescribing privileges and also information about various practice policies in different states.
Continuing education classes exist for nurses to allow them to improve their existing skills and expand their knowledge base. Critical care classes, trauma classes, and advanced life support classes are all available for nurses to further their skills and learn new practices. Often nurses can be reimbursed for attending these classes and sometimes even receive a pay raise.
Many other resources exist as well for nurses. For example, most schools of nursing have nursing societies with annual meetings. Many forums, websites, and blogs also exist for nurses to share stories about their career and talk to other professionals about issues affecting the profession. Another resource for some hospital based nurses is the union that exists within the hospital. Many hospitals, even those who are not unionized, have developed committees of nurses within the hospital to handle interdepartmental as well as intradepartmental issues. These types of committees might work on department to department transfers, nursing policies about the administration of various medications, and many other policies. These types of committees exist to give nurses a voice within the organization in which they work. They also allow nurses to problem solve their own issues.
Nursing as a profession has grown by leaps and bounds. Most areas of the country have experienced a moderate to severe nursing shortage. As the number of nurses increases, it is important to allow nurses the opportunity to connect with other professionals and have adequate access to resources that exist for them to continue their education as well as their careers. These organizations and resources are many and are growing nearly as fast as the nursing profession itself.
Published: 2009-11-03
