Nursing has evolved considerably in recent decades, and the future of nursing promises more change. With the aging U.S. population, it’s expected that there will be an increasing need for preventive care and community health. AI is automating certain tasks, while nurses themselves are expected to be more highly educated.
The nursing profession has come a long way since the 1850s, when nurse and advocate Florence Nightingale dramatically improved patient outcomes at a soldiers’ hospital during the Crimean War. As nurses and nursing students look into the possible future of nursing, the coming decades are expected to bring further changes, both in terms of technology and how the profession itself is evolving. Technology and care models are expected to change further, with greater emphasis on preventive care and advanced practice roles.
At Marian University, you can prepare for the continued evolution of nursing as a second-degree nursing student. Our Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program doesn’t require prior healthcare experience, and you could graduate in as few as 16 months, joining the future of the nursing profession sooner.
As you consider your future nursing career, explore how nursing has changed in recent decades and which factors are shaping its ongoing evolution.
Why the Future of Nursing Matters Now
It is an exciting time to enter the nursing field. Healthcare technology is advancing rapidly, and there are more opportunities in clinical and leadership roles.
Understanding the future of nursing matters because the changes underway will affect your career. Learning about trends such as preventive care, community health, and advanced practice roles will help you prepare for a modern nursing career.
The Evolution of Nursing Over the Past Two Decades
Nursing as a field has evolved continuously since it emerged as a distinct profession. In recent years, technologies such as artificial intelligence and electronic health records have transformed how nurses deliver care.
EHRs had already been in use for some time, but widespread adoption didn’t occur until after the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act was enacted in 2009. This act incentivized adoption and addressed security issues.
As a result, EHRs are now standard in hospitals and clinics, serving to streamline the delivery of care and help patients access their own health data. This also paved the way for nursing informatics to emerge as a distinct nursing specialty.
Recent changes in the nursing profession include:
- The decline of rural nursing, increasing need in these areas
- Growth of the nursing workforce
- Increase in baccalaureate-prepared RNs compared to those with associate degrees
- Significant staffing upheaval due to the COVID-19 pandemic, due largely to stress and burnout
Explore today’s healthcare landscape and what it means for nurses.
Key Forces Shaping the Future of Nursing
Multiple factors are influencing the evolution of nursing and healthcare. Key forces include:
- Emerging technology: Healthcare technology will continue to evolve, with more organizations and nurses turning to technologies that automate routine tasks to reduce the workload burden.
- Healthcare costs: The cost of healthcare in the U.S. is astronomical and expected to continue rising, reaching a projected $8.6 trillion by 2033. At the same time, health insurance enrollments are expected to drop, while prescription drug spending may increase. Healthcare costs may encourage organizations and patients to opt for cost-cutting measures, such as focusing more on preventive care.
- Multigenerational nursing workforce: The nursing workforce is comprised of Baby Boomer, Generation X, Millennial and Generation Z nurses, each bringing different perspectives and expectations.
- Patient expectations: Patients expect healthcare to be more flexible and convenient. Telehealth and virtual nursing care may continue to be a popular option for patients over the next couple of decades.
- Population demographics: The U.S. population is getting older, and an aging population presents more health issues overall, as well as more chronic conditions and an increased demand for in-home care.
Technology and Innovation in the Future of Nursing
Healthcare organizations are increasingly turning to technology in an attempt to reduce healthcare costs, meet patient expectations and mitigate nurse burnout.
Key advances and innovations shaping the future of nursing include:
- Artificial intelligence, which can automate routine tasks like documentation and scheduling while still requiring human oversight.
- Robotics, which may handle manual tasks such as fetching supplies or provide training tools for nursing education.
- Virtual nursing and telehealth, which allow nurses to provide care remotely in a more convenient format for patients.
How the Role of Registered Nurses Will Continue to Evolve
As the U.S. population ages and chronic conditions become more common, many nurses will work with a greater emphasis on preventive care and community health. A rising proportion of nursing care will include screenings, vaccinations, patient education, lifestyle adjustments, and early intervention.
Key areas of focus for future nursing practice include:
- Early intervention to address health concerns before they become serious
- Health screenings to detect conditions and guide care plans
- Lifestyle adjustment guidance for patients to improve overall well‑being
- Patient education about disease prevention, self‑care and health maintenance
- Vaccinations to protect individuals and communities
Discover the nursing informatics specialty and learn why it’s growing.
Emerging Nursing Specialties and Career Pathways
Along with the evolution of technology and the patient care model, the nursing profession will be shaped by emerging specialties. Informatics nursing is not new, but it will likely continue to increase in importance given the widespread implementation of healthcare technologies and the healthcare applications of data science.
Likewise, the nurse practitioner (NP) specialty is not new, but it’s growing at a rapid pace. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the job growth rate for NPs is expected to be 40% from 2024 through 2034, much faster than average, accounting for an additional 128,400 new jobs. In many areas, such as underserved healthcare deserts, NPs serve as primary care providers.
Other career pathways for nurses are indeed fairly new, such as genetics and genomics nursing. A genetics nurse assesses a patient’s risk of hereditary disease and educates patients about genetic testing results.
Over the next decade and beyond, it’s possible that more new nursing specialties will emerge, providing new opportunities to RNs. One possible new specialty that may emerge, for example, could be the role of AI ethics nurse, who may focus on protecting patient privacy and security in the age of AI.
What the Future of Registered Nurses Means for Nursing Education
The increasing complexity of the nursing world means that comprehensive, advanced nursing education is more important than ever. Increasingly, healthcare employers prefer to hire baccalaureate-prepared nurses over nurses with an associate degree. According to a recent survey by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), nearly 70% of healthcare employers have a “strong preference” for BSN-prepared nurses, while 25% of healthcare employers require a BSN.
Beyond a BSN, nurses are expected to stay on top of the rapid developments in the nursing field through continuing education and professional development, such as professional certifications. Additionally, the number of nurses pursuing graduate-level nursing education has been increasing in recent years and may continue to climb in the future. The future of registered nurses will be strongly tied to education.
Pursue Your Future in Nursing at Marian University
Marian University offers a high-tech, values-based nursing education to prepare nursing students for the future of the healthcare landscape. Here, you’ll receive immersive education that includes online-based coursework, onsite nursing labs, and in-hospital clinical rotations at top area hospitals. You’ll learn to provide holistic patient care that preserves the human touch in nursing while embracing technological advances.
If you’re interested in earning your nursing degree in as few as 16 months, request information and connect with an admissions advisor at Marian University today.