In our fast-paced, ever-changing world, general knowledge is doubling every 12 hours on average, according to Albert Meige in Innovation Intelligence (2015). To give perspective, in the 1900s, knowledge doubled every 100 years. By the end of World War II, knowledge doubled every 25 years. With the rise of the Internet, the rapid doubling of knowledge is forcing us, whether we like it or not, to think and behave in new ways. The digital age is projected to totally reshape our future.
Educators are increasingly aware of the need to stay relevant in the phenomenal advances in knowledge. There is pressure to present more and more information while teaching digital skills and literacy. Educators must become faster at learning new information and skillful in the use of unique learning tools and systems.
Currently, the digitalization and globalization of healthcare information overwhelms practitioners and patients alike. Helpful resources are increasingly available to guide clinical practice. However, when confronted with the amount of healthcare information, nurses cannot run fast enough on the treadmill of knowledge to stay current, potentially leading to disillusionment and burnout. Meanwhile, patients are actively searching for answers online.
Although many seek answers through the digital age, Christian nurses learn to seek answers through cultivating a relationship with the God who holds all truth and knowledge. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) helps guide nurses in an era of information explosion: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” God says, “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go,” Isaiah 48:17 (NIV). God can guide a nurse's steps through every situation. He delights in directing nurses who call on him in real time to be efficient and effective in providing quality care that makes a significant difference in the people served.
--Virginia Wolgemuth, PhD, RN, is chief nurse administrator of the University of Northwestern—St. Paul School of Nursing in Minnesota.
This article (free to read online) is excerpted from 2019 Directory of Christian Nursing Schools in North America: The Value of Christian Nursing Education in the Age of Information in the January-March 2019 issue of the Journal of Christian Nursing.
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Resources:
2019 Directory of Christian Nursing Schools in North America
Journal of Christian Nursing
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