We’ve all heard that 90% of communication is nonverbal, but is there any truth to this adage? When someone reads a transcript of a politician’s impassioned speech, are they really missing out on the majority of the message? The audience may get the essence, but something is always lost when tone or body language isn’t conveyed.
Today’s information is no longer limited to print. It’s delivered through social media, television, blogs, and other channels of communication. Professionals interested in a communications career have to concern themselves with not only what’s being said but how it’s said.
Let’s take a look at how much of communication is nonverbal and how professionals with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication can use nonverbal signals to better their personal and professional lives.
The 55/38/7 formula describes how much of communication is nonverbal: 55% through body language, 38% through tone of voice, and only 7% through spoken words.
But the 90% figure wasn’t plucked out of thin air. It was Albert Mehrabian, a researcher of body language, who first broke down the components of a face-to-face conversation. This is where the idea that the vast majority of communication is nonverbal originated. But does this really mean that less than 10% of information is conveyed in spoken words?
It turns out that the above formula was developed with a specific purpose in mind: comparing facial and vocal components to decipher a person’s attitude. According to Mehrabian, “When there are inconsistencies between attitudes communicated verbally and posturally, the postural component should dominate in determining the total attitude that is inferred.”
So, is 90% of communication nonverbal? In short, no. Information is conveyed verbally, but in a face-to-face conversation, body language and facial expressions can have an incredible impact on how information is interpreted.
In “The Definitive Book of Body Language,” Allan and Barbara Pease analyzed thousands of recorded sales negotiations from the 1970s and 1980s and found that body language accounted for the majority of the impact made negotiating. They also considered how the person with the strongest argument usually wins in negotiations over the phone but not always in face-to-face conversations.
Although the idea that 90% of communication is nonverbal can be put to rest, a person’s body language and our first impression of them can heavily influence our decision-making.
Now that we know that we know the important role nonverbal signals play in communication, how can we use body language and tone to communicate more effectively? Perhaps more importantly, how can we prevent nonverbal forms of communication from falsely influencing our perceptions of others?
The key is awareness: recognizing how your tone, posture, and expressions shape the message you send. At the same time, pay attention to these cues in others and consider the context behind them.
One of the most visible ways body language shapes communication is through first impressions—the split-second judgments we make before a single word is spoken.
For anyone pursuing a career in communication, mastering first impressions can make all the difference. Allan and Barbara Pease also assert that when we meet people for the first time, we make snap judgments about their friendliness, assertiveness, and appearance. Without a single word being spoken, without even realizing it, people rely on nonverbal communication to size people up.
Psychologist Albert Mehrabian’s communication model famously suggests that much of human communication is nonverbal. That means your nonverbal body language—from your facial expressions to your hand gestures—plays a major role in how others interpret your message.
Although people are rarely conscious of their body language and facial expressions, there are a couple of behaviors a person can tweak to improve their communication skills. For instance, research has shown that it takes conscious effort for a person to frown when looking at someone smiling. A smile is literally infectious.
Research also shows that both men and women are more attracted to people who make eye contact and smile more often. A smile and just the right amount of eye contact can help you effectively convey information during first impressions and long after.
Hand gestures can not only express your thoughts but also convey your enthusiasm and passion for a topic. According to body language expert Dr. Carol Kinsey Goman, “Gesturing can help people form clearer thoughts, speak in tighter sentences and use more declarative language.” As with tone, try to ensure that your hand gestures match what you’re saying, otherwise people will notice the mismatch and may be less likely to trust you.
Body language can also provide insight into a person’s emotional condition. For example, you likely already know that someone who crosses their arms is guarded or discontent even when they claim the contrary. Reading body language is like learning a second language and can help separate perception from reality.
According to Dr. Jeff Thompson, we can better decipher nonverbal signals by remembering the three C’s of nonverbal communication: context, clusters, and congruence. We’ve already covered congruence—comparing spoken words to body language and tone.
Applying context means better understanding the setting. For example, knowing that someone has anxiety can explain why they appear tense during a fireworks display. Finally, using clusters means using not one but multiple expressions or movements to influence our interpretation of a person’s body language.
How much of communication is nonverbal? It may not be exactly 90%, but nonverbal communication—eye contact, smiling, hand gestures—heavily influences how people interpret and react to information. This is an important lesson for anyone interested in a communications career, and it’s only the tip of the iceberg.
Understanding nonverbal communication can help you connect more effectively across every medium—from in-person meetings to social media.
The University of Texas Permian Basin offers an online BA in communication program that teaches theories on communication with regard to human interactions, groups and organizations, intercultural interactions, and mass and social media.
Whether you’re working toward a career in journalism, speechwriting, or social media, our online program can empower you with the skills needed to convey your message clearly and profoundly.
