nursing management program

Next-Generation Nurse Leaders Emerge from Innovative Online Programs

Posted on by Joseph Gerard

Portrait of a confident female doctor in scrubs, smiling and giving a thumbs up. The image captures the positive, professional healthcare environment in a hospital setting.Written by Esme Wang.

Thanks to new technological advancements, evolving care models, and the intrusion of artificial intelligence in the healthcare industry, it has become more important than ever for nurses to hone their skills, expand their knowledge, and come up as real leaders in the field.

Various innovative online programs have now emerged to help those professionals develop the leadership skills needed to deal with the challenges of modern healthcare systems. These programs use a combination of cutting-edge curriculum and real-world training to prepare the next generation of nurse leaders to drive positive change in today’s challenging healthcare environment.

 

The Growing Importance of Nurse Leadership

Nurse leaders are vital for establishing patient-centered care cultures in healthcare organizations. The knowledge they bring to the facility helps improve the safety and quality of healthcare services, which also plays a role in driving innovation in clinical practices.

 

Nurse leaders also serve as a connection between bedside nursing and administrative decisions, ultimately ensuring the focus remains on meeting the highest patient care standards. They are in a position to achieve all that because they have clinical expertise, interpersonal skills, and strategic vision, which puts them in a position to mentor nursing teams, advocate for patients, and introduce/implement best practices.

 

The Importance of Degree and Non-Degree Innovative Online Programs

Innovative online programs, both degree and non-degree options, have really made it possible to prepare the next generation of nurse leaders in the best way possible. The most impressive thing about these innovative programs is that they are highly flexible and allow nurses to pursue advanced education while fulfilling their current job responsibilities.

The introduction of a cutting-edge curriculum is another benefit of going for innovative online programs. They focus on the latest developments in healthcare, including quality improvement, information technology and evidence-based practice. If you are already a registered nurse (RN), you can find many full-length programs and certifications to expand your knowledge and move up to leadership roles in various healthcare settings. Here are some of the best options to consider:

 

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Programs

It wouldn’t be wrong to suggest that DNP programs represent the pinnacle of nursing education that prepares nursing professionals, especially advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to take leadership roles in various healthcare settings. These programs equip these professionals with the skills and knowledge required to improve health policy, patient care, and health systems as a whole.

The availability of online DNP programs has made it much easier for busy nurses to improve their knowledge and expand their career prospects. It is worth mentioning that most DNP programs are at least a couple of years long and require full-time study beyond a master’s degree, but it changes if you opt for accelerated BSN-to-DNP tracks. Mostly, your coursework covers various areas, such as quality improvement, evidence-based practice, informatics, health policy, and organizational leadership. The DNP project is also part of these programs and involves applying the knowledge in real-life situations.

Going for a DNP program is a great option for nurses interested in moving to leadership positions. Depending on the institute and curriculum, the program prepares nurses with the knowledge and skills needed for high-level decision-making in various settings. They learn how to translate research into real-life situations to drive improvements.

The programs also teach them how to decipher healthcare policy and get ready for executive roles like Chief Nursing Officer. With these credentials under your belt, you may be allowed to lead interdisciplinary teams where you can influence organizational strategy and take patient safety initiatives.

When selecting an online DNP program, it’s vital to consider exactly what’s included and how comprehensive the curriculum is. For instance, the best programs will have flexible, asynchronous coursework so you can complete most things on your own schedule. Similarly, it is a good idea to pick a program where you are allowed short on-campus residences, as it facilitates networking and hands-on learning.

Similarly, the use of virtual simulation is something that makes online courses a lot more interactive and easier for students to practice skills remotely. Getting one-on-one guidance and opportunities to work with other students are other important factors to consider. Many new degree programs offer all these features, like Wilkes University, where you can find a 100% online DNP program with 12-week courses and ample student support. It offers three start dates a year and stands as an affordable path to completing your DNP degree.

Once you complete your degree, you can join various healthcare settings to perform influential leadership roles, including health system executive, chief nursing officer, clinical director, health policy advisor, quality improvement director, nurse entrepreneur and so on. No matter the role you choose, you will have the knowledge to drive improvements in patient outcomes and care delivery.

 

Health Care Manager Certification

When it comes to non-degree options, RNs can choose from various programs designed to help them excel in management roles. Healthcare Manager Certification by the AIHCP is one interesting option because it prepares RNs with advanced leadership and management skills. It is among the most popular certification programs considering it focuses on front-line managers as well as department directors.

Quite like many other certification programs, it requires at least 220 contact hours with a focus on essential topics, such as leadership, healthcare administration, quality management, and human resources. Considering the curriculum, it is safe to say that the program is not directly aimed at executive-level positions but is more geared towards professionals interested in improving their competitiveness in management roles.

However, the good thing is that the program offers access to various resources, including e-newsletters, professional publications and thought-leadership articles. This ongoing access to information helps certified managers update their knowledge keeping industry trends in mind.

