Healthcare professionals are critical towards the wellbeing and survival of society. With reports warning of a rise in non-communicable diseases in the US, nurse practicioners are in high demand to help fill shortages in preventative and community-based healthcare. The US Bureau of Statistics even projects that due to a nationwide physician shortage, a rapidly aging population and shifts towards value based care, an anticipated 46% increase in job growth of NP’s is predicted around the early 2030’s. Not just conventional NP’s however, professionals who can leverage digital technology, provide superior preventative healthcare and drive change are being called to the front.
With qualifications such as the TWU online nurse practitioner program that equip students with the skills needed to take a proactive, patient-centered approach to healthcare, our communities can hopefully look forward to more qualified experts joining the field and helping to serve those in need. There are elements to online practitioner programs that make them a driving force in transforming the preventative healthcare space – here are some ways how.
Leveraging Technology – Chronic Disease Management
Online training that upskills nursing graduates in chronic disease management is effective in helping them prepare for a diverse range of scenarios, such as long-term care facilities or remote outpatient clinics. This is a great example as to how online NP programs are driving change in the healthcare sector. With the shift of emphasis towards leveraging technology to help with chronic disease management, technological solutions such as Telehealth are being widely introduced to skilled providers as new innovative means offering predictive analytics as well as remote consultations and monitoring on individual patients.
One can imagine how this is a game changer for patients that live far from clinics and hospitals. Think about it, you can access better personalised health care and consultations without ever having to make long commutes or frequent visits to your nearest emergency room, saving time and reducing the spread of illness as a result. Online programs also equip NP’s with the knowledge to develop customized health plans for patients, improving their strive towards achieving personal health goals. This can be achieved by using data-driven analytics to help
Leadership Upskilling
Beyond training students to deliver valuable preventative health care for patients, modern online NP programs are pushing towards leadership training that will allow future professsionals to take charge and drive change in community health. This is a crucial factor towards how online nursing education transforms preventative healthcare.
Developing the ability to demonstrate leadership is key to polishing the next generation of professionals. Leadership in the health field is important as it equips online nursing students in being able to excel towards higher roles to either manage health facilities, develop and promote health policies or even push for new technologies to be introduced. In fact, statistical insights indicate that the demand of health and medical service managers is projected to increase by 29% in 2033.
Further research highlights that the current nursing education curriculum is generally centered around acute care practice, although more than one third of nurses practice in non-acute scenarios. Experts regard this as a call for training of nurses towards community engagement as a preventative tool for non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular illnesses.
Online NP programs are now equipping nursing graduates with the adequate leadership knowledge and experience to advocate for and lead developments in community-engaged interventions as part of an optimised, preventative healthcare. This can range from health screenings to educational awareness sessions designed to expand the community’s knowledge of such programs of which nursing practitioners with adequate online leadership training are able to carry out conveniently without having to require in person consultations.
Behavioural Health
Online programs are significant towards behavioural health for a variety of reasons. Digital NP modules for example often include modern learning techniques such as simulations that are designed to increase patient engagement and motivation towards making changes in their lifestyle to better their health, or to take action in medical treatment. An NP’s ability to serve patients in remote areas helps increase accessibility and remove barriers that have been problematic in the past. This can be a positive boost for a patient’s mental health as it can also guarantee a more private and personalised consultation when seeking healthcare treatments.
Behavioral health training can also help empower nursing graduates in being able to provide whole-person care, which focuses on holistic strategies that blend in psychotherapy with medication that is aimed to help boost positive outcomes for patients.
Online nursing education is taking the healthcare sector by storm, and in a good way. With training modules and curriculums centered around leveraging newer and more advanced technologies, upskilling in leadership for professionals to help drive community engagement programs and incentives to improve behavioural health as a goal, one can’t deny the impact that online NP programs will have in the future of preventative healthcare.
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