Diseases and healthcare needs don’t recognize state borders. Take COVID-19, for instance, when hospitals across the country faced staffing shortages and urgently needed licensed medical professionals. Fortunately, the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) allowed nurses to practice across state lines with a single license, making it easier for them to respond to areas in need.
So, what is a compact state? It’s one of the 42 states that participate in the agreement. With a compact license, a nurse in Texas, for example, can practice in states like Georgia or North Dakota, regardless of emergency orders or additional requirements.
This compact opens up greater employment opportunities for nurses, allowing them to practice where they’re needed most and, most importantly, make a meaningful impact by saving lives.
Yes, Texas is an NLC state. Texas nurses can be awarded a compact license, allowing them to practice in all NLC states, so long as they remain a Texas resident and do the following:
Earning a compact license is an incredible accomplishment that can lead to a number of new, exciting opportunities in the nursing field, including the chance to become a travel nurse.
With the recent shortage of nurses, the demand for travel nurses has surged. To meet this need, many hospitals are offering significantly higher pay to attract skilled professionals from other states. As of March 2023, travel nurses earned an average of $2,588 per week, while permanent nursing staff earned $1,375 per week.
But the benefits of having a CNL don’t end there. With a compact license, a nurse can:
The University of Texas Permian Basin offers an online Bachelor of Science in Nursing program that prepares nurses for leadership and decision-making roles in patient care. As long as they hold a current, unencumbered RN license, nurses in Texas or any other NLC state can enroll in our program.
Which states are part of the Nursing Licensure Compact? As mentioned, 43 states have implemented (or have pending) NLC legislation. They are:
| Alabama | Michigan | Pennsylvania |
| Alaska | Minnesota | Rhode Island |
| Arizona | Missouri | South Carolina |
| Arkansas | Mississippi | South Dakota |
| Colorado | Montana | Tennessee |
| Delaware | Nebraska | Texas |
| Georgia | Nevada | Utah |
| Idaho | New Hampshire | Virginia |
| Illinois | New Mexico | Vermont |
| Iowa | New York | Washington |
| Kansas | North Carolina | West Virginia |
| Kentucky | North Dakota | Wisconsin |
| Louisiana | Ohio | Wyoming |
| Maine | Oklahoma | |
| Maryland | Oregon |
Designed with nurses’ demanding schedules in mind, our program is almost entirely online and asynchronous. Nurses can complete courses, view lectures, and participate in online discussions from any of the 43 NLC states. Our program does require three clinical courses, which can be conducted in your home state and with the preceptor of your choice. Through our program, you can:
Accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), our online program delivers critical, comprehensive, and relevant healthcare training through the highest quality instruction. Courses like Transcultural Nursing, Theories and Issues in Professional Nursing & Health Care, Management Concepts and Organizational Theory, and Clinical Leadership I and II train students to become tomorrow’s nursing leaders.
In addition to instilling students with invaluable knowledge and skills, our program rewards graduates with a Nurse Manager Certificate from Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society. Equipped with a compact license, BSN, and Nurse Manager Certificate, graduates are ready to succeed in the nursing field regardless of the state they’re in.
A nurse can earn a comfortable living with a compact license alone, but many nursing professionals refuse to rest on their laurels. They instead become nursing leaders capable of providing patient-centered care, inspiring team members, and ensuring long-term success. At UT Permian Basin, students can gain these skills and more, safeguarding not only their success but the success of their patients and fellow nurses.
If you’d like to expand your skill set and reach your full potential, apply to UT Permian Basin’s online BSN program. No matter where you’re licensed, no matter where you practice, nursing leaders will always be needed.
Sources:
https://www.leaderstat.com/compact-state-nursing-license#benefits_of_a_compact_lpnrn_license
https://cepr.net/publications/how-does-travel-nurse-pay-compare-to-permanent-staff-nurses
Other articles you may be interested in:
Picture this: You’re in a hospital room, and a nurse walks in—flustered, but still smiling—with a chart in hand. This expert provider is checking your vitals, catching early warning signs, coordinating with doctors, reassuring your anxious family outside, and solving small healthcare crises in the hallway … all before lunch. Today, nurses are no longer…
Of the growing number of fields actively using artificial intelligence (AI) technology—including finance, manufacturing, marketing, and customer service—the field that arguably makes the most significant impact in our lives is healthcare. AI is supporting all healthcare sectors, simultaneously making nurses more efficient, elevating their level of care, and improving patient outcomes. Here we’ll examine some…
Every year, over 150,000 registered nurses (RNs) graduate from nursing school, ready and eager to make a difference in the lives of patients. They’ve spent up to four years preparing for this moment, poring over textbooks, completing clinicals, and mastering skills. But when it comes time to face the challenges on the hospital floor or…
Long hours, late nights, and sore feet are challenges that have plagued nurses since the time of Florence Nightingale. However, the advent of the 21st century has brought with it a new set of challenges that nurses must learn to overcome if they are to rise through the ranks, and there’s no telling what challenges await nursing leaders in the years to come.
