Nursing is a profession that has continued to undergo a rapid evolution. Nursing as a vocation touches on both social and economic factors in relation to humanity. Consequently, the current form of nursing practice is a product of changes that have sought to align the profession in relation to local and global needs. The main revolution that has occurred in the nursing vocation involves how nurses operate through pronounced organizations. Traditionally, it was common for nurses to receive training as apprentices. However, stakeholders in the nursing profession have stepped up the nurse-training systems in the last few decades. This paper explores how the nursing profession is expected to grow and change in the near future.
One of the defining concepts in nursing is delegation. Consequently, it is expected that the manner in which nurses handle delegation skills will change in future. On the other hand, future nurse-training regimens will focus on instilling delegation skills in nursing professionals. None of the current methods of training has been able to master the art of laying out delegation skills. For instance, most future training programs will seek to create practical scenarios where nurses can be able to practice delegation skills. Nursing vocation is in dire need of independent and fast thinking professionals. Therefore, there is a need to create simple channels of communication between nurses and other healthcare professionals. It is also expected that the nursing practice will have more highly trained and independent nurses in future. Nurses will “be aware of basic delegation skills which will be expected in their first nursing experience or job where they will have to supervise and lead care delivery” (Duchscher, 2008, p. 442).
Nurses are expected to play an important part during the “continuum of care and work in both entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial roles to serve the primary care needs of the community” (Moch, 2010, p. 157). Nevertheless, the highest demand in nursing services is expected to be in primary care services. The global population is aging at a fast rate and this development is expected to increase the demand for primary care services. This element of nursing care continuum applies to both the developed and developing worlds. Furthermore, this continuum is expected to create more entrepreneurial roles for nurses. For instance, there will be more nurses working in local communities as the fundamental healthcare proxies. These nurses will be carrying out consultation, health-education, screening, and preventive care duties in an entrepreneurial capacity.
Currently, one of the most important developments in nursing is the emergence of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). The main goal of ACOs is to enhance the quality of the services that are rendered to patients (Berwick, 2011). ACOs also enhance the levels of collaboration between various healthcare professionals. ACOs are expected to improve the levels of leadership within the nursing vocation. Consequently, the success of the ACO model will have far-reaching effects on the nursing profession. ACOs are also expected to introduce a revolution in the manner that patients with critical diseases are handled. The model that is used by the ACOs is relying on advancements in the nursing practice where nursing professionals will be core elements of the healthcare system.
Medical homes are another recent development that is likely to influence the future of nursing practice. Medical homes provide “mechanisms that provide patients with central primary care practice, or provider who coordinates patients’ care across settings and providers” (Esperat & Rupinta, 2012, p. 25). Medical homes are expected to cause major changes in healthcare delivery. However, in the coming years the medical-homes model will be put through a series of tests. Nurse-managed health clinics are closely related to medical homes but their main goal is to cater for the vulnerable and underserved portions of the population. Nurse-managed health clinics will provide more nursing jobs within the community. When they are combined with the ACOs model, the clinics will introduce tremendous changes in the nursing practice.
Feedback
Based on the research that I conducted concerning the evolving practice of nursing, I sought feedback from three colleagues. The colleagues’ feedback coincided with the contents of my report on the future of nursing practice. The first nurse to give me feedback was Aloma Williams and she has been a registered nurse for 15 years. Nevertheless, Aloma has enhanced her knowledge in nursing by undertaking several courses on her profession’s modern practices. Aloma is of the view that it is almost impossible to survive in the nursing practice without learning new concepts. For instance, Aloma reveals that she expects to pursue more training in future. In addition, Aloma is also very proud of her accumulated experience in the nursing practice. The concept of continuum and continuity interests Aloma because she is hoping to concentrate on community-based nursing in the near future. Nevertheless, Aloma is suspicious about the concept of the ACOs because she reckons that they are too focused on money. According to Aloma, the main goal of the ACOs is to ‘beat’ the current system and not necessarily to improve healthcare. The respondent considers the future of the nursing practice to be deeply rooted in competence. The stereotype that nurses are lax and incompetent bothers Aloma to a great extent.
The next person that I sought feedback from was Erick Dorian. Eric Dorian has been a registered nurse for less than two years. Erick is enthusiastic about the nursing practice and its future demand within the population. One of the concepts that appeal most to Erick is the concept of ACOs. According to Erick, ACOs are a great tool for enhancing the nursing practice and patient-care delivery. Erick recognizes that as a novice professional his career can be enhanced through involvement in ACOs. For instance, Erick states that ACOs act as a safety net for nurses who do not have a lot of experience and turns experienced practitioners into their ‘brothers/sisters keepers’. In addition, ACOs capitalize on the cooperation of nurses and other healthcare professionals instead of creating unnecessary competition between them. Eric is also interested in the concepts of nurse-managed clinics and medical homes because he has interests in the entrepreneurial aspects of the nursing practice. Eric considers community-centered nursing to be the ‘next big thing’ in this evolving practice. Erick says that apart from homes for the elderly, there will be other establishments that care for various demographics.
The third respondent to my report was Megan Espinoza, and she has been a registered nurse for three and a half years. Espinoza recently graduated from being a junior registered nurse. Espinoza considers herself to be an ‘old-school’ nurse where patient care is the only thing that matters to her. Espinoza was inspired to be a nurse by her grandmother who was a nurse in the Second World War era. In her feedback to my report, Espinoza is uncomfortable with all the complex elements that have been introduced into the nursing practice in recent years. However, the institution of nurse-managed clinics gives Espinoza hope that nursing will reclaim its former glory. In addition, Espinoza looks forward to the time when nurses will have more responsibilities in the course of patient care. According to Espinoza, delegation of duties to other physicians should be standardized because it is a major hindrance to patient care delivery. I asked Espinoza how this standardization could be achieved and she said that on-the-job training is a good tool for accomplishing this fete.
The three nurses provided me with valuable feedback on my report. The three colleagues gave me information that was consistent with the findings of my research on patient care delivery. However, Aloma introduced an interesting aspect when she alluded to the disadvantages of ACOs. According to Aloma, ACOs are more centered on monetary gains than patient care. Consequently, it is a valid concern that the concept of ACOs might end up being flawed in the long run. For instance, ACOs were instituted as a response to various problems among them the increasing number of malpractice lawsuits in the course of patient care (Sochalski & Weiner, 2011). In future, ACOs might focus too much on the monetary aspects of the nursing practice thereby neglecting other important concepts. Erick’s feedback about his interest in investing in the nursing practice also revealed some interesting dynamics. It is possible that in future individuals will join the nursing practice with one of their main goals being to profit from the profession. In the past, this notion could have appeared scandalous and unethical. However, most of the modern society agrees that capitalistic nursing can exist within the ethical boundaries of this profession.
References
Berwick, D. M. (2011). Launching accountable care organizations—the proposed rule for the Medicare Shared Savings Program. New England Journal of Medicine, 364(16), 32.
Duchscher, J. B. (2008). A process of becoming: The stages of new nursing graduate professional role transition. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 39(10), 441-450.
Esperat, M. C. R., & Rupinta, C. (2012). Nurse‐managed health centers: Safety‐net care through advanced nursing practice. Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, 24(1), 24-31.
Moch, S. D. (2010). Personal knowing: Evolving research and practice. Research and Theory for Nursing Practice, 4(2), 155-165.
Sochalski, J., & Weiner, J. (2011). Health care system reform and the nursing workforce: Matching nursing practice and skills to future needs, not past demands. The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, 5(2), 375-398.