The AACN, the CCN, and MSN Program
The AACN Essentials of Masters Education, the CCN mission, philosophy, and MSN Program Outcomes have a number of similarities in the concepts of educational accreditation and regulation, educational preparation, and scope of practice. Particularly, all the three nursing programs aim to prepare highly qualified leaders for the collective bodies of nurses. In addition, the three programs have their focus on innovative approach to education with a purpose to prepare top rate specialists for leadership within diverse and complex systems. Such approach facilitates the ability of graduates to adapt to the modern conditions at the labor market. Finally, all the three programs have similar objectives in nursing quality improvement, elevating care in complex inter-professional settings, guarantying patient safety and safe practices for the personnel, learning how to improve health outcomes, developing system change strategies, and facilitating the evidence based practice (MSN Program Outcomes, 2014; Ruland &Leuner, 2010).
The differences between The AACN Essentials of Masters Education, the CCN mission, philosophy, and MSN Program Outcomes are quite insignificant since all the three programs have common goals and educational standards. For instance, the CCN program is more focused on personal development of nurses in such areas as compassion to patients and the ethical approach to handling complicated issues within the frame of nursing practice. In contrast, the AACN Essentials of Masters Education and MSN Program have a primary objective to prepare effective leaders in nursing collective bodies with excellent knowledge of the innovative approach and the latest technological solutions in the area of clinical care (MSN Program Outcomes, 2014; Ruland &Leuner, 2010).
The Concept of Critical Thinking
One demonstrates the concept of critical thinking in relation to the various roles of the professional nurse by making proper decisions regarding patient care and relying on relevant sources to help in decision making. The concept of critical thinking in the clinical setting includes such important variables as reflective reasoning process, and the process of generating, implementing, and evaluating of the whole scope of the given data to produce the best solution for a particular patient.
Decision making is the very skill that distinguishes a professional nurse with critical thinking skills from the rest of ancillary and technical staff. Decision making based on critical thinking is the practice requiring excellent problem solving abilities, commitment, hard work, and active curiosity toward acquiring professional knowledge. A nurse with top critical thinking skills knows how to find an answer for a complicated question regarding patient care even if textbooks do not provide it. In addition, such nurse is able to ask additional questions that help find the needed answer and knows how to look for alternative solutions in case the problem can not be solved using conventional methods. Such a person is highly skilled in searching for the information on the web by means of browsing different databases including MEDLINE, EBSCO, and Medical Evidence Matters Archive among all.
Other characteristics that reflect the concept of critical thinking in relation to the various roles of the professional nurse are
- ability to be flexible in decision making in clinical setting;
- ability to utilize knowledge received in practice such as past experiences;
- ability to listen to others and draw the correct conclusions on the basis of the provided information; and
- ability to select the best option for improving every client’s health.
References
MSN Program Outcomes. (2014). Web.
Ruland, J. &Leuner, J. (2010). Master’s programs preparing nurse educators: What is the current state of affairs? Nurse Educator, 35(6), 248-253.