HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATION IN THE FIELD OF HEALTH PROTECTION. OVERVIEW OF THE EVOLUTION OF NURSING EDUCATION: USING NURSING REFORM AS AN EXAMPLE IN THE USA

Abstract

Introduction. Healthcare education today – both patient education and nurse/student education – is a topic of tremendous interest to nurses wherever they work. Teaching is an important aspect of nursing, whether it is teaching patients and their families, colleagues or nursing students. Current trends in health care require patients to be willing to take responsibility for self-care, and nurses in the workplace to be responsible for providing safe and high-quality health care.

The aim of the study – to shed light on the historical evolution of patient education in health care and the role of the nurse as an educator and mentor. To offer a perspective on current trends in health care that make patient education a highly visible and necessary function of nursing care. To demonstrate the importance of continuing education necessary to ensure continuous practical competence of the nursing staff. Outline the broad goals and advantages of the teaching-learning process. Focus attention on the philosophy of nurse-patient partnership in teaching and learning.

The main part. Nurses can be considered information mediators-educators-mentors, who can make a difference in how patients and families manage their illnesses and disabilities, how the public benefits from the disease prevention and health promotion education, and how nurses and students acquire competence and confidence in practice through educational activities aimed at continuous lifelong learning. With the United States as a 21st century leader in this field, nurse educators face many challenges and opportunities in health care delivery. The teaching role becomes even more important and visible as nurses respond to the social, economic, and political trends affecting health care today. A major challenge for nurses is to demonstrate through research and action that there are definite relationships between education and positive student behavioral outcomes. In a situation of public spending, government regulations, and health care reform, the benefits of client, staff, and student education must be clear to the public, health care employers, health care providers, and health care payers. To be effective and efficient, nurses must have the willingness and ability to collaborate to provide consistently high-quality education to the audiences they serve. Nurses can demonstrate responsibility for providing health care to the consumer, particularly through education based on strong teaching and learning principles. The key to effective teaching of diverse audiences is a nurse’s understanding of the role of educator as a popularizer of the healthy lifestyle and continued commitment to the profession.

Conclusions. Therefore, the research result compares the learning process with the care process; identifies barriers to learning and obstacles to learning; and highlights the status of research in patient education, as well as in the education of medical staff and students. It also focuses on the nurse’s overall role in teaching and learning, regardless of who the audience may be. Nurses must have a basic understanding of the principles and processes of teaching and learning in order to perform their professional duties effectively and efficiently.