Title: Nursing: breaking the bonds?
Citation: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association, Dec
26, 1990 v264 n24 p3117(5)
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Subjects: Nurses_Job satisfaction
Nursing_Study and teaching
Nursing_Laws, regulations, etc.
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Abstract: Nursing as a profession faces important problems, as can be seen by the conflicting expectations attached to the current situation, in which nurses are better-educated than ever before, but still expected to ''serve at the bedside''. An overview of the future of nursing is presented, with input from health professionals in administrative, research, and academic positions. Nurses, in general, prefer to work in more personalized settings than the large, 21st-century hospital is likely to offer. The pressures in such institutions are discussed. In coming years, nurses will face a variety of non-hospital job choices, including peer review organizations, work for insurance companies, outpatient and home care, rehabilitative care, hospice work, and health care administration. Rural areas, which have experienced even more nursing shortages than cities, attract nurses with nursing diplomas or associate degrees, rather than academic degrees. As rural hospitals close, the numbers of these nurses, who are dedicated to hospital nursing, dwindles. Nurses are badly needed in nursing homes, where they currently make up only 12 percent of the total patient care staff. Military and community health nursing are also discussed. A key question for the nursing profession of tomorrow is the degree of independence nurses will attain. Some specialists within nursing, such as nurse anesthetists, have moved in this direction, but are still largely excluded from affluent, urban communities. At issue are legal recognition and ...