Orienting nurses to a vascular nursing specialty.
The complexity of medical and nursing care for our patients has become more specialized, requiring nurses to deliver care with greater understanding of specialty-specific disease processes. Although this paradigm shift has occurred, accredited nursing programs continue to prepare our nursing workforce as generalists. Therefore the responsibility falls onto the shoulders of the employer to prepare the nurse to care for specialty-specific populations soon after accepting a position on a specialty-specific unit. This manuscript will discuss a process-curriculum design through evaluation-used by an educator in a Magnet hospital to provide education and support to newly hired nurses for a vascular medical-surgical unit. Benner's Novice to Expert concept provided the stimulus to recognize the need for in-depth specialty knowledge and skill development for medical-surgical nurses to provide optimum patient care.
Division of Education, Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network, 17th and Chew Streets, Allentown, PA 18105, USA. Karen.Groller@lvh.com
Karen Diane
KD
Marzen-Groller
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003479:Curriculum; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008297:Male; D017145:Models, Educational; D016294:Models, Nursing; D020380:Needs Assessment; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000523:psychology; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D010414:Pennsylvania; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013041:Specialties, Nursing / Q000193:education*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000451:nursing*