NURSING IN TRANSITION
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CONCLUSION As members of the largest single profession within healthcare, registered nurses are instrumental to the access to care and the quality of care available to all Americans. How registered nurses feel about their profession, what they plan to do in their careers, and how, when, and where they work are therefore matters of importance to public health. The 2025 Survey of Registered Nurses indicates that the majority of nurses feel favorably about their choice of nursing as a career and about their current jobs. However, the survey also clearly indicates that many nurses continue to find aspects of nursing to be problematic. The majority (58%) said they feel burned out most days, a result of patient overload, excessive documentation requirements, incidents of verbal and physical abuse, and other ongoing challenges. As a result, many nurses today plan to change how they work, and this reality must be embraced by nurse employers seeking to address anticipated volatility within the nursing workforce. When asked what would most improve working conditions for nurses, those surveyed strongly agreed that fewer patients per nurse would be beneficial, as would schedule flexibility, hybrid roles and reduced documentation. One way nurses can achieve schedule flexibility is through scheduling technology that offers nurses more control over when and where they work . Over one-third of nurses surveyed (34%) now have self-scheduling options at their jobs, while others can choose their own schedules or work flexible shifts. The survey anticipates a time when nurses will have growing workplace control through the use of hand-held devices. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is another technology likely to impact nurses. The survey suggests that many nurses are not conversant with the use of AI in healthcare. Those who are familiar with AI believe its best application in nursing is to improve nurse education, implement telehealth, and ease administrative and workflow management tasks . The primary concern nurses have about AI is that it may diminish patient safety and disrupt their connection to patients. However, few believe AI is likely to replace them.
AMNHealthcare.com
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