Helping Nurses Help Others CNAPSA)—There are 11 million working nurses worldwide—promoting health, helping to prevent disease and caring for patients who are ill. In the U.S. alone, there are 2.6 million nurses, about four times as many as there are doctors. While hospital nurses comprise the largest group, other types of nurses include office nurses; nursing care facility nurses; home health nurses; public health nurses; occupational health nurses; and nurse practitioners who provide basic primary health care. Whateverfield nurses work in, they share an interest in and an ongoing need for continuing education. While it can take two to four years of education to initially become a nurse, a nurse’s education can last a lifetime. To provide patients with the best care, it’s important that nurses remain upto-date on the latest developments in medicine and nursing techniques. Thirty-two states require continuing education for nurses. To makeit easier for nurses to find the variety of resources they need, the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International has created a subsidiary and Web site, www.nursingknowl Nurses can find information they need at nursingknowledge.org. edge.org. Honorsociety members include practicing nurses, instructors, researchers, policy makers, executives and entrepreneurs. The society works with a range of nursing associations, publishers, continuing education providers and universities. These organizations produce health care books, continuing education, journals, research, teaching aids and other formsof quality nursing knowledge. The site offers a one-stop resource for nurses who want to learn or practice evidence-based nursing, develop their careers, increase leadership skills and earn continuing education credits. Nursing Knowledge International offers knowledge-based solutions developed by nurses for nurses. It’s designed to make it easier for nurses to share knowledge with patients, students, fellow nurses and other health care professionals. It’s expected that this site will affect more than the nurses that consult it. “While it will serve the global community of nursing by providing knowledge and professional development services that increase nurse satisfaction, its real value lies in the fact that it will enhance nurseeffectiveness and, in turn, affect patient care by helping nurses help others,” said Andre van Niekirk, board president of Nursing Knowledge International. The site brings together solutions-oriented knowledge and content from sources across clinical practices, academia and research to serve both the educational and professional development need of nurses. At the site, nurses can also browse through nursing books and shop for nursing apparel. Nursing Knowledge International was established in Nov. 2002 as a not-for-profit organization. The honorsociety has more than 365,000 inductees and an active membership of 120,000 professionals.