At The University of Texas Permian Basin, we’ve made it our goal to help nurses adapt to the shifting landscape of modern nursing. Every day may bring new patients, new challenges, and new opportunities, but there’s no reason nurses can’t be prepared for what tomorrow brings. As we look at the challenges of being a nurse in the 21st century, consider how earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and taking on a leadership role will better enable you and your fellow nurses to overcome these obstacles and so many more.
It would be impossible to discuss the challenges of being a nurse in the 21st century without discussing the COVID-19 pandemic. With full knowledge that they could become infected and spread the virus to others, nurses are putting their own mental and physical health on the line to help those affected by COVID-19. This selflessness is explored in a review paper on nurses’ experiences during respiratory pandemics, which found that a nurse’s duty to their patient outweighs their competing obligations to themselves and their families. What drives nurses to put the needs of patients above their own? It’s simply the right thing to do. However, for nurses to perform at their best, they need a system supporting them.
“You talk about how essential, how needed, how grateful you are, and yet you throw us to the wolves,” said Jean Ross, president of National Nurses United. Ross is referring to a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline healthcare workers that sparked protests at the start of the pandemic. To this day, PPE shortages continue to be sporadic and reuse practices for single-use PPE are becoming commonplace. Over half of nurses feel unsafe reusing and decontaminating masks. Nurses across the nation continue to fight against the “new normal” and protest for the safety of not only themselves but also their patients.
One of the main challenges of being a nurse in the 21st century is the growing need to engage in decision-making related to health information technologies (HIT). Nursing informatics uses data, information, and knowledge to improve patient outcomes and improve healthcare services in all aspects of nursing, including clinical nursing. Electronic health records allow nurses and other healthcare professionals to access, monitor, and update patient information in real time on mobile devices. Moreover, HIT allows nurses to instantly communicate with their team and access evidence-based information. Directors, managers, chief nursing officers, and other nursing leaders who adopt HIT can make informed strategic and operational decisions, including those related to staffing and scheduling needs.
Research has shown, however, that nursing leaders often leave IT decisions to others due to a lack of nursing informatics competencies. “It is clear that nursing informatics and HIT knowledge should no longer be delegated to a specialist, but should be an expected core competency of professional practice,” noted researchers. We couldn’t agree more, which is why our online RN to BSN program includes Informatics and Innovation, a course that helps students integrate the knowledge of health information and data analysis to drive clinical decision-making and patient care outcomes.
Like any double-edged sword, technological advancements can result in unintended consequences. While 21st-century nurses may be well aware of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the need to keep protected health information (PHI) confidential, they may be unaware of just how easy it is to accidentally share PHI, especially over social media. Sharing information, photos, or videos related to a patient’s health is expressly prohibited by HIPAA. Something as seemingly innocuous as posting about a patient’s experience in a private Facebook group can and has resulted in nurses losing their jobs. While patient confidentiality has always been important in nursing, it has become a growing challenge when it comes to preparing nursing students for practice in the 21st century.
Employment in the nursing field is expected to grow by 7% from 2019 to 2029, but that doesn’t mean the competition for jobs is any less fierce. In years past, nurses needed little more than a nursing license to find and thrive in a rewarding role. “Now lots of areas, including mine, want those things as well as Advanced [Cardiac] Life Support (ACLS) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) cards, and a certification in some specific fields,” said Nancy Whitt, a gastrointestinal nurse in California. “You also have to pass a math, pharmacology, and nursing test.”
The bar has been raised, making UT Permian Basin’s online RN to BSN program more relevant than ever. Core courses, such as Healthcare Leadership and Policy and Leadership Immersion & Capstone, ensure that nursing professionals have the experience and skills needed to succeed in leadership roles. Our students can also pursue the optional Sigma Nurse Manager training and certification exam, which prepares students for leadership roles and makes them more marketable in their practicing institutions. If you’re interested in taking the exam and becoming a nurse manager, our online program can prepare you in as little as eight months.