To be eligible for the certification, you must be a licensed social worker or a registered nurse or have a bachelor’s degree in a health-related field. It also requires you to have no less than five years of work experience in any healthcare setting with a focus on management duties. Also, bear in mind that the certification is good for four years, after which you will have to go through a recertification process, which requires 50 hours of continuing education.

The interesting thing is that once you complete the certification, you gain a competitive edge in the healthcare job market because of your advanced management skills. The certification also serves as a stepping stone to various top-level executive roles, such as Chief Nursing Officer or other C-suite positions in the healthcare industry.  The job outlook for those completing the HCM-C certification is quite positive as a whole, with a 28% growth projected until 2031.

 

Nursing Management Certification

While a Health Care Manager Certification focuses on overall healthcare management and administration, a Nursing Management Certification is focused only on nursing leadership and management skills. A healthcare manager learns more about topics like human resources, healthcare finance, and operations, whereas a nursing management program includes clinical leadership and nursing administration.

The Nursing Management Certification by the AIHCP is an interesting choice because it is primarily designed for RNs looking to improve their skills in nursing management. The program requires 270 contact hours of continuing education and is focused on maintaining high educational standards while providing mechanisms for peer advisory oversight to ensure its relevance.

To qualify, you need to be a registered nurse in the U.S or come with an equivalent international license. Once completed, you will receive your certification that is valid for four years after which you will have to apply for recertification that involves 50 hours of continuing education.

As a nursing manager, you will be responsible for facilitating communication between nursing staff and top-level management in a healthcare setting to ensure proper transmission and implementation of policies, directives, and feedback. Staff nurses will also look up to you for any support they might need related to patient care and assistance to patients’ family members during visits.

Nursing managers are required to help nurses handle electronic health records more effectively. Their role is especially appreciated in settings where the organizations haven’t already embraced e-health records, as a nurse manager can guide them and explain how to file and access them as a patient or a physician.

Your duties become more complicated when you complete your certification and start working as a nursing manager. However, iit also offers many opportunities to excel in your career and find more job opportunities with higher earning potential.

 

Endnote

Considering how quickly the healthcare industry is evolving due to a huge shift in care models and patients’ expectations, it’s vital to have a new generation of leaders to drive innovation in the healthcare field. Various innovative online programs, both degree and non-degree options, are available and help healthcare professionals to expand their knowledge without compromising their existing jobs.

Whether you should opt for a full-length degree or go with a certification depends on your future goals and time constraints. Remember, degree programs are longer, but are going to offer new opportunities and better salaries. Take your time, consider your unique circumstances, and then enroll online to learn new skills to lead the ever-changing healthcare industry.

 

Author Bio:

Esme Wang is a copywriter and content strategist. She helps businesses stop playing around with content marketing and start seeing the tangible ROI. She loves writing as much as she loves the cake.

 

Please also review AIHCP’s Health Care Manager Certification programs and see if it meets your academic and professional goals.  These programs are online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification

Revamping The Old: Cleaning And Sanitation In “The New Normal” Of Healthcare

Posted on by Joseph Gerard

hospital bed

Written By Lucy Peters

Nearly 600 healthcare workers in the US have died from COVID-19, according to Lost on The Frontline. The study, conducted by the Guardian and Kaiser Health News, includes doctors, nurses, paramedics and other essential hospital staff like cleaning crews, administrators and special care caregivers. The pandemic has certainly made an impact on travel and how people live their daily lives. Another thing it will have a lasting impact upon is the concept of cleanliness in healthcare.

Hospital Cleaning Staff Gear

It is generally thought that Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is necessary to keep doctors, nurses and paramedics safe from COVID-19. However, it is now clear that it is no longer sufficient to keep a hospital in working order. Hospital cleaners who enter the premises must also have additional gear like an FFP2 mask, gloves, gown, face shields, and secure working boots, according to a study published by the Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences.

As cleaning crews often pass through different rooms and halls of hospitals, they must be duly protected from the transmission to enable them to keep rooms and areas sanitized. Beyond safety gear, their cleaning tools must have validated removal ratings that are certified from third-party laboratories. This is to ensure that their cleaning tools are actually doing their job rather than unknowingly spreading the virus around the hospital.

The Necessity Of Professional Sanitation Services

While hospitals do have their own sanitation staff, they may not be enough to ensure complete disinfection of surfaces, walls, hallways and bedding. There may simply be too much to do for regular cleaning crews to take on the load. As such, the presence and necessity of professional cleaning crews will increase in the immediate future. Professional crews possess heavy-duty cleaning equipment like steam machines that are 99.99% effective in removing germs and bacteria over a wide array of surfaces. The study, conducted by Michael Cazaban and others, established that a steam vapor system significantly eradicates S. capitis and other organisms from sensitive hospital areas.

Additional Cleanliness Protocols For Healthcare Workers

Gone are the days when healthcare professionals could simply perform hand-washing, take off any infectious gloves, and head on home. Now, it is advisable that healthcare professionals take spare clothing to wear separately and keep any work clothes and shoes in a separate plastic container, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. They found that excessive use of harder chemicals to wash clothes or bedding is unnecessary. Regular detergent is fine – as long as the laundry is done immediately prior to coming into any contact with any family members. The habit of wiping down surfaces of any vehicles used to go home with sanitation wipes must also be normalized.

