the future of nursing is grounded on the rising demand for nursing staff, as demonstrated by the statistics reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (ANA, 2020). The statistics show that over 500,000 Registered Nurses (RNs) are expected to retire by 2022, which will leave a significant gap in the staff base available to serve Americans, which may compromise their health and wellbeing. Based on the numbers of RNs that will retire by 2022, the increase in the American population, and the rising numbers of the population getting into old age, the demand for nursing staff will increase considerably. Based on the increasing demand for competent nurses to cater to the American population, the vision focuses on the changing roles of nurses, education levels, and the levels of responsibility that come with the rising numbers of patients (Dyess et al., 2016). The critical target areas to change towards realizing the foreseen future are making the nursing role aligned with the changing healthcare needs, healthcare reforms, and the advancements in America’s healthcare systems.
The change to make is making the nurse the number major partner, contact and leader in healthcare services delivery, noting that they spend the most time with patients. The change is crucial, noting that nurses comprise the highest percentage of the healthcare labor force, and thus hold the highest potential to make the most change in the health and wellbeing of Americans. The steps to take towards realizing the change are advocating for recruitment and training of more nurses, as well as retraining and re-educating the current nursing staff to meet the current demand (Salmond & Echevarria, 2017). Specifically, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services should formulate a new policy directing that all nurses should acquire a four-year degree in nursing and take a practical course for a year. The combination of the bachelor’s degree course and the practical experience will make the nurses admitted into the field of care delivery a good fit for the changing healthcare sector. Secondly, every nurse must complete a specialized information technology diploma towards ensuring they can adequately offer care services in the technology era of the coming years. Secondly, state and the federal government must focus on increasing the numbers of nurses, towards improving the nurse-to-patient ratio, towards improving practice standards.