The U.S. is an increasingly multicultural society, requiring nurses to grow both professionally and personally in order to connect with people of differing cultures, ethnicities, genders, religions, and sexual orientations. Appreciating these differing perspectives is necessary for building a rapport with patients, providing for their needs, and improving their outcomes. However, in order to overcome the challenges cultural differences present, it’s not enough to be an effective communicator. Nursing leaders must be able to foster an inclusive team environment where a patient’s unique perspective is always considered.
At UT Permian Basin, our goal is to provide professionals with every tool they’ll need throughout their careers as leaders in the nursing field. Social Determinants of Health, Population Public Health, and Healthcare Leadership and Policy are core courses in our online RN to BSN program designed to teach nurses how culture impacts individuals, families, communities, and populations. Apply to UT Permian Basin’s online program if you’re interested in taking on a leadership role that will help you overcome—and help your fellow nurses overcome—21st-century challenges like this one.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4825491/
https://health.ebsco.com/blog/article/five-way-healthcare-informatics-help-nurses
https://www.hipaajournal.com/what-happens-nurse-violates-hipaa/
https://minoritynurse.com/the-importance-of-diversity-in-nursing-breaking-down-stereotypes-and-inclusivity-barriers/
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
Most of us are diligent when it comes to handwashing, whether it’s after using the bathroom or before chopping veggies for dinner. Funny thing, though—it wasn’t always like that, and most certainly not in the medical world. Believe it or not, we can thank Florence Nightingale for making it commonplace to wash hands before…
Long hours, late nights, and sore feet are challenges that have plagued nurses since the time of Florence Nightingale. However, the advent of the 21st century has brought with it a new set of challenges that nurses must learn to overcome if they are to rise through the ranks, and there’s no telling what challenges await…
Imagine yourself 10 years from now. What does your nursing career look like? After years of hands-on patient care, are you ready to step into a more advanced and impactful role? With so many advanced nursing roles to consider, finding the right path can be challenging. If you’re dedicated to elevating the quality of care…
A community health nurse, also known as a public health nurse, makes the health needs of an entire population their priority. Whether treating an entire family or a single patient, community health nurses provide direct care, promote disease prevention, and advocate for underserved populations. They’re more than bedside caregivers; they’re leaders dedicated to promoting and improving health where people are born, grow, and live.
If you’re wondering, “how can I help my community as a nurse?” there’s perhaps no better way to serve the members of your community than by becoming a community health nurse. This role allows you to break down barriers to healthcare, support vulnerable populations, and create lasting change.
If you’re passionate about making a difference in your community, earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) can help you transition into a rewarding career in community health nursing.
The American Public Health Association (APHA) defines public health nursing as “the practice of promoting and protecting the health of populations using knowledge from nursing, social, and public health sciences.” Community health nursing, a specialized area of public health nursing, focuses on improving health outcomes at the local level by working directly with individuals, families, and groups within a community.
Community health nurses provide for health needs by:
Although community health nurses are focused on the health needs of the entire population, they recognize that certain groups face more barriers to care than others. Health inequity is a complex problem influenced by social, cultural, economic, and historical factors. To address these disparities, community health nurses advocate for social justice by teaching, developing policies, and finding community-based solutions that help eliminate population health disparities.
You can reduce barriers to care by advocating for policies that increase healthcare access, leading programs to ensure equal access to health insurance, and addressing social determinants of health such as poverty, poor nutrition, and environmental hazards.
Community health nurses often work in areas where residents lack access to quality healthcare due to issues like inconsistent insurance coverage and limited resources. By addressing these disparities through community-based programs and prevention efforts, nurses help bridge the gap in healthcare access and improve overall public health.
Community health nurses are agents of change. They assess the needs of populations to improve health and healthcare for individual patients and community-wide health initiatives alike. They understand how social factors impact health and work to help diverse and underserved populations stay healthy.
Community health nurses promote prevention by educating at-risk groups on public health challenges, including:
By pursuing a career in community health nursing, you can work in a variety of settings to help at-risk groups receive preventative healthcare, including:
Vulnerable populations are often unable to speak out regarding the barriers separating them from health and wellness. As a community health nurse, you can give a voice to their struggles and provide the social, emotional, and healthcare support they need to avoid and overcome public health challenges.
