The professional development of nurses is an ongoing process that reflects the dynamism of the larger healthcare setting. The overall professional role of nurses – to provide patient care – has not changed significantly. However, the context within which nursing exists does evolve. There are two important changes that impact the role of nurses and will inevitably influence nurse education – an aging patient population and an increasing nurse shortage.
The gradual aging of the population means that healthcare facilities will experience an increasing surge of elderly patients. At the same time, aging population also affects nurses themselves – as the majority of nurses are in their late middle ages. As the pressure and the workload increase, the importance of effective leadership becomes more prevalent. This is the most important change – the professional role of nurses now includes effective leadership in patient care.
Even though nursing is a specific field, leadership practices are not different from other spheres. All effective teams have a clear delineation of roles and responsibilities, as well as a high level of trust in each other. The first collaborative leadership activity that should help nurses is gathering the team and explaining that quality care is in everyone’s best interests. The second activity is to educate patients themselves on managing their health issues.
These activities are important because they showcase that each patient care procedure has meaning. Once nurses can see that their efforts are meaningful, their satisfaction and job enthusiasm will increase. For instance, the lower rate of readmissions will mean that patient care has been effective. Therefore, it becomes vital to motivate nurses to provide quality care, as the workload will likely increase, as will the likelihood of professional burnout.