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You might have come across patients ringing a bell to call for help in a hospital. Who answers the calls? It is the nurses that respond and attend to a patient’s needs.
Nurses can easily be called the backbone of patient care and well-being. The profession demands a sense of responsibility and a lot of skills. Contemporary nursing faces quite a few challenges, despite being a crucial part of the healthcare industry.
In this blog, we will understand the concept of contemporary nursing, address the challenges and find solutions to cope with them.
Let’s dive right in!
Nursing has changed over time. The evolution of nursing practices cannot be overlooked. If you turn the pages of history, you will see how hard it was to establish nursing as a profession in the beginning. With time, the profession has gone beyond the simple idea of taking care of patients.
Contemporary nursing aims to formulate important nursing questions and their responses. Adding on, nurses today are expected to take the initiative in transforming society. Many students have shown interest to be in this profession.
Presently, the nursing profession is roughly based on the following nine ideas:
The profession is undeniably very demanding. But can that be one of the contemporary nursing issues? Before answering that question, go through the genuine issues troubling contemporary nursing practices.
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One needs to know everything about a subject before they take a step forward. You cannot make a decision by looking at the brighter side only. Knowing about the challenges and preparing yourself to cope with them is crucial. The following are the major contemporary nursing issues you must know about:
One of the major problems in nursing is the long hours of work. There are instances where nurses have been forced to work 24/7 during emergencies. While the profession demands a lot of dedication, working for long hours often leaves the nurses feeling drained out.
The nurses have often complained about being too stressed and exhausted in order to meet the job requirements. These lead to severe problems in taking care of the patients. They are prone to making mistakes, and that often leads to costly mistakes. Long hours are one of the crucial challenges of contemporary nursing, which needs to be addressed.
Shortage of nursing staff is undeniably one of the most significant factors affecting contemporary nursing practice. You will come across many nurses who are nearing the age of retirement. The industry will soon lack the expertise and knowledge that is crucial to treat patients.
The new generation is interested in studying the subject, but if they will be able to fill the gap is yet to be answered. One of the things that is missing in the present generation is patience. Nurses are expected to be patient throughout the process, and it is hard to find people who are willing to take up such responsibilities.
The hospitals are also lagging in terms of recruitment and retention strategies. It is a major factor contributing to the nursing staff shortage. If you look around, you will see nurses who are not able to cope with the demanding profession and are looking for a way out. The healthcare industry needs to take these into consideration and work on recruitment and retention strategies to keep up with the demand.
All of us have witnessed a pandemic a few years back. While that was unexpected, it brought forward a lot of issues in the healthcare industry. As the number of patients kept rising, the healthcare industry found it hard to attend to a lot of them. The situation highlighted the inappropriate nurse-patient ratio. So, if this continues further, we will have to struggle again if such a situation arises again.
The authorities need to take the right steps to ensure there are enough nurses to cater to patients. The ratio can affect the entire healthcare industry for a long time. You might end up blaming a particular hospital for not treating you well. But if you dig deep, you will understand how these institutions also have budget limitations. It is not possible for them to recruit a lot of nurses.
You will come across various healthcare needs in hospitals. It is crucial to understand how the care differs from one unit to another. Patients in intensive care units and emergency departments need more attention to heal faster. Not having an appropriate ratio affect the entire process. With rising health problems, things can be difficult in the future.
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Believe it or not, workplace violence is a major concern in nursing. Bullying is on the rise in the profession. As the number of nurses is increasing, the authorities must take the step to stop these from happening. Nurses are always facing problems as they face bullying almost every day.
Nurses have often complained about being verbally abused, getting physical assault threats and suffering from emotional trauma. Safe work environments are necessary to retain employees and welcome more nurses. This can be one of the reasons the UK nursing colleges are witnessing an attrition rate of 24% currently. Students are dropping out of college, citing these reasons.
The need to upgrade has been felt by all sectors. Healthcare is not left behind. Technological developments are forcing nurses to learn about software, programs and modern equipment. It is tough for nurses to take time off and learn new things to fit in. The healthcare sector is probably the busiest one, and it is difficult for professionals to upgrade themselves time and again.
Technology has always been beneficial for all. Yet, when it comes to talking about challenges in contemporary nursing, one cannot miss out on its significance. It is difficult for nurses to cope with the continuous demands. On top of that, they are not well-equipped with technology. Further, it is impossible for them to attend training sessions.
The ones who have spent years in this profession are struggling to cope with the changes. Aspiring nurses are in two minds whether or not to step into the profession. Hospitals and the authorities must work hand-in-hand to mend things and ease the entire process.
So, with so many challenges in contemporary nursing, how will healthcare keep doing the good work? Well, there are always ways to cope with challenges. The following section will help you understand some effective ways to cope with the challenges.