If you’re still wondering how you can help your community in a healthcare role, we hope that we’ve provided you with the answer. Below, we break down the steps involved in becoming a community health nurse:
Before pursuing a career in community health nursing, you must first become a registered nurse. If you’re already an RN, you’re well on your way to advancing into community health nursing.
The next step is to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). The University of Texas Permian Basin offers an online RN to BSN program that equips nurses with the foundational skills needed to excel in community health nursing. The program is designed to prepare you for nursing leadership, interprofessional collaboration, and promoting health within diverse communities.
During your BSN program at UT Permian Basin, you’ll dive into specific courses that are crucial for community health nursing, including:
These courses will give you the knowledge to understand the legal, ethical, cultural, socioeconomic, and global factors affecting health in communities.
Upon graduating from your BSN program, you’ll be ready to treat and prevent health issues in your community. UTPB’s program is specifically designed to prepare you for leadership roles in addressing public health challenges, allowing you to make a lasting impact on the health and wellness of your community.
Our online RN to BSN program is 100% online, requires no travel, and can be completed in an as little as eight months. In less than a year after enrolling, you can graduate from our online program and receive an additional Nurse Management Certificate from Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society. If you’re interested in taking a more active role in helping your community, enroll in UT Permian Basin’s online RN to BSN program and pursue a career as a community health nurse.
Learn more about UT Permian Basin’s online RN to BSN program.
Sources:
https://www.apha.org/-/media/files/pdf/membergroups/phn/nursingdefinition.ashx?la=en&hash=331DBEC4B79E0C0B8C644BF2BEA571249F8717A0
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
If you’re interested in becoming a nurse, you’ve probably seen the terms “RN” and “BSN” pop up everywhere. ut what do they really mean, and how are they connected? An RN, or registered nurse, is a licensed healthcare professional who provides hands-on patient care, educates individuals about health conditions, and works closely with doctors and…
Long hours, late nights, and sore feet are challenges that have plagued nurses since the time of Florence Nightingale. However, the advent of the 21st century has brought with it a new set of challenges that nurses must learn to overcome if they are to rise through the ranks, and there’s no telling what challenges await…
Nurses work and live in two separate worlds. In one world, they’re caregivers who often put the needs of patients before their own. In the other, nurses are steadfast friends, caring family members, and lifelong learners—individuals striving to find fulfillment in their personal lives. When worlds collide and nurses are unable to balance the contrasting…
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
Other articles you may be interested in:
Picture this: You’re in a hospital room, and a nurse walks in—flustered, but still smiling—with a chart in hand. This expert provider is checking your vitals, catching early warning signs, coordinating with doctors, reassuring your anxious family outside, and solving small healthcare crises in the hallway … all before lunch. Today, nurses are no longer…
Of the growing number of fields actively using artificial intelligence (AI) technology—including finance, manufacturing, marketing, and customer service—the field that arguably makes the most significant impact in our lives is healthcare. AI is supporting all healthcare sectors, simultaneously making nurses more efficient, elevating their level of care, and improving patient outcomes. Here we’ll examine some…
Every year, over 150,000 registered nurses (RNs) graduate from nursing school, ready and eager to make a difference in the lives of patients. They’ve spent up to four years preparing for this moment, poring over textbooks, completing clinicals, and mastering skills. But when it comes time to face the challenges on the hospital floor or…
As a registered nurse (RN), you provide invaluable care and compassion to patients in their most vulnerable moments. You administer medications and treatments, advocate for your patients, and often serve as the steady hand that keeps things running. You are, arguably, the backbone of the healthcare system.
But you’re more than that. You’re a caregiver, a problem solver, a team leader, and someone who deserves the opportunity to grow. For many RNs, that next opportunity comes in the form of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).
While an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) is the minimum requirement to become an RN, earning a BSN can open doors to leadership roles and higher pay, all while strengthening the care you already provide.
A BSN, or RN to BSN, has a number of similarities to an ADN:
While both an ADN and a BSN will equip you with the essential skills to begin your nursing career, there are some notable differences—particularly in terms of time commitment, salary potential, and long-term career opportunities. For example, you can complete an ADN in two or more years, while a BSN degree requires a minimum of four years to complete.
The time invested pays off, however. Nurses that have earned their BSN average higher annual salaries than their ADN-holding colleagues. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual wage for registered nurses in 2024 was $93,600.
