5 Nursing Trends To Expect In 2019

It’s 2019! We are almost 20 years into the 21st century! While we don’t have flying cars in the sky, and we aren’t run by robots (though our smart technology is coming close), we are making advancements in healthcare and nursing. Here are a few of the top trends in nursing that you need to know for 2019!

Five Nursing Trends for 2019

To make predictions for the future, experts examine history. They might look at our behaviors, employment changes, technological advancements, and government norms to determine what’s impacting the industry the most. All of this goes together to come up with a few predictions for the future.

Growth of Technology

Through the years, in healthcare, technology trends seem to be slower when compared with mainstream industries. Some hospitals are just now getting electronic medical records while relying on a lot of paper charting. However, this doesn’t stop the trend from growing. In 2019, you’ll notice technology expanding in every area of nursing. New technology might range from scheduling software, to devices to obtain diagnostic information to complex nursing equipment. No matter what changes you notice, these trends are only beginning in the world of nursing.

Nurses Going Back to School

The call for all nurses to obtain a BSN before 2020 isn’t far off. In 2019, you’ll notice that having a higher degree is the standard practice and it will demand a higher wage and status throughout the profession. Hospitals want their nurses to obtain a higher level of training. Many institutions are offering incentives, like tuition reimbursement for those going back to school.

English Won’t be the Only Language

As the diversity of the U.S. population continues to grow, you will notice the shortage of bilingual nurses. Translation devices are put in place to help ease fear and promote clarity with language barriers. Even better than a device is a bilingual nurse that can help patients in real time to make informed decisions. The plan of care is easily discussed and understood when spoken in the patient’s native language. This has also been shown to increase patient satisfaction and compliance.

Nurses are Getting Older

Many nurses aren’t retiring right at the age of 65 as they used to, for a few reasons. With the changes in the job market, nurses can find positions that keep them engaged with their practice, but away from the physical labor at the bedside. With prevention medicine, nurses are living longer, allowing them to work later into life.

Job Seniority is Something of the Past

The word tenure means something a bit different in nursing these days. Many nurses are leaving their jobs quickly. One study conducted in 2014 called, “What Does Nurse Turnover Rate Mean and What Is the Rate?” found that close to 18 percent of new RN’s leave their first nursing job during the first year. Another one-third leave their first job within two years. This study found several reasons for this workplace trend, which include:

• Nurse bullying
• Dissatisfaction with the career
• Night shift requirements
• Burnout

Yet another reason some nurses leave the profession is a lack of understanding of what the job is all about, until they are out in the real world. This phenomenon lowers the nurse retention rate and costs hospitals a lot of money in hiring and training. Organizations are now developing retention programs. However, these programs might not be successful if they are trying to keep nurses that don’t want to be there.

These five trends – increased technology, nurses going back to school, bilingual nurses, older nurses, and job seniority being something of the past – will make it interesting to see where nursing is heading in the future. What will happen in the next 20 years? Flying cars and robots? We will see.