According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are 28 million nurses worldwide. Yet that number still isn't high enough for patient numbers and needs. As a result, there is a global shortage of nurses, and 6 million more jobs are needed to be filled by 2030 to meet healthcare requirements for everyone.
As the nurse shortage grows steeper and the health care landscape continues to change, nurses and their leaders should be attentive to the trends that are changing the industry. Read on to learn the 16 nursing trends we expect to see in 2022 and beyond.
Trend #1: Need to be Technology Savvy
Every day new health care technologies enter the market. Nurses are required to adapt to these technologies to improve patient care. New technology is expanding and is continuously introduced to reduce administration time, and increase accuracy, all keeping clinician satisfaction and the patient experience in mind. Nurses are expected to use computer technology, like laptop carts, to document and obtain patient information and even look up treatment options when necessary. Intuitive workstations on wheels are becoming increasingly more popular.
In addition to computer workstations and powered carts, RTLS asset tracking has become a new technology nurses have been adapting to. With the ability to track all of their workstations, keep track of patients, and even conduct more thorough contact tracing, nurses are flocking to this new technology as the year continues.
Trend #2: Increased Mobility in Nursing Equipment
The increased use of technology to document patient information creates the need to have mobile technology so nurses do not have to stop what they’re doing to input the data. Seamlessly gathering information from their workstation on wheels to using that information to help their patients creates a better workflow for nurses. The level of care received improves when less time is spent by nurses looking for technology and trying to track information. This trend of having a hospital cart that can move with them is here to stay, especially through the pandemic.
Trend #3: Self-Care for Nurses
Nurses are trained caregivers, yet they sometimes forget about themselves. Self-care is a planned activity to provide for our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Lack of self-care can lead to errors, fatigue, and burnout, which comes at a high cost to patients, nurses, and the healthcare organization. The stress of the pandemic and increase in workloads have made many nurses put self-care even further on the backburner. During times of increased stress, self-care should increase, not decrease. As more research and data come out about the physical and mental strain of nursing, healthcare leaders worldwide are taking the initiative to acknowledge and treat self-care as an actual responsibility. It's time for nurses and the facilities they work for to make self-care a top priority. Self-care can look different for every nurse, and should be centered on their specific needs. A self-care plan should be specific, measurable, achievable, action-oriented, and time-sensitive.
Trend #4: Increased Specialization and Career Path Options
Healthcare needs are becoming increasingly complex. As a result, the scope of specializations that nurses can practice is widening. With specialization in over 96 areas, including pediatrics, cardiac, and intensive care, nurses can choose a path that suits them. With the growing complexity of healthcare, a nurse who specializes is in higher demand than those who do not. As the world grows and more research and technological advancements come out, nurse career path options become endless.
Trend #5: Traveling Nurses
The last few years showed us how much our society needs traveling nurses to meet shifting demands. We saw thousands of nurses pour into COVID-19 hot spots to support the surging patient volumes. In addition, before the pandemic, nursing became an increasingly travel-friendly profession as more parts of the world became alike. As a result, nurses who enjoy adapting to different work environments and traveling to new places while caring for people are rising. With the increase in nurse interest to travel, these travel nurse opportunities will steadily increase over the coming years.
Trend #6: The Rise of Telemedicine
In 2020, there was a shift in how Americans interacted with healthcare due to COVID-19, and that included a massive 20% of medical visits being conducted virtually. There are reports that the telemedicine revenue is projected to triple by 2023. The widespread adoption of telemedicine has created nurse task automation and easier access to patient care, new telehealth, and chatbot technologies. Telehealth technology offers flexibility and allows patients to access their documents and doctors from home, giving them more control of their health care and the ability to feel safe in their homes. Online portals can be filled with test results, prescription refill requests, and appointments. Additionally, doctors or nurses can be accessed via virtual meetings, saving patients and clinicians valuable time. Similarly, chatbot services have been introduced to give patients more ownership over their care received. Patients can schedule appointments, set reminders for medication administration, and search for specialists in their area.
Trend #7: Nurses are Retiring Later
The age of retirement among nurses is getting increasingly higher. Starting when the economy slowed, those with nursing jobs kept their jobs well into their 60s. Now with the nursing shortage, nurses are continuing to keep their jobs in hopes of helping. As they age, nurses are moving away from the physically demanding and transitioning to desk work, but are still able to help patients. With 40% of nurses over the age of 50 and a projected 82 million nurses to be over 65 by 2030, this trend is here to stay as more passionate nurses join the field.
