The Role of Nurses Changes to the Nursing Curriculum as a Result of the Pandemic
Rayna Letourneau, PhD, RN | December 3, 2020 Global Interdependence Center Executive Briefing
RN Characteristics Active RN Licenses
4,639,548
Est. # Working RNs
3,925,058
Educational Level
7.4%
Diploma
28.5%
Associate Degree
45.2%
Baccalaureate Degree
17.1%
Master’s Degree
1.1%
DNP
0.6%
PhD
0.1%
Other
Primary Employment Setting
Hospital 55.7% Ambulatory Care 9.4% Nursing Home 4.8% (Smiley et al., 2018)
RN Gender, Race and Ethnicity Male
9.1%
American Indian or Alaska Native
0.4%
Asian
7.5%
Black/African American
6.2%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
0.5%
White/Caucasian
80.8%
Other
2.9%
Two or more races
1.7%
Hispanic or Latino origin
5.3% (Smiley et al., 2018)
Traits of Nurses • Most trusted profession for past 18 years • Caring • Empathetic • Resilient • Problem solvers • Critical thinkers • Patient advocates
What do Nurses do? What do nurses do well?
What do nurses not do well?
• Assess patients/population
• Self Care
• Diagnostic tests • Patient education • Medication administration • Promote health and wellness
Health and Wellness of Nurses (ANA, 2016) • Nurses are less healthy than the average American • Overweight • High levels of stress • Sleep deprivation
• Depression and Suicide • 50% of nurses experience burnout (Shanafelt et al., 2015) • 33% of nurses experience depression (Melnyk et al., 2018) • Higher risk of suicide than the general population (Davidson et al., 2020)
25% Physically assaulted at work by patient or patient’s family member
Occupational Safety (ANA, 2016)
9% Concerned for their physical safety at work 45% Ranked lifting/repositioning of heavy objects as a significant health and safety risk
COVID-19 Pandemic
Unhealthy Nursing Workforce
COVID-19 Pandemic
Exhaustion Burnout Stress Depression Suicide
What is the role of Nursing Academia in Response to COVID-19?
Prepare Future Nurses • Curricular enhancements • COVID related education • Innovative strategies to increase competence and confidence • Integrate Self Care Strategies • Mentorship
Senior RN Student Practicum
N
Evaluation of Innovative Strategies
Pretest Mean SD
Posttest Mean SD
p
K
103
35.8
3.9
38.6
3.7
.000*
S
103
35.7
4.2
38.4
3.8
.000*
A
103
38.2
3.9
39.5
3.3
.000*
What Else Can Academia Do?
(NCSBN, 2020)
What can we do for RNs? • Support FRONTLINE NURSES • Listen to nurses • Provide continuing education
The Role of Academic Nursing • Critical role in response to COVID-19 • Create a highly educated workforce • Advance impact of nursing on: • Patient outcomes • Health and wellness of the nation
Rayna Letourneau, PhD, RN Assistant Professor raynaletourneau@usf.edu Please contact me for reference list.