The past few years have been rough for health care workers, with 84% of nurses believing they were underpaid, and 83% reporting their mental health suffered, according to the State of Nursing Survey from 2021
But nurse.org said the future doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. Here are five predictions for 2023 that nurses might be interested in.
Boom in home care nursing
Home care, which saw a return during the pandemic, is expected to continue growing. Sick children and elderly care are, of course, two aspects of home care, but the options don’t end there. According to nurse.org, the future will include “everything from patient education to wellness programs like weight loss coaching or diabetes management or nutrition improvement to mental health care to chronic disease management.”
Technology
Nurses interested in technology will be hooked up in 2023, according to Forbes. Options might involve working at a start-up in health care tech, like Walmart or Amazon.
Amazon, for example, announced in July it would buy One Medical, which it envisioned as a “human-centered, technology-powered national primary care organization.” Although it recently abandoned those plans, other companies are exploring similar endeavors.
Nurse burnout will be addressed
Forbes also predicts the industry will finally address nurse burnout, which nurse.org said needs to be done in a systemic way, starting from the top.
Addressing this burnout will benefit both nurses and patients.
Increased education
Nurse.org predicts more education for health care workers will be the norm next year. Advanced degree programs are more readily available online, making it easier for nurses to continue advancing in their studies.
Nurse.org points out some companies even offer tuition reimbursement, which allows nurses to specialize in areas they might not have considered before.
Need for educators
According to the American Association of Colleges of Nurses, some schools have had to turn away students because there weren’t enough qualified educators.
“If you’re a nurse who’s interested in teaching, keep your eye peeled for even more education jobs,” nurse.org wrote.
