Nursing remains a growth field.
Nurses feel great satisfaction in having a positive impact on the health of patients – so much so that a vast majority would still pick nursing as their job if they had the chance to go back and start their career again.
Those are two of the many nursing trends that continued in 2018 and are expected to remain strong in 2019. Nursing is a rare profession in that almost all the trends are positive. It remains an excellent career choice for those who wish to work in a field where they help others.
Career opportunities remain bright for nurses across the country and especially in Texas. The Lone Star State faces a nursing shortage that is expected to grow in the coming years. Qualified nurses should remain in demand both in big cities such as Houston and Dallas and smaller communities across the state.
Here is a look at some of the nursing trends reported in 2018 that will likely continue through 2019.
Job Satisfaction in Nursing
A survey of nurses released in late 2021 showed that 80% of respondents said they would still enter the nursing profession if they had it all to do over again. The survey, by American Nurse Today, also reported that 8 out of 10 managers and clinicians are satisfied with their job and 9 out of 10 are satisfied with peer relationships.
Increased Nursing Pay and Opportunities
That same survey found more than 60% of nurses received a pay increase in 2018. About 30% reported making a salary between $60,000 and $79,000. Hiring continues in most areas, as well. That nursing trend is expected to continue in Texas, where a 16.8% gain in the number of nurses is expected by 2028, according to estimates by Projections Central, which breaks down federal job numbers by state.
The Patient-Driven Payment Model
This emerged in 2018 as most healthcare systems switched to a financial model that bases payments to medical providers on patient outcomes. This will continue into 2019 as more systems adopt this change. This model will drive hospitals and other healthcare operations to use new strategies that make operations more efficient as well as lead to better patient outcomes. Nurses play a vital role in successfully carrying out those strategies.
RN to BSN For Nurses
Many hospitals and other healthcare providers now only hire those with a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN), according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That trend is expected to continue into 2019 and beyond. That will make online RN to BSN programs even more important for nurses who wish to bolster their career.
Healthcare Technology
As with every modern industry, technology has a big impact on nursing. Uses of technology can range from digital record systems that offer insights into patient health to medical sensors patients wear at home which transmit real-time health data to nurses and doctors.
Bilingual Nurses in Demand
The U.S. population is becoming more diverse. You can see that in Texas even more so than in most other places. Nurses who speak both English and another language such as Spanish will find themselves ahead of their peers as attractive candidates for many new jobs. Patients want to be able to quickly understand their diagnoses and instructions. A bilingual nurse can provide that service.
It helps to keep up with nursing trends as you establish and enhance your career – and to realize nurses are working in a profession that continues to grow and offer many new opportunities.