By Douglas Esser
Samantha Girard, a nurse educator for Kaiser Permanente in Washington, said her Master of Nursing degree from the 糖心vlog视频 in 2010 put her in a position to have an impact on the profession at a time nurses are being pushed hard to advance their education.
It鈥檚 a trajectory she knows well from her own experience as a nurse, researcher and educator. A Southern California native, Girard entered the profession with an associate degree and worked in emergency medicine.
When her husband鈥檚 job moved the family to Washington, she taught at Bellevue College where she was encouraged to apply for the master鈥檚 program at UW Bothell. She received a federal grant designed to increase the number of nursing educators.
As someone who went back to school when she had a young child, Girard is keenly aware of what it takes for a nurse to balance life and school.
Higher education for the nursing workforce became a national campaign when a 2010 Institute of Medicine report recommended that 80 percent or more of the registered nurses (RNs) in the United States have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree by 2020. At the time the number was around 50 percent, and it鈥檚 still in the 50s.
鈥淲e have a big gap in the nursing profession,鈥� Girard said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 felt among practicing nurses.鈥�
In her two-year program at Bothell, Girard said she received extraordinary support from graduate adviser Linda Bale and mentoring from Nursing Program Director Mary Baroni, now professor emeritus.
鈥淭hey were not just mentors, they were coaching me the whole time, really shaping my entire view of advanced education,鈥� Girard said. 鈥淭hey helped me understand the importance of that education and the impact it would have on patients.鈥�
Baroni encouraged her to take her next step, a Ph.D. program at Washington State University (WSU), which Girard completed in four years.
鈥淚 would have never thought about it until she planted that seed,鈥� Girard said. 鈥淪he encouraged me in so many ways while I was a student at UW Bothell.鈥�
Research for her master鈥檚 and doctorate gave Girard insights into the retention and attrition of RNs in BSN programs. The research for her master鈥檚 degree asked nurses what they valued about their BSN degree. Most, not surprisingly, said it would advance their careers and bring a sense of personal accomplishment. 糖心vlog视频 85 percent who started made it through.
鈥淲hat we really learned was, we鈥檙e on the right track in trying to help nurses by structuring an academic program that would allow them to balance going back to school,鈥� Girard said.
Her doctoral dissertation researched nurses who withdrew from an RN to BSN program. None of the nurses in her study were failing. They made a conscious decision to leave. They had challenges balancing work, school and family life. They reached a tipping point, Girard said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a physically demanding job. You work a 12-hour shift, and then you have to get up and go to school.鈥�
Some felt they had been pressured to go back to college to keep their jobs.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a real undercurrent of threat that nurses feel,鈥� Girard said.
The value of a four-year degree is undeniable for health care and for nurses themselves, said Girard, who trains nurses and other medical staff for Kaiser Permanente statewide.
鈥淲ith baccalaureate degrees, we have better patient outcomes. We have more nurses involved in research, which is important to our profession. We have nurses who are well prepared to lead in health care delivery, in the political arena, in health care policy,鈥� Girard said.
It鈥檚 not enough to be a really good 鈥渘urse,鈥� Girard said.
鈥淵ou have to be able to partner with health care providers, advanced practicing nurses. It鈥檚 totally interdisciplinary,鈥� she said. 鈥淎s a team of people trying to deliver care, they have to work seamlessly with each other.鈥�
Pursuing higher education and national certification is critical, said Girard, who also teaches for WSU and mentors graduate students for several universities.
鈥淏ecause nurses very much are advocates who stand for patients who can鈥檛 stand for themselves,鈥� she said, 鈥渋t鈥檚 really an ethical duty to advocate for patients and to use the best available evidence to provide care.鈥�
Through the Washington Center for Nursing, a nonprofit statewide nursing organization, Washington is a leader in the RN to BSN transition, Girard said.
鈥淯W Bothell is leading this effort. They are leaders in academic progression and streamlining that step from associate to baccalaureate. They are leading the field, with strong leadership on all of the UW campuses,鈥� said Girard, who also has taught at UW Tacoma.
From her own experience, Girard knows UW Bothell guides nursing students to make a difference, not for only one patient at a time but for the overall health care system.
鈥淚 think they do a phenomenal job of encouraging students to look at the global picture of health, not just the nation and state but globally,鈥� said Girard. 鈥淭hose of us who graduate from UW Bothell are making a really big impact.鈥�
