This article was provided by Nurses PRN.
One more year in the books! Healthcare trends continue into 2022, but there are also some industry-altering changes experts are predicting. COVID-19 has had an extreme effect on healthcare workers and healthcare systems. Some of these effects are predicted to have a domino effect, leading to new changes. Keep reading for five nursing and healthcare trends expected in 2022.
Nursing Shortages Will Continue as Job Growth Rises
Nursing shortages are not a new trend of 2022. Throughout 2020 and 2021, we saw a major increase in the number of nurses needed to care for patients. A few of the factors responsible for the nursing shortage are High-turnover, an aging population, nurse burnout, and nurses leaving healthcare altogether. The American Nurses Association reported that by 2022, registered nurse vacancies will be higher than open jobs in other professions. COVID-19 has been a huge factor in the healthcare shortage. As nurses retire or change careers, their colleagues are left understaffed to deal with the pandemic, which adds extra stress to their plates. This stress can cause severe burnout and may cause more healthcare professionals to leave the industry.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 1.1 million new RNs are needed for expansion and replacement of retirees and to avoid a nursing shortage. What does this shortage mean for registered nurses around the U.S.? It means that nurses will have a plethora of opportunities and job security. It also means they will need to advocate for opportunities and employers that support them with safe patient-to-staff ratios and adequate staffing.
Nurses Will Continue to Switch to Travel Nursing
Travel nursing was an in-demand career before COVID-19 because of high pay, flexibility, and the amount of opportunities. Now with COVID-19 crisis rates, travel nursing has become a mainstream topic. According to SimpliFi, while travel nurses have typically made up 3-4% of nursing staff, they now make up 8-10%. Nurses are flocking from staff positions to be travel nurses. The last few years have been a good time for nurses to take the leap thanks to the current pay opportunities and lifestyle change.
Better Retention Opportunities for Staff Nurses
With so many staff nurses leaving their positions for travel nursing, facilities are going to be forced to adapt. It’s clear that hospital systems will not be able to sustain hiring a staff of travel nurses; they will have to come up with better pay and retention opportunities to keep staff nurses happy. April Kapu, DNP, RN, president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, predicts the added pressure of pandemic pay rates will prompt a reset of nursing wages. The reality is that nurses are going to be expecting higher rates and benefits since they know their worth in the healthcare system.
More Attention Towards Healthcare Worker Mental Health
Nurses were hailed as heroes and had 2020 dedicated as “The Year of the Nurse.” The year 2020 gave nurses a platform to speak openly about their experiences and realities. The reality is that healthcare professionals are pushed more than ever, both physically and emotionally. Long shifts with little to no breaks and caring for an increasingly ill population have led to less than optimal mental health. Nursing is built off caring for others, and if healthcare professionals are not able to care for themselves, how will they be able to do their job effectively? One must fill their own glass up so they can help keep others’ full.
Hospitals and staffing agencies, like Nurses PRN, are stepping up to make sure their healthcare employees have the resources they need. These employee assistant programs allow employees to get access to free short-term counseling, free financial and legal advice, and much more.
Do you feel like you are having burnout? The first step is realizing that and finding change. Here are five ways to prevent nurse burnout.
Increase in Need for Home Health and Long Term Care Nurses
The baby boomers continue to reach retirement age. As they retire, the need for nursing and home health services will continue to rise. By 2029, the remaining baby boomers will reach retirement age, resulting in a 73% increase in Americans 65 years of age and older. Advancements in technology and healthcare have allowed people to extend their lifetimes and live longer in fragile conditions. Long-term care and home health nurses will be in high demand to mitigate these changes.
We hope you found this article on nursing and healthcare trends expected in 2022 insightful and helpful. Are there any healthcare trends you are seeing that we didn’t mention? Comment them below.
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