While the BLS does not break down salaries specifically for ADN vs. BSN holders, it reports that registered nurses in outpatient care centers earn a mean wage of $102,640, while those in federal government positions earn an average of $114,860—roles that often prefer or require a BSN.
Not sure if now’s the right time to earn your BSN? You’re not the only one. Many nurses start with a diploma or associate degree and return to school later once they’ve gained experience, weighed their options, or solidified their goals.
Whether you’re early in your career or planning ahead for graduate school, a BSN can open new doors. Here are four key reasons to consider advancing your nursing education:
If you’re considering going the BSN route, here are four reasons to do so:
As a BSN student, you’ll study subjects including theories and issues in professional nursing and healthcare, nursing research, and clinical leadership. Modern nursing also puts a strong emphasis on addressing the needs of multicultural patients as our society becomes more diverse and interconnected with the outside world.
This means you’ll take one or more courses with a multicultural or global focus. In addition, you may take some electives with a business and/or management focus.
The University of Texas Permian Basin’s CCNE-accredited online Bachelor of Science in Nursing program prepares you to take on leadership and decision-making roles in patient care. As you progress through the program, you’ll develop a deeper understanding of the following skills:
Earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing online from UT Permian Basin provides many advantages:
UT Permian Basin’s online RN to BSN program has three required clinical courses. These courses let you work closely with an established professional to acquire invaluable experience, develop new knowledge and skills, and apply theory into actual practice within a variety of professional settings.
Clinical courses are conducted in-person with a preceptor of your choosing, provided they’ve already earned a BSN and are currently working in a leadership position. You do not need to make campus visits for the clinical courses, and you’ll receive all of the details and requirements for preceptors while enrolled in your first seminar course.
Elevate your career potential! See where a BSN from UT Permian Basin can take you.
Sources:
https://nurse.org/education/adn-vs-bsn-degree
https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Degree=Bachelor_of_Science_in_Nursing_(BSN)/Salary
https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Degree=Associate_Degree_Nursing_(ADN)/Salary
Picture this: You’re in a hospital room, and a nurse walks in—flustered, but still smiling—with a chart in hand. This expert provider is checking your vitals, catching early warning signs, coordinating with doctors, reassuring your anxious family outside, and solving small healthcare crises in the hallway … all before lunch. Today, nurses are no longer…
Of the growing number of fields actively using artificial intelligence (AI) technology—including finance, manufacturing, marketing, and customer service—the field that arguably makes the most significant impact in our lives is healthcare. AI is supporting all healthcare sectors, simultaneously making nurses more efficient, elevating their level of care, and improving patient outcomes. Here we’ll examine some…
Every year, over 150,000 registered nurses (RNs) graduate from nursing school, ready and eager to make a difference in the lives of patients. They’ve spent up to four years preparing for this moment, poring over textbooks, completing clinicals, and mastering skills. But when it comes time to face the challenges on the hospital floor or…
No two patients are exactly alike. Different symptoms, different diagnoses, different treatment plans. Another key difference? Their cultural background. In the U.S.’s increasingly diverse healthcare landscape, nurses regularly care for patients from all over the world, and their values, beliefs, and expectations aren’t always the same.
Just like a treatment plan should be tailored to the individual, nursing care must also be adapted to respect and reflect each patient’s unique cultural identity. That’s where transcultural nursing comes in.
To truly connect with patients and offer the highest quality of care, nurses must develop cultural awareness and strong communication skills. These skills build trust, reduce misunderstandings, and improve outcomes, especially in today’s multicultural communities.
Whether you’re an experienced RN or just beginning your BSN journey, gaining transcultural nursing skills can help you become a more compassionate, effective caregiver.
Transcultural nursing is a specialty that focuses on delivering culturally sensitive and respectful care to people of diverse backgrounds. In practice, this means learning how culture influences communication, health behaviors, and expectations so that nurses can tailor their care to each patient’s unique needs.
In a multicultural society, there are multiple factors to consider in patient care that haven’t always been top of mind for healthcare professionals, such as how body language, eye contact, touch, and proximity affect patients. These elements, often second nature in nursing, can vary greatly across cultures.
What feels respectful in one culture may feel invasive or dismissive in another. That’s why nurses must treat each of these aspects as culturally influenced and potentially sensitive.
