Nursing Shortage

There are many reasons why nursing is a great career choice for those passionate about providing care. Other than the rewarding and challenging nature of the profession, it is inevitable that there will always be a need for nurses. The population is growing quickly and the baby boomer generation is aging; in the near future hospitals will be understaffed and unable to accommodate the large number of patients. Nurses, as usual, will be overworked. Although the future for nursing students seems to be filled with long hours and hard work, there will always be employment opportunities and the reassurance of a secure job.

Technology....Improving Communication in Health Care

Technology is helping overcome communication barriers in health care; electronic medical records (EMR’s)help prevent problems such as medication and treatment errors, since health care members are better able to understand what is documented. Information on each patient is submitted electronically, therefore preventing misread orders. Additionally, EMR’s are updated more frequently than paper charting, making the information more accurate and reliable. Handheld devices allow nurses and physicians to interact with one another more frequently, and as a result, everyone on the health care team is kept up-to-date with each patient. Nurses are also able to touch base with one another throughout their shifts, allowing everyone within the health care team to have continuous communication.

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