Trends and issues in nursing education
field of health care all over the world. Modern health
 The nursing profession continues to evolve and
progress at a meteoric pace. Nursing profession
emerged in late 19th century credit is given to
Florence Nightingale.
 NURSING AS A PROFESSION. Profession is an
occupation based on specialized intellectual study
and training, the purpose of which is to supply skilled
service with ethical components to others, for
definite fee or salary
 KELLY’S CRITERIA OF PROFESSION. The services
provided are vital to humanity and the welfare of the
society. There is a special body of knowledge which
is continually enlarged through research. The
services involve intellectual activities; individual
responsibility (accountability) is a strong feature.
Practitioners are educated in institutions of higher
learning.  Practitioners are relatively independent
and control their own policies and activities
(autonomy). Practitioners are motivated by service
and consider that work on important component of
their lives. There is a “code of ethics” to guide the
decisions and conduct of practitioners. There is an
organization (association) which encourages and
supports high standards of practice.
 TRENDS. It denotes changes taken place.
 Nursing trends refers to direction towards which the
different nursing events have moved or are moving.
These do not occur independently but each one has
a basis of related changes in other fields.
 Trends in nursing profession serve to meet the need
of the society particularly the needs related to
health. The changes in society will influence to bring
about changes in nursing profession. At present,
efforts are made by government of Philippines to
deliver the health care to the community especially
in rural area. Overall improvement in the education
of people with ever growing awareness about
health, well-being and health need.
 Trends after independence, government began to
make serious efforts to meet health need of nation
by implementing recommendation of WHO.
Advancement of technology e.g. Automatization,
Industrialization, Urbanization etc.
 TRENDS. Medical profession is fastly changing
profession. Trends in nursing profession are closely
related to those in medical profession. The era of
specialization & Biomedical science have far
advanced resulting in newer diagnostic equipment
such as scanner, new drugs, monitoring system in
care facility like ICU, ICCU, renal unit, organ
transplant unit etc. super specialization has come.
 TYPES OF TRENDS IN NURSING. Nursing practice,
Nursing education, Nursing service, Nursing
administration, Ethical views, Legal views, and
Health care delivery system.
 ETHICAL TRENDS IN NURSING. Ethics compromises
distinction attitudes, cultural outlook of professional
group. Ethics are distinction between right and
wrong based on a body of knowledge, not just
opinion.
 TECHNOLOGY TRENDS. Robotics in Path-labs /
Research, Laser Technology in surgery,
Instrumentation in medical and surgical practices,
Biotechnology, Genomics, Molecular Biology and
Stem cell research.
 TRENDS IN NURSING EDUCATION. Registered Nurse
Midwife (RM), General Nursing and Midwifery
(GNM), PhD in Nursing, Specialty care, Nurse
Practioner, Expanded and extended education.
 TRENDS IN NURSING EDUCATION SPECIALIZATION.
Pediatric Nursing, Oncology Nursing, Thoracic
Nursing, Operation Theater Nurse, Certified
Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA), Technology in
education.
 ISSUES IN NURSING EDUCATION. Nursing Training
schools multiplied, Lack of independent building for
schools and colleges, Lack of independent principal
for schools and colleges, Inadequate hostel facilities
for students, Shortage of qualified teachers in
nursing, Inadequate library facilities.
 ISSUES IN NURSING EDUCATION. Very less or no
stipend for nursing students, Less supply of aids, Less
promotional opportunities for teachers of both
schools and colleges, Insufficient efforts to prepare
nurses for the job they are accepted to perform in
their work field in terms of appropriate skills,
knowledge and right attitude and the desired
behavior patterns reflecting the values for caring
 OTHER ISSUES IN NURSING. Nursing Shortage,
Patient Satisfaction, National Patient Safety
Initiatives, Evidence-Based Practice, Information
Age, Genetics, Globalization of Health, Aging
Population, Global burden of infectious diseases,
Global burden of non-infectious diseases and
political will.
 PATIENTS SATISFACTION. Good customer service,
Patient Bill of Rights, Treat patients like family and
Healthcare is a business.
  EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICE. Goal is to achieve cost-
effective, high quality patient care based on
scientific inquiry. Nurses need to understand
research process involved. Nursing care should not
be based on opinions, past practices, but on the
results of scientific research. Clinical journals,
Practice guidelines and nursing research.
 INFORMATION AGE. Consumers today are more
computers savvy regarding healthcare. More info on
internet. Consumers could possibly be more
informed than health care worker.
 GLOBALIZATION OF HEALTH. Healthcare has
become a global issue. People are mobile, diseases
can travel. Nurses need to have an understanding of
the issues pertaining to global health.
 IMPACT Improve the accuracy of patient
identification, Improve the effectiveness of
communication among caregivers, Improve the
safety of using medications, Reduce the risk of
