will nursing be in demand in the future 2024-2025

By | February 8, 2023

will nursing be in demand in the future 2024-2025

will nursing be in demand in the future 2024-2025

will nursing be in demand in the future 2024-2025

The profession of nursing has always been regarded as excellent and secure. Since it is generally acknowledged that there will always be a demand for nurses, training as a nurse yourself is an excellent option if you want a career that enables you to do something meaningful while simultaneously ensuring your job security.

However, there are also growing concerns regarding the profession’s future. There has been a lot of talk about the possibility of a nursing shortage over the past ten years. If this is true, it could mean that nurses will have to work longer hours than they currently do, putting them at risk of becoming exhausted and working in unsafe conditions. In addition, there is concern regarding the emergence of new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics and the potential ways in which these technologies could affect the lives and careers of medical professionals.

Let’s talk about what this actually means for nursing’s future.

Will there be a shortage of nurses?
  • Between 2019 and 2029, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts a 7% rise in the demand for registered nurses. That’s a total of 221,900 more nurses. This is due to a few factors:
  • Population is getting older. As the so-called “baby boom” generation gets older and becomes more active, there will be a greater demand for healthcare.
  • a rise in chronic illnesses. As the number of people with long-term conditions like diabetes rises, more nurses are required to provide care. As people with these conditions get older, this is especially true.
  • a strong emphasis on preventative care. Healthcare providers are increasingly focusing on preventative rather than reactive care, which entails educating individuals to assist them in making healthier choices and maintaining their long-term health. Over the next ten years, additional work for nurses will be created because a lot of this crucial preventative work is done by nurses. However, over time, this ought to result in a decrease in the number of people who require medical attention.
  • Due to the fact that the anticipated number of nurses retiring is not currently being met, there is also likely to be a decrease in the number of nurses employed.
  • Therefore, the demand for nurses is expected to rise simultaneously with a decrease in the number of nurses available. However, it is likely that this will only last for a short time. The population of the United States is expanding at the slowest rate since 1919, as reported by the New York Times. Therefore, although there will eventually be fewer nurses, there will also be fewer patients for those nurses to care for.
  • In addition, new technologies are being used to increase productivity and guarantee that the number of nurses we do have is sufficient to meet demand.
  • In order to enable the nurses who are currently employed to perform to their full potential, healthcare institutions are also making changes to their organizational structures.

Increase in the number of Nurse Practitioners

In order to increase nurses’ job satisfaction and ensure that they can perform at their best, the nursing profession is placing a greater emphasis on ensuring that nurses have the best possible qualifications.
In 1965, the concept of the highly skilled nursing professionals we now know as Nurse Practitioners emerged. More people now have access to healthcare than ever before thanks to the expansion of Medicare and Medicaid coverage. Numerous healthcare facilities discovered that they simply did not have enough physicians to meet the increased demand as a result of the increased number of patients. To make it easier for patients to get the care they needed, the first Nurse Practitioners assumed the role of primary care providers. At this point, children’s care received particular attention.
The first Nurse Practitioner program was established by Loretta Ford for nurses who desired to assume this additional responsibility. Since then, Nurse Practitioner programs have evolved into postgraduate qualifications.
An MSN (Master of Science in Nursing) is a degree that gives Registered Nurses the ability to work as Nurse Practitioners. Or, they can pursue a DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) degree, which prepares Nurse Practitioners for leadership roles. Even the possibility that nurse practitioners will eventually require a DNP is being considered.

Because the nursing profession’s future will be heavily dependent on multiple emerging technologies, DNPs are increasingly focusing on technology, particularly in terms of its ethical applications.

The world is changing because of artificial intelligence (AI). Nearly every field, including nursing, is developing and utilizing it.

The concept has been around for some time, as the term AI was first used in 1956! The capacity of a computer program to learn and make calculations or predictions is known as artificial intelligence. It is utilized in the nursing field in the following ways:

  • AI is able to determine the best time to instruct or advise a patient so that they have the greatest likelihood of actually following it by using data gathered from hundreds of different patients.
  • based on a patient’s lifestyle and genetics, determining which diseases they are most likely to develop.
  • for testing purposes. An AI program has a much better chance of making an accurate diagnosis and recommending the best course of treatment because it can simultaneously draw on the expertise of thousands of doctors. Without the arguing, it’s like having all of the world’s experts in the same room!

This could have an effect on nurses’ day-to-day work because the role will be more about using technology and data than it has ever been before. Additionally, it indicates that they may be able to provide a diagnosis and treatment that is both more timely and accurate, thereby enhancing patient outcomes.

