5 Important Trends in Nursing in 2023
Published on Nov 14, 2022. Updated on Jun 22, 2023.
The face of healthcare today isn't just about helping patients in hospital rooms; nurses and other healthcare providers have made careers where patients need them. In our newest blog, discover five top career trends for nurses in 2023.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for registered nurses will increase by 6% through 2031. This comes as no surprise as the population ages and nurses face high levels of burnout. Many nursing students today, however, won't be stepping into a traditional nursing role when they graduate. To better prepare for a new career in nursing, it's beneficial to understand the current trends. Here are five top nursing trends to keep in mind in the coming year and beyond.
1. Telehealth
Telehealth has recently made massive changes in the healthcare industry; it's no surprise that it has also become a trend in nursing. Whether as a full-time job or as part of an in-person nursing job, many nurses today are tasked with delivering care remotely.
According to the CDC, telehealth visits increased by 154% from 2019 to 2020, and nurses have been integral in making this transition smooth. The duties of telehealth nurses commonly include educating patients, gathering information, and triaging patients. Telehealth nurses help patients receive quality care without leaving their homes, which can help reduce costs and prevent the spread of disease. It also helps get reluctant patients in front of a provider.
2. Traveling Nurses
Once again, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic and staff shortages, the demand for traveling nurses has increased in recent years. Many nurses are choosing this path to deliver care largely thanks to the increase in pay it provides, coupled with flexibility and the opportunity to travel. Staffing agencies require traveling nurses to have experience, so most students who will eventually become traveling nurses will begin their careers in a more traditional way.
Traveling nurses have provided an enormous benefit to patients and have allowed hospitals to stay open amid shortages. This is another instance of nurses going wherever patients need them, and as traveling nurses, they still get to provide care in a traditional healthcare setting.
3. Nursing Education
While many other nursing trends are expanding, nursing education is headed in the opposite direction. There is currently a lack of nurse educators, which is concerning for the field as a whole, especially when it comes at a time when nursing jobs are in high demand.
Nurse educators have always been important to the field, and today they are in even more demand because the majority of nurses don't have the educational credentials needed to be educators. It's important to help nursing students see the need for and benefit of nurse educators so the field can continue to produce quality nurses.
Current leaders in nursing education can also take this decline in nursing educators as a challenge to change how they educate future nurses by exploring ways to educate more nurses with fewer instructors.
4. Writing
Today, many people who have trained as nurses are also becoming nursing writers. This addition to their core job duties allows nurses to help and provide education but doesn't require them to be hands-on with patients. Nurse writers might write books, blogs, articles, or scripts. They also might be hired to fact-check or consult with other writers, making sure medical information and healthcare portrayals are accurate.
A large number of nurses write online content. These nurses must deliver information clearly and factually because online content is often patients' first step when facing a healthcare concern or question. In fact, nurse writers are often the first point of contact without ever seeing or meeting these patients face to face.
5. Entrepreneurship
The workforce does not look the same as it did 50 years ago. Entrepreneurs dominate the workforce today, and nurses are part of that trend. Entrepreneur nurses choose to become health coaches, consultants, content creators, doulas, and more. With more and more people looking for healthcare and advice outside the traditional hospital setting, nurses have stepped up to meet that need.
As entrepreneurs, nurses serve their patient population by pushing larger corporations and hospitals to continue to innovate and provide quality care for patients. As leaders in nursing education, it's wise to remind nursing students of their duty to provide quality care and present factual information no matter what type of work they choose to do.
Preparing Nursing Students for New Trends in Nursing
When preparing future nurses for the workforce, it's essential to understand that not every nursing student will work in a traditional nursing role.
The nursing field continues to innovate to better serve patients as their needs evolve. As educators, it's paramount to prepare future nurses for various roles to better serve their patient population, whatever that population looks like, and wherever that population is.
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