Advance for nurses: A critique
on a website for registered nurses
Advance for Nurses, a
comprehensive website for registered nurses, with the following URL,
is immediately accessible and presents
information on "clinical, management, professional and career development
issues". (1)
At first glance, this appears
to be a well-constructed, American website with global outreach potential.
One might ask, "What does
it offer to Canadian nurses?" A Canadian postal code does not bring up
exclusive content, but rather a map showing "Regions We Serve." A
Canadian registered nurse would have to refer to the closest American state.
(2)
Look at the Advance for Nurses
web site more closely, from a number of randomly chosen directions. Obviously,
there are a wide range of links, on a vast variety of topics.
Advance for Nurses offers a
free, professional e-newsletter which could prove to be of value to Canadian
nurses, as well as to many other registered nurses, around the globe. It offers
numerous current nursing articles, which nurses should be able to access for
topical research. (3)
For American nurses, the
Advance for Nurses website should prove to be a valuable resource, because of
its wide range of nursing related information. It appears to be user-friendly.
The Advance Healthcare Shop
will be of interest to nurses everywhere, as it offers a wide array of
professional and personal products with some at clearance prices.
Shipping information is
available countries like Canada ,
the UK , Puerto Rico and Australia , as well as to all areas of the United States
Looking at the About
Us information page, it appears that Advance for Nurses is published
bi-weekly and offers numerous job and educational opportunities for nurses. (5)
Its current circulation is
approximately 835,800 registered nurses. (6)
It has a recruitment link for
prospective employers, who may wish to post job openings and opportunities for
registered nurses. (7)
It also has a blog and forum
community, for those who desire to participate in professional health care
inter-communication. (8)
Advance For Nurses is linked to
Facebook, a popular social utility, regularly used by many registered nurses
and also Twitter.
One cannot help but be drawn to
the current feature article on the Home page, "Journey To Scutari", a
journey recounted by a registered nurse, Chris Foard, BSN, RN, who traces the
footsteps of Florence Nightingale. (9)
The drop down menus, just above
the picture of the tower of mercy, alerts the reader to the reality
of how much the profession of nursing has changed in a positive direction,
since that era.
"Is the website
current?" one might ask, at the same time noting a timely article on the
status of the spreading H1N1 virus. (10)
New grads have their own
special area on Advance for Nurses, which offers a collection of job
opportunities for them. (11)
The following is a quote from
"Essence of Nursing", the top article and it rings true.
"From the bedside nurse
who always goes that extra mile, to the nurse whose bailiwick is international,
to foreign relief missions, to community clinic and the nursing classroom,
nursing options are limited only by your imagination." (12)
Registered nurses everywhere
will attest to that reality.
"Global Reach" is an
article about concerned, compassionate and caring doctors and nurses, from the
Caribbean Medical Mission, located in Irving , N.J. , involved in global health care outreach, in Guyana , South America .
(13)
"All Aboard for Health
Care Reform" is another article of interest. "The healthcare reform
train is leaving the station." (14)
Isn't that always the truth?
Of particular interest to
registered nurses, may be the link "Tell Us Your Nursing Story", as
every nurse has a story to tell and probably more than one. "International
Lessons Learned," is the featured article, about a nurse who goes to Saudi Arabia
Having reviewed this website
with a highly critical eye, one must suggest that for registered nurses, as
well as other health care professionals, there is considerable merit in this
online project. Interestingly, every link proves to be functional, which
suggests a high level of professionalism as well, with regard to the site's
construction. It is also possible to access the advertising links.
Inter-communication between
registered nurses, as well as registered nurses and other health care
professionals has always been an area of concern. Advance for Nurses resolves
many of those issues, with an element of unity and an excellent range of high
quality, web site content that proves to be both pertinent and highly
professional.
Well done and kudos to Advance
for Nurses!
(5)
http://nursing.advanceweb.com/Article/About-Us-8.aspx
(6) Ibid.
(9)
http://nursing.advanceweb.com/Article/Journey-to-Scutari.aspx
(15)
http://nursing.advanceweb.com/editorial/content/editorial.aspx?cc=204827
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