n EDITORIAL Nurses Stimulate Innovation in Health Care by Wielding Leadership, Vision, and Compassion Using the Art and Science of Nursing Rather than imitate the past or consort with “what’s most popular,” nurses inspire innovation in health care by wielding leadership, vision, and compassion. In “’Blameless’: Using Popular Entertainment Media to Build Social Context in Nursing Students,” the authors discuss a unique class that used popular media to help prepare students for entering nursing work with diverse populations. When nursing students meet a patient, their first impression may be one of “someone lying on a stretcher or hospital bed.” The authors hold that clinical encounters mold a student’s concepts of “patient,” “nurse,” and “nursing practice.” With time and experience, that student becomes a working nurse and develops an ability to glance at a patient and more widely view a person’s greater world—and how that context can influence a patient’s current and potential future state of health. During the pandemic, the opportunities to develop this skill through meeting people in person and visiting clinical sites was limited for educators and students. In response, the course in this study utilized popular media as a way for students to supplement their clinical skills. While watching “real” people with “real” problems, students were guided to enrich their understanding of the social context and complexities they were seeing, and look for contexts where physical and mental illness had the potential to thrive. Looking at a problem and effectively putting innovative and resourceful ideas into action is part of the science and art of nursing. In “Nurse Practitioners and Barriers to Practice in Primary Care,” authors outline the professional, social, and legal blockades that can prevent medical institutions from meeting the primary care needs of the public. This paper discusses how nurse practitioners are in a unique position to encourage states to expand access to primary care through professional advocacy and public awareness. Having a vision for better meeting communities’ healthcare needs and bringing nurses and nurse practitioners more fully into the fold to advocate for critical changes is part of the science and art of nursing. In “The Role of the Nurse Practitioner and Emergency Preparedness,” the authors share insights on how to promote the competencies necessary for nurse practitioners to serve in the many roles emergency management calls for. In a time when uncertainty is the norm, communities experiencing disasters rely on healthcare providers more than ever. Nurse practitioners are skilled in crisis communication, maintaining situational awareness, hazard risk assessment, and adaptive management. Such skills provide a sound foundation for nurse practitioners’ roles in leadership, analysis, and clinical first responder and supplemental surge capacity. As such, nurse practitioners are in a unique position as leaders in emergency preparedness and emergency situations—another example of the science and art of nursing. Artists train for years honing their skills in order to depict their unique perspectives of the world through various mediums. Their work may astound and change observers and society at large. It is no wonder nursing students cultivating their profession’s craft were successfully educated through use of others’ craft. Using methods and facts accumulated through time, the scientist asks questions, interprets findings, and proposes actions which shape the future. As artists and scientists, nurses work to collectively improve health, mitigate suffering, and advance our profession. Nurse unions succeed in channeling the power of the profession to ensure nurses have what they need to equitably deliver the care society demands. Anne Bové, MSN, RN-BC, CCRN, ANP Audrey Graham-O’Gilvie, DNP, RN, ACNS-BC, CCRN-k Meredith King-Jensen, PhD, MSN, RN Alsacia L. Sepulveda-Pacsi, PhD, DNS, RN, FNP, CCRN, CEN Coreen Simmons, PhD-c, DNP, MSN, MPH, RN
Journal of the New York State Nurses Association, Volume 49, Number 2
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