Learn more about UT Permian Basin’s online BA in communication program.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/books/chapters/0924-1st-peas.html
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-words/201109/is-nonverbal-communication-numbers-game
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/attraction-evolved/201906/deep-impact-asserting-authority-low-pitched-voice
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201206/there-s-magic-in-your-smile
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleystahl/2017/09/13/5-body-language-tips-for-success/#295ea5246419
Picture Martin Luther King Jr. standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, delivering his “I Have a Dream” speech to over 250,000 people gathered for the March on Washington. Could he have known, in that moment, that his words would terrify some, inspire many more, and echo across decades of social movements? King and…
You can speak the same language as someone and still completely miss each other’s meaning. That’s part of what makes intercultural communication so important. Whether you’re working with international teams, studying abroad, or connecting with people from different backgrounds, communication involves more than just choosing the right words. Intercultural communication is how people from different cultures share ideas and make sense of one…
AI is now an inseparable part of our classrooms, homes, and offices. Capable of performing trillions of calculations in a second, AI-powered machines dredge the depths of the internet to find and convey information in any style, language, or difficulty level. But don’t worry, AI is only here to lend a hand. At least, that’s…
A 2019 research report from the acclaimed Mellon Foundation addressed the overall value of humanities, stating that they’re “useful to society in the preservation and curation of culture” and also that the humanities “contribute to the maintenance and health of democracy via teaching skills of critical reasoning, debate, and evaluation of ideas.”
Being part of a culture gives us an innate sense of the history, customs, and values of our own social group, but this scope is often limited. In the context of education, humanities can help bridge this gap in cultural knowledge. The focus of an education in the humanities is not just on mastering a broad range of academic disciplines but on introducing students to humanities on the global scale. Humanities expand our understanding of different human cultures and enable us to understand ways in which they’re similar and ways in which they differ, in the present and historically, delivering a broader perspective on the world in which we live.
The humanities encompass the full range of human thought and creativity, including history, literature, languages, religion, philosophy, music, theatre, and all of the performing arts and visual arts. In a formal educational setting, students may gain foundational knowledge in all of these but also be given the chance to learn more about specific subjects which appeal to them. This does more than strengthen an individual’s ability to identify from which era a piece of music originates or which art movement a particular painting exemplifies. It instills them with marketable, transferrable skills that can help them in their professional lives and beyond.
As the publication NH Business Review states in an article titled “The business case for humanities education”: “The humanities are part of an interconnected whole that yields a broad, deep education fostering 21st century career readiness and the ability to work with others to respond better to day-to-day work responsibilities, as well as life’s broader needs and challenges.”
The truth is, studying humanities helps one develop skills that are beneficial in any role, in any field. Humanities studies are broad by design and the value of humanities in education is equally expansive. So, what humanities skills do employers seek? What kind of professions do humanities degree holders represent? What types of compensation do these roles offer?
The following skills—all introduced or strengthened through a humanities education—are among the skills and qualities today’s employers consistently value:
Recent U.S. Census Bureau data shows that graduates of bachelor’s degree programs in humanities commonly work in roles including management, office and administrative support, sales, business and financial operations, and the arts and media. That’s a fairly broad spectrum that doesn’t relegate degree holders to employment within one position or industry.
The same census data indicates that bachelor’s degree holders in the humanities earned an annual median compensation of $52,000. This amount is in clear contrast to the earnings of those with an associate degree or limited college experience, reported as $40,000 per year, and those with a high school diploma alone, reported as $34,000 per year.
The University of Texas Permian Basin’s online Bachelor of Arts in Humanities program can help you develop career-enhancing skills and join the many graduates who’ve recognized the value of humanities in education.
Our immersive, affordable online BA in humanities program offers students a tremendous amount of flexibility. As a student, you won’t be expected to follow a predetermined path. Instead, the program empowers you to choose up to two concentrations that align with your personal areas of interest, including art, communication, English, history, or music, for a total of 24 credits of specialized coursework in these areas. Our faculty advisors collaborate with you to establish an individualized plan of study with an interdisciplinary theme, period, set of problems, specialization, or perspective. Degree programs that combine one major and one minor don’t offer you the same experience.
UT Permian Basin’s online BA in humanities program is presented 100% online and allows you to finish assignments at your own pace, any time of day, from any location with internet access. Additionally, you can choose from six start dates a year. Courses are eight weeks in duration, which allows for an accelerated degree completion time. Each course is taught by the same renowned faculty who teach them in person at the UT Permian Basin campus. When you graduate, you’ll receive the same degree that campus-based students receive, with no mention of “online” on your diploma.
If you’re ready to experience the tremendous value of humanities for yourself, get started with our flexible, personalized online Bachelor of Arts in Humanities program.
Sources:
https://www.nhbr.com/the-business-case-for-humanities-education/
https://www.amacad.org/publication/state-humanities-2018-graduates-workforce-beyond
https://www.amacad.org/humanities-indicators/higher-education
https://www.amacad.org/humanities-indicators/workforce
The humanities are the study of how humans understand and express the world around them. They include disciplines such as art, language, history, philosophy, religion, and performance (all fields that examine human culture across time).
This need to understand and express the human experience is not new. Long before formal education existed, humans were already engaging in the humanities. From early cave art to literature and philosophy, our ancestors used creative expression to record their experiences and communicate ideas
As civilizations developed over centuries, these forms of expression have become more structured, forming what we now recognize as the humanities.
In this article, we’ll:
Between the time of the Neanderthals and what we call ancient Greece, art found its way onto practical objects such as vases and bowls. Languages developed. Religions were born. Even then, works that would make an enduring impact in the humanities were being created.
“The Odyssey” and “The Iliad,” both attributed to Homer, are some of the oldest surviving works of Western literature and are estimated to have been written in the eighth century B.C. They’re still widely read by secondary school and college students today.