health care-associated infections Accurately and
completely reconcile medications.
“By demonstrating their knowledge in nursing
practice, education and administration nurses can
demonstrate their expert power. This knowledge
may increase the amount of respect that they are
given by physicians and the society as such along
with personal professional satisfaction.
“Today’s issues are tomorrow’s trends”
Trends and issues in Health care policy formation
Overall, the healthcare system in the Philippines is of a high
standard. Filipino medical staffs are expertly trained, but the
facilities may not be as impressive as those found in high-end
US or European hospitals.
The quality of the Philippines’ state-subsidized public
healthcare, although good, varies widely between rural and
urban areas. Private healthcare in the Philippines provides
much more consistent care and facilities tend to be better
equipped than public ones.
Technology
Advancements in healthcare technology move at a rapid
pace, so nurses have to stay sharp to keep up. Innovations
like remote monitoring devices and high-tech patient
simulators are becoming common in hospitals, as are
electronic health record systems. Since each facility has
different types and levels of technology, it’s important for
nurses to be adaptable when it comes to learning new
systems and equipment. In addition, electronic
communication through text apps and hospital-wide paging
communication tools enable nurses to respond more
efficiently to patient needs. Apps that alert nurses when they
are running late to provide treatment allow for concurrent
quality management as well.
These innovative methods can improve life for nurses,
enabling team collaboration and providing immediate access
to critical patient information. Nurses are able to provide a
rapid response to changing physiological parameters using
evidence-based protocols to improve patient outcomes.
More nurses than ever are participating in decisions about
facility technology purchases, due to an increased recognition
of the vital role direct access plays in improved care quality.
An overall increase in access to technology is one of the most
important trends nurses can already see in their practice.
There is increased use of portable and mobile technology, as
well as an emphasis on telemedicine in rural or underserved
areas. With the rise of electronic health records, hospitals
and physicians’ offices are keeping track of patient
information digitally. While this can make patient data easier
to share and improve outcomes, it can also put private
information at risk. Nurses have a responsibility to stay
vigilant, in order to ensure the safety and security of patient
data.
Care Delivery
Where nurses practice is changing as well. Facilities like
ambulatory surgery centers and retail clinics are serving
patients outside of the hospital setting, so nurses have job
opportunities in more places than in the past. With
healthcare moving out into the community, nurses have the
opportunity to use their skills in new ways. Data from the RN
Work Project indicates that more newly licensed nurses are
accepting first jobs in ambulatory care, home health and
nursing homes. This trend may be due in part to economic
changes or movement toward a more holistic care approach.
Many believe that the future of nursing is heading back to
where it started, with nurses frequently visiting patients in
their homes and interacting with the community as a whole.
We are already seeing a shift toward community clinics and
home-based services.
Preventive care is another trend. Both the medical
community and insurance providers (Phil health) are
interested in encouraging patients to live healthier lifestyles
that prevent health issues from arising. This means that
nurses will see an increase in demand for “well care” and
coordination with other healthcare professionals like
nutritionists, physical therapists and psychologists.
Collaboration has become the preferred style of care delivery,
with a strong focus on interdisciplinary care. This is a good
change for nurses. It allows them to own the decision-making
process.
Along with the adoption of new technologies, nurses will
increasingly collaborate with colleagues and non-nursing
professionals on a regular basis. This can mean a large care
delivery team that includes caseworkers, social workers,
pharmacists and more.

The Push for Continued Education

With all of these new trends, it’s no surprise that many
nurses are choosing to continue their education by earning
different tittles. “Quality patient care hinges on having a well-
educated nursing workforce. Research has shown that lower
mortality rates, fewer medication errors, and positive
outcomes are all linked to nurses prepared at the
baccalaureate and graduate level “To respond to the
demands of an evolving health care system and meet the
changing needs of patients, nurses must achieve higher levels
of education,” the report said.

As the healthcare system continues to change, nurses may

find they need more knowledge to lead effectively. The
advent of online nursing degree programs is providing nurses
with more access to education than ever before. The Bureau
of Labor Statistics reports that the ongoing nursing shortage
will require 525,000 replacement nurses in the workforce.
This brings the total number of job openings for nurses due to
growth and replacements to 1.05 million by 2022 and is
causing high-quality institutions with a long history of nursing
education to add online offerings.