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Chehalem Business Connection October 2013 Page 12
S ince 2010, legislation outlined
in the Affordable Care Act has
and will continue to guide the
United States health care system
through a series of changes that will
allow it to adapt to innovation, techno-
logical advances and the needs of mil-
lions of new patients. The industry is
rapidly evolving to respond to unprece-
dented challenges,
including the rising
demand for patient
care.
Industry-leading
organizations, including the American
Nurses Association (ANA), are taking
proactive steps to prepare for this shift.
In a letter to ANA members and col-
leagues, ANA President Karen Daley
says the organization will “advocate
for a system that focuses on wellness,
early intervention, chronic disease
management and care coordination.”
In the United States, 20 million peo-
ple receive health care services through
community health centers, and new
legislation has designated funds to ex-
pand their capacity. As more Ameri-
cans obtain access to health insurance
coverage and the patient population di-
versifies, health care professionals who
work in community health centers and
more traditional settings, such as hos-
pitals, will require extensive knowl-
edge in community and multicultural
care.
Comprising the largest segment of
t h e h e a l t h c a r e
workforce, regis-
tered nurses are well
positioned to meet
these industry needs.
In fact, in the 2010 report, “The Future
of Nursing: Leading Change, Advanc-
ing Health, the Institute of Medicine”
recommended that nurses gain the
competencies needed to provide care
for diverse populations.
Nursing students can acquire this
education through a required multicul-
turalism and community health course.
For those who desire to experience
multicultural nursing firsthand in com-
munities abroad, some universities
offer service project trips that can be
completed as an alternative to the tradi-
tional required coursework. These trips
are immersion experiences that help
the students gain a deeper understand-
ing of cultural and economic differ-
ences across the globe.
Dr. Susan Fletcher, a professor of in-
ternational studies at Chamberlain Uni-
versity, has led international trips since
1993 to Bolivia, Brazil, Kenya, the
Philippines and Uganda. While abroad,
Fletcher and the nursing students pro-
vide health care services to thousands
of low-income residents, some of
whom have had no prior medical care.
“The immersion learning experience
is eye opening for many students; they
return with a much deeper understand-
ing of cultural and economic differ-
ences,” Fletcher said. “Nurses are lead-
ing the transformation of health care,
so it is vital that they prepare to work
in diverse settings and provide care for
patients of all ethnicities and walks of
life.”
Nurses respond to
growing diversity in
health care
As society’s approach toward health care changes, nurses
are being trained to tend to a more diverse population
Comprising the largest segment of the health care workforce, registered nurses are well positioned to meet the increasing
needs of the industry, including caring for diverse populations.
“The immersion learning experience is
eye opening for many students; they return
with a much deeper understanding of
cultural and economic differences.”
Aprofessional certification
may not always be a job re-
quirement, but it is often a
deciding factor between qualified
candidates. In fact, technology is one
of the most in-demand career fields,
but recent graduates and profession-
als are both struggling to find new
jobs or get promoted because they
don’t have a certification — a third-
party validation of their skills.
One of the most sought-after ca-
reer credentials in the tech industry
is the Cisco Certified Network Asso-
ciate (CCNA) Routing and Switch-
ing certificate. Tech professionals
with this certification take home
salaries that are, on average, 16.7
percent higher than their uncertified
peers, according to a Fairfield Re-
search study. This certification ac-
knowledges that someone is skilled
to install, configure, operate and
troubleshoot routed and switched
networks.
“Studies show that chief informa-
tion officers prefer Cisco Certified
professionals because they are 42
percent more effective at resolving
issues and decrease network down-
time by 32 percent,” says Stephanie
Kelly, corporate affairs business de-
velopment for Cisco, citing results of
a 2013 Employer Value of Cisco
Certification and Training study.
“Employers prefer to have someone
they know is fully capable of han-
dling a very technical, niche job.”
Despite the growing demand from
employers and because certifications
aren’t an industry or government
mandate, some recent graduates and
professionals try to play the odds
and skip additional credentials due to
the financial obstacle. Between study
materials, pre-tests and exams, certi-
fications can cost as much as $1,000.
Now, select career colleges, like
Westwood College, are pitching in
by paying for their students’ exams
to help attain a certification in their
chosen field.
Certifications: The new key to employment in the United States