Homeric scholarship, the study of Homer’s works, is one of the oldest subjects in education. Around the time Homer’s epics were written, various forms of arts, crafts, and writing in Greece were flourishing, coinciding with expanded trade with other countries, which exposed people to more diverse cultural influences.
In the fifth century B.C., democracy thrived in Athens, and the city essentially became the world capital for philosophy, drama, literature, art, and architecture. The Parthenon and some of the other famed Greek monuments date from around this time.
The Renaissance (meaning “rebirth”) was a revival of classical scholarship and heralded a renewed interest in the study of ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, which in large part was a study of humanities. The Renaissance is said to have started in Italy as early as the 14th century B.C. and expanded throughout Europe in the following centuries.
During this period, fine art in particular grew in importance, with many influential paintings and sculptures stemming from this time. Some of the most notable figures from the Renaissance era include:
The exploration of lands outside the known world also began in earnest in the Renaissance, bringing new influences into Western culture. New inventions that would prove critical to education and the humanities, such as the printing press, also emerged during this time.
The development of humanism during the Renaissance played a key role in the rise of what would later be formally called the humanities. While philosophy and learning had previously been dominated by clerics, humanism (not to be confused with modern secular humanism) was started by secular (nonreligious) scholars and writers.
Humanism put the focus of art and other forms of expression on human nature and the human form. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, it empowered men to “break free from the mental strictures imposed by religious orthodoxy, to inspire free inquiry and criticism, and to inspire a new confidence in the possibilities of human thought and creations.” Over time, the idea of humanism came to denote the humanities as we understand and use the term today.
Flash forward to the United States in the 20th century. World War II had a detrimental effect on higher education in the country, with many college-aged individuals leaving or foregoing college for military service.
Following the war, the U.S. made a concerted effort to help returning service members resume their studies. Furthermore, Congress completely revamped and expanded the higher education system through the enactment of a series of laws.
After this legislative overhaul, college-level education in humanities soared from the 1950s through the early 1970s, and it’s been enjoying its own type of renaissance in the 21st century as employers express demand for the skills that students of humanities develop.
The University of Texas Permian Basin’s online Bachelor of Arts in Humanities program can help you develop skills that will be valuable to you in any professional field.
As a student, you’ll follow your own path, choosing two concentrations that align with your personal areas of interest. Options include art, communication, English, history, and music.
Keep the humanities alive and see how they can positively impact you, both in your personal and professional endeavors. An online Bachelor of Arts in Humanities program is the first step.
Sources:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cave-of-maltravieso
https://www.academia.edu/15790168/Pleistocene_cave_art_from_Sulawesi_Indonesia
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/oldest-greek-fragment-homer-discovered-clay-tablet-180969602/
https://www.britannica.com/event/Renaissance
https://www.britannica.com/topic/humanism
Ever found yourself humming an earworm and suddenly wondering, “Where did this come from—and who created it?” Music is a universal language. It conveys memory, rebellion, grief, joy, and identity. Across centuries, women have used the language of sound in a world where they’ve been told, repeatedly, to stay invisible. Here are some of the…
Modern challenges like AI and global weather crises can stir up fear and controversy. But that’s for the scientists to sort out, right? Not exactly. The humanities play a powerful, often overlooked role in technology and science. Trends in these fields can create ethical, moral, environmental, and philosophical dilemmas. The humanities equip us to navigate…
“Any form of art is a form of power; it has impact, it can affect change – it can not only move us, it makes us move.” — Ossie Davis, actor and activist October is Art and Humanities Month in the United States, a celebration that provides the perfect opportunity to consider how art helps…
The humanities encompass the full range of human thought and creativity, including languages, religion, philosophy, and the broad spectrum of the arts (including the performing arts and the visual arts). Humanities education explores the commonalities and differences in self-expression that humans have exhibited through the ages and continue to demonstrate today. The humanities have always been and will continue to be the basis of human cultures and source of our perceptions of different cultures.
In the academic realm, a student may study any or all of the humanities as part of a formal degree program such as a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities. These programs expose students to diverse ideas from around the world, broadening their knowledge and developing their critical thinking abilities.
People from all walks of life, across philosophical and political perspectives, agree on the importance of the humanities. Famed “Star Wars” director George Lucas said this of the humanities: “The sciences are the ‘how,’ and the humanities are the ‘why’—why are we here, why do we believe in the things we believe in. I don’t think you can have the ‘how’ without the ‘why.’”
Former President Ronald Reagan believed that, “The arts and humanities teach us who we are and what we can be. They lie at the very core of the culture of which we’re a part.” J. Irwin Miller, famed industrialist and civil rights proponent, also spoke to the transformative nature of the humanities when he stated, “The calling of the humanities is to make us truly human in the best sense of the word.”
The broadly applicable skills that the humanities offer also directly benefit individuals in their personal and professional lives. As American philosopher and law professor Martha Nussbaum notes, “Business leaders love the humanities because they know that to innovate you need more than rote knowledge. You need a trained imagination.”
Humanities expand our knowledge of human cultures and help us understand what binds us together and what differentiates us from one another. In addition to these high-level insights, however, they also provide practical applications that can enhance your professional skillset and give you a competitive edge. By studying humanities in a formal university-level program, you can acquire transferrable, marketable skills and qualities that will be an asset to you in your professional pursuits. What will you learn in a humanities program? Examples include:
Employers want professionals who can come up with fresh approaches to solving problems, express themselves clearly, collaborate with others, and act in a responsible, ethical manner. These abilities are the foundation for nearly every career path, as well as many graduate-level programs. Equipped with these skills, you’ll be prepared to take on a diverse range of career paths, including:
The University of Texas Permian Basin’s online Bachelor of Arts in Humanities program goes beyond discussions of the world’s great works of art and philosophies. This immersive, affordable program empowers you with the key skills today’s employers value most.
