Importance of Nurse Practitioners in a Transformed Healthcare System
Several factors drive the healthcare system’s transformation, including suboptimal outcomes, unsustainable costs, and disparities. The urgency for change in the healthcare system has increased drastically due to the quality, cost concerns, disease type, and changing social demographics. The healthcare system’s transformation requires better coordination of care. This coordination will improve care quality and reduce spending, especially regarding unnecessary emergency department utilization, unnecessary hospitalization, repeated diagnostic testing, and multiple prescriptions. All of this is possible because nurse practitioners are positioned uniquely at the heart of the healthcare system. Nurses are leading these changes by being contributing members of all the interprofessional teams. These shifts require a new set of skills, knowledge, and attitudes; nursing practitioners’ education is the highest priority for healthcare systems as their expertise is pivotal for transformation.
Below you will find how the nurses are playing an integral role in the transformation of the healthcare system:
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Table of Contents
ToggleGETTING ADVANCED DEGREES FROM THE BEST SCHOOLS
Nurse practitioners are on the lifelong path of learning through quality education and degrees. Suppose you are looking for a career as a nurse practitioner. In that case, to get the proper guidance, you can search online about nurse practitioner program rankings so that you can choose the best nursing schools. Several nurses are working in hospitals beyond their shifts. They are constantly enrolling in advanced programs to update their skills and knowledge. They are aware of the needs of patient care. Based on it, the nurses holding either associate degrees or diplomas are further enhancing their careers by enrolling in a master’s degree in nursing. Nurses can get on the job training; they can opt for a nursing degree online while managing their evidence-based nursing training. It has created a significant impact on the importance of nurses. You will see many nurses in boardroom discussions and leadership roles in transforming the healthcare system.
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NURSES ARE MAKING THE DECISIONS
Over the last decade, the nurses’ role has witnessed a significant difference. They are the central aspect of overall healthcare transformation. Nurses are now part of the boardrooms, where you will find them making critical decisions regarding patient care. Since nurses have the hands-on-experience as far as patient care is concerned, they are in a better position to make significant decisions regarding patient care policy. Nurses are part of the conversation regarding healthcare transformation and play a leadership role in this shift.
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CULTURE OF HEALTH – A CONCEPT BY NURSES
A significant shift towards cultivating health culture and technological advancement in the healthcare system at the same time is a positive sign. The healthcare systems are going one step ahead by developing a patient care culture. The overall experience is not bound only to ensure physical health by giving complete care to the patients. This culture has been ingrained in the system by the nurse practitioners. Nurses view the healthcare system from a holistic perspective. They are central in creating trust relationships with the patients by providing them with the utmost care. Since they have the most comfortable and most frequent access to patients, they are pivotal in establishing significant touchpoints. These touchpoints are responsible for creating a culture of health.
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PATIENT SAFETY AND CARE COORDINATOR
When it comes to the provision of coordinated care in the healthcare system, nurses are at the forefront. They provide services to all the departments in the hospital. From surgery, pharmacy, nutrition to physical therapy, occupational therapy, and social work, you will see nurses providing coordinated care to all the departments. One of the reasons for reducing readmission in the hospital is that the nurses have helped improve mortality. Nurses are also at the forefront of providing and ensuring the safety of patients. When required, the healthcare system nurses speak up, engage patients, follow checklists, and learn from their everyday experiences.
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PATIENT ADVOCACY FOR LIFE
Nursing requires empathy, and this empathy establishes strong personal bonds between the patient and the nurse. The nurses have a complete understanding of the patients’ needs, the treatment and protocols appropriate for the patients, and patient safety. It makes the nurses best advocates for the patients. Even after retiring, the nurses continue the advocacy of patients and continue to be role models in the communities. They selflessly improve the lives of everyone in their communities.
FINAL WORD
The nurse practitioners’ in a transformed healthcare system plays an integral role in the new paradigm shift in the healthcare system; they are working relentlessly with the interprofessional teams. The nurses now outnumber doctors by 3 to 1. The nurses are transforming the health care system by providing improved patient care and reducing cost. So if you are rational about becoming a nurse practitioner, begin looking for the best nursing schools and practice empathy.