FOUNDATION OF NURSING EDUCATION

REQUIREMENT NO.2

Give and explain at least two (2) importance of graduate school degree

(Masters/Doctorate) to professional nurses.
Going back to school to participate in graduate school provides us with the hands-on
learning experience and the opportunity to enter the job market with full confidence and a
competitive edge. And as what I’ve always stated on my self-introduction, the importance of
Masters education to me/professional nurses are below the following reasons:
Personal Fulfilment and Personal Development
For many, a master’s degree isn’t just about career opportunities or a higher salary.
Obtaining an advanced degree takes hard work, and it comes with a commensurate sense of
accomplishment and personal satisfaction. Although our individual identity consists of far
more than our education level or career, a master’s degree is certainly an achievement of
which you should be proud of. When you earn a graduate degree, you have also earned
additional value and credibility that invites a high level of respect. 
Although masters’ studies are often more difficult and stressful than bachelors’ studies,
they’re also often more exciting because at this stage of education we’re usually focused on
subjects that we enjoy. An advanced degree truly shows our dedication to our chosen field
and the effort it takes to complete our studies often serves as a central character-building
life experience. In this way, a Master’s Degree not only deepens our education, but is also
rewarding on a personal level. Taking on postgraduate studies takes initiative and
commitment; traits that are sure to help mold us into a successful leader in the future.
The skills that we acquire during our Master’s Degree will benefit us for the rest of our life.
Putting ourselves in a position to develop our leadership skills will help build our confidence,
give us a platform to discover new talents, and give us exposure to developing numerous
other skills such as communication, time management, open-mindedness, interpersonal
skills, taking initiative, creativity, problem-solving, and self-reflection.

Gain deep insight to career or industry

All too often, new graduates find themselves feeling as though they are not skilled enough
to enter the job market despite holding a Bachelor’s Degree. This is because an
undergraduate degree is usually quite theoretical and not very practical. Whereas much of
the worth of an undergraduate degree is in the qualification itself, arguably the most
important reason to go to graduate school is for the professional skills you’ll gain in the
process. Pursuing a Master’s Degree in nursing allows me the opportunity to learn as much
as I can about my area of interest through focused education, expanding on my technical
abilities, honing my skills, and essentially becoming an expert in the field.

Give and explain at least two (2) observations in our nursing education in the
Philippines that needs improvements. What are your suggestions to improve
our nursing education.

Deteriorating Quality of Nursing Education

Ensure the quality of education through a thorough review of the curricula and
quality of nursing faculty. Quality education relies largely on well-trained and
competent faculty members. Faculty development and faculty vacancies are
demanding challenges in nursing education. Inadequate capacity in nursing schools,
increasing requirements to take part in non-academic university activities and
relatively low pay are a primary contributing factor to the deficit of nurses and the
lack of nursing faculty is a primary causative factor of the capacity restrains.
Educators need practice to allow them to integrate theory into practice through
synchronization of theoretical themes with the practice courses as well as evidence-
based educational strategies more effectively and equip nursing students with the
competencies demanded in the 21st century’s healthcare environment. Nursing
schools demand faculty members who are experts in nursing education and have the
knowledge base to function in an advanced practice role. Furthermore, deans of
schools of nursing are demanded to applaud these experts and act to cultivate
systems that celebrate and reward expertise in nursing education (Bvumbwe, 2016).
Continuous curricular modifications are an essential phenomenon in nursing
academia in order to level learning with the rapidly evolving professional practice.
Faculty members gain insight on the students’ feedback on their clinical placements
by the end of each semester through individual and group discussions using
Interpretive Descriptive qualitative research methodology. Nursing programs aim to
prepare nurses who are able to deliver safe and high-quality care and would be able
to adapt to the evolving environments of practice. Nursing pedagogues endeavor to
expose the students to various learning experiences to make sure that they receive
their information through multiple channels and would have access to the best
available evidence. (Landeen et al., 2016).

