Dr. Beverly Malone was inspired to pursue a career in nursing and healthcare after witnessing her great-grandmother’s work as a healer in her Kentucky hometown.
“She took care of the entire Black community. And I always wanted to be just like her,” Malone said. “I never got as tall as she was, or as beautiful as she was, but I did become a nurse and she was very pleased with that.”
Her great-grandmother’s influence helped Malone build an influential healthcare career spanning 50 years and counting. And Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN, who is now president and CEO of the National League for Nursing, just added another “first” to her résumé. She has partnered with Walden University to create one of the inaugural online sessions for the new ChangeMasters series.
“The Power of Nursing” is Malone’s contribution to the series of video sessions, available at no cost, designed and taught by subject matter experts renowned for their knowledge, expertise, and insight. Malone’s session explores healthcare disparities and illuminates the path to health equity.
That journey begins with a deeper understanding of healthcare disparities, which is the topic of Malone’s first lesson.
“Healthcare disparities means to me that not everyone is getting the care they need as individuals, or as a group. It’s not about the same care for everyone. It’s about what you need, according to who you are and what your healthcare situation is. I wish I could say that it’s the first thing that should hit your eyes … but it’s not like that. It’s sort of ingrained,” she said.
“Some of it is just systemic racism that’s been built in the system from years and years ago. It’s like a fish in water. You don't even know you're in the water. It's just part of the policies and procedures in the way we do things. By understanding the root cause of disparities in healthcare access and patient outcomes we can become better care providers and activists. We can also come up with solutions.”
Why Social Determinants of Health Matter
Improving the quality of healthcare for all people requires a thorough understanding of the social determinants of health, another lecture topic.
“Eighty percent of a person’s health is determined by social determinants of health: basically, where you sleep, where you eat, where you play, where you work. … it’s also environmental and climate issues,” she said. “All of those things determine your vulnerabilities; your risk level of getting certain diseases. If you live near a factory that’s oozing out into the river, there's a likelihood that you may get cancer. That’s a social determinant of health. You were raised there; you worked there.”
Social determinants of health can shape a life’s trajectory, she said.
“Maybe I went to a segregated school, or to a school … that didn’t have computers; it didn’t have access. All of that affects how healthy you are going to be, not just when you’re growing up, but as you age. And we know as we age, we kind of fall apart in some ways. It’s just called aging. But my goodness, you fall apart more rapidly depending on those social determinants of health.”
Finding Solutions, Building Healthy Outcomes
Malone’s prerecorded session is solutions-oriented and future-facing. As a participant, you will:
- Learn about the root causes of healthcare disparities and explore strategies for advocating for equitable healthcare resources and services.
- Gain knowledge and tools to address healthcare disparities and drive positive social change in your community and organization.
- Understand and identify social determinants of health and promote health equity for all people.
Nurses Are Positioned to Lead Change
Throughout her global career in nursing and healthcare management, Malone has seen how nursing professionals can and do drive positive social change: “Advocacy has always been part of the fabric of nursing,” she said.
And all nurses can do their part, no matter where they work, or what they do.
“It’s very difficult to enact change and transformation if we don’t have a seat at the table where those decisions are being made. Now, there are different roles. When I was at the bedside, I didn’t always expect to be at the table, but there were tables that I was at. I was at a table of discussion about how we ran the unit. I was at a table of discussion about what patients needed on my unit. There were tables that I still needed to be at,” she said.
In any nursing role—and at any table—finding and using your voice in any nursing role is essential, Malone said.
“I will have a seat at the table. And when we get to the table, we need to speak up. It’s not a time to be shy and quiet and wait for others. No, we need to take everything we have and speak the truth about patient care, about the needs of others as well as the needs of nurses.”
Move Your Healthcare Career Forward
By building deeper knowledge and relevant new skills, nurses can expand their influence and abilities—and perhaps find a seat at a bigger table. Malone believes in continuous learning and self-improvement—even when earning a nursing degree may seem daunting. She knows because she was in that position.