Our BA in humanities program is unique in that, as a student, you’re not given a preset path to follow; the program enables you to choose concentrations based on your personal areas of interest. Our faculty advisors work with you to develop an individualized plan of study with an interdisciplinary theme, period, set of problems, specialization, or perspective that you can’t get by combining a major and minor in the traditional way. You’ll choose a minimum of two concentration areas in art, communication, English, history, or music, totaling 24 credits of specialized coursework in these areas.
Our program is flexible not only in terms of what topics you may study but in how you complete your degree. The 100% online format allows you to complete coursework anytime, at any location with internet access. You can choose from six start dates a year and enjoy condensed eight-week courses and an accelerated completion time. All courses are taught by the same esteemed faculty who teach on campus at UT Permian Basin. When you’re ready to graduate, you’ll receive the same valued degree that campus-based students receive.
Are you ready to learn more about the essential skills and flexibility our online Bachelor of Arts in Humanities program provides? Explore the benefits of humanities in more detail now.
Sources:
Psychology is far more than the study of the mind. As a social science, it’s the study of people, their behaviors, and their relationships with each other. Earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology means gaining insight into the mental processes that shape not only your own experiences but the world around you.
If you’re interested in entering an exciting field that rewards curiosity and compassion with high-paying careers, UTPB’s 100% online psychology program offers the flexibility, affordability, and academic excellence you need to take the next step in your education and career.
With our program, you can study psychology from anywhere with a Wi-Fi connection. Down the street from campus? Sure. Across the globe at a cozy cafe? Absolutely.
Our program is presented in an eight-week course model with six start dates a year, meaning you can earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology without having to block out months of your time or sacrifice your personal and professional commitments. At UT Permian Basin, you can continue working while working toward a psychology degree.
In order to earn a BA in psychology, students at UT Permian Basin must complete 120 credit hours composed of:
Students can choose the minor that interests them most and create a customized learning experience. All core courses are worth 3 credit hours and delve into engaging topics such as Social Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, and Lifespan Psychology. Students can expect to explore:
When enrolled in our online program, you’ll receive a first-rate education from the same faculty members who teach students on campus. Learn with virtual classmates who have also devoted themselves to the study of the human mind.
As a psychology major, you’ll be following in the footsteps of some of the world’s greatest intellectual pioneers and learning about the most famous psychological experiments to ever be conducted.
Take the Asch conformity experiments. Solomon E. Asch set out to discover if, when presented with a problem with an obvious answer, a participant would agree with their incorrect peers. In what is now a classic social experiment, unsuspecting participants were placed in a room with several “confederates” and asked to compare the length of drawn lines. Answers were shared out loud, and the confederates always gave the incorrect answer. Although the answer was obvious, about one-third of participants agreed with the confederates after hearing their responses.
In our online program, you’ll learn that while psychological experiments like this one were first conducted decades ago, they still hold profound implications today. You’ll even be able to conduct your own research in our capstone course while being supervised by a psychology faculty member. If you dream of one day publishing your own research paper, our program offers real-world experience.
Our online BA in psychology program is affordable, with tuition costing less than $400 per credit hour. We offer flexible payment options, and financial aid is available for qualifying students.
Applying to UT Permian Basin’s online BA in psychology program is a straightforward process designed to make quality education accessible to more students:
A BA in psychology is an incredibly versatile degree that can lead to success in a number of exciting fields, including:
Although a bachelor’s degree alone can lead to a rewarding career, many students enrolled in our program go on to pursue a doctoral degree and become clinical, counseling, research, school, or industrial-organizational psychologists.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, psychologists made an average annual salary of $94,310 in 2024, with some earning well over six figures. If you’re interested in helping individuals overcome psychological, emotional, and behavioral challenges, a BA in psychology can be the next stepping-stone in your career path.
If you’re ready to explore the growing field of one of the world’s youngest sciences, learn more about UT Permian Basin’s online BA in psychology program.
Sources:
https://www.simplypsychology.org/asch-conformity.html
https://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/articles/psychology/what_is_psychology.shtml
Ever reach for your phone and instantly face a barrage of messages, notifications, subscription reminders, and social media updates? You’re not alone. Scientists have estimated that the average person processes about 74 gigabytes of information daily: equivalent to watching 16 high-definition movies back-to-back in a single day. Cognitive overload is real. And over time, constant stimulation quietly changes how we think, focus, and feel. In this article, we’ll explore: What Does Cognitive Overload Mean? Cognitive overload happens when your brain receives more information than…
When someone struggles with depression, homelessness, or discrimination, who steps in to help? A psychologist? A social worker? A sociologist? These three fields all address human challenges, but they explore humanity from very different angles: one from society, one from the mind, and one from the front lines. So what are the similarities and differences between sociology, psychology, and social work? This guide clears up…
The Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union lasted nearly 45 years. This period of global tension was fueled by political differences, expansionism, a nuclear arms race, and constant propaganda. But these factors were symptoms of a deeper, underlying psychological force: group polarization. Both sides steadily grew more entrenched in their opposing views,…
Every nursing shift brings surprises—patients with unexpected symptoms, emergencies that demand split-second decisions, and the challenge of juggling it all. That’s where critical thinking comes in.
