Key Takeaways

• The continued growth in telehealth & safety concerns, a looming nursing shortage, rise for doctoral education, nurse navigators, etc., are some nursing/nurses trends in the United States.
• The findings of a thorough literature review published in Gavin Publishers concluded that burnout among nurses leads to chronic occupational stress, including three aspects, "emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and feels of low personal accomplishment on the job."
• A new study accessing the psychological response of US nurses during the acute days of the COVID-19 pandemic found that 54.6% of nurses exhibited more traumatic stress than nurses worldwide.

Introduction

Burnout

• A recent study by the nursing agency IntelyCare found that more than 33% of the 188,000 new nurses who graduate every year in the United States leave the "bedside" by the second year due to burnout.
• Of the nurses that leave their profession due to exhaustion, 54% cite mental health factors like emotional toll as the culprit.
•  New research from Mayo sought to investigate the impact of different factors, including depression and burnout, on nurses developing suicidal ideation. According to its findings, at least 38% of nurses who report burnout have significantly higher odds than other workers of having suicidal thoughts.
• Burnout is also associated with depression. At least 35% of nurses experiencing burnout had symptoms of depression. Compared to other health professionals, nurses have twice the rate of depression when burnt out.
• In another survey conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic in the US, 42% of nurses experiencing symptoms of burnout associated it with high rates of PTSD symptoms.
• The findings of a thorough literature review published in Gavin Publishers concluded that burnout among nurses leads to chronic occupational stress, including three aspects, "emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and feels of low personal accomplishment on the job."

Stress Levels

• The nurses in a study conducted by Purdue University COH reported that they experienced secondary traumatic stress as a result of witnessing COVID-19 patients die alone or with a nurse at their side.
• A new study accessing the psychological response of US nurses during the acute days of the COVID-19 pandemic found that 54.6% of nurses exhibited more traumatic stress than nurses worldwide.

Other Mental Health Issues

• The study also revealed that the US-registered nurses experienced nearly twice the rates of depressive symptoms and double the rates of insomnia than nurses worldwide. 54.6% reported depressive symptoms, and 32.4% exhibited rates of insomnia.
• Additionally, nurses (37.3%) also reported exhibiting rates of anxiety symptoms than nurses worldwide.
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Nursing/Nurses Trends in the U.S.

1) Continued Growth in Telehealth & Safety Concerns

• The use of communication technology to perform clinical health services remotely, also called telehealth, boomed during the pandemic and is expected to grow further in 2022.
• Telehealth visits grew by 150% during the early stages of the pandemic, and about 76% of hospitals in the US claim some form of interaction with telehealth services.
• This service helps nurses to offer real-time care to patients, even those in rural areas, where the closest healthcare clinics are miles away.
• As this trend grows, so will the increase in remote video check-ins and home health consults by nurses.
• With the advancement of telehealth services, safety and privacy concerns are more common among nurses. The demand for protected health information, including compliance with HIPAA, is a health care trend that will continue to grow into the future.
• According to certified nurse educator Bonnie Fuller, an industry expert, "every nurse should obtain a patient's consent prior to engaging in telehealth services."
• See Fuller's profile picture below.
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2) Rise of the Nurse Navigator Service

•  Nurse navigators are nurses who advocate for their patient's care, from testing, diagnosis, treatment, and other aspects of care. They also act as case managers, guiding their patients through the healthcare journey.
• Bonnie Fuller, a certified nurse educator, is one expert discussing this trend.
• Hospitals are increasingly hiring nurse navigators to help patients with smooth transitions and care while reducing hospital readmission rates and overall healthcare costs.
• There's a growing need for this service as the population ages and people exhibit more chronic conditions.

3) Entrepreneur Nurses

• Entrepreneurship opportunities for nurses continue to emerge with the growth in value-based care models. This is especially important in areas where patients may be located far from the nearest health center.
•  Fuller points to the many entrepreneurship opportunities available to nurses, including nurse consultants, nurse practitioners, and nurse informatics.
• The founder of a patient advocacy business, Dreher, also reports an uptick in interest in entrepreneurship among nurses.
• Although still new in the US, the Concierge medicine model is another great opportunity for entrepreneurial nurses.

4) Rise For Doctoral Education

• In recent years, more doctors are pursuing doctoral education programs, especially for the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP).
• This trend is driven by the growing need to have more doctorally prepared nurses and to fill the physician shortage in the US.
• Fuller discusses this trend, saying, "Nurses are increasingly earning a doctoral-level education to fill some of that void."

5) Nursing Shortage

• The US has been facing nursing shortages for several years, and many studies predict such a shortage for years to come. BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) estimates that this will result in over 1 million job openings in the industry.
• Fuller claims that this shortage will not only impact nursing care providers but also a significant shortage in nursing educators.
• Some nursing schools, like Jacksonville University, are collaborating with health care providers to offer accelerated second-degree nursing programs.
• Other nursing schools have moved learning opportunities online through distance learning programs.

Research Strategy