Understandably, nurses have to deal with a lot of things. But giving up is not an option. So, if you are preparing yourself to be a nurse, implement these methods to fight against the odds:
Can you take care of others if you are not healthy? Of course not. Hence, the first thing to do is practice regular self-care. No one at work will let you have some time out for yourself. So, to ensure you are at your best, take breaks regularly, eat well and pace yourself.
Nurses are prone to take their work home and are often overburdened. It is wise to keep the work issues at the workplace. That way, you will be able to be at peace and focus on your work. Give some time to your family, get rest and start afresh the next day.
Nurses have a lot of responsibilities. But understand your limitations. You need not compromise on your safety to save the patients. So, if you are asked to move or lift patients, ask for help if you feel the need.
Building positive relationships with co-workers is important for smooth operations. You need to be proactive and take steps to make the workplace good for you and your team. Hence, do not keep things to yourself. If you feel you need help, ask for it and make your voice heard.
Adding on, if you get injured while on the job, take some time out to heal yourself before you resume working. Pushing yourself while you are injured can be harmful for your health and also for your patients.
Staff shortage is a major concern in nursing. Being in a place that is facing such issues can be stressful. However, you can take the initiative to talk with your supervisor and create a schedule that does not affect your work negatively.
It is difficult at times to follow the same schedule every day. It is the hospital’s responsibility to address this issue and recruit more people. Nurses have the option to look for jobs elsewhere if they find their present job too taxing. Hospitals must work on the problem and find a permanent solution.
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Keeping yourself updated can be a great way to cope with the problems with technology implementation. Nurses do not have the time to attend training sessions to learn new elements. Yet, to keep your job, you might have to attend classes and learn new techniques.
It is highly recommended that nurses take some time out and keep themselves updated with technology. It will help you stay ahead of others and cope with the changes as and when they are introduced.
This is something hospitals need to do. A major challenge in the nursing profession is workplace violence, and bullying is a major reason for such things. Aspiring nurses do not feel like getting into this profession all due to these reasons. The authorities need to ensure that such things do not happen in the workplace and that nurses are motivated to work.
There are instances where nurses suffer from loneliness because they don’t get support from their colleagues. It is crucial to make them feel included. Nurses have to deal with a lot of things. For example, you might have been asked to take care of a patient whose days are numbered. In that case, the authorities must ensure that nurses get the necessary emotional support.
Encouraging Employee Assistance Programs can add value and address major challenges in contemporary nursing. Such programs can help retain and attract more people to this profession.
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Nursing is a noble profession. But there are a lot of things that are bothering present-day nursing practices. Most of you feel that it is up to the authorities to make the necessary changes for smooth processes. The authorities must take the necessary steps, but it is also up to the nurses to mend things and continue being in this profession. They need to adapt to the changes and prepare themselves for the future. So, before you start highlighting the issues, work on the solutions to be in line with the changes.
Here are a few factors that influence contemporary nursing practice:
There are a lot of things to understand in contemporary nursing. You need to know how the trends are changing and how students are inclined towards taking up this subject for a better career. Contemporary nursing is generally concerned with studies and documented data with respect to the objectives and assumptions, methods of work, methodology and research methods, adopted solutions and expected results.
You need to know the five components while learning contemporary nursing knowledge, as suggested by Fawcett:
It is important to learn about all aspects of nursing to learn the five Cs properly. The concept was developed by Simone Roach. The five Cs consist of:
The contemporary theory, developed by Kurt Lewin, focuses on a three-stage model of change. The three stages, as defined by the father of social psychology, are the unfreezing-change-refreeze model. The change theory is considered the most influential theory by all, and you have to learn it well to grab the right opportunities. You need to know how these are put into practice and adapt to the changes as they come.
Nurses have a major role to play in society. Not only are they expected to cure diseases, but they are also responsible for promoting education and healthy practices and sharing their knowledge to make this society a better place. So, if you are willing to be in this profession, you need to know the responsibilities and work on it accordingly. Nursing is a noble profession, and you must acknowledge its importance to succeed in the future.
Contemporary nursing aims to improve the health status and potential of individuals or families. You need to know how contemporary nursing can achieve these if you are pursuing the subject. Contemporary nursing practices also aim to increase effectiveness and satisfaction among professional colleagues and manage multiple healthcare facilities.
You will come across a lot of nursing roles that are included in contemporary nursing practice. Roles like direct patient care, case management, establishing nursing practice standards, and developing quality assurance procedures are all included in contemporary nursing practices. You have to be well-versed with all and have the necessary skills to be a part of the fraternity.
You can gain nursing knowledge from various sources. The subject relies on a multifaceted base, including science, experience and personality-derived understanding. You need to have knowledge of all these aspects to be successful in this field. Understand how these affect nursing and work on them accordingly.
If you are pursuing the course of nursing, consider looking into various sources to gain proper knowledge. Prospective nurses are known to use sources such as biological sciences that include physiology along with social sciences. You need to understand how these play a major role in the overall nursing practice and work on them accordingly for a better future.
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