Nursing is still considered one of the most in-demand fields in colleges and technical schools. The results of admission commissions to medical colleges show that competition in the key specialties: “Nursing” and “General Medicine” is only increasing. There are several reasons for this: the shortage of nurses in the regions provides guaranteed employment, which can be concluded at the stages of industrial practice, and targeted training determines 100% employment. Young graduates of “Nursing” are quickly employed, but this does not mean that this specialty will not adjust to the changing market, it is already planned to change the number of nursing specialties from 33 to 20, focusing on an employee several specialties previously separate.
The developed professional standards will introduce labor functions, clarifying the powers of nurses, as was done for nursing assistants (including nursing assistants in nursing) and caregivers. The educational system is also being prepared for change: new educational standards for nursing faculties are being introduced, one of which is the faculty of general clinical practice, which is not widespread now, but is aimed at demand, since it solves a key problem – the shortage of nursing staff in educational institutions, particularly in schools.
The challenges and prospects for nursing are due to the mutual penetration and joint action of these factors. Problems that reduce nurses’ contribution to public health: staff shortages and migration, poor working conditions, and misallocation and utilization of the workforce (WHO, 2002). Despite the similarity of the situation in different countries around the world, the manifestation of factors changing the health care system depends on specific conditions and significantly affects the work and education of nurses. The response of each country to these factors depends to some extent on the number of nurses and physicians in relation to the total population. According to WHO statistics (2010), per 10,000 inhabitants, the number of nurses in Canada is more than 100 and doctors 5-20; in Italy it is 50-100 nurses and more than 30 doctors; in Chile it is less than 20 nurses and 5-20 doctors.
Many believe that a university degree is required to be a nurse, but there is little reliable data on the relationship between educational attainment and nursing quality, and in many countries this requirement does not apply. Possible problems with the transfer of basic nursing education to the university level: lack of willingness of university graduates to perform certain practical activities necessary for nursing work, with the perception of snobbery and indifference; increased nursing salaries with the emergence of exorbitant costs in medical institutions; termination of access to the profession for persons of low intellectual ability because of the need for a university degree.
Some members of other professions may believe that nurses do not need a university education because knowledge, clinical skills, and flexibility of judgment are built through the performance of all other activities by the health care team. In Italy and Canada, the situation has changed in recent years. Previously, in Canada, nurses with a college degree had to graduate from a university to pursue an education, research, or management career as part of a master’s program. But the mandatory requirements of university education have not changed the work environment, and Canadian nurses continue to work hard to promote their profession, improve patient outcomes, their own reputation, and public opinion through extensive research and community service.
It took only 17 years to go from a high school diploma making nurses assistants to doctors with a clear list of professional responsibilities to the need for a three-year university education. It was also possible to pursue one or two years of master’s degree programs, a degree in a related specialty, and a PhD. Numerous educational programs have provided ample career opportunities for those with a basic education. Contracts with varying levels of pay depending on qualifications to provide professional development for nurses have created unprecedented social mobility. Nursing students began to unite at the same level as students in other specialties and gained greater independence and autonomy. Hospitals stopped using them as free labor and negotiated with universities to provide facilities for high-quality clinical training.
Reference
Berlin, G., Bressler, J., Murphy, M., & Viscardi, M. (2020). Future of nursing: Supporting nurses across settings. McKinsey & Company. Web.