Overview
As President Barack Obama stated, “America’s nurses are the beating heart of our medical system.”1
Whether we work as nurse educators, ICU nurses, NICU nurses, ER nurses, clinical nurses, nurse educators, or nurse practitioners, we must learn how to communicate with compassion and provide life-altering care. The responsibility is exhilarating and daunting.
While being a nurse is a rewarding career, there are many challenges we face. Death, trauma, physical demands, workplace risks, increased exposure—these are some of the experiences we see on a daily basis. In addition, technologies are evolving, knowledge is expanding, and best practices are changing faster than ever before.
How can we best prepare ourselves and our teams to improve patient outcomes?
ACLS Certification Institute is here to help. Our company is made up of nurses, healthcare professionals, educators, and leaders who put your needs first. We are focused on helping you build a fulfilling career and improve patient outcomes, and we can help you easily receive industry-leading certifications and training that fit your time and schedule.
In this article, we will cover:
- Current Problems Nurses Face
- Online Certification Solutions
- Group Certification Solutions
- Our Mission
Current Problems Nurses Face
As nurses today, many of us tackle long shifts and see an increasing number of patients, all while medical knowledge and technologies evolve at an exponential rate. We continually find ourselves with more demands and less time than ever before. Some of the challenges we face on a regular basis include:
- Rapidly expanding knowledge and changing practices
- Loss of knowledge and skill over time
- Growing deficits in nursing staff and increased burnout
How can we not only keep pace but find the time and energy to improve patient outcomes?
Rapidly Expanding Knowledge And Changing Practices
Medical best practices are evolving at an increasing rate. In “Challenges and opportunities facing medical education,” Peter Densen, MD, states: “It is estimated that the doubling time of medical knowledge in 1950 was 50 years; in 1980, 7 years; and in 2010, 3.5 years. In 2020 it is projected to be 0.2 years — just 73 days.”2
With new best practices come new technologies, new programs, and new training that needs to be disseminated faster than ever before. As nurses and nurse educators, how can we possibly keep abreast of such exponential growth? How can we stay on top of ACLS recertifications, BLS recertifications, and other critical certifications in addition to new training and best practices?
Thankfully, technology also offers a solution. Online certifications and training allow for nurses to receive standardized, industry-leading education at their fingertips.
Loss Of Knowledge And Skill Over Time
In addition to staying current on best practices, nurses are tasked with retaining the information and training we’ve gained over years of schooling, practice, and experience. A study focusing on how much scientific knowledge healthcare professionals lose over time stated that “the evidence is consistent with the rule of thumb that after . . . one year, approximately one-third of the knowledge gain is lost, accumulating to slightly over one-half after a few years.”3
After graduating from our nursing programs, we will lose approximately half of the knowledge we gained unless we consistently review that knowledge and refresh our skills. That’s one of the reasons we are required to renew our ACLS, BLS, NRP, and PALs recertifications so frequently, to combat that loss of knowledge.
Online education allows nurses to get the continual review and refreshment we need to keep our skills and minds sharp. Instead of sitting through full-day symposiums or certification courses, nurses can continually learn and improve in small increments every day.
Training becomes continual and our focus to improve constant. Not only does this style of continuing education allow nurses to easily complete CMEs when it works best for us, it also provides training in digestible segments that improve retention and patient outcomes.
Growing Deficits In Nursing Staff And Increased Burnout
Hospitals are experiencing an increasing shortage of nurses and nurse educators even while the volume of elderly or critically ill patients is rising.4The RN workforce is projected to grow by 15% between 2016 and 2026,5 but the reality of matching that projected growth is complicated by the shortage of RNs across the United States6 as well as a shortage of nurse educators.
In 2018, nursing schools turned away 75,029 qualified applicants because of limited faculty, space, or budget, making it difficult to fill the current deficit let alone match growing needs.7 As nurses, we feel the impacts of this deficit in longer shifts, increasing responsibilities, and rising patient numbers. The difficult reality of shift work already makes nurses more prone to sleep disorders, chronic disease, inflammation, and cardiovascular disease than the general population.8 Now, however, nurses also run the risk of burnout, which can exacerbate this issue.
How can we eliminate some of the stressors nurses face? Once again, online certifications and training provide a compelling solution. Instead of spending time and resources on long commutes to expensive symposiums or trying to juggle work schedules around CME schedules, nurses can now access critical education from experts anytime, anywhere, and on any device.