Virtual Reality

  • Virtual reality is identical to what is shown in films. People can experience what appears to be real but has actually been created by a program by using a computer. Nurses stand to gain the most from virtual reality in two main areas.
  • The first concern is nursing instruction. Under the guidance of a qualified colleague, the hospital is the location of much of the training for nurses. The learning experience cannot really be tailored to the individual’s needs, which is the drawback of this strategy; The trainee nurse is responsible for dealing with actual hospital patients.
  • The trainee nurse can choose which scenario they want to practice in using virtual reality. If there was a particular procedure they had difficulty with; For instance, they could practice it in Virtual Reality as many times as they wanted. In a similar vein, they could practice situations that only occasionally arise to make sure they are well-practiced.
  • Not only does this enhance the nurse’s training experience, but it also enhances the patient’s experience. Additionally, it eliminates the need for such close supervision from a skilled colleague, allowing them to take on additional responsibilities as needed.

Healthcare Trackers

  • The majority of us are probably using healthcare trackers without even realizing it! There are healthcare apps available for both Android and Apple phones that can track things like how many steps we take each day and how much of our time is spent being active.
  • The FitBit and other fitness trackers record this data and keep track of things like our heart rate for fitness enthusiasts. Some of them even keep tabs on our sleeping habits, such as how well we sleep and how long we sleep. For dieting, many of us use apps to record what we eat each day to keep track of how many calories we consume. We can even get trackers for things like our heart rate and pulse so that doctors can see an accurate profile over a certain amount of time.
  • If healthcare providers are able to access all of this information, it provides them with an extremely comprehensive health profile of us. The information is uploaded to the cloud. Sixty to eighty percent of us would lie to a doctor about information that could affect our health care. It is impossible to lie if the information is presented in its entirety. Because of this, a diagnosis can be made much more quickly and any recurring issues that need to be fixed to improve our health can be found much more quickly.
  • This means that nurses have access to much better information, which makes their jobs much simpler!

Genetic Testing

  • With the help of genetic testing, doctors can look at our genes and figure out, based on the information in them, which diseases and health problems we are most or least likely to have.
  • The availability of genetic testing is already having a significant impact on healthcare and will continue to do so. Genetic testing is a great way to rule out certain options if you have symptoms that could be caused by any number of conditions. This may guarantee a much quicker diagnosis.
  • In addition, genetic testing can assist you in taking preventative measures to avoid illness in the first place. This is illustrated by Angelina Jolie’s decision to have a double mastectomy after learning that she was genetically predisposed to develop breast cancer. This greatly reduced her risk of developing cancer.

Robotics

  • The medical field is absolutely dependent on robotics. Because robots are being taught how to perform surgeries, there will be less of a chance of infection or mistakes made by “human error.” When combined with cutting-edge AI technology, robot surgeons actually surpass human surgeons in terms of skill.
  • Robots can be used to make nursing work easier. It is possible for robots to perform less important tasks like stocking shelves and cleaning, freeing up nurses to focus on providing patient care.
  • In addition, patients are utilizing robots as a means of companionship so that they can talk to someone when they are feeling alone and their healthcare providers are busy with other patients. This significantly improves morale and, as a result, recovery times.

Scheduling and communication

  • We are all becoming more connected through technology, and nurses are no exception. New technologies will make it easier for nurses to get training and advice from colleagues all over the country.
  • In addition, complete patient records will be accessible from any healthcare facility with permission thanks to centralized databases. This indicates that any healthcare provider can increase their chances of making an accurate diagnosis and making recommendations by having access to as much information as possible.
  • Additionally, doctors and nurses alike will have an easier time determining who is available, on call, and on shift with electronic scheduling. Trying to triage patients and plan for their much-needed vacation will benefit from this!

What does all this mean for nurses?

  • Patients have already begun to benefit from the trend toward increased use of Nurse Practitioners. As a result of their “patient-centric” approach, nurse practitioners are able to provide individualized care. This is potent when combined with their advanced medical knowledge and academic credentials. Patients’ outcomes have significantly improved as healthcare organizations have employed Nurse Practitioners.
  • Nursing professionals will have to learn a lot about using new technology; However, it will also result in improved patient outcomes and increased workplace productivity.
  • In general, nurses can anticipate significant future shifts in their work practices. However, these adjustments will make it possible for nurses to collaborate with patients more closely and provide the highest possible level of care.

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