• Discussion Prompt 1: How do you feel about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) initiatives? Discuss ways a community nurse can help with the goals. • Discussion Prompt 2: Many resources are spent on recruiting foreign nurses. It is a fast-growing private sector business. If the United States and other industrial nations put their resources into fixing the problems that lead to this shortage of nurses, would the need to recruit foreign nurses decrease? Why or why not?

Discussion Prompt 1: How do you feel about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) initiatives? Discuss ways a community nurse can help with the goals.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. The 17 SDGs cover a wide range of issues, including poverty, education, gender equality, climate change, and healthcare. As a student in the field of nursing, I highly value and support the SDG initiatives.

Community nurses play a crucial role in achieving the SDGs, particularly in the areas of healthcare, education, and poverty reduction. They can contribute to these goals in several ways:

1. Access to healthcare: Community nurses have a unique opportunity to improve access to healthcare for underserved populations. By providing primary healthcare services in remote or disadvantaged areas, they can ensure that everyone has access to quality care, which aligns with SDG goal 3: Good Health and Well-being. This includes preventive care, health promotion, disease management, and health education.

2. Health education and promotion: Community nurses can educate individuals and communities about healthy lifestyle choices, disease prevention, and the importance of immunizations. Through health promotion campaigns, they can raise awareness about topics such as nutrition, hygiene, sexual and reproductive health, mental health, and substance abuse. These efforts contribute to SDG goal 3 and help achieve targets related to reducing maternal and child mortality, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases.

3. Collaboration and advocacy: Community nurses can collaborate with other healthcare professionals, community organizations, and policymakers to advocate for policies and practices that align with the SDGs. They can use their expertise and experiences to influence healthcare policies, address social determinants of health, and advocate for equitable access to healthcare. By getting involved in local and global health initiatives, community nurses can contribute to SDG goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals.

4. Disaster preparedness and response: Community nurses are often on the frontline during disasters and emergencies. They can play a crucial role in disaster preparedness by developing plans, training community members, and coordinating health response efforts. By providing immediate and effective healthcare in emergency situations, they contribute to SDG goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.

5. Empowering communities: Community nurses can empower individuals and communities to take control of their own health. Through capacity-building initiatives, they can train community health workers, promote self-care practices, and foster community engagement in healthcare decision-making. This empowerment aligns with SDG goal 17 and helps build sustainable healthcare systems.

In conclusion, community nurses have a significant role to play in achieving the SDGs. By focusing on promoting health, ensuring access to healthcare, collaborating with others, advocating for policies, and empowering communities, they can contribute towards the realization of the SDG vision of a fair, equitable, and sustainable world.

Discussion Prompt 2: Many resources are spent on recruiting foreign nurses. It is a fast-growing private sector business. If the United States and other industrial nations put their resources into fixing the problems that lead to this shortage of nurses, would the need to recruit foreign nurses decrease? Why or why not?

The shortage of nurses is a complex issue that requires a comprehensive approach to address. While it is true that investing resources in fixing the problems that contribute to the shortage may decrease the need to recruit foreign nurses, it is important to consider various factors that contribute to this issue.

Fixing the problems that lead to the shortage of nurses requires addressing both systemic and individual factors. Systemic factors include issues such as limited nursing faculty and educational capacity, inadequate funding for nursing programs, and an aging nursing workforce. Individual factors include burnout, job dissatisfaction, and lack of opportunities for career advancement. These problems are deeply rooted and require long-term strategies and investments to effectively resolve.

By investing resources in addressing these problems, the United States and other industrial nations can create a more favorable environment for nursing professionals. This can include increasing funding for nursing education and scholarships, expanding nursing faculty and educational capacity, improving working conditions and job satisfaction, and providing opportunities for professional development and advancement.

By doing so, it is possible to attract and retain more nurses within the country, which can help alleviate the shortage. However, it is important to acknowledge that solving the shortage solely through these measures may not completely eliminate the need to recruit foreign nurses.

There are several reasons why the need to recruit foreign nurses may still exist even if resources are directed towards fixing the problems that contribute to the shortage:

1. Changing demographics: Industrial nations, including the United States, are experiencing demographic shifts with an aging population. This results in an increased demand for healthcare services, including nursing care. While efforts to increase the local nursing workforce are important, they may not be sufficient to meet this growing demand.

2. Global migration patterns: The global migration of healthcare professionals is influenced by various factors, including economic opportunities and workforce shortages in different countries. Even with investments addressing the shortage, the global market for nursing professionals may still result in foreign recruitment, especially in cases where there is a surplus of nursing professionals in other countries.

3. Specialized expertise: Certain areas of healthcare, such as critical care, pediatrics, and specialized nursing roles, may require specific expertise that is not readily available within the local nursing workforce. In such cases, foreign recruitment may be necessary to meet the demand for specialized care.

In summary, while investing resources to fix the problems that lead to a shortage of nurses can help alleviate the need to recruit foreign nurses, it may not completely eliminate the need due to factors such as changing demographics, global migration patterns, and the demand for specialized expertise. A comprehensive approach that combines efforts to attract and retain local nurses with strategic foreign recruitment may be necessary to meet the healthcare needs of nations.