Bevely J. Hays, Ph.D, R.N., C.N.S., professor of nursing and clinical nurse specialist Elizabeth Rudolph, M.S.N., R.N., community health nurse University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing, Omaha Health care today is far more complex than even a few years ago.
Care is delivered in more settings.
There are more advanced health care technologies. And infections have re-emerged that were once thought to be conquered by antibiotics. Nurses, central figures in quality health care, need the right education to handle the more complex requirements of the current health care environment. For example, older Nebraskans have multiple health problems like diabetes or congestive heart failure but have limited available help because their grown children live at a distance. For these individuals, nurses with the right education can serve as case managers to help them problem solve and get the care they need and establish a routine that will diminish their chances of health care crises.