While it’s helpful to be able to identify the culture and religion of a patient you’re treating, it’s also important not to make assumptions about them or stereotype them. As the peer-reviewed journal Nursing2020 states, failing to understand or respect a patient’s preferences may come across as indifference—or worse, incompetence.
Instead of relying on generalizations, it’s important to remember that all patients are individuals. A cultural assessment tool, such as a short questionnaire, can be a helpful way to learn about preferences and build trust.
Key practices to keep in mind include:
Formal instruction is another way to become what the Transcultural Nursing Society calls a “culturally competent nurse.” A baccalaureate-level program such as a Bachelor of Science in Nursing can help you gain the skills to identify and overcome challenges arising from cultural differences with patients. These skills help you perform your daily nursing responsibilities more effectively while helping you advance your career.
Created with a transcultural-nursing-infused curriculum, The University of Texas Permian Basin’s CCNE-accredited online Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN) program can help you prepare to take on leadership and decision-making roles.
As you move through our program, you’ll learn effective ways to meet the diverse needs of multicultural patients as well as gain a deeper understanding of evidence-based practice and patient-centered care.
The UT Permian Basin online RN to BSN program includes three core courses that directly address the question, “What is transcultural nursing?”:
In this course, you’ll gain a foundation in the nursing practices and specialized medical and nursing terminology you need to communicate effectively with Spanish-speaking patients and families. This includes:
This course includes an analysis of formal and informal community systems/resources and healthcare delivery systems in public health and emphasizes cultural influences’ effect on the health of individuals, families, communities, and populations. In the course, you’ll:
In this course, you’ll discover how to:
You’ll also learn the importance of collaboration and interprofessional communication in promoting healthy communities through public health systems. The course also examines community assessment and planning in non-emergent and emergent situations in addition to advocacy for access to the healthcare system.
Earning your BSN online from UT Permian Basin means benefits you can enjoy immediately, not just after graduation. Our program features asynchronous, fully online classes that you can complete at any time of day from any location with internet access.
There are no required campus visits, and you can choose from six program start times to fit your schedule and program completion goals. If you’ll be juggling professional and personal responsibilities while you’re enrolled, you’ll find this flexibility invaluable.
The UT Permian Basin online RN to BSN program is delivered in an accelerated format that enables you to finish some courses in just seven weeks.Courses are taught by the same acclaimed faculty who teach them in-person on the UT Permian Basin campus. When you graduate from the program, you’ll receive a BSN degree that’s identical to the one that campus-based students receive.
To provide the most effective care to patients, every nurse should be educated in transcultural nursing. UT Permian Basin’s online RN to BSN program can help you excel in the modern multicultural environment.
Ready to enhance your nursing skills and serve diverse communities more effectively? Apply to UTPB’s online RN to BSN program today.
Sources:
https://www.registerednursing.org/specialty/transcultural-nurse
https://journals.lww.com/nursing/Fulltext/2005/01001/UNDERSTANDING_TRANSCULTURAL_NURSING.2.aspx
Other articles you may be interested in:
Picture this: You’re in a hospital room, and a nurse walks in—flustered, but still smiling—with a chart in hand. This expert provider is checking your vitals, catching early warning signs, coordinating with doctors, reassuring your anxious family outside, and solving small healthcare crises in the hallway … all before lunch. Today, nurses are no longer…
Of the growing number of fields actively using artificial intelligence (AI) technology—including finance, manufacturing, marketing, and customer service—the field that arguably makes the most significant impact in our lives is healthcare. AI is supporting all healthcare sectors, simultaneously making nurses more efficient, elevating their level of care, and improving patient outcomes. Here we’ll examine some…
Every year, over 150,000 registered nurses (RNs) graduate from nursing school, ready and eager to make a difference in the lives of patients. They’ve spent up to four years preparing for this moment, poring over textbooks, completing clinicals, and mastering skills. But when it comes time to face the challenges on the hospital floor or…
Nurses work and live in two separate worlds. In one world, they’re caregivers who often put the needs of patients before their own. In the other, nurses are steadfast friends, caring family members, and lifelong learners—individuals striving to find fulfillment in their personal lives. When worlds collide and nurses are unable to balance the contrasting demands of work and their family, wellness, and personal needs, it can lead to inner turmoil, physical and mental health concerns, and burnout.
