In a 3 to 4 pages, write about the future of nursing.
Create subheadings/topics;
Use this as a guide: https://www.hospitalcareers.com/blog/future-of-nursing/
APA format not a must.
What the Future of Nursing Will Be Like
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliations
What the Future of Nursing Will Be Like
Nursing as a profession makes great contributions to solving problems that the healthcare industry is facing today. In order to prepare nurses to effectively tackle issues within their profession, it is important to help them understand the factors that are influencing their profession today and how changing trends are likely to affect their roles in the future. The American Nurses Association emphasizes the need to prepare nurses to lead reforms in their organizations (American Nurses Association, n.d.). Nurses will prepare effectively for the anticipated changes when they understand the internal and external drivers of change and when they are able to create a picture of how the future of nursing will be like.
Job Growth and Nursing Shortage
The United States anticipates that there will be rapid growth in nursing jobs owing to the constantly growing need for health care. As healthcare needs continue to rise, countries around the world will continue to experience nursing shortages. Various factors arse contributing to the constant growth in healthcare needs and nursing shortage. These factors include retiring nurses, the aging population, the emergence of complex health problems such as COVID-19, and the expansion of health insurance coverage for populations (Morris, 2021). The best way to counter the anticipated job growth is to expand nursing institutions, hire additional nurse educators to offer training, and recruit as many qualified nurses to provide the care that is needed by patients.
Changes in Models of Nursing Care
It is anticipated that there will be a shift in the care model employed by nurses to deliver care to patients. This necessary change has been triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, nurses will have no choice but to change from the historical nurse-to-patient model of care delivery to a more flexible care model involving multidisciplinary teams relevant both at the time of crisis and when there is no crisis (Morris, 2021). In this respect, healthcare organizations might be compelled to shift from organizing their workforce from nurse-to-patient ratio to a collaborative model involving several nurses
Growth in Community-Based and Family-Based Nursing
Nursing care will soon change from hospital-based nursing to community-based and family-based nursing. The whole world is experiencing a rapid rise in the incidences of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Patients with such diseases will need follow-up in the community after they have been discharged from the hospital. Besides, people who are suffering from terminal illnesses such as cancer will opt to receive care at home due to the high hospitalization costs changed by hospice facilities (Irani et al., 2021). Due to these changes, nurses will have to learn advanced skills that they will be able to apply in the hospital setting, in the community, and when providing community-based nursing.
Expansion of Healthcare Technology and Telehealth
The future of nursing will have a new image that is characterized by the integration of technology into the healthcare delivery process. Many healthcare organizations today have integrated electronic health records where nurses can record, store, and share patients’ records with other healthcare providers involved in their care. However, there have been rising concerns regarding data privacy and confidentiality with the use of these tools. It is anticipated that more advanced technologies will emerge to improve the current EHR and change how nurses handle patients’ data (Garson & Levin, 2021; Morris, 2021). Additionally, it is predicted that the use of telehealth will expand as nurses try to maintain contact with their patients based at different geographical locations in the community (Wolters Kluwer Health, 2021). Future nurses will depend greatly on telehealth to provide community-based and family-based nursing care.
Increased Specializations
Nurses will be required to specialize in the near future as the nursing profession continues to experience rapid job growth and as the healthcare needs of populations continue to rise. Placement of nursing into the available job slot will be enhanced when nurses specialize in particular fields (Wolters Kluwer Health, 2021). For example, nurses will be required to earn certifications apart from the registered nurse certificates indicating that they have received additional training and are capable of proving care to specialized groups of patients. There will be an increased shortage of mental health nurse practitioners, pediatric nurse practitioners, geriatric nurse practitioners, neonatal nurse practitioners, and pain management nurses among other specialty areas (Morris, 2021). These specializations will promote shared responsibilities during nursing care.
Virtual Simulation will Transform Nursing Education
Nursing education will expand in the near future as nursing institutions try to release more nursing graduates to counter the nursing shortage. Due to advances in technology, nursing institutions will shift to online learning when delivering instruction. This means that nurse educators will have no choice but to conduct simulations virtually (Morris, 2021). Online education and virtual simulation will address problems that were experienced with traditional physical training.
Conclusion
Nurses need to admit that their profession has changed tremendously over the years. They should note that the profession will still continue to change owing to the constant reforms in the healthcare industry. For example, the nursing profession in 2022 is anticipated to be different from what it is today. To be able to prepare adequately to counter possible changes, today’s nurses must be conversant with the nursing trends and develop a picture of how the future of nursing will be like.
References
American Nurses Association. (n.d.). Practice & advocacy: Workforce. https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/workforce/
Garson, A., Jr, & Levin, S. A. (2021). Ten 10-year trends for the future of healthcare: implications for academic health centers. The Ochsner Journal, 3(1), 10–15.
Irani, E., Niyomyart, A., & Hickman, R. L., Jr (2021). Family caregivers’ experiences and changes in caregiving tasks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinical Nursing Research, 30(7), 1088–1097. https://doi.org/10.1177/10547738211014211
Morris, G. (2021). Nursing and healthcare trends we can expect to see in 2022. https://nursejournal.org/articles/2022-nursing-healthcare-trends