There are different models that can be used in educating and imparting skills in aspiring nurses.
For a long time, a debate has existed on the best model for nursing education with both sides
strongly pitted against each other. The higher education model and hospital-based model are the
two main models. Both models have individual merits and demerits, however, hospital-based
graduands have enjoyed immense benefits from that model. This is an assertion of the immense
benefits of following a hospital-based system of learning.
The current model of nursing schooling is a higher institution one. The students enroll in tertiary
institutions such as Universities to pursue Nursing as a course with years differing from diploma
to degree courses. A Bachelor’s degree course in nursing takes about four years (Johnston, Baik
& Chester 2020). This model has several advantages. Firstly, it has made learning easily
accessible as some studies can even be conducted online. It does not demand the physical
presence of a hospital-oriented system. This model has also made Nursing education to be more
formal and complex with viable parameters for evaluation. It has also made it possible to offer
specialized degrees to students since it is easier to customize the information in this model. This
model has further made it easier to accommodate an increased number of nursing students to
boost the workforce needed to satisfy the existing demand (Poorchangizi et al. 2019).
However, the higher education system has introduced a theory-practice deficiency amongst the
students. This makes the transition from school to practice difficult delaying the expected
standards of service delivery. Poverty has been cited as a major concern amongst the students
forcing the students to engage in paid activities to facilitate their university education and
livelihood (Usher et al. 2021). The financial burden adversely affects the health and general well-
being of these students. Some students opt to seek employment in health-related fields while
others seek employment in non-related fields. This introduces an inequality in terms of
experience amongst the students. Further, students spend more than one thousand hours in
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hospitals in a supernumerary capacity without earning anything. This has further strained their
well-being and added to the financial burden (Johnston, Baik & Chester 2020).
I strongly think that the hospital-based model is the most suitable model amassing many
advantages to the nursing students. Students through this model would be far more experienced
with knowledge and skills relevant to the nursing profession. This is a hands-on experience that
would boost confidence, teamwork, decision-making, aptitude, and success in a hospital
environment (Subke, Downing & Kearns 2020). Unlike the higher education model, it would
close the theory-practice gap instead of creating it easing the transition of the nursing students
from school to practice.
This model would significantly promote equality as all the nursing students would be exposed to
a similar environment. I believe that, unlike the current model where some students can be
employed in non-related fields creating an imbalance in knowledge and skills imparted, this
model would standardize the knowledge and skills imparted on students creating a uniform batch
of experienced graduates (Stoffels et al. 2019). Also, the model would have students being paid
for hours spent in the hospital. This would aid in greatly alleviating the financial burden
experienced by some of the students studying the nursing profession. Consequentially, this
would improve the health and general well-being of the students. It would also enhance the focus
of the students on the attainment of relevant skills. Emotional resilience is a fundamental aspect
of nurses that would be significantly fostered by the utilization of the hospital-oriented model
(The Importance of Clinical Experience | Duquesne School of Nursing 2020).
However, this model would accommodate a smaller number of students, reduce its accessibility,
and to a certain degree hinder the teaching of specialized degrees (Fawaz, Hamdan-Mansour, and
Tassi 2018). However, I think that research is needed to seek solutions to the challenges of the
hospital-based model to create an efficient system of nursing education without the apparent
challenges.
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Reference list
Duquesne University School of Nursing 2020. The Importance of Clinical Experience |
Duquesne School of Nursing. [online] Available at:
<https://onlinenursing.duq.edu/blog/importance-clinical-experience-nursing-
internship/#:~:text=Nurses%20are%20essential%20for%20understanding,serve%20as%20impor
tant%20learning%20opportunities.> [Accessed 20 February 2022].
Fawaz, M., Hamdan-Mansour, A. and Tassi, A 2018. ‘Challenges facing nursing education in the
advanced healthcare environment. International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences’, vol. 9,
pp.105-110.
Johnston, A., Baik, C., and Chester, A 2020. Peer review of teaching in Australian higher
education: a systematic review. Higher Education Research & Development, pp.1-15.
Poorchangizi, B., Borhani, F., Abbaszadeh, A., Mirzaee, M. and Farokhzadian, J 2019. ‘The
importance of professional values from nursing students’ perspective’. BMC Nursing, vol.18 no.
1.
Stoffels, M., Peerdeman, S., Daelmans, H., Ket, J. and Kusurkar, R 2019. ‘How do
undergraduate nursing students learn in the hospital setting? A scoping review of
conceptualizations, operationalizations, and learning activities’ BMJ Open, vol.9, no.5,
p.e029397.
Subke, J., Downing, C. and Kearns, I 2020. ‘Practices of caring for nursing students: A clinical
learning environment’ International Journal of Nursing Sciences, vol.7, no.2, pp.214-219.
Usher, K., Fagan, A., Brown, J., Mather, C., Marlow, A., Power, T., van de Mortel, T., West, C.,
Hutchinson, M., Zhao, L., Terry, V., Woods, C., and Lea, J 2021. ‘The financial challenges for
Australian nursing students attending placement-based work-integrated learning’ Collegian,
Www1.health.gov.au. 2022. ‘Department of Health | 7.1 Nursing and midwifery education’
[online] Available at:
<https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/work-review-
australian-government-health-workforce-programs-toc~chapter-7-nursing-midwifery-
workforce%E2%80%93education-retention-sustainability~chapter-7-nursing-midwifery-
education> [Accessed 20 February 2022].
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