The U.S health care system has undergone changes over the years, with advancements in technology and education, promising more changes to occur in the future. Nurses and nursing practice are at the center of these changes. During this exercise, the views of three nurses; Simon Troy, Karen Smith, and Hannah Wesley were taken into consideration when analyzing the changes in both healthcare and nursing practice. The nurses were in agreement that the future for nurses in the U.S was characterized by both opportunities and challenges.
The American health care system is rapidly embracing the concept of continuity of care, and finding its place in the entire continuum of care. Continuum of care to this end refers to the process of making the entire system of healthcare patient-oriented. Here, deliberate attempts are made to ensure that various healthcare practices are integrated with a goal of getting better health outcomes for the patients (Wilson, Whitaker, & Whitford, 2012). The continuum of care concepts calls for the collaboration of various aspects of health ranging from mental health to social services. Here, healthcare providers are expected to keep track of the health status of the patients from various perspectives, with the goal of realizing better health outcomes for the patients.
The literature on the continuum of care suggests that the complexity of the concept makes it impossible for it to be seamless. This is a position Ms. Smith agrees with, pointing out that the integration of aspects such as acute care, extended care, and home care calls for extra diligence from the health care providers. She, however, pointed out that this yields an opportunity for nurses to take more responsibility in regards to the handling of the patients. Mr. Troy pointed out that he was impressed by the strides that the healthcare system had taken towards embracing of the integration mechanisms. He noted that this kind of integration would be helpful not only for the nurses but also the patients. This is in regards to a considerable reduction in the cost of proper health care, especially for patients with complex health conditions.
The shift from traditional health care practice to the continuum of care perspective means that nurses need to be more equipped to handle aspects such as follow-up care. In addition, nurses will be required to be more involved and experienced in cases of management and in the handling of transitional care plans. Besides, nurses will be expected to be more in touch with technology, since the continuum of care will require the input of various forms of technology input (Kemppainen, Tossavainen, & Turunen, 2013).
The society has for long viewed the nursing as the profession that commands the highest levels of trust among the society members (Thatcher & Park, 2012). Despite the fact that nurses have been key in the provision of care, Ms. Wesley pointed out that traditional healthcare practice has under-utilized the nurses. With the evolution of health care, however, it is expected that more skills that the nurses have especially ones dealing with the process of conceptualization and delivery of care will be employed in the evolving health care models.
Hospitals have been traditionally the centers of health care delivery. With the evolution of healthcare, however, delivery is moving to other settings (Wilson, Whitaker, & Whitford, 2012). Mr. Troy noted that he expected this trend to persist, and also pointed out that the trend is expected to have various implications for the nursing practice. He noted that the importance of the hospitals as a health care setting will most likely shrink, with nursing placing their emphasis on health care management and coordination. The implication is that the task of nursing will experience a revolution, with nurses now being essential in filling leadership and coordination roles.
Ms. Smith noted that she anticipated the changes that would come with the introduction of more Alternate inpatient settings. She noted that mainstream hospitals had a reduction in the number of bed spaces available for acute care patients. This opened opportunities for other facilities such as hospices and rehabilitation centers (Kemppainen, Tossavainen, & Turunen, 2013). According to Ms. Smith, more nurses would make efforts to be involved in Long Term Care, with more seeking licensure in home nursing and assisted living administration. In the medical home setting, for example, the traditional tasks for nurses will need revision, with nurses being more engaged in a collaborative effort with professionals such as social workers, and therapists. Besides, nurses will be more involved in coordinating of care in these new settings.
Ms. Wesley was the idea that more efficiency in healthcare provision would improve in the future due to the increase in the input of the corporate world. This is especially true with the emphasis placed on ambulatory care, where care services will be mostly outpatient in nature. Ms. Wesley also noted that she was particularly interested in being involved with nurse-managed health centers. These are settings often located in economically challenged zones, and providing care for the vulnerable in the society (Wilson, Whitaker, & Whitford, 2012). A good number of nurses would be willing to embrace this practice since it leads to a more fulfilling practice.
Irrespective of the setting that the future nurses find themselves in, there is an agreement that the nursing role is gradually evolving, with emphasis placed on the ability of a nurse to promote continuity of care. The three nurses interviewed noted that they expected the role of nurses in the future to be more complex. For instance, they have to coordinate input from different professionals, help in the transition of patient care and ensure efficient health care in different settings. The argument is that the nurses of the future need to have improved skills, which will be required to cater to the evolving needs of the American healthcare setting.
References
Kemppainen, V., Tossavainen, K., & Turunen, H. (2013). "Nurses' roles in health promotion practice: an integrative review.". Health Promotion International 28(4), 490-501.
Thatcher, E., & Park, E. (2012). Online journal of issues in nursing 17(2), B1.
Wilson, A., Whitaker, N., & Whitford, D. (2012). "Rising to the challenge of health care reform with entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial nursing initiatives.". Online journal of issues in nursing 17(2).
