• July 11, 2022
• kupplinadmin
• no comments

All public-facing industries have significantly changed in the two years since COVID-19 was first discovered in America. To facilitate social distance and hands-free processes, industries as diverse as education, commerce, and dining have adapted their business models and delivery systems. Additionally, the healthcare industry has embraced change, such as an increase in the use of telehealth whenever possible.

The Demand for nurse staffing has amazingly increased due to several factors that still impact the situation, which is still in the process of recovery.

In addition, COVID-19’s nursing workforce was stretched thin due to overcrowded hospitals, record-breaking death rates, compelled overtime, and staff shortages.

The crisis put nursing in the spotlight, bringing lots of praise but not enough change to a profession already in trouble. However, there is a real possibility that 2022 will be the year in which the nursing profession finally makes the changes necessary to address systemic issues. Stay tuned. We have some important updates for you in this blog!

Improved Home Health Care

The aging of the population will increase the need for nurses specializing in home healthcare. However, the Demand for these services increased dramatically after COVID-19. In addition, those at high risk of medical complications greatly benefit from having access to home health care services.

For this reason, the Choose Home Care Act was first introduced to the Senate in July 2021 and to the United States House of Representatives in October 2021. This bill, if passed, would increase Medicare coverage for in-home medical care. It would also facilitate the development of senior remote monitoring and telehealth nursing services.

Demand for Education and Training

Better training leads to better nurses and better health outcomes for patients. Increases in the number of nurses with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree have been linked in multiple studies to lower rates of death, according to a report by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). According to the same AACN report, most employers prefer nurses with a BSN. To meet the rising Demand, more nurses were seeking bachelor’s degrees (or higher) than associate degrees in 2021. And because they are qualified for higher-level positions like nurse managers, nurses with bachelor’s degrees tend to earn more money and have more career options.

Growing Popularity of Online Courses

The pandemic has accelerated the trend toward online education in the nursing profession. The pandemic made online education more accessible by expanding it to additional fields, such as the RN-to-BSN bridge program that had previously been used. In addition, the advantages of online or hybrid learning, such as improved retention, have led some researchers to conclude that this approach is feasible after the pandemic has passed.

Staff Well-Being and Support

Medical personnel were under an incredible amount of stress throughout the pandemic. Nurses leave the field in record numbers due to stress, exhaustion, trauma, and a lack of organizational support. With the pandemic speeding up the process by almost 20 years, an EBN report estimates that 500,000 nurses will leave patient care this year. During the pandemic, a mental health crisis emerged that was largely ignored due to the failures in staffing models, crisis capacity, and support for overburdened staff. The number of registered nurses leaving patient care should serve as a wake-up call for health systems to prioritize the well-being of their staff.

Conclusion:

When the year 2022 rolls around, nursing services everywhere will be challenged with difficulties finding enough qualified nurses to fill open positions. As a result, those in charge of nurse staffing in the future need to make choices that are in the best interests of their organization and their employees.