The field of nursing never stops improving and evolving, which is one reason nurses are called on to continually accept more responsibilities for the lives in their care. Here are just a few of the major trends nurses are working through in 2016.
Preventive and Integrative Healthcare. Employee wellness programs are increasing in number and dimension, offering free health screenings, nurses on-call for counseling and advice, and incentives to participate in certain programs supervised by nurses and nurse practitioners, including weight loss, smoking cessation, and mental health wellness.

 
Population Diversity Shift. It has been estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau that by 2020, more than 20% of the nation’s population will be 65 or older. This population is more medically informed and is redefining healthcare.
Technology.  Nursing technology continues to evolve and transform the way nurses interact in the health care arena. New devices, robots, programs and applications will continue to streamline the nurse’s workload and allow them to place more focus on their patients.
Electronic Health Records. While these have been in existence for some time, they are being used at more and more hospitals to improve the quality of care while reducing medical errors.
Autonomy for Nurse Practitioners. Nurse practitioners fill a variety of roles including primary care provider, research scientist, professor of nursing, specialist clinician, and advisor. 21 states and the District of Columbia allow nurse practitioners to work without physician oversight.  This is especially important in rural areas of the country where economies cannot support full time medical staff and hospitals.
Constant change requires quick, intelligent and dedicated professionals, which makes nursing one of the most challenging, stimulating and well-respected career choices available. Thank you to all who take it on and who look after our well-being.
~Michael and Frida Donner