How Nursing Shortages are Influencing Medical Career Choices and Training
What is the future of nursing careers? Predictions are that in 10 or 20 years, it will look nothing like it does today! With new technologies and drugs, changes in insurance and health care policies, and the shortage in nurses, the profession will have to reinvest itself. Many nursing functions will be automated. For example, documentation and updating patient records, smart beds to monitor vital signs, bar codes, and automatic medicine carts could reduce the time and errors in dispensing medications, and voice-activated technology would eliminate the need to constantly write things down. Other nursing task such as serving meals will be taken over by aides. This would give nurses more time to provide a human touch to their patients.
Given the state of nurse shortages, hospitals and other health care establishments will have to use their available nurses more discerningly. Nurses are likely to be tasked with spending more time at the bedside serving as healthcare educators care coordinators. This will enhance their roles with their patients. With hospital stays getting shorter as medical costs rise, nurses will be placed in the situation of making the most of the amount of time they spend with their patients. Nursing professionals will more likely also shift administrative and supervisory roles, taking on more responsibilities. With that, they would need to know how to quickly access and retrieve relevant information and knowledge with their patients and loved ones.
The changes in technology will possibly attract more men and minorities into the profession. Greater emphasis must be placed on supporting teaching careers and recruiting educators from diverse cultural backgrounds to relieve the serious shortage of nursing school faculty. Therefore, more loans and scholarships for master's and PhDs would also have to be in place, and the colleges would have to pay the instructors more money.
As healthcare trends stand today, it is safe to assume that if the the nursing shortage persists, long-term stays and hospital admissions may have to be reserved for the patients that need it most. Thus, the number of outpatients will likely increases as will the need for more home-healthcare nursing professionals. It is also conceivable that nurses will play a larger role in insurance agencies, health consulting firms, and healthcare technology and software development companies. Nurses will also be involved more deeply with community health and population-based health work. Their responsibilities will include identifying health risks and setting up healthcare priorities for populations at higher risk. Healthcare professionals will also be involved in community education, and working with healthcare institutions and insurance agencies to develop healthcare programs that are designed to promote health and save costs for both the patients and their healthcare providers.
Nurse practitioners have a bright future especially in geriatrics and gerontology. With the baby boomer generation reaching retirement, those nurses who are themselves baby boomers but are not yet ready to retire may find themselves in the role of consultants. They would be the geriatric providers of choice because they would have a better understanding of aging.
With medical and technology advancements, nurses will be required to focus more on disease and illness prevention rather than treatment. In addition, medical treatment that targets illness before they occur, and identification of potential risk will also enhance preventative healthcare. This will also mean that patients will need to take a more active role in learning more about better healthcare to prevent illness and disease. shortage and cost in healthcare will also add pressure to the system of care to concentrate more on wellness models rather than treatment models.
Regardless of what the future of healthcare holds, nurses and other medical professional will need to be prepared for the expanding and changing roles. They will need to remain lifelong learners in order to remain up-to-date with the medical field. As you can imagine, that comes easier when one is passionate about their profession. - 17273
Given the state of nurse shortages, hospitals and other health care establishments will have to use their available nurses more discerningly. Nurses are likely to be tasked with spending more time at the bedside serving as healthcare educators care coordinators. This will enhance their roles with their patients. With hospital stays getting shorter as medical costs rise, nurses will be placed in the situation of making the most of the amount of time they spend with their patients. Nursing professionals will more likely also shift administrative and supervisory roles, taking on more responsibilities. With that, they would need to know how to quickly access and retrieve relevant information and knowledge with their patients and loved ones.
The changes in technology will possibly attract more men and minorities into the profession. Greater emphasis must be placed on supporting teaching careers and recruiting educators from diverse cultural backgrounds to relieve the serious shortage of nursing school faculty. Therefore, more loans and scholarships for master's and PhDs would also have to be in place, and the colleges would have to pay the instructors more money.
As healthcare trends stand today, it is safe to assume that if the the nursing shortage persists, long-term stays and hospital admissions may have to be reserved for the patients that need it most. Thus, the number of outpatients will likely increases as will the need for more home-healthcare nursing professionals. It is also conceivable that nurses will play a larger role in insurance agencies, health consulting firms, and healthcare technology and software development companies. Nurses will also be involved more deeply with community health and population-based health work. Their responsibilities will include identifying health risks and setting up healthcare priorities for populations at higher risk. Healthcare professionals will also be involved in community education, and working with healthcare institutions and insurance agencies to develop healthcare programs that are designed to promote health and save costs for both the patients and their healthcare providers.
Nurse practitioners have a bright future especially in geriatrics and gerontology. With the baby boomer generation reaching retirement, those nurses who are themselves baby boomers but are not yet ready to retire may find themselves in the role of consultants. They would be the geriatric providers of choice because they would have a better understanding of aging.
With medical and technology advancements, nurses will be required to focus more on disease and illness prevention rather than treatment. In addition, medical treatment that targets illness before they occur, and identification of potential risk will also enhance preventative healthcare. This will also mean that patients will need to take a more active role in learning more about better healthcare to prevent illness and disease. shortage and cost in healthcare will also add pressure to the system of care to concentrate more on wellness models rather than treatment models.
Regardless of what the future of healthcare holds, nurses and other medical professional will need to be prepared for the expanding and changing roles. They will need to remain lifelong learners in order to remain up-to-date with the medical field. As you can imagine, that comes easier when one is passionate about their profession. - 17273
About the Author:
Sophia Peters is the editor of Medical Admin.Colleges and Medical Assistant Training. Get more information on these areas in the health field.
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