It’s more than a buzzword: It’s the difference between reacting and leading. In this article, we’ll break down why critical thinking is essential for nurses and how you can strengthen this skill to level up your career.
Critical thinking is the process of “actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.” It’s based on accuracy, sound evidence, fairness, and other universally accepted intellectual values. Put simply, it’s the ability to be objective. Rather than allow emotions or opinions to guide their beliefs and actions, critical thinkers are driven by facts.
According to Edward M. Glaser, critical thinking contains three components:
As a nurse, your overall goal is to improve patient outcomes. Critical thinking is important in nursing because if all healthcare providers can think critically and utilize evidence-based decision-making, there’s a better chance of improving patient outcomes. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) lists critical thinking as one of the most important qualities a nurse can have, alongside qualities like communication and organizational skills and emotional stability.
The fight-or-flight response is a physiological reaction that occurs when there is a perceived threat to survival. When our brain registers this threat, our bodies are flooded with stress hormones, such as adrenaline and norepinephrine. Heart rates increase, pupils dilate, and muscles tense up.
The fight-or-flight response may have helped our distant ancestors take down mammoths, but it’s far less helpful when rushing to make an important decision regarding a patient’s care plan. Worse still is when a patient is in a life-or-death situation and their survival depends on poise under pressure.
If your goal is to work in a hospital, especially in an intensive care unit (ICU), you must be able to think critically in all manner of situations. By cultivating your critical thinking skills, you can respond appropriately even when your heart is pounding and your thoughts are racing.
In order to think critically, it’s not enough to be able to recite medical information verbatim. Critical thinkers are always logical and unbiased in their assessments, challenging the accuracy of information and beliefs when they have cause to doubt them. Although some are naturally inquisitive, all nurses can develop their innate curiosity, medical knowledge, and ability to think on their feet.
Looking at the three components of critical thinking, your first step in developing your skill set is to develop a wise, problem-solving attitude. Nurses are no longer the untrained caregivers of the past. Today, nurses play a vital role in patient-centered care, often assisting doctors by contributing to care plans, analyzing diagnostic tests, administering medicine, and monitoring vital signs. As the duties of a nurse continue to evolve and expand, nurses can excel by remaining open-minded and becoming lifelong learners.
The second component of critical thinking is the knowledge of methods of logical investigation. Essentially, your goal is to develop a repository of medical knowledge to draw upon when making decisions. Medical knowledge can be obtained from years of experience, guidance from colleagues, and academic programs like those offered by The University of Texas Permian Basin. As a registered nurse (RN), it’s likely that your academic and working experiences already shape your decision-making. If that’s the case, you’re already employing one of the tenets of critical thinking.
The ability to not only understand medical knowledge but effectively apply it to your decision-making may be the most difficult component of critical thinking to adopt. Fortunately, you’re not alone. In addition to staying up-to-date on best practices, you can draw upon the experience of doctors, educators, and fellow nurses. No one knows more about critical thinking than the professionals who’ve spent years in your role. Over time, you’ll be able to calmly and effectively apply your skills to help patients regardless of the medical, cultural, or linguistic challenges facing you.
Critical thinking is absolutely a skill set that can be developed with the help of an online Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. At UT Permian Basin, we can empower you with the critical thinking skills needed to excel in your current position and the leadership skills needed to advance your career.
With the exception of leadership clinical experiences, our program is asynchronous and 100% online, and there’s no travel required. Remain in your current nursing role while continuing your education on your own time and at your own pace. In as little as eight months, you can complete our online RN to BSN program and receive a Nurse Management Certificate from Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society. During those eight months, you’ll gain first-rate instruction accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
UT Permian Basin’s online RN to BSN program offers the education and experiences needed to prosper in a leadership role. The critical thinking, management, and transcultural nursing skills taught in our virtual classrooms will prove indispensable in your nursing career. By enrolling in our online RN to BSN program, you’ll not only be more capable of stepping into a leadership role but also better able to assist the patients under your care.
Learn more about UT Permian Basin’s online RN to BSN program.
Sources:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336058016_Critical_Thinking_Skills
https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/emotions/fear2.htm
The first professional many people encounter in a healthcare setting is a nurse, whether in a doctor’s office, the emergency room, on the phone, or in community outreaches. Nurses have vital roles in our healthcare system: providing care, advocating for patients’ rights, and advancing healthcare through research and education. Being a nurse has many challenges…
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. —Arthur C. Clarke Imagine a 19th-century nurse stepping foot in a modern-day hospital. Although knowledgeable for her time, this nurse would be at a loss for what to do with commonplace technologies like defibrillators, ventilators, and vital signs monitors. Medical culture would perhaps feel familiar, but every…
As the United States becomes increasingly multicultural, education must address the topic of multiculturalism so that degree holders will be properly prepared to serve the needs of our diverse society. Nurses interact with a diverse range of people on any given day. With an awareness of multicultural populations, nurses will be able to provide more…
Community health nurses care for more than one patient at a time. Their focus is the health of whole populations, whether that means educating families, supporting underserved groups, or helping prevent illness before it spreads.