This pandemic is effectively ushering new health protocols and stringent cleanliness requirements that will remain in place for the foreseeable future. While they may seem excessive, they are critical to maintaining the integrity and safety of healthcare workers everywhere. After all, it is they that are in the front lines fighting a virus that continues to threaten the human population.

 

 

Please also review AIHCP’s Nursing Management Program and see if it matches your academic and professional goals.  The program in online and independent study and open to qualified professionals.

 

AIHCP’s New Healthcare Management and Nursing Management Programs

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

The American Institute of Health Care Professionals has and continues to offer the most affordable, dependable and quality certifications in the healthcare field.  It has for twenty years offered Healthcare Case Management and Legal Nurse Consulting certifications for healthcare professionals and nurses.  It has since added a variety of programs, including Forensic Nursing, Holistic and Integrative Specialist and Nurse Educator Programs.  It now is offering a new and exciting program for nurses seeking to rise up the corporate ladder in leadership and management positions.

Learn how to enhance your resume and become a leader and manager within your nursing fields. Please review our Nursing Management Program

 

AIHCP is offering two new certification programs, Healthcare Management and Nursing Management.  Both aim to help nurses find the education and knowledge necessary to learn the key components of organizational leadership and healthcare departmental management.  The program offers 6 key courses for Healthcare Management and additional course for Nursing Management.  The courses focus on key concepts of healthcare management and nursing management, as well as leadership, organizational behavior, human resource, delivery models, budgeting concepts and insurance and reimbursement procedure.

With management and leadership positions so competitive it is key to have every advantage necessary to climb the corporate ladder.   Experience and good work history are the first ingredient with knowledge and education as the next critical ingredient.  Nurses who possess leadership qualities, can utilize their experience and education to boost their resume and present to management their qualification as a perfect candidate for manager positions within the healthcare system.   Certifications boost this credibility.

Certifications orbit the primary education, licence and experience of a nurse.   They enhance the resume and present additional education beyond the undergraduate and graduate degree.  AIHCP’s continuing education and certification model present an excellent tool to make a qualified nurse stand out among his or her peers.   The Healthcare Management and Nursing Management Certifications prepare and help the candidate to become viable options at the leadership level.

Again, the programs at AIHCP are online, self paced and independent study.  They allow the busy schedule of a licensed professional to not become interrupted by scheduled classes and exam times.  Instead, the programs at AIHCP allow the student to pick the time to read and take the exam.  Furthermore, all courses are mentored and the student has unlimited mentorship as needed from qualified instructors.

In addition to the certification, nurses have an opportunity, while working towards certification, to earn continuing education hours towards a renewal of nursing licenses.  All courses have the State Board of California Nursing approvals which have reciprocity in many states.   For those not seeking continuing education, the courses nonetheless, give the candidate the necessary skills and education to handle any manager position with confidence.

Make the transfer to leadership through AIHCP’s Healthcare Management and Nursing Management Programs and see if they meet your academic and professional goals

 

The Healthcare Management and Nursing Management certifications are four-year certifications.  Upon expiration, the certified member needs to demonstrate 500 hours of clinical, academic or professional work within the field of management and also present 50 hours of continuing education.  Renewal pushes certification to another four-year limit until re-certification again is required.

Nurses who become certified as a Healthcare Manager or Nurse Manager can have the confidence of possessing not only the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed, but also the comfort of possessing a high quality certification that will enhance their resume and status within the healthcare community and facility.  If you would like to learn more about the Healthcare Management Program and Nursing Management Program then please review them and see if they match your academic and professional goals.   With this certification, qualified applicants could be operating at a leadership and management level very soon and fulfilling their leadership aspirations.

 

Nursing Management Certification Program Article on Authentic Leadership

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

In Nursing Management, leadership is a quality that cannot be taught but one that is inherent with the individual.  Qualities that encourage excellence in others through dedication, trust and example help a unit or department excel.  Nurse Managers have the knowledge of their station but also must be able to make a cohesive unit work.  This in turn benefits the department and the patients that are served within the department.

Learn more about becoming a nurse manager. Please also review our Nurse Management Certification Program

 

Authentic leadership within the relation between a nurse manager and other staff is key.  The article, “Be you! Authentic leadership” by Rosanne Raso delves deeper into the importance of leadership, especially authentic leadership and how it plays out within the particular department.  She states,

“One of the relational leadership styles, authentic leadership is rooted in positive psychology—the scientific study of the strengths that enable individuals and communities to thrive. The values of honesty, trust, and integrity are the underpinnings of authentic leadership. The importance of these values is as old as Greek philosophy and as relevant today as it was centuries ago”

To read the entire article, please click here

Please also review our new Nurse Management Certification Program.  The program is designed for nurses looking to enter into various management fields.  The program is online and independent study and offers a four year certification.  Please review to see if it meets your academic and professional goals.