future of nursing???

delirium · Feb 6, 2003

That's a loaded question.

Is this for a school assignment?

SmilingBluEyes · Feb 6, 2003

I think as long as people get sick and die there is a future for nursing. That is as general an answer as the question that prompted it.

katscan · Feb 6, 2003

I think there will always be nurses, but the most educated women and men will be gravitating, I feel, to professions who recognize them as professionals After all that education, who wants to work like a dog and be disrespected? After all, what other profession puts up with the working conditions and level of interference by others than nurses.?.We still have working conditions that were considered terrible many, many years ago. No lunches, no restroom breaks, expected double shifts when you hae a child you are responsible for, or it's insubordination and you are fired......No other profession would dare tolerate these conditions which are considered turn of the century workplace conditions-nor would they tolerate the abuse of OTHERS telling them what they are responsible for,i.e WE are responsible for catching physicians' mistakes, responsible for restraining or not reatraining patients etc.It all depends on the circumstances, but you bet ya the nurse is always somehow responsible even if the working conditions are so unbearable you in no way could get around to doing the task-patient load, calloffs etc.The hospital administration makes sure of that. I work in a school and enjoy the respect the teachers have so long and hard worked for over the years. Sure Teachers have loads of problems, but it is NOWHERE near what nurses have to put with . Sorry to be so negative, but I would never put up with what nurses have to put up with today in hospitals.They-the administration must think we're all doormats.

mdowns · Feb 6, 2003

I meant more along the lines of what new and different things do we see ourselves ( or predacessors ) doing in the future. like forensics nursing or nurse entepreneurs.....those kinds of things?

thanks for your feedback though!

SmilingBluEyes · Feb 6, 2003

Sorry for my above post. Guess it's my dry sense of humor (which is not appreciated by some) coming out here. Pls disregard if it offends anyone. When you want information, you are likely to elicit what you want if you are as specific as possible in the asking, in the first place. Please see my PM to you for further explanation. Good luck to you.

Edward,IL · Feb 6, 2003

The future of the nursing profession is very bright. We can only go up and it will be long-term growth. The future of hospitals and nursing homes looks quite grim, glad I don't have a financial interest in any institution. The positive things:

1) The hospital-based diploma schools are dying. More nurses now have college credit for the academic work they've done and can proceed more smoothly and quickly towards higher degrees.

2) In all fifty states, Nurses in advanced practice have some degree of prescriptive authority, title protection and direct reimbursement.

3) Certified Nurse Midwives are carrying 8% of the baby delivering market, Certified Registered Nurse Anethesists deliver 80% of the anesthesia administered in this country.

4) The nursing demographics are now such that most nurses are 45 years old or so, and are mature enough to not have to put up with alot of the shabby treatment that they had to years ago.

5) We have a scientific basis for our practice, an impressive tradition of research and I think about 50 doctoral programs in nursing(Note that these are seated in excellent state-owned and major private universities). We are much better off in this regard when compared to the chiropractic profession which has been struggling with many of these same obstacles to growth.

6) The next steps for us to take occur at the level of the individual nurse. a) 60% of nurses hold the Associate degree in nursing or hospital diploma. They need to move into RNtoMSN programs as soon as possible. b) 60%-80% of nurses still work in instituitions in what can only be described as a share-cropping relationship.

Ya'll, the war is over. The slaves have been freed. Nursing practiced on the plantation-model is sooo last century.

Move forward and encourage others to move forward with you.

Consider entrepreneurship, independent practice, doctoral preparation. Society is very supportive of our profession.

(Hospital administrators and MD's are not)

Look into degree programs offered via the internet. Look into becoming and independent contractor (Visit National Association of Independent Nurses at http://independentrn.com)

copperd · Feb 6, 2003

I have to agree with the katscan. Nurses are under the hospital thumb. This profession is the most abused profession I know of. You are told stand up for yourself and you do all the way out the front door or as I have seen, out the back door and escorted by security. In my 31 years of nursing, I feel it has gotten worse instead of better. We used to have time to do patient teaching and spend some quality time with them. Now not hardly. You have to know more and have less time to do it in. Paper work is never ending. You are Nurse, Secretary, Housekeeping as well as major fixit person. You are lab and transport. Leaving any other patients by themselves because your coworkers have enough on their hands. You try to tell female patients to go for the yogurt or buttermilk with antibiotics but don't have time to go into explaining it. And of course, they want to know "Why". That is just an example of teaching you don't have time for. It is the simplest. As for Diabetic teaching, Katy bar the door. It just can't be done. I went into nursing to help people, not for the big business attitude prevalent today. I was taught to take care of Mr. Smith. not pt # 422841 or the gallbladder in room 218. Neither was I taught to treat the moniter. Check the patient, is he warm, dry and lucid? Hands on! I have seen Nurses put their gloves on in the Nurses station to touch a patient. Good Grief, the normal patient is not carrying that many germs on his gown or him. You know who needs gloves or who dosen't. Not everybody has AIDS, and you don't get it from unbroken skin to unbroken skin anyway.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Feb 7, 2003

I figure, unless I win the lottery or inherit a lot of money I'll be working 30 more years, into my 70s.

I don't like to think about it. Hopefully I will be in good health witha good back.

But that's not what you were asking. But my answer is, I don't want to think about it. I'll be in denial.

If the current trend in our area continues, there will be no hospital employees, but a lot of contracts, agency, per diem. More CNAs and less professionals.

I'd like to think we will realize that we hold a lot of power.

sjoe · Feb 7, 2003

Edward, meet 3rd Shift.

Lab · Feb 9, 2003

There are a lot of new things that nurses are getting into, legal nursing, nurse practioners....etc~there are still nurses that want to be at the bedside! There is a new breed of nurse coming on board with this new(?) "if you have a degree we can make you a nurse in a few months" push- this is what I think may make the big change in nursing-people opting for nursing as a second career will be very surprised at the pay...hours...etc...and I am hoping they will help to push nursing into the professional arena it should be in!!!