When loved ones, personal goals, and a nursing career are all vying for your attention, how can you possibly balance all of life’s demands? As we look at the importance of and strategies for improving work-life balance as a nurse, you can begin your journey of self-improvement by being honest with yourself. What are your priorities? What’s holding you back? And what does a fulfilled, satisfying life look like to you while navigating these two disparate domains? As you’ll soon read, your two worlds may not be as separate as you think.
For nurses, work-life balance doesn’t mean bisecting your time into 50% work and 50% leisure, nor does it mean completely separating these two halves. According to management professor Marcus Butts, “Busy people who see work and nonwork as two separate spheres tend to get angry when one bleeds into the other.” Rather than looking at your work and personal life as two competing halves, he suggests looking at life as “one big pie.”
Another way is to imagine life as a wheel. The “Wheel of Life” is a tool that can help you visualize the varying areas of your life. In addition to work and leisure, the wheel of life generally contains:
There will be days when one area of your life takes priority, like when you’re asked to work overtime, and that’s okay, so long as the other areas of your life aren’t neglected for too long. What is work-life balance as a nurse? It’s being satisfied with all aspects of your life, including work and leisure, even when one aspect takes priority over the others, and it’s absolutely achievable.
When not at work, nurses try to squeeze as much out of their free time as possible, including spending time with their family, furthering their education, and finding time for a little rest and relaxation. No one wants to choose between work and personal commitments like these. However, nurses who are unable to improve work-life balance risk falling short in both their personal and professional lives.
Work-life imbalance can also result in burnout, a state of physical and mental exhaustion that causes nurses to feel disconnected from work and home. Nurses experiencing burnout are more likely to make mistakes, which can be costly and dangerous in the medical field. According to the Mayo Clinic, nurses with poor life-balance put their own health at risk as a result of chronic stress, which can cause anxiety, depression, digestive problems, headaches, and heart disease.
Your first step in achieving work-life balance is to use your skills as a nurse to evaluate your own priorities. What would you tell a patient if they were experiencing stress from work-life imbalance? What dimension of your wheel of life have you been neglecting? Even if your priority is to advance your career, another aspect of your life, such as your physical or mental health, might be throwing the rest of your life out of balance.
Your next step is to create a personalized plan for improving work-life balance. Start with small, achievable goals. For example, if your goal is to spend more time with your family, you can start by planning meals around the dinner table instead of having everyone eat separately. You’re likely setting yourself up for failure if you expect to achieve work-life balance all at once. Instead, try using evidence-based strategies to create an individualized change process where small successes are built upon to achieve an overall goal.
Time management is one of the most important aspects of work-life balance as a nurse. When creating your personalized plan, take a look at how you currently spend your time. If you’re spending an inordinate amount of time browsing through social media, unplugging for a few hours a day can relieve stress and free up time for your lifestyle goals. Track how you spend your time to spot activities that are eating up your free time. There’s no shortage of time management apps that can help you do so.
Work schedules are one of the most important influences on work-life balance. Many nurses elect to work three 12-hour shifts a week to try to tip the work-life balance scales, thinking that four days off will allow them to make the most of their personal time. A four-day weekend is appealing, but it’s important to consider how exhausting this schedule can be. After a 12-, 14-, or even 16-hour workday followed by a long commute home, many nurses can barely muster the energy to eat a meal, let alone make time for personal commitments. A four-day weekend might very well allow for more personal time, but if a nurse is spending that time recovering, it might not be worth it.
Night shifts, especially rotating shifts, are particularly detrimental to nurse work-life balance. Nurses working overnight shifts can experience disrupted circadian rhythms, leading to insomnia, illnesses, and accidents. They can also experience psychological issues as a result of being isolated from their loved ones. If you’re having trouble finding your work-life balance, speaking with your supervisor regarding your schedule and personal needs may help.
Nurses are better able to care for patients when they have the guidance, encouragement, and support of a team. It’s no different when improving work-life balance. Lifestyle coaches, trusted friends, and experienced coworkers are all sources of support who can help you achieve your career and lifestyle goals. There will always be caring mentors willing to help people who genuinely want to create positive change in their lives. At The University of Texas Permian Basin, you’ll find them in our RN to BSN program, passing on their experience and supporting nurses as they learn to balance their personal and professional lives.
Learn more about UT Permian Basin’s online RN to BSN program.
Sources:
https://journals.lww.com/nursing/fulltext/2012/01001/Striving_for_work_life_balance.10.aspx
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20046037
