Persuasive Essay in Nursing: Sigma Theta Tau
Nursing as a profession relies more on the experience and knowledge of the health care nurses within the hospital or clinic set ups. Professional nursing may have developed right from the time of Florence Nightingale through various processes, but all have been as a result of dedicated institutions and personnel within the nursing field and medical fraternity in general. However, it is lack of good training and up to date training curriculum that renders most nurses and nursing facilities quite ineffective within a very sensitive sector of any economy (Hott, Budin, & Notter, 2006). Nurses, being among the most important professionals in the medical field, are quite dependent on the professional training they gain from class, and the application of the experience they gain in the field. The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International, is one of the leading organizations in the world that has long recognized the importance of nurse training to attain high standards of performance and increase results. The ultimate aim is to gain a pool of nurses within the society, who have all that it is required to save lives (Hott, Budin, & Notter, 2006).
While studying the community I had chosen, which primarily consisted of Hispanics and African Americans, I noticed the prevalence of chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension and stroke (Bullough, 2004). The windshield survey regarding the family and the rest of the community that I took part in caring for also showed that there is a desperate need for some community health and better management of these chronic illnesses. I realized that to avoid ineffective management of these diseases and help in the realization of Healthy People 2020 objectives, there was need for nurses in the community to be better trained and to integrate health research on all medical related fields as it has been outlined in the society’s initiatives. In this regard, I noted that most of the nurses in hospitals and clinical settings in the area were actually turning on to books, internet and other papers from some unjustified sources rather than consulting published journals from reliable and credible sources, especially those written after research. I realized that these nurses were really in need of information contained in peer reviewed journals, such as those developed and written by the organization rather than getting the information from the standard operating procedures outlined in their individual hospitals (Tomey, & Alligood, 2006). They erroneously thought that these papers or electronic sources were just like any other paper regarded as quite informative, well researched and up to date. In addition, it seems all these nurses were willing to take a chance on getting scholarships from the organization, but failed to recognize that research inuring is as important as the profession itself. They failed to realize that they should try as much as possible to gain knowledge contained in peer reviewed and published journals if they were to develop a good practice based on recent research in their profession. Moreover, some did not know that published journals, having been reviewed and written after laborious research, provide the nurses with good and valid source information of the nursing practice (Hott, Budin, & Notter, 2006).
The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International, having been founded in the 1930s, continues to provide knowledge to nurses and other related practitioners worldwide in order to ensure that as many lives as possible are saved each and every day and in all parts of the world. The organization has recruited more than 125, 000 active members in more than 92 countries and states in the world, over 400 chapters and more than 500 colleges and universities of nursing worldwide (Sigma Theta Tau, 2008). Having invited its memberships through baccalaureate and graduate nursing students, the organization has furthered its effects on the lives of people in the world in one way or the other (Sigma Theta Tau, 2008). Of importance are the contributions to knowledge and skills in nursing that this organization provides. The publications provided by The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International are some of the most accurate and informative journals in the medical and nursing fields in the world today (Sigma Theta Tau, 2008). In the contemporary world where each field requires intensive research and provision of accurate and timely information, the organization actually leads in terms of updating professional and student nurses throughout the world. What is required by the nurses I identified to have a problem in information gathering is the fact that journals are not available, and when they are, the nurses are either ignorant or lack the knowledge that they should put focus on information obtained in such papers to ensure that they base their daily practice on well developed and researched health practices (National League for Nursing, 2003).
I am requesting for some copies of the over 120,000 copies of journals of nursing scholarship developed by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (Bullough, 2004). These journals, as far as the facts and figures stand, are very crucial in the hospital settings in my community. This is because out of the over 3, 124 nurses in this particular state, only less than an eighth have an access to such journals, and out of those who have the access, just a few are able to apply the updated knowledge and skills descried within the journals they get. In addition, out of the 3,124 nurses in the region, I realized only less than ten percent of them are aware that the need for scholarships to take further studies and research in nursing is quite important than taking nursing practice through the ever out dated non-peer reviewed papers, books and websites (Tomey, & Alligood, 2006). I addition, the best practice factor is not being applied in the region, and thus, I wish to request for some copies of the world views on evidence-based nursing quarterly articles (Bullough, 2004).
These needs are quite disturbing considering the state at which such a situating would put the society in. For instance, I believe that the old fashioned and untailored information being used by nurses in our hospitals and clinical settings today put the community at risk rather than solving our medical and clinical mysteries (National League for Nursing, 2003). When these nurses are applying outdated skills and information, there is a high probability that patients presented at these hospitals and who are attended by these nurses will get outdated services which modern nursing practice may have declared unfit for application. These in some cases may result to poor recovery in patients, poor health conditions within the hospital or clinic that is supposed to solve a certain health problem and even cases of hospital acquired infections such as streptococcus and staphylococcus bacterial pathogenic species.
I am further requesting for a further funding for training program to the local nurses in this community in order to ensure that they develop a culture of seeking for information and applying good practice within their professions and within their organizations. According to my point of view, it would not make an impact if an organization like the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International, make efforts in supplying large numbers of journal to the local nurses, yet these nurses are either not willing to get and apply the information contained in the publications, or they may not realize the need to apply the information within their professions. One major factor in this case would be to ensure that the nurses put in practice the information provide within the publications in line with the requirements of the medical and nursing field (Sigma Theta Tau, 2008). To attain this I suggest that the organization holds a series of workshops in at least every health district in the region so as to ensure that each nurse and practitioner gets to know the real importance of reading wide, especially the peer reviewed papers and journals, and the importance of frequency in updating the methods used in practice. I therefore suggest that the organization work together with local public health agents to ensure that not only these nurses get the information, but also follow it to detail. The system could employ some few persons to act as advisers, consultants and monitors in an effort to promote good practice among the nurses. In addition, I suggest that since there are few consultants in the region, the organization, in conjunction with other health experts in the region, identify a number of nurses who will undergo a scholarship training in order to employ them as future consultants and tutors to others. This will ensure that the organization makes a long lasting impact in the lives of the people by improving the health care system.
I would further recommend that the initial steps for these initiatives be coined within the ability of the hospitals in caring for the sick within the society. First, the nurses in the region will be required to enroll in the training programs provided by the organization as per the policies of The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International. Secondly, they will be required to take days off to attend these training sessions, from here they will be required to read the journals provided and draw important information from them regarding the best method of practice. Finally, the will be required to apply the new information within their practice once they return to their working areas. Those nurses chosen from scholarships will then be made the overall supervisors of their colleagues. In addition, the hospital management will have the absolute powers to ensure that good practice is applied as per the latest research detailed within the journals in medical and nursing fields.
References
Bullough, V. (2004). American Nursing: A Biographical Dictionary. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.
Hott, J. R., Budin, W. C., & Notter, L. E. (2006). Notter's essentials of nursing research. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.
National League for Nursing. (2003). Scholarships and loans for nursing education. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Sigma Theta Tau. (2008). Image: the journal of nursing scholarship. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell.
Tomey, A.M., & Alligood, M. R. (2006). Nursing theorists and their work. London, UK: Elsevier Health Sciences.