Trend #8: Online Nursing Education Programs Will Become More Popular
Because of the demand for nursing, there is high job security in the profession and a high need for further education. As a result, more colleges and universities provide online education programs, specifically in nursing. Online education offers a way for nurses to obtain a degree while working full-time and provide a way for nurses to access higher education set at their schedule and a way to learn even while under pandemic protocols and restrictions.
Trend #9: Increasing Need for Nursing Educators
The loss of income between $20,000-$30,000 for nurses to shift from practicing in a hospital to teaching has led to more nurses keeping their position in hospitals. Nurses opt for career paths that promise higher paying salaries in hospitals, corporations, and the military. In addition to the pay gap, an increased number of current nursing educators have been pulled from the classroom back into hospitals to aid in the COVID-19 pandemic. To handle the increase in nursing students, lower the nurse shortage, and compete with the current climate, education programs will need to implement a strategic plan to incentivize nurses to teach future nurses.
Trend #10: Increasing Number of Nurses that are Changing Fields
In addition to the nurse shortage, there are both a physician and leadership shortages. There is a need for more direct providers and for professionals to take charge during the current pandemic. To help fill the gaps, nurses are entering Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs. These allow for nurses to expand their knowledge, and offer much-needed guidance in a time of uncertainty, but leave gaps in the positions they once filled.
Trend #11: Salaries and Benefits Will Need to Increase
Because of the global pandemic and shortage of nurses, employers will want to learn what nurses value and what keeps them satisfied. If a nurse is not satisfied with what they are currently offered, they can shift to another hospital. To stay in the competition, salaries and benefits will continue to grow so employers retain employees and attract potential candidates.
Trend #12: Bilingual Nurses Will Be in More Demand
Specifically, in the U.S., bilingualism is becoming increasingly valued. More than 350 languages are spoken across the states. Instead of having a translator and a nurse, hospitals are looking to combine the two and offer a seamless offering of care. In the coming years, nurses who speak a second language, mainly Spanish, will be increasingly in demand.
Trend #13: Males Entering the Nurse Workforce Will Rise
In 2011 in the U.S., 1 in 10 nurses were men. This was a 660% increase in the total number of men since 1981. With the global shortage of nurses, health care organizations will continue to focus on recruiting men to the field in 2022 and beyond.
Trend #14: Holistic Care will become more popular
As patients become more educated, they become more in charge of their health. After seeing how much COVID-19 has affected people, both physically and mentally, patients have begun to become interested in treating all aspects of their person rather than only what is presently wrong. This has resulted in a growing demand for nurses who provide holistic services and can help them find the root of their physical issues. Educated nurses trained in providing care and managing health procedures are ideal candidates for delivering holistic services to patients and will continue to be in need in the coming years.
Trend #15: Value-based care is the new model
Value-based care aims to improve health outcomes at a lower cost. It puts the patient experience and what each patient values at the forefront. When the patient’s experience is considered a top priority, they’re more likely to come back and receive care when needed rather than ignoring their symptoms. Because of this, facility resources are allocated to the health outcomes delivered by the system. Quality, safety, and patient experience will take the forefront while making decisions.
Trend #16: Patients will become more educated
Now more than ever, individuals are taking ownership over their health and becoming more educated. Patients know the importance of a good diet and exercise, but in recent years they have been searching for more information on how to take their health a step farther. They have the world wide web at their fingertips to learn about immune-boosting habits, physical fitness, and how to listen to their bodies. Now, nurses are absorbing the information given and communicating with their more educated patients. A trend that brings an avenue for nurses to offer more detailed care.
Facts and Figures
By 2030, the world needs 18 million more healthcare workers to meet the requirements of universal health coverage.
Six million of the healthcare workers needed by 2030 are nurses and midwives.
Globally, 70% of healthcare and social workers are women.
2020 marked the 200th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, a British woman who shaped the nursing profession. In her career, she changed the way nurses were educated and how society viewed the nursing profession.
April 2020, the first-ever State of the World's Nursing Report put together by WHO was released.
In 2022, nursing positions will become more attractive, and patient experience will play a significant role in decision-making.
Although rewarding, nursing can be labor-intensive and stressful with many challenges. It will take the world to come together to address these issues. However, many initiatives are already in place to make nursing professions more attractive and retain current talent.
Similarly, patient satisfaction will also play a role in 2022 decisions. Payment and delivery models are now based on value and not volume to benefit the patient. Health care providers are pressured to make decisions around the patient experience to maintain their public patient experience scores.
This decade will change the landscape of not only nursing but the healthcare industry as a whole.