Also called public health nurses in some settings, community health nurses work directly with individuals and families while also looking at the bigger picture. They pay attention to the social, economic, and environmental factors that affect health and work to improve health outcomes across entire communities, not just for individual patients.
In this article, we explore:
Community health nursing focuses on promoting health at the community level. That means looking beyond one patient at a time and focusing on the health needs of groups of people who live in the same area, attend the same schools, work in the same environments, or face similar health risks.
Instead of treating illness after it happens, community health nurses work proactively to help people stay healthier in the first place. They look at the factors that shape health across a community, including access to care, transportation, housing, nutrition, education, and other everyday conditions that can affect long-term well-being.
Because health is shaped by more than medical treatment alone, community health nurses also pay attention to issues like food access, housing, insurance coverage, and transportation.
Community health nurses often serve people who have limited access to care. Depending on the role, the responsibilities of community health nurses include:
These nurses work across a variety of settings, including government agencies, schools, nonprofit organizations, clinics, and academic institutions.
One of the most important parts of community health nursing is helping reduce barriers that keep people from getting care.
That may mean:
Community health nurses can’t solve every systemic problem on their own, but they can help people access screenings, education, and preventative care they might not otherwise receive.
Community health nurses promote prevention by educating at-risk groups on public health challenges, including:
To become a community health nurse, you first need to become a registered nurse. From there, earning a BSN can help you build the broader knowledge and leadership skills often needed in community-based roles.
The University of Texas Permian Basin’s online RN to BSN program helps nurses strengthen their skills in leadership and evidence-based practice. The program is fully online and designed for working nurses who want to maximize their impact.
Learn more about UT Permian Basin’s online RN to BSN program.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK500097
https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2011.0685
https://www.cdc.gov/psr/index.html
For decades, nurses have used telehealth to deliver high-quality care to patients, especially those in rural areas. Still, in-person care has remained the norm—that is, until the emergence of COVID-19. Seemingly overnight, telehealth has become the primary way for healthcare professionals to see their patients. Upon the release of COVID vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and…
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world’s perception of ‘normal’ underwent a rapid transformation. Suddenly, adults and students found themselves working from home, encountering shortages of essentials like toilet paper and sanitizer, and witnessing the widespread adoption of face masks in public spaces. However, it wasn’t just children and parents adjusting to online…
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. —Arthur C. Clarke Imagine a 19th-century nurse stepping foot in a modern-day hospital. Although knowledgeable for her time, this nurse would be at a loss for what to do with commonplace technologies like defibrillators, ventilators, and vital signs monitors. Medical culture would perhaps feel familiar, but every…
Kindness plays an underappreciated role in healthcare. Nurses who are able to show compassion can better connect with and provide for patients. There’s just one problem: Kindness can be in short supply in the medical field, where stress and burnout are very real problems for nurses and other healthcare providers. As a registered nurse (RN), you must be able to show your patients kindness even when you’re nearing the end of a 12-hour shift, your feet are killing you, and you’re on your fifth cup of coffee.
The University of Texas Permian Basin offers an online RN to BSN program designed to empower nurses with the skills needed to thrive in leadership roles. In addition to patient-centered care, interprofessional collaboration, and transcultural nursing, our program covers the important role kindness plays in healthcare. Although kindness can’t suture a wound or cure a disease, it can be a powerful tool in medicine if administered properly.
Kindness, compassion, sympathy, and empathy are often used interchangeably; however, research shows that a broad concept of empathy is more appropriate for clinical practice. According to an article on empathy, sympathy, and compassion in healthcare, empathy is a dynamic process that involves:
Empathy in healthcare means more than just being friendly. It requires conscious effort to step back and respect a patient’s feelings, needs, and predicament. This process requires a skill set that can be developed with time, practice, and instruction. By accepting your emotions, you can better care for your patients and avoid and mitigate stress that leads to burnout. We’ll continue to use “kindness” throughout this article, but what we’re referring to is a multi-step process requiring empathy.
Kindness is more than just window dressing on medical care. It’s an integral part of the patient experience. Research has shown that patients who receive compassionate, patient-centered care are more satisfied and willing to comply with their medical treatment, which leads to positive patient outcomes. Kindness, as perceived by patients, may even reduce the severity and duration of the common cold. When healthcare providers take the time to consider a patient’s needs, they are better able to provide for those needs. If you’ve ever struggled to convince a patient to take their regularly scheduled medicine, you may already know the important role kindness plays in improving patient outcomes.
Conversely, unkind behavior can have just as much of an impact on patient experiences and outcomes. 64% of Americans report experiencing unkind behavior in healthcare settings. In addition to staff rudeness and poor listening skills, survey takers reported a failure on behalf of their healthcare provider to develop a two-way relationship. Poor experiences like these encourage patients to switch to other healthcare providers or forgo seeking healthcare altogether. Kindness is so valued by patients, in fact, that the majority of Americans surveyed ranked kindness as one of the most important factors in choosing a healthcare provider, above the cost of care, wait times, and travel distance.
Entering a patient’s room with a warm smile and a willingness to listen may seem trivial when compared to objective medical outcomes, but how patients perceive kindness can strongly color their experience and impact the quality of care they receive. Unfortunately, kindness may be the last thing on your mind during a clinical encounter, especially when a patient is being less than cooperative. How can you build a two-way relationship with patients who aren’t willing to be kind to nurses?
