Begin reviewing and replying to peer postings/responses early in the week to enhance peer discussion. See the rubric for participation points. Participate in the discussion by asking a question, providing a statement of clarification, providing viewpoints with a rationale, challenging aspects of the discussion, or indicating relationships between two or more lines of reasoning in the discussion. Always use constructive language, even in criticism, to work toward the goal of positive progress.

Peer 1

Topic 1:  Causes of Death

The CDC’s website makes data available for different causes of death, and some studies break it down by ethnicities.   According to to data from the National Vital Statistics System, in 1999 there was a gap in life expectancy between white and black ethnicities, with white people living an average of 5.9 years longer than their African-american counterparts (cdc.gov, 2020).  

It appears that the last time data was published for this statistic was in 2013, and at tht time, the gap had decreased to 3.6 years between the two groups.  

            The decrease is attributed to a decrease in death rates in the black population from “heart disease, cancer and HIV disease (cdc.gov, 2020).”  This tells me that there is hope, but still a lot of work needs to be done.  Putting this in years, the average white person can expect to live 79.1 years, and the average black person may expect to live 75.5 years (cdc.gov, 2020).  Those years in the gap are probably important to most actual people.  Many of the issues explored by the Healthy People 2030 Project regarding Social Determinants of Health have some influence on life expectancy.  For example, for my aggregate in this class project, 2/3 are African American. (I am referring to the 3 people we may use to gather data.)  Proportionately, I have not done a database search by ethnicity on the free clinic’s patients, because the software is cheap and does not allow this, but I suspect that one ethnicity is represented more than another, based on the day to day patient loads I’ve seen.  

            The nursing workforce may have some impact on these trends in many ways.  Political activism and providing volunteer services to the community within one’s scope of practice are two ways, off the top of my head, that we may help to change this discrepancy.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (2020).  Leading Causes of Death Contributing to Decrease in Life Expectancy Gap Between Black and White Populations: United States, 1999-2013.  Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db218.htm

U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, (2020).  Healthy People 2030:  Social Determinants of Health.  Retrieved from https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/social-determinants-health

Peer 2

Topic 2: Responsibilities of a Nurse

Bachelor prepared nurses are important to the delivery of care and the coordination of care. They possess a broad knowledge base for healthcare delivery. In contrast, the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree prepares at the specialty level. The MSN prepared nurse has education in a specialty field. A Nurse Practitioner (NP) is prepared at this level. The advanced practice nurse or NP is a licensed professional that is prepared at the master’s or doctorial level for advanced nursing practice and leadership roles in a community (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2020). These nurses use their critical thinking skills along with the nursing process to achieved specific health outcomes. They are autonomous and frequently work independently in clinics. There are many NPs in my community. They work in primary care clinics with patients of all ages. They are utilized as physician extenders at the local community hospital. Along with the strategic location of community health care clinics in my community, the NPs provide increased access to healthcare. In the state of Georgia, an NP can work independently, diagnose and write prescriptions. They can also order labs and diagnostic studies. To becomes an NP in the state of Georgia, one must hold an unrestricted Registered Nurse license, be a graduate of an accredited MSN program, and pass the National NP Certification exam (American Association of Nurse Practitioners [AANP], 2020). NPs are valuable to healthcare delivery because they treat the sick and they work to promote wellness. In my experience, nurses are prepared to be excellent educators. When I have had to visit an NP, I generally receive very in-depth teaching unlike when I see a physician.  

References: 

American Association of Nurse Practitioners. (2020). The path to becoming a Nurse Practitioner (NP). Retrieved November 16, 2020, from https://www.aanp.org/news-feed/explore-the-variety-of-career-paths-for-nurse-practitioners 

Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2020). Public health nursing: Population-centered health care in the community (10 th ed.). Elsevier. org/https:/digitalbookshelf.southuniversity.edu/#/books/9780323582247″>https://doi.org/https://digitalbookshelf.southuniversity.edu/#/books/9