Technological challenges for nursing education

Technology has significant influence on our lives, on practice, education,
management and research. In nursing education, outcome-oriented education is
currently being highlighted rather than process-based learning, for instance through
skill-based techniques; evidence-based techniques in education; providing students
a rich learning journey unlike former models of formal lecturing; and incorporating
evolved learning technologies in many programs. All these styles share one major
challenge: how we merge the art and science of caring together with the easily
accessible technology, so that caring persists to be converged on humans.
Educational technology is the employment of evolved models of technology to ease
the educational journey and for the former decade, this has incorporated using web-
based education in both live classes and classes uploaded to the internet for later
access by learners (Huston, 2013). It also involves electronic references, such as e-
books, a multitude of internet-hosted material, computer access and broadband
internet services within class and IT rooms, smart-boards, video-conferencing and so
on. Educators have a double-edged role: to include the appropriate employment of
technologies in education and train nurses to employ technology in clinical practice.
Despite the changes taking place in the nursing milieu, nurses still serve at the
center of health care system. Therefore, nurses must be properly trained to care for
the human spirit, cultures and societies, educated in both the scientific and technical
aspects of care and who provide holistic caring.

Economic challenges

Tuition fees pose obstacles to prospective candidates in the Philippines where the
economic depression and regression in financial aid programs have changed the
student’s study plans. Post-graduate nursing academic programs have recognized
financial status and costs of the programs as barriers of enrolling in such programs
Moreover, program location can be a hindrance to nurses who are place bound by
responsibilities to support family and provide income. Nursing programs are less
available in rural areas despite the increased and crucial necessity of such programs
in such areas, where nurses have to be satisfied with longer shifts for less pay
(Fitzgerald, Kantrowitz-Gordon, Katz, & Hirsch, 2012). Furthermore, nurses who are
employed in hospitals find it difficult to continue their educational career and
specialize in certain areas of nursing, as employers usually have to pay replacement
fees to in order for them to attend their classes thus posing an added economic
challenge.

Nurses are the back bone of the health care systems universally and play a vital role
in providing health care services not only in the Philippines but globally.
In order to achieve universal health coverage, the nursing profession needs
continuous and sustainable strength starting from their roots-their nursing education.
Developing and strengthening nurses will improve health, promote gender equality
and economic growth.

References
Abound College. (2020) 9 Unique Reasons to Pursue a Master’s Degree. Retrieved

from URL https://abound.college/gradschool/advice/9-reasons-pursue-masters-

degree/

Chaatit, F., Smith, K., & Legrouri, A. (2015). Quality Assurance in Higher

Education: Experience of Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco. Retrieved

on January 10, 2015 from

www.researchgate.net/profile/Fouad.../5417124e0cf203f155ad 3c 07.

Fitzgerald et al., 2012 C. Fitzgerald, I. Kantrowitz-Gordon, J. Katz, A. Hirsch,

Advanced practice nursing education: challenges and strategies Nursing

Research and Practice (2012)

Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/854918

Huston, 2013 C. Huston, The impact of emerging technology on nursing care:

warp speed ahead. OJIN: The online Journal of Issues in Nursing., 18 (2013),

p. 2, 10.3912/OJIN.Vol18No02Man01

Landeen et al., 2016 J. Landeen, D. Carr, K. Culver, L. Martin, N. Matthew-

Maich, Ch. Noesgaard, L. Beney-Gads by The impact of curricular changes on

BSCN students' clinical learning outcomes Nurse Education in

Practice, 21 (2016), pp. 51-58
School Apply. (2019) 5 Reasons to Pursue a Master’s Degree. Retrieved from URL

https://www.schoolapply.com/blog/posts/2017/march/5-reasons-to-pursue-a-

masters-degree/

T. Bvumbwe, n.d., Enhancing nursing education via academic -clinical

partnership: An integrative review International Journal of Nursing

Sciences, 3 (2016), pp. 314-322

Why Does a Nurse Need a Degree: The Importance of Nursing Education. (n.d).

Retrieved from https://www.ecpi.edu/blog/why-does-a-nurse-need-a-degree-the-

important-of-nursing-education