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Like the entire healthcare industry, the nursing field is constantly evolving. Medical advances, emerging regulations, technological innovations and expanding patient care needs drive these changes and lead to new trends in nursing. Many shifts in the healthcare industry are ongoing changes that have been impacting nursing for years and are anticipated to continue shaping healthcare into the future. Here are five trends that are impacting the nursing profession today.
1. Continued Staff Shortages
Although a shortage of staff isn’t a new trend, the struggle to fully staff hospitals isn’t going away any time soon and will continue to shape healthcare. According to a report by McKinsey & Company, the United States could see a shortage of 200,000 to 450,000 registered nurses (RNs) for direct patient care as soon as 2025. This shortage could potentially result in a 10-20% gap in the RN workforce alone. To meet the continued demand for bedside nurses, the number of new nurse graduates would need to more than double every year for the next three consecutive years.
While staff shortages aren’t only being seen in the RN workforce, the RN turnover rate has risen substantially in five short years, going from 17% in 2017 to 26% in 2021. According to Vivian’s State of the Healthcare Workforce 2022, more than half of the nurses in permanent positions who took part in the survey said they plan to change jobs in 2022, and 43% of all respondents said they were considering leaving the healthcare profession altogether.
With a low rate of new nurses entering the field, a high number of aging nurses on the verge of retirement and a lengthy pandemic that prompted more nurses to leave the profession, staffing issues will continue to impact healthcare into the future. Without appropriate action, healthcare facilities may continue struggling for years with persistent vacancies and operational challenges caused by workforce shortages.
2. Use of Telemedicine Services
Telemedicine, also referred to as telehealth, gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was already gaining popularity before the pandemic emphasized the importance of remote medical care. According to the American Hospital Association, 76% of U.S. hospitals reported using telehealth systems in 2017, more than double compared to the 35% using it in 2010. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services expanded Medicare coverage for virtual services in 2019, and in some payment models it provides waivers for using telehealth services.
Telehealth is literally changing the way patients access healthcare. Remote technology allows healthcare professionals to deliver clinical services via video visits, and RNs can remotely monitor patients hooked to various devices as telemetry nurses. It expands patient access to care, especially in rural communities without nearby hospitals, clinics or specialists, improving patient outcomes and satisfaction. Telemedicine also lowers costs by diverting patients from emergency departments, saving between $19 and $121 per visit, per the American Journal of Emergency Medicine.
However, despite its growing popularity among patients, many physicians find the technology inconvenient. In a McKinsey & Company report released in early 2022, two-thirds of the doctors and 60% of the patients surveyed said telehealth was more convenient than in-person care for patients, but only 36% of the doctors found it more convenient for them. Unpopularity among physicians could result in telehealth services actually shrinking in the future, but the perks make this scenario unlikely.
Although physicians may be reluctant to embrace telemedicine, the advantages of telehealth don’t just make it appealing to patients. It’s also an attractive alternative for nurses. Telehealth nurses often enjoy a more flexible schedule and work setting while allowing patients to see a clinician without leaving their homes and driving to an office. Whether telehealth occurs through video chats or remote monitoring, it’s one trend that continues to shape healthcare today.
3. Increased Demand for Specialization
Another trend that continues to grow and shape healthcare is the increasing demand for RNs specializing in specific fields. Specialization and professional certification allow nurses to demonstrate their expertise in their given field, which often opens doors to career advancement opportunities with potentially higher salaries. Obtaining specialty certifications enhances professional growth and can increase a nurse’s clinical confidence, decision-making abilities and overall job satisfaction.
According to Johnson & Johnson Nursing, 90% of nurses agree that specialization enhances credibility, and 86% of nurse managers prefer to hire a specialized nurse. With more than 90 specialties, nurses have numerous options in everything from surgical to emergency care, treating patients from infants to geriatrics. The country’s aging population has made geriatric specialists particularly popular. Other in-demand and top-paying RN specialties include:
- Neonatal ICU nurses specialize in caring for newborns born prematurely or with critical health problems.
- Certified dialysis nurses specialize in diseases of the kidneys and are part of the larger nephrology nursing specialty.
- CVOR nurses provide direct patient care to cardiovascular patients undergoing surgical procedures.
- Neurology nurses treat patients with brain and nervous system disorders or displaying signs of neurological issues.
Nurses who further their education to become advanced practice RNs have even more options with higher salaries. Top-paying APRN specialties include:
- Nurse practitioners are highly educated, have advanced training and aren’t required to work under the direct supervision of a physician.
- Certified RN anesthetists specialize in giving anesthesia to patients going into surgery.
- Certified nurse midwives care for patients throughout pregnancy, labor and birth.
- Clinical nurse specialists assess a healthcare facility’s nursing practices and their impact on patient outcomes.
While the growing demand for nurses has been well publicized, RNs today are encouraged to specialize, and this trend isn’t likely to end. Increased educational opportunities make it easier to expand your education and pursue advanced roles in nursing.
4. Growth of Online Education
Another trend that’s been around for a while is pursuing advanced education online, and this trend continues to grow and gain popularity. With the rising preference for nurses with higher-level degrees and specializations, furthering your education is becoming more important than ever in healthcare. However, grueling nursing schedules combined with family obligations make it difficult for many nurses to attend in-person classes. Online nursing programs offer a way to obtain a degree while still working full-time and without missing family events.
Educational pursuits don’t just include earning master’s or doctoral degrees. Nurses can enter the field with just an associate degree, but more healthcare systems prefer or even require a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or higher. The BSN requirement is partially so hospitals can pursue Magnet status but also facilitate the Institute of Medicine’s previous recommendation to increase the percentage of healthcare workers with BSN degrees. Online RN-to-BSN programs make it quicker and easier to earn this degree while gaining clinical experience.
Online studies also remain popular due to the importance of continued education and the need to keep up with the latest advances in patient care and treatments. Nursing professions naturally go hand-in-hand with life-long learning as new technology and medical advances necessitate the need to upgrade your healthcare education. Advances in online nursing education, like virtual patients and communities, further support new ways of learning to keep up with this growing trend.
5. Focus on the Need for Self-Care
Growing awareness of nurses’ stress levels, how this pressure can manifest into job dissatisfaction, and its impact on mental health has given rise to the trend of promoting self-care in nursing. The essential need for self-care has prompted some employers to improve work environments and offer benefits that help nurses battle common issues such as compassion fatigue and burnout. In fact, self-care is so important to nurses’ overall well-being that the American Nurses Association mandates care of oneself in its Code of Ethics.
Self-care includes activities that enhance your physical, mental and spiritual well-being. Nurses who don’t look after themselves may experience greater fatigue, increased errors and higher risks of burnout that not only impacts them personally but can also impact their patients and the healthcare facility. Self-care reduces stress and revitalizes a nurse’s ability to provide empathy and compassion, improving the overall quality of patient care.
As more research emerges touting the substantial physical and mental strain of working in the nursing profession, the importance of self-care will continue to grow. While offering higher salaries helps keep nurses in their current positions, facilities prioritizing self-care initiatives are taking steps to meet this growing need.
Stay Alert to Ongoing and Emerging Trends in Nursing
While the COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered the nursing landscape and created an even greater demand for nurses, new and ongoing trends in nursing continue to shape healthcare. Many previous trends are expected to remain strong, while emerging trends require nurses to keep up to enhance their careers, set goals and pursue new opportunities. Technology and the clinical environment are constantly changing, making it crucial to continually look ahead and prepare to navigate each change throughout your career.