“I had a 2-year-old and a 2-week-old as I started working on my doctorate full time. So, what am I saying to you? There’s never a great time to go back to school. There’s never the right time to do it. You just do it because this is your time,” she said.
“You do it because you want to do more and give more. And you know you need more knowledge, more experience, more learning to actually be productive. You do it because you have this fire in your belly … that says, I want more, and I believe I have more to offer.”
Earn a Nursing Degree Online
If you’re ready to advance your nursing education or pursue a healthcare management degree, you may find the program you’re looking for at Walden University.
Walden has a wide variety of online programs for nursing. There’s the CCNE-accredited Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-BSN) online degree program that offers a credit-transfer option that may save you time and money. If you’re ready to earn a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree, you can choose a specialization in the CCNE-accredited master’s program that tailors your coursework to your career interests. There are five nurse practitioner specializations that can help prepare you to pursue certification and credentialing. If leadership in nursing is your ambition, there’s a Nurse Executive specialization and other specialty practice options, too.
If you’ve already earned an MSN, there are doctoral programs to pursue: Walden offers a CCNE-accredited Doctor of Nursing (DNP) program and a PhD in Nursing program.
You also can broaden your healthcare education by pursuing an online degree in healthcare administration or management. Walden’s online degree programs include a Doctor of Healthcare Administration (DHA), PhD in Health Services, Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA), and BS in Healthcare Management.
Walden recognizes that working professionals need flexibility to achieve their education goals. That’s why the HLC-accredited university offers all of its degree programs online. Walden’s flexible online learning platform lets you study on your own schedule, wherever you have an internet connection. You can earn a degree while staying engaged in your personal and professional activities.
Healthcare professionals also choose Walden for its commitment to social change. Walden offers working professionals the opportunity to transform themselves as scholar-practitioners who are ready to effect positive social change.
Learn more about Walden’s nursing degrees as you plan your future and prepare to become an agent of social change working to build health equity in your community.
Walden University is an HLC-accredited institution offering online nursing degree programs. Expand your career options and earn your degree in a convenient, flexible format that fits your busy life.
Walden University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, www.hlcommission.org.
The baccalaureate degree program in nursing (BSN), master’s degree program in nursing (MSN), post-graduate APRN certificate program, and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program at Walden University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (www.ccneaccreditation.org).
Note on licensure: Walden’s MSN nurse practitioner specializations are designed to academically prepare graduates with an active registered nurse (RN) license to practice in the U.S. as nurse practitioners. However, each state has its own academic preparation and authority to practice requirements and issues its own license for an RN to be permitted to practice as a nurse practitioner in that state. Learn more about professional licensure.
No graduate program can guarantee that graduates will obtain licensure to practice as a nurse practitioner. We encourage students to consult the appropriate board of nursing or regulatory authority in the states or jurisdictions in which they reside or intend to seek licensure to determine specific requirements. Walden Enrollment Specialists can provide general information relating to licensure; however, it remains the individual’s responsibility to understand, evaluate, and comply with all requirements relating to licensure for the state in which they intend to practice, as requirements vary widely.
Note on certification: Walden’s MSN program is designed to academically prepare graduates to apply for national certification. Walden makes no representations or guarantees that completion of Walden coursework or programs will permit an individual to achieve national certification. We encourage students to consult an appropriate certifying body for the specific certification eligibility requirements. Students should also consult their state board of nursing or other state agency to determine what certifications are required or accepted in that state. It is an individual’s responsibility to understand, evaluate, and comply with all requirements relating to national certification, as requirements vary widely. For more information about nurse practitioner certification exams, students should visit the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board at www.aanpcert.org, the American Nurses Credentialing Center at www.nursingworld.org/ancc, the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) at [email protected], or the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB) at pncb.org, or other nurse practitioner certification websites.
Program Note: The MSN program with a specialization in Nurse Executive, Nursing Education, Nursing Informatics, or Public Health Nursing is not a licensure-leading program and will not prepare students as nurse practitioners.