It’s time education and training begin fitting nursing schedules instead of the other way around.
Online Certification Solutions
While online training and certifications for nurses can help combat many of the growing problems we face, knowing where to begin can be difficult. Thankfully, ACLS Certification Institute can help you find online certifications and training solutions that work best for you.
Industry-Leading Content
When it comes to critical certifications and life-saving training, quality matters. With ACLS Certification Institute, you can rest assured that you are receiving industry-leading certifications designed to help you be at your best and provide exceptional patient care. Our accredited courses are constantly updated and reviewed by our Medical Advisory Board to ensure you are receiving the latest and best information. Our engaging, flexible online certifications include:
- ACLS certification and recertification
- BLS certification and recertification
- PALS certification and recertification
- NRP certificationscertification and recertification
We’ve helped over 100,000 healthcare providers improve patient outcomes through critical certifications.
Convenient Options
All of ACLS.com’s content is designed to fit nursing needs and schedules. Through our platform, you can easily track all your CMEs in one convenient place. We’ll keep track of your NRP, ACLS, BLS, and PALS certifications and upcoming expirations for you, so you don’t need to stress about the details. Our certifications can be accessed online anytime, anywhere, and on any device, meaning you can take care of your certifications at home or during downtime at work. And all of our content is self-paced, so if you get interrupted by a new case or urgent call, you can always come back and pick up right where you left off.
Service-Focused Advocates
We are a team made up of nurses, educators, and healthcare advocates who know what you are going through because we’ve been there. That’s why we’ve designed online CME solutions like our ACLS, BLS, PALS, and NRP recertifications that help you learn the tools you need to improve patient outcomes. Our team of industry experts will be with you every step of the way to answer your questions and streamline your certifications.
We understand the pressures you face, and we appreciate all you do to care for those in our communities. That’s why we want to provide you with easy and affordable ways you can manage your certifications. We’re here to save you time, money, and stress so you can focus on what matters most—your patients.
Group Certification Solutions
Departments who invest in continuing education experience improved outcomes, reduced error rates, and lower insurance claims. At ACLS Certification Institute, we are focused on providing your team with the education they need to best protect and care for those you serve.
We understand that every team is unique. That’s why we offer customized solutions and pricing for nurse educators or departments looking to buy for a group. With our easy-to-use platform, you will be able to not only assign, track, and manage your team’s ACLS, BLS, PALS, and NRP certifications, you will also be able to track all their CMEs in one place. In addition, you can access additional course libraries and virtual reality training options. Our team is here to help you avoid certification lapses, ensure all your team has the training they need, and help your department improve patient outcomes through quality certifications.
Our Mission
ACLS Certification Institute is revolutionizing medical and emergency training by investing in cutting-edge online training technologies. We provide industry-leading online education that helps healthcare professionals receive the training they need when they need it. We focus on keeping medical providers at their best to help reduce errors, improve outcomes, and protect our communities. We know that when you are at your best, your patients are too.
To learn more about ACLS Certification Institute, send us a message or give us a call today.
Sources
- Obama B. Strengthening our healthcare workforce. Address to the American Nurses Association. 2010 June 16.
- Densen P. Challenges and opportunities facing medical education. Trans Am Clin Climatol Assoc. 2011;122:48–58.
- Custers E. Long-term retention of basic science knowledge: a review study. Adv in Health Sci Educ. (2010) 15:109–128. DOI 10.1007/s10459-008-9101-y.
- Fawaz MA, Hamdan-Mansou AM, Tassi A. Challenges facing nursing education in the advanced healthcare environment. International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences. 2018;9:105-110. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijans.2018.10.005.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Registered Nurses. September 4, 2019. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/registered-nurses.htm Accessed January 30, 2020.
- Buerhaus PI, Skinner LE, Auerbach DI, Staiger DO. Four Challenges Facing the Nursing Workforce in the United States. Journal of Nursing Regulation. 2017;8(2):40-46. doi:10.1016/s2155-8256(17)30097-2.
- American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Nursing faculty shortage. April 2019. https://www.aacnnursing.org/news-information/fact-sheets/nursing-faculty-shortage . Accessed January 28, 2020.
- Beckstrom R. Dietary strategies for shift workers that decrease inflammation and improve cardiovascular health. CareerCert. April 2020. https://www.careercert.com/blog/ems/dietary-strategies-for-shift-workers-that-decrease-inflammation-and-improve-cardiovascular-health/.
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