It’s important to understand that when patients are acting out, they are only reacting to situations they feel they have little or no control over. Nancy Whitt, a nurse of 45 years, sums it up perfectly: “It’s easy to blame the nurse who’s right there. Most of the time, [patients] are just reacting to the circumstances they’ve found themself in with anger, fear, or a bit of both. You just need to let it all wash over you and carry on with your job.”
“Let it wash over you” may be easier said than done, but it’s the key to fighting burnout and showing kindness. By being kind even when your impulse is to do otherwise, you will eventually form a habit. Kindness can become second nature with time, instruction, and practice. The Buddhist practice of mindfulness-based meditation, such as loving-kindness meditation, can help in this regard. One study shows that by taking just 10 minutes to meditate and wish patients health, happiness, and well-being, healthcare providers can prevent burnout and improve the quality of care.
As a nurse, you may not have 10 minutes to spare when administering care. However, it’s important to at least see your patients as living, thinking individuals who experience joy, sorrow, and everything in between as vividly as you do. What patients feel when they have a broken leg or an infected wound is exactly what you would feel if the tables were turned. That’s kindness: being able to see things from another perspective and using that insight to build a rapport with patients.
You can develop the skill set needed to employ kindness in your profession, and it begins by making a conscious choice to consider the needs of others. At UT Permian Basin, our online RN to BSN program can guide you as you become a more compassionate, capable leader.
Our program empowers students with the leadership skills needed to consider patients’ medical and emotional needs when making decisions. Our course Population Public Health Clinical empowers students to perform assessments of formal and informal community systems and health care delivery systems with an emphasis on cultural diversity and the needs of individuals, families, communities, and populations, while courses like Social Determinants of Health teach students how to evaluate the way sociocultural factors impact health disparities, outcomes, and patient satisfaction, strengthening patient-nurse rapport and empathy. Moreover, our program is flexible and 100% online, meaning that you can earn your degree while continuing to work and care for your patients.
If you’re interested in becoming a kinder, more compassionate nurse, enroll in UT Permian Basin’s online RN to BSN program. In less than eight months after enrolling, you can graduate having gained an entirely new perspective on nursing.
Learn more about UT Permian Basin’s online RN to BSN program.
Sources:
https://jcompassionatehc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40639-014-0005-9
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0141076816680120
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0163278704267037
As the United States becomes increasingly multicultural, education must address the topic of multiculturalism so that degree holders will be properly prepared to serve the needs of our diverse society. Nurses interact with a diverse range of people on any given day. With an awareness of multicultural populations, nurses will be able to provide more effective and compassionate care.
While no nurse can be fully educated on all the intricacies of every culture she or he will encounter, it’s important to at least be aware that there are differences between cultures in a healthcare context. One can no longer take a one-size-fits-all approach. It is imperative to provide multicultural nursing care.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines “multicultural” as “including people who have many different customs and beliefs,” while Merriam-Webster defines “transcultural” as “involving, encompassing, or extending across two or more cultures.”
In the nursing context, RegisteredNursing.org defines transcultural nursing as a “nursing specialty which focuses on global cultures and comparative cultural caring, health, and nursing phenomena” with the aim of providing “culturally congruent nursing care.” The uniting theme between transcultural and multicultural nursing is that patients may be different kinds of people from diverse backgrounds, and the nursing profession must acknowledge and respond to their unique needs.
While the concept of transcultural nursing dates back to at least the 1950s, population growth and immigration have made it more important now than ever. A variety of factors, including ethnicity, culture, religious beliefs, and gender identity, influence a patient’s choices regarding healthcare. A nurse must consider these when administering care or when trying to help a patient make decisions about their own care.
A culturally competent nurse is one who understands the concerns, sensitivities, and risk factors inherent in various cultures. With proper instruction in a university-level program such as RN to BSN, you can become a culturally competent nurse with the ability to identify possible barriers and find effective ways to avoid or overcome them. These skills are critical to being a nurse today, both in terms of the quality of patient care you provide and for your employment potential.
The University of Texas Permian Basin’s online RN to BSN program was designed with transcultural and multicultural nursing in mind. This CCNE-accredited program prepares nurses for leadership and decision-making roles in patient care. As you progress through the program, you’ll achieve a deep understanding of evidence-based practice, patient-centered care, and—as we’re discussing here—methods for meeting the diverse needs of multicultural patients.
Our online RN to BSN program has three core courses that directly address multicultural and transcultural nursing. Those courses, and their official catalog descriptions, are:
Knowledge of the basic nursing practices and specialized medical and nursing terminology needed to communicate effectively concerning health status and health/illness management of Spanish-speaking patients and families. Evaluate nursing decisions and nursing actions needed to perform patient history, patient teaching, medication administration, discharge planning, and explanation of procedures and therapy congruent with the needs of Spanish speaking patients. Identify when to use a medical interpreter.
Analysis of formal and informal community systems/resources and healthcare delivery systems in public health; emphasis on cultural influences on health of individuals, families, communities, and populations. Community partnerships, interprofessional communication to help families modify lifestyle and community resources to promote health. Roles, strategies, and resources for emergency management in the community.
Application of evidence-based nursing practice skills to community/public health situations addressing cultural diversity, at-risk families, and vulnerable populations; nursing collaboration and interprofessional communication to explore public health systems to promote health in communities. Community assessment and planning in non-emergent and emergent situations. Advocacy for access to the healthcare system.
