Healthcare tends to change constantly and this is why you need a lifelong commitment to learning and continuous skill development if you want to stay relevant in your nursing job. By capitalizing on factors that impact the healthcare industry, you can continue to progress in your career.
An aging population and increasing chronic disease
Changing patient demographics are impacting the health industry and with aging populations that suffer from chronic health conditions, the demand for nurses keeps increasing. This trend means that nurses need to build more specialized skill sets as there is a shortage of nurses skilled in emerging technologies
By doing an online master’s degree in health care, you can build the advanced skills you need to place yourself in a strong position to take up leadership and management roles at an earlier stage in your career. There’s a demand for teachers who can train nurses.
An MSN in nursing education from the University of Texas at Arlington concentrates on the core knowledge you need to develop curricula, advance your teaching skills, and evaluate and develop active strategies to engage students in the classroom.
A focus on collaboration within care delivery teams
Separate silos in healthcare delivery programs are breaking down. Nurses, physicians, labs, and pharmacies are teaming up to share data as this increases the quality of patient care. All health care professionals need a thorough understanding of how healthcare providers work and technical as well as collaborative skills.
As a nurse practitioner, you will work as part of a multidisciplinary team and you can discuss and determine the best ways to take care of particular patients and offer them more personalized care.
The impact of data on delivery and management of health care
Health IT is an emerging field that includes electronic health records (EHRs), health apps, and online patient portals. In simple form, EHRs are digital versions of patient medical charts. Some are more advanced and allow patients to find doctors, make appointments, review test results and include patient-generated data from personal fitness devices and mobile apps.
You will need to know how to work with EHRs, portable monitors and other tools and equipment that offer more efficient patient care if you want to progress in your career. For example, filling in manual patient records takes up time and the potential for inaccuracies due to lost paperwork, illegible handwriting etc. Using EHRs eliminates these problems and helps you to offer better patient care.
An emphasis on population health initiatives
Providers are more interested today in offering preventative health care and proper rehabilitation. They are educating the public about health and helping them to avoid illness and injuries.
If you qualify as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), you will focus on a particular population in your training, such as mothers, children, the mentally ill etc. With a shortage of healthcare professionals, you can play a significant role as a Family Nurse Practitioner in these populations.
A move to preventative health care
In the traditional healthcare model, the focus is on intervention once patients are already ill to offer access to care and treatment. Emerging technologies offer the opportunity to shift the focus to preventative care. People are being empowered to take care of their health and make changes to their lifestyles to prevent them from developing illnesses and diseases.
As a nurse, you are well placed in the healthcare industry to work with patients who want to actively manage their health. Information from devices like activity trackers can help in discussions between you and patients in your care.