Earning your BSN online from UT Permian Basin has benefits beyond building your nursing proficiency and increasing your ability to provide multicultural nursing care. Our program features asynchronous, 100% online classes that enable you to finish your coursework at your own pace, from any location where you have internet access, at any time of the day. No campus visits are required for this program—including the three required clinical courses. If you’re currently working and/or trying to manage family responsibilities, you’ll find this the most flexible way to earn your BSN degree.
Our clinical courses enable you to work closely with an established professional to develop vital experience, acquire knowledge and skills, and put theories you’ve learned into practice within different professional settings. Clinical courses are conducted in-person with a preceptor that you choose, the primary requirement being that they’ve completed a BSN and are already working in a position of nursing leadership. All the details and requirements for preceptors will be provided to you during your first seminar course.
Our online RN to BSN program features an accelerated format that allows you to complete some courses in as little as seven weeks. You may also choose from six program start times per year to suit your schedule and program completion goals. All courses within the program are taught by the very same acclaimed faculty who teach them in physical classrooms here on the UT Permian Basin campus. Upon graduating from the program, you will receive an identical degree to the one that students who have attended class in-person on our campus receive. Degrees do not specify whether the program was completed on campus or online.
Successful modern nurses are skilled in transcultural and multicultural nursing. Develop your own expertise in an online RN to BSN program from UT Permian Basin.
Sources:
https://www.registerednursing.org/specialty/transcultural-nurse/
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/
https://www.merriam-webster.com/
Technology is transforming the way nurses learn, study, and deliver care. From NCLEX prep tools to clinical communication apps, today’s nurses and nursing students rely on a wide range of digital resources to stay sharp and efficient. Whether you’re preparing for exams or managing patient care, mobile apps and education platforms can help you work smarter, not harder.
Below, we highlight some of the top-rated apps and tech tools that support nursing education and practice, including study aids, drug references, and learning management systems like Canvas.
The creators of this app state that it “helps over 1 million healthcare professionals take the friction out of everyday challenges that are unique to clinicians.” Doximity combines many tools that nurses and other medical workers use on a daily basis.
The app enables users to make one-click audio and video calls to patients for telemedicine visits, which are becoming increasingly popular. Users can also fax medical records and lab results securely in compliance with HIPAA, search nationwide physician directories, and browse the latest news by medical field or specialty.
Doximity is also a networking tool that allows users to share their curriculum vitae (CV) and reconnect with former colleagues and classmates. In addition, the app enables the user to earn a continuing medical education (CME) credit, which most healthcare professionals are required to complete annually.
This app is designed to help nursing school students pass their exams (including the NCLEX-RN or NCLEX-PN), classes, and boards. According to its creators, Picmonic is used by more than a half million students and is “the world’s best mnemonic video and spaced repetition quizzing study tool that’s research-proven to increase memory retention 331%.” The app includes more than 10,000 quiz questions—including daily practice quizzes—and 1,000 mnemonic videos that cover a variety of major subjects.
This app provides the critical information nurses need to safely administer medications to patients. It’s a comprehensive nursing drug guide containing monographs for more than 5,000 FDA-approved generic and trade name drugs. Included are drug interaction information; cautions for geriatric, pediatric, and lactating mother use; pharmacogenomic content; Canadian-specific content; details of herbal drug content; and proper drug name pronunciations.
Nursing Dictionary by Farlex is a medical dictionary app that was designed specifically for use by nurses. It provides access to more than 56,000 medical terms, including 4,000 entries on medications, as well as 9,000 images. All information comes from authoritative sources such as Houghton Mifflin, McGraw-Hill, Gale, and Elsevier.
Nurses and nursing students alike can benefit from Nursing Dictionary by Farlex, which offers voice search capabilities, a definition sharing function, unlimited bookmarks, and advanced search functions. Users can search across multiple disciplines in more than a dozen medical dictionaries and encyclopedic sources.
Whether you’re just starting your nursing journey or returning to school to earn your BSN, mobile study tools can help you learn on your schedule. While apps like Picmonic and UWorld NCLEX-RN are popular among nursing students preparing for licensure, RNs pursuing their BSN often use tools like:
These tools are especially helpful if you’re returning to academics after time in the field and want concise, flexible refreshers.
At The University of Texas Permian Basin, our CCNE-accredited RN to BSN program is built to fit your busy life. We know that as a working nurse or student, you’re juggling personal and professional responsibilities. That’s why we’ve created a flexible online format that lets you earn your degree on your schedule without putting the rest of your life on hold.
What makes this online flexibility possible? Technology tools. Specifically, Canvas, our learning management system (LMS). Canvas makes it easy to:
Whether you’re reviewing clinical case studies or preparing for exams, Canvas supports your learning every step of the way. It’s one of the key tech tools that enables our students to thrive in an online environment.
You can share information, join discussions, and pose questions to your experienced instructors—most of whom are former online students—and classmates using email, chat, and discussion boards. You can even set up virtual study groups. Canvas makes all of these advantages possible on your journey to an RN to BSN degree at UT Permian Basin.
Technology tools for nurses have forever changed the way we learn about and practice this critical profession. Experience the benefits of tech tools for yourself starting with our online RN to BSN program.
Sources:
https://www.apple